CARSON, Calif. – The LA Galaxy are looking to put the past behind them heading into the 2018 MLS regular season.
The Galaxy slumped to their worst record in club history in 2017, leading Sigi Schmid to take over as head coach in midseason. During the offseason, Schmid and the Galaxy’s front office were busy overhauling the roster with widespread changes across all positions. Some of the notable additions include midfielder Perry Kitchen, goalkeeper David Bingham, forward Ola Kamara, and others. The new look Galaxy have enjoyed mixed success this preseason going 2-4-0.
Despite suffering a few ebbs and flows during an intense preseason, Schmid is confident that is group will be ready when the Galaxy start their season against the Portland Timbers on Sunday.
“The history of the Galaxy is that we've always been one of the top teams in the league," Schmid said. "Our guys want to get back to that. We want to establish our home territory and it starts on Sunday. What we need right now is to have a good couple of results to solidify our confidence.”
Galaxy club President Chris Klein agreed with the team’s head coach that the group learned from the failures of 2017 and is hungry to return to the league summit.
“We learn from all our successes and failures. Last year pointed out some things that were in our control that we didn’t do well in and somethings that were outside of our control. Heading into this year, we want to continue to progress the club and this roster, and that was the priority," Klein said. "Sigi, Jovan [Kirovski], Pete [Vagenas], and Kurt [Schmid] did a fantastic job. Being able to find depth especially considering some of the players that we had to play last year is another positive thing. We feel like moving into 2018; it’s time to take the next step. “
With the regular season looming, Klein says the Galaxy must begin the next stage of the club’s illustrious history.
“We need to start the next era,” Klein said. “We need to take small steps to getting there. Hopefully, we did that in the offseason. We understand it’s a long season, but I believe our group is ready to go and ready to compete.”