LA Galaxy off to a slow start

No time to panic ..... yet.

The LA Galaxy aren't playing well. The experts at ESPNFC have them 11th in the MLS.

If you look at the MLSSoccer.com stats page, on many parameters the LA Galaxy is middling, very middling: 10th in goals scored, 9th in goals given up, 10th in shots-on-goal....

But no time to panic as they have been without their top player Robbie Keane who has missed 6 out of 10 games, Steven Gerrard doesn't arrive until August, and they definitely miss Landon Donovan.

Key will be the continued development of their younger players like Jamison, Villarreal, and Zardes, etc.

Also, will need to keep on eye on their 30+ year-old role players like Gordon, Vayrynen, Ishizaki, and Gargan. Want to get good effective minutes out of them in their respective roles without over-taxing them.

If all goes well, by the second half of the season Keane will be back at 100%, Gerrard will fit in doing what he can do from midfield, Zardes continues to improve, Gonzalez anchors the defensive backfield and the blend of 30-something/20-something role players will gel and give good minutes subbing in-and-out for each other.

Unlike European leagues, MLS has a playoff system. Thus, one can have a slow start but peak toward the end and make the playoffs and run-the-table. Twice the Galaxy took the MLS Cup by making it into the playoffs as 4th in the West.

Thus, fans don't need to panic. As long as the team gets healthy and keeps building without getting too far behind they should be able to peak and make the playoffs and give it a go. Expecting to win another MLS Cup might be much but certainly a good run in the playoffs would be a reasonable expectation.

On a side note, it has been interesting to see the difference the place soccer has here in Los Angeles in comparison to Liverpool. As a new follower of Liverpool, all I need to do is go to the Liverpool Echo online and there are at least several articles every day about some aspect of the team. The articles range from strong opinion pieces to news updates about injuries and prospects to personal stories about the players.

Meanwhile, in the Los Angeles Times, one might get several articles a week about the LA Galaxy. Most of the articles are brief factual reporting on an upcoming/just concluded match.

Of course, one must understand the massive difference in the fan base. Liverpool has 25 million Facebook followers! LA Galaxy has 1.1 million Facebook followers.

In case you are curious, Manchester United has 64 million Facebook followers and Barcelona has 82 million!