CARSON, Calif. – The LA Galaxy haven't won away from StubHub Center since they rallied with three second-half goals to overcome the Colorado Rapids in a thriller last August.
It’s an eight-game stretch marking the third longest such streak since Bruce Arena took charge in August 2008, and will have to be quickly remedied if they're going to win the Supporters' Shield, a chief aim this year.
They're 0-1-1 in two road games this year, after conceding late goals at the Portland Timbers and D.C. United, and LA face another tough test Saturday against the streaking Vancouver Whitecaps at BC Place (10 pm ET; TSN1).
LA have taken four points in those eight games, including a 2-2 draw three weeks ago in Portland, but after winning just three of 18 league matches away from Southern California last year, the drought has become burdensome – especially after dropping a 1-0 decision, on a stoppage-time goal, after missing three outstanding chances last weekend in D.C.
“A number of them [road matches since August 2014] we should have won,” Arena said. “And some of them, you've got to think about the end of the game.”
Of course, Arena had no problem with two winless results toward the end of last season en route to the MLS Cup title. They played Real Salt Lake to a scoreless draw in the away leg of the Western Conference semifinal and lost 2-1 to the Seattle Sounders, which was good enough to clinch the Western Conference Championship.
“Think we're worried about that?” Arena said.
Galaxy players are more than ready to turn around their recent road fortunes.
“We pride ourselves on having a good road mentality. I think we need to get back to that,” said defender Todd Dunivant. “[Eight games is] too long. D.C.'s a game where we had three or four chances, didn't score, and they had one or two chances and they do.
“That's the difference. You have to be very clinical on the road, have to take you chances when you get them, and you have to have a good defensive mentality. I think for the most part, we have. It's still shutting it down for the whole game, for the whole 90 minutes, having that concentration.”
Arena didn't win on the road with the Galaxy until his 11th try, back in 2009, and the Galaxy went 19-8-12 in MLS play away from StubHub from that point until the end of July 2011. Since then, LA are 13-27-14 in such games, just 6-18-13 since the start of the 2013 season which includes a 4-1-0 record in “away” games against Chivas USA in that span.
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The Galaxy's approach, in which they're often pushing forward in search of a winning goal late in games, when other teams might sit back and settle for a point, has hurt them on occasion, as have late defensive lapses such as last week's defeat.
“It's certainly something we have to improve on,” captain Robbie Keane said. “We want to win every game, but we have to be careful. Like last week, for example. Sometimes a point is good enough away from home. You have to accept that you're never going to win every game. Sometimes you shut up shop and don't concede and get something and get out of there.”
The Galaxy have long contended that they get every opponent's best game.
“We always remind our guys that we're the biggest game on everyone's schedule,” associate head coach Dave Sarachan said. “When we play on the road, [the opponent gets] a packed house, they're charged up, there's adrenaline – a lot of non-soccer stuff. [But] it's still about the soccer and how we approach it, the mentality we give and the concentration level that's needed because teams will give a little bit more in every game against the Galaxy.”
LA haven't lost on their home field at StubHub Center in 24 games, since an opening-day defeat to Real Salt Lake last season. But that's not enough for the Galaxy.
“We need to start [winning] on the road,” defender A.J. DeLaGarza said. “We know we can do that at home, but if we want to be the top team at the end of the year, we need to start getting points on the road, whether it's one or three. We have to start doing that.”
Scott French covers the LA Galaxy for MLSsoccer.com.
