Galaxy Goal: Blending In New Talent
Approaching the halfway point of the Major League Soccer season, the Galaxy has broken down and pulled over to the side of the road.
Two losses in a row and only one victory in its last seven games have left Coach Sigi Schmid’s team in need of an overhaul, and Schmid began that process this week.
Heading into tonight’s game against the Colorado Rapids in Denver, the Galaxy (6-2-6) has not only picked up a few new parts but also a new attitude. Schmid, assistant coach Ralph Perez and goalkeeper coach Zak Abdel began installing both last Monday.
“We had light training but mainly a talk,” Schmid said. “We talked about molding and shaping our new group and accepting the new players into that group and becoming competitive again within ourselves.
“I think the team has responded well to that. It’s still going to be a bumpy and a rocky road in the near term, but I’m pleased with the strides that we’ve made.”
The new players are Mexican striker Luis Hernandez, Haitian forward Sebastien Vorbe, Yugoslav midfielder Ivan Polic and American winger Brian Kelly.
Added to the equation are two other Americans: midfielder Jorge Salcedo, who is fit again after a lengthy layoff caused by injury, and Adam Frye, a defender picked up on waivers in mid-March but only now getting playing time.
Once the U.S. Cup ends Sunday, forward Cobi Jones and defender Greg Vanney will return from the U.S. national team; defender Robin Fraser is almost recovered from a severe ankle sprain, and Schmid will have virtually his full roster available for the next month. The only exception will be New Zealand midfielder Simon Elliott, who will be playing in the Oceania Cup.
“That’s the month when we really need to get the team together,” Schmid said.
The key, of course, is getting Jones and Hernandez to click as a scoring duo up front. Jones, who had been in a two-month goal drought for the Galaxy, scored two superb left-footed goals against South Africa in the U.S. Cup.
“I hope he brings some of that left-footed shooting back to the Galaxy,” Schmid said. “They were great goals.”
Hernandez, called up to join Mexico for the U.S. Cup, played 68 minutes in a 4-2 victory over South Africa in Dallas on Wednesday night but, according to reports, was ineffective.
Schmid was not pleased to have lost the striker in midweek, but said he understood the reasoning.
“It was sort of an agreement that was reached between U.S. Soccer, the Mexican federation, MLS and the Galaxy,” he said. “Everybody played a little part in that. It was a compromise that was acceptable to everybody.”
He said Jones and Hernandez, who has yet to score for the Galaxy, soon will hit their stride as a forward tandem.
“I don’t think it’s going to be that long,” he said. “If you give him [Hernandez] and Cobi some more games together--the U.S. Open Cup game [against the Seattle Sounders at Cal State Fullerton on Wednesday night] and the game [at the Rose Bowl next Saturday] with Tampa Bay--by the time we head out for the long trip those two should be understanding each other, and Hernandez should feel comfortable with our team.”
Also feeling a bit more comfortable is Fraser, who has missed the last three games while nursing the ankle sprain.
“We’re going to take Robin with us to Colorado,” Schmid said. “He trained with the team [Thursday], so we’re going to see how he feels [Friday]. If he doesn’t start in Colorado, he’ll be on the bench for us. He’s got another 48 hours before the game, but we feel with the progress he’s made in the last couple of days it looks pretty good.”
