Two weeks ago, the Galaxy were in a similar position when they played Chicago, missing the same three offensive weapons. In that game, Los Angeles never looked dangerous offensively, eventually losing 1-0. Against RSL, the team showed a lot of character in coming from behind in the second half to earn a point.
"Overall I'm obviously pleased. We went into the game with some issues in terms of the roster and trying to fit some of the pieces together and it was a challenge," said Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena. "Given some of our limitations tonight, I'm really pleased with our effort and the result."
One of the keys to the performance was the play of Bryan Jordan. The rookie scored a goal and picked up an assist in the match, and was a general terror all night long running down the right wing.
"He had a great effort tonight. I don't like to single out any one or two or three players, but it sticks out in my mind that the performance of Bryan Jordan was excellent," said Arena. "In terms of Bryan getting continued minutes, we'll have to wait and see, but that performance tonight certainly didn't hurt his cause."
Jordan was making his first regular season start. He had been loaned out to the USL-1 Portland Timbers near the beginning of the season and wasn't called back into the Galaxy squad until Monday. He didn't really get a firm indication that he'd be starting until Thursday. To say he made the most of his chance would be an understatement.
"I came out here to work hard and got a great opportunity. I just tried to play as hard as I can and create some dangerous opportunities," said Jordan. "I've been waiting for the opportunity, and now that I've got it, I felt I did very well. We do have key players that are missing that might take over my role, but I'll still be fighting hard and trying to get out there."
Even with the positives that were taken away from the match, it can't be ignored that the Galaxy extended their winless streak to 11 games, matching a club record. The other results in the Western Conference didn't do the Galaxy any favors either, adding a little pressure to find the win column again.
"You definitely want to win at home. Unfortunately it didn't work out for us," said Edson Buddle, who also picked up a goal and an assist. "Getting something down the stretch with these games is definitely a plus. I think a win would turn things around. Hopefully we got rid of the bad spell and we'll start winning."
It's that reality that made the result against RSL a little bittersweet. The draw was a moral victory, but time is running out on the Galaxy.
With just seven games left in the regular season, the Galaxy now have the worst record in MLS. Still, amazingly, they are only five points out of a playoff position. There isn't much time left, though, for moral victories. A repeat of the effort against RSL coupled with a full compliment of players could spell the difference for the Galaxy this season.
"I really could care less about whether the streak is 11 games or 18 games or whatever it is. The point is we're still in the position where if we win some games we can move up the ladder and perhaps qualify for the playoffs," said Arena. "That's the only thing that's important right now. Is there pressure? Of course. We want to position our team to make the playoffs so obviously that pressure is there."
