Galaxy hope to learn from mistakes
Team has two weeks to clean up lapses before regular season opens on March 4.
There was plenty to like and to loath in the Galaxy’s latest preseason friendly, which ended in a 4-2 loss to the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday at Orange County’s Great Park.
But for Sigi Schmid, the team’s coach, the final score doesn’t really fit into either category.
“It’s preseason,” he said. “I really don’t give a crap what the score was. We need to learn from the game. We need to improve on the situations that we weren’t as good at as we needed to be.”
One thing the Galaxy (2-2) learned was that forward Ola Kamara, who joined the team last month, is starting to get comfortable in his new surroundings. Kamara scored both Galaxy goals Saturday — one in each half — and is beginning to develop a rapport with his teammates.
“One hundred percent it’s getting better,” Kamara, one of six players to go the full 90 minutes, said. “The chemistry we’re working on all the time. Because that’s something that just doesn’t come naturally. You have to tell people how you run. Ask them what they like to do.”
Schmid was also pleased with the team’s attack. But he said the Galaxy need a lot of work on the other end of the field. Most disappointing was the fact that two of San Jose’s goals — by Tommy Thompson and Fatai Alashe — came just seconds apart early in the second half. And both came after goalkeeper David Bingham made the first save, only to see the Earthquakes score on the rebound.
“We were too soft, and we gave away too much space,” Schmid said. “We have to make sure that we’re stronger mentally in those situations.”
Chris Wondolowski got San Jose’s first goal, five minutes before halftime, while Thompson’s second goal, in the 90th minute, closed out the scoring, leaving the Galaxy with only two weeks to clean up their mistakes before the regular season begins on March 4.
“We never want to lose any game. So we’re disappointed in that,” captain Ashley Cole said. “As long as we’re ready March 4 is the main and important thing.”