Defensive woes for LA Galaxy in Sounders defeat

The LA Galaxy closed their preseason with a 4-0 defeat to the Seattle Sounders on Wednesday night.

While the result might be a cause for alarm for some Galaxy fans, the game was a preseason match after all. In addition, the weather and torrid pitch conditions didn't do much to help the Galaxy's cause, and if there was one positive to take here it is that nobody got injured out there.

Still, Galaxy manager Bruce Arena fielded one of his strongest starting XIs and more was expected in the last match before the big one against Santos Laguna.

Player Ratings:

GK Brian Rowe, 5-- Had a great save to his name from a breakaway, but the pitch conditions did him no favors in Seattle's first.

DF Robbie Rogers, 5 -- Quiet game for Robbie Rogers on the offensive side of the ball and did what he could do defensively.

DF Daniel Steres, 5.5 -- Playing for the injured Leonardo, Steres had little to do in his area of the pitch. With Jelle Van Damme pushing forward so often, he was left to do a lot of the dirty work in the defensive line of the Galaxy.

DF Jelle Van Damme, 4.5 -- Pressed unusually high sometimes and got caught off guard on several occasions. The Belgian had plenty of touches on the ball but looked like he needed to be reminded that his defensive duties come first.

DF Ashley Cole, 5 -- Cole was again smart in his defending and pushed the agenda going forward when needed to. Although a few of his passes missed the target, it looks like it is a matter of time before Cole is at 100%.

MF Giovani Dos Santos, 5 -- Came up quite often against Joevin Jones, who was arguably one of the better players on the night. Like the rest of the Galaxy team, Gio was bright in the first 15 minutes but faded to nothing as the game progressed.

MF Steven Gerrard, 4.5 -- At times, Steven Gerrard looked lost in the midfield. Despite combining well with several of his attackers, Gerrard became ineffective as the game wore on.

MF Nigel de Jong, 5.5 -- Constantly cutting down the Sounders' play, De Jong provided the performance in the midfield you'd expect from the Dutchman. Through his passing and movement,  De Jong will be an important part of Galaxy's midfield in 2016.

MF Emmanuel Boateng, 5.5 -- With little space to roam, Boateng was still tireless and constantly challenging opposition on both sides of the field. At the very least, he looked like he was playing with a purpose. He has been a pleasant surprise for the Galaxy during this preseason.

FWD Gyasi Zardes, 5 -- Just simply never got the service. With Keane floating to the left, Zardes was left to lead a line that was never really a threat inside the box after the first 15 minutes.

FWD Robbie Keane, 5.5 -- Despite squandering a chance early in the first half, Keane was one of the Galaxy's better players. But other than a couple shots on target, the captain couldn't do much to help the Galaxy during his

Substitutes

GK Dan Kennedy, 5 -- Substitute for Brian Rowe in the 46th minute. There was little Kennedy could do in both of the goals he conceded.

DF Dan Gargan, N/A

DF Oscar Sorto, N/A

DF A. J. DeLaGarza, N/A

DF Dave Romney, N/A

MD Jose Villarreal, N/A

MD Rafael Garcia, N/A

MD Baggio Husidic, N/A

MD Sebastian Lletget, N/A

FWD Mike Magee, N/A

FWD Alan Gordon, NA