Galaxy Working on the Mental Game

Paging Dr. Phil ...

Still in search of its first victory on the road in its 10th try, the Galaxy is apparently in need of a good therapy session. Not only to help the defending Major League Soccer champions feel better about themselves, but also to help them figure out a way to score goals.

Just ask Coach Sigi Schmid.

“We have to have confidence going forward and there are still times where we have to win the ball back at earlier parts of the field so we don’t have to go the length of the field all the time,” Schmid said of the Galaxy, which has only two multi-goal games and is ninth in the 10-team MLS in goals scored with 10 in 12 games.

“And our movement off the ball needs to be a little better, a little sharper, a little harder,” Schmid said.

“It’s not like we’re miles away, it’s just little things. And little things are what keep you from scoring.”

This is where the mind games and couch trips come into play.

“That little thing, that little bit of sharpness is mentality, is mental sharpness, is mental fitness, is mental quickness,” Schmid said.

Its recent three-game homestand at the Home Depot Center but a fond memory, the Galaxy still is trying to catch its collective breath after opening the season with a league-record eight consecutive road games.

“Even me,” Schmid said. “I got home last night and I’m thinking I’m ready to go to bed and it’s like, ‘Oh, I’ve got to pack. We’re leaving town again.’ It’s difficult.”

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Midway through his MLS-mandated two-game suspension for an errant elbow that fractured the orbital bone under Kansas City defender Carey Talley’s left eye, Carlos Ruiz dismissed rumors that he was so angry with the penalty that he was thinking of leaving.

“I think we’ve made our point clear,” Ruiz said. “But I don’t think I should talk about it any more.”