The LA Galaxy played their worst match of September last night, with only one player standing out in the MIR. Still, the month of September was quite positive on the whole, with Marcelo Sarvas and the Galaxy only leaving two points on the table. Given how badly the Galaxy played, yet still managed to get the draw, and in the context of their recent form Bruce Arena was understandably upbeat.
"I thought that it was a fair result," said Bruce Arena. "We didn’t play our best match by any means. I think we could have been a little bit better. Our passing wasn’t good on the night. I think in the second half, our defensive shape was better, which we needed because we fell apart towards the end of the first half. I would have liked to see us, obviously, get the second goal and get out of here with three points."
The Galaxy's passing accuracy was actually a percentage point higher than Colorado's at 78%, with more total passes. However, the quality of that passing wasn't particularly great. The defensive shape falling apart at the end of the first half is understandable given that A.J. DeLaGarza had to be helped to the locker room after he half hour mark, but Arena was up on Tommy Meyer's performance as a whole.
"Tommy did very well," said Arena. "We had to use the game to get David [Beckham] some fitness, some minutes, and the same with Landon [Donovan] coming back. Those are important minutes for those players as we move forward as well."
Much like Omar Gonzalez' return, the Galaxy had to use this match to get Beckham some fitness minutes. Donovan played in a reserve match before coming back mid-September, but it seems he's still getting back to his normal fitness as well. October will have much to with the Galaxy's seeding in the playoffs, but even more-so it will be about getting everyone at top fitness for the playoff run.
"There’s a lot of season left," said Arena. "Obviously, the month of October is going to be important for us. We’re coming around. We’re slowly getting some guys back on the field and getting in better form, but obviously the next three league matches are important."
Next for the Galaxy is a match at home against Real Salt Lake on Saturday, a chance for the Galaxy to pull ahead in the standings again. A win in both their home matches in October would see the Galaxy at 56 points, but there are a whole host of possible scenarios.