Now that the streak is over, where do the Los Angeles Galaxy stand now?
Real Salt Lake put an end to LA's 10-match unbeaten streak on Saturday night, defeating the Galaxy 2-0 at The Home Depot Center, their first loss since April 4.
If you ask coach Bruce Arena what happened out there, it had nothing to do with leadership, even though the Galaxy were again without Landon Donovan while he's on U.S. national team duty.
"I have a hard time believing the reason for tonight's performance was lack of leadership," Arena said. "We played last Saturday (and won without Donovan) in Toronto, and certainly nobody was questioning our leadership then. ... I just think, in all fairness, the better team won."
Real took it to the Galaxy from start to finish, controlling the pace for what seemed like the entire match. After forward Yura Movsisyan gave Real a 1-0 lead in the 13th minute, LA looked lost on the pitch.
"First half they really dominated us," defender Omar Gonzalez said. "A lot of our players didn't come out the way we usually do. ... I just don't think we came out with that fire, you know. The past six games we've been coming out strong and possessing the game. We let them move the ball around and didn't put any kind of pressure on them."
Added defender Gregg Berhalter, the victim of a nice move by Movsisyan on the goal: "I felt we were a little bit too passive. To their credit they knocked the ball around well. They really took control of the midfield and made it difficult on us."
The Galaxy had enjoyed a nice unbeaten streak for more than two months. But for all its hard work, LA didn't shake up the standings as it would have liked, winning twice and drawing eight times.
The Galaxy are now in a tie for fifth place with Real in the Western Conference with 15 points. So much was made about capitalizing on last week's impressive road victory in Toronto. Failure to do so now puts emphasis on moving forward.
"We did talk all week about how this was a big week," said defender Eddie Lewis, who received a red card in the 65th minute. "We had gotten over some of the draws and got the win we wanted (in Toronto). We knew backing it up was important and would be difficult.
"Taking advantage of these next games is important. For this team to really move forward we've got to continue to win. The response next weekend is crucial."
Berhalter believes the Galaxy are still in a good position and have an opportunity next week in San Jose to display their resolve.
"I think we're all right; I think we're OK," Berhalter said. "This is a good chance for us to see how we respond to a loss. That's going to be key next week, how we play and dig deep to show what we're capable of."
Simon Jude Samano is a contributor to MLSnet.com.
