Remember when the Los Angeles Galaxy was dominating Major League Soccer so badly that it seemed like a good idea to make room in the club’s trophy case?
When Edson Buddle had the Midas touch and Landon Donovan was tearing through opposing defenses like Neo tearing through agents in The Matrix?
Don’t feel bad if the memory is a bit hazy because the Galaxy’s recent collapse in form makes it easy to forget just how good Bruce Arena’s team was just two months ago, when the Galaxy started the season 11-0-2.
Berhalter’s health
Omar Gonzalez gets plenty of headlines for being a top defender, and it’s deserving given his tools and upside, but the reality is the Galaxy depend greatly on the defensive leadership of veteran Gregg Berhalter, who has been forced to miss games due to injury this summer. In his absence, the Galaxy has struggled to maintain the same level of consistency and organization that it boasts with the U.S. World Cup veteran in the fold. Alex Cazumba has proven to be a shaky option at best.
Rookie fatigue
Michael Stephens was one of those bench options who played a surprisingly key role in the Galaxy’s strong start. In recent weeks he has clearly begun to hit a rookie wall. The Galaxy will need him to recapture his early-season energy if the bench will be truly effective come playoff time.
Can the Galaxy turn it around? News of David Beckham’s recovery and imminent return should help. Last season it was Beckham’s return that helped boost Los Angeles in the season’s stretch run. The English star won’t have much time to be eased into action, with a likely return in a big Sept. 11 match against the Columbus Crew.
Should Galaxy fans be worried? The reality is that slumps are a part of life in MLS, especially for teams that are as dominant as the Galaxy were. The question is whether Los Angeles can regroup and recapture that early-season form in time for the playoffs.
Having Beckham return will help, but Donovan and Buddle will still need to shake their current funks and the bench will need to step up its game if Los Angeles is going to be seen as the MLS title favorite it spent the first half of the season looking like.
If they can't recapture that early season magic, a season that seemed destined to produce some silverware could end up being trophy-less.
Ives Galarcep is a senior writer for FoxSoccer.com covering Major League Soccer and the U.S. national team.
