CARSON, Calif. – LA Galaxy coaches and players acknowledge there still is some lingering disappointment from last Saturday’s 3-1 loss to the San Jose Earthquakes at Stanford Stadium.
But now they get to rectify that in the form of a U.S. Open Cup round-of-16 match against the same Earthquakes on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at San Jose’s Avaya Stadium (Streamed live on LAGalaxy.com).
“Yeah, that was really disappointing for us,” midfielder Baggio Husidic said after Monday’s light training session. “We didn’t play very well … we lost our concentration, our discipline.
“The good thing about that game is we get to play them right away. We’re trying to put that past us and move on to the next challenge.”
The Galaxy reached this point of the competition, now in its 102nd year, thanks to a 6-1 victory over amateur team PSA Elite that featured three goals by Robbie Keane.
San Jose, on the other hand, was much more hard-pressed by USL Pro side Sacramento Republic before eventually winning 6-5 on penalty kicks.
The Galaxy are looking to reach the quarterfinals for the first time since 2011. The Earthquakes are hoping to secure their first berth in the quarters since 2012. The winner of Wednesday’s match plays the winner of the Portland-Real Salt Lake match, also being played Wednesday in Sandy, Utah.
Players acknowledged there is a greater sense of urgency to Wednesday’s test, and its importance is not lost on them.
“I think this is a tournament we want to try and win,” Husidic said. “If you could pick to lose one it would be the league game instead of the cup game. You lose the cup game and you’re out.
“We’re definitely going to go there and try to win.”
Midfielder Juninho said the game affords the Galaxy the perfect opportunity to bounce back from a forgettable weekend.
“I’m looking forward to this challenge,” he said, “after that bad result against the same team. We will try to figure it out quickly, be fresh.”
Midfielder Kenney Walker said nothing changes about the Galaxy’s approach, with one exception.
“Obviously it gives us a little bit more to get after it,” he said, referring to last Saturday’s loss. “We still have the same goal of winning and moving on to the next stage. There’s no extra incentive from what happened over the past weekend, but there might be a little personal vendetta for everybody to get back at it and prove ourselves in the next game.
“What makes our team special is our ability to work hard and bounce back. The cup is important to us.”
