Nearly 12 years to the day after LA Galaxy head coach and former Columbus Crew SC midfielder Guillermo Barros Schelotto made his debut as a player for the Black & Gold, the former Club great returns to MAPFRE Stadium at the helms of a Galaxy side that stands three points out of first-place in Major League Soccer’s Western Conference while the Crew remain in sixth-place in the Eastern Conference.
As the Crew (4-6-1, 13 pts.) look to snap a two-match home losing skid, head coach Caleb Porter said that Wednesday’s match will be an all-in effort.
“We don’t have time to look backwards, we gotta look forward – that’s the key thing,” Porter said. “The most important thing is we throw everything into this next game.”
Schelotto’s Galaxy side (7-2-1, 22 pts.) are coming off a 3-2 loss at New York Red Bulls on Saturday, May 4, with Uriel Antuna and Zlatan Ibrahimovic scoring in the 39th and 43rd minutes, respectively. Through four road games, LA is 1-2-1 with a minus-one goal differential, while the team's lone win came at Vancouver on April 5 via a 2-0 scoreline.
On the season overall, Ibrahimovic upped his goal total to nine after scoring five in the month of April while his nine tallies make up for more than half the team's current total of 17. Additionally, open-play crossing into the Swedish striker continues to be a key reason for the Galaxy’s League-leading 57 successful crosses, which is 22 more than the next-best team.
With one of MLS’ most potent offensive teams coming into MAPFRE Stadium on Wednesday, midfielder Artur spoke on the next opponent and the need to step up the level of play going into Wednesday.
“I think they are doing very good this year. They have good players,” Artur said on the LA Galaxy. “They have good play in the [offensive third]. We just need to adjust and play our best soccer and get the win. It is the most important thing that we need now. We have to do it. It doesn’t matter what, we have to win the next game.”
Crew SC’s defensive effort will need to be sharp against a Galaxy side that has created 98 chances from open play this season, which ranks second in MLS, while defensively, the visiting side’s 11 goals conceded stands tied for fourth in the League.
Each team has faced nearly the same amount of shots – 139 for the Galaxy compared to 140 for the Crew – while the Crew ranks one percentage point behind the fellow MLS original in save percentage at 73 percent and 74 percent, respectively.
With the losing skid extending to five after last weekend’s controversy-riddled 3-1 loss at D.C. United, Wednesday’s home match represents another opportunity to break bad luck and with that, perhaps provide a much-needed jumpstart, Artur said.
“I think in soccer, bad moments are normal. Of course, we are not comfortable in this moment and we do not want to stay at this moment,” Artur said. “But we have to have the understanding that sometimes it can happen, and it is not because we are doing everything wrong.
“We just need to keep working. We need to get the confidence higher and we just need to get the win, then the other things will come naturally again.”
Kickoff on Wednesday is slated for 7:30 p.m. ET at MAPFRE Stadium. Fans can tune-in on FOX Sports Ohio or 97.1 FM The Fan, or stream the match on FOX Sports GO as well as stream the audio on www.ColumbusCrewSC.com.
