There might have been many choice words for fans to describe the LA Galaxy's 4-0 defeat to the rival San Jose Earthquakes at home on Wednesday night. But Galaxy head coach Guillermo Barros Schelotto noted at his post-match press conference, the key word for him was "frustration."
"I think more than ever today, it was frustration," he said when asked to compare the match to other recent losses in which the team appeared more disheartened. "[San Jose] managed the ball in the field from the first moments and we couldn't figure out why."
He noted that while he'd emphasized each player's responsibility before the match, "There was frustration as we got more down in the second half. It's not good for me as a coach to see that."
One of the most telling moves of the match was Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez's 54th-minute exit from the match, to make way for Efrain Alvarez. Schelotto confirmed that it was purely his decision, rather than an injury concern, and it was designed to free up Yony Gonzalez. Prior to the move, both forwards were paired together in a somewhat unusual formation for the team.
Highlights: LA Galaxy vs. San Jose Earthquakes
Another move that Schelotto made with his opening lineup was putting in goalkeeper Jonathan Klinsmann in place of regular starter David Bingham. While that didn't help with the scoreline, Klinsmann did have seven saves in his first-ever MLS start, and Schelotto recognized the young goalkeeper's effort in trying to keep the Galaxy in the match.
"I think he stepped up and had a good game, and made some saves when he needed to," noted defender Daniel Steres. "With the goals, there's not much he could have done about those. We just took a barrage of shots and attacks and it hurt us."
Steres, however, couldn't see any immediate signs of hope in Schelotto's other efforts to mix things up.
"I can't really say after tonight that anything looks promising," Steres said. "I didn't think we played well at all. Like I said before, Jonathan did a good job, and we made a couple of changes, but really, it wasn't good from the start. We weren't getting pressure on them. They were just able to play through us out of the back."
