Needing a get-right performance in Matchday 11, the LA Galaxy didn't come particularly close to producing one.
Still stuck on one win through their first nine matches before Saturday, the Galaxy were blitzed by the Colorado Rapids 3-1 at Dignity Health Sports Park, never recovering after Lalas Abubakar's 14th-minute opener.
After the setback loss, visibly frustrated captain Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez didn't hold back when asked about the club's early-season tailspin, which has the Galaxy mired in 13th place on the Western Conference table (1W-6L-3D).
"We need to do different things obviously to get out of [this]. I don't know what. We need to figure it out, but we cannot keep doing the same things and waiting for the same results," Hernandez said. "It's very frustrating, man. I don't know what else to say.
"...We need so many things to change starting from, I believe that more people need to come [speak to the media] to face things. We're the same people speaking, always," the Mexican striker added. "That's a thing that needs to change too, you know? We always speak in here, the same guys. So I think that should change in the beginning, and then on the training ground other stuff needs to change. Something needs to change, man. We need to be accountable. We need to see that the reality is not in the way that we are doing. We cannot say things are going to turn around doing the same things. We can't."
This run of results is simply not up to the standard of what was once one of the league's perennially dominant clubs, Hernandez said. The Galaxy are five-time MLS Cup champions – the only club to hold that distinction – and have boasted some of the league's biggest-name stars over the years.
Asked about chants from the supporters at Dignity Health Sports Park on Saturday that voiced discontent, both Hernandez and head coach/sporting director Greg Vanney said they understood the sentiments, given that rich history contrasted with their spot on the table.
"We're LA Galaxy, man. When I say we need to behave and understand that – they're giving you the chance to be the greatest," Hernandez said. "You're in the greatest f---ing organization in the USA. At the least, you give everything. And if teams are better than us, I can take that, I can take those losses. I can take that. When El Trafico happened we were way better. We beat ourselves. We were the better team and we lost. I take those ones. These ones, at home? Against a [conference] rival? Man, no. Not good enough. Not good enough. And yeah, the fans were right this time. They're right."
As dire as it may seem, the Galaxy still find themselves within six points of an Audi MLS Cup Playoffs playoff spot in the Western Conference, with 24 games left on the league schedule to work their way back into contention. Such a drastic turnaround might feel far off in the moment, particularly taking into account their summer transfer limitations, but Hernandez said he and his teammates have no choice but to make the changes necessary to spark it.
"You don't need to suffer, you need to realize that it's painful," Hernandez said. "You don't realize that it's painful and you don't care about this club, you shouldn't be here. That's all I want to say. LA Galaxy being in almost last in the conference? Nah. That's not something that Galaxy deserves. We could be three or four spots higher having a bad season. At least. And, I don't know. I don't know.
"...We're not doing enough. That's for sure. All of us. That's for sure. That's why we are where we are."
