LA Galaxy captain delivers resounding message following loss to Austin FC

LA Galaxy suffered their second defeat of the MLS 2024 season during their visit to Q2 Stadium on Saturday afternoon against Austin FC.

Diego Rubio and Jáder Obrian scored for the hosts within the first 20 minutes of the match, securing three points against a Galaxy side that struggled to generate offensive opportunities.

"Yeah, I think we had a very strong start. Well, the first seven minutes and then we conceded goals, and everything became tougher. Of course, especially when you're here in Austin, the humidity, and everything made it a more difficult situation. But today we weren't enough, and honestly, no one deserves to talk about anything," LA Galaxy defender Maya Yoshida began.

Time for reflection for LA Galaxy

"I don't deserve anything for my performance. We deserved to lose today. We're very disappointed. We have to learn from this defeat," added the team captain.

LA Galaxy lost their lead in the West with the defeat against Austin, and the major issue this season has been keeping a clean sheet. In 10 games played this campaign, they have conceded 17 goals, making them the fourth most-scored-against team in the Western Conference.

The Galaxy have only managed to keep a clean sheet once, against the Seattle Sounders in week six at Dignity Health Sports Park, with a goal from Gabriel Pec.

This is something they will have to improve upon if they want to reclaim the top spot in the West and compete for the Supporters' Shield in a lengthy 37-game season.

"As I said before, it's only been 10 games. It's too early to talk about the table. We have to focus on ourselves, especially after a defeat like this. We have to come back stronger like we did when we lost against LAFC," added the LA Galaxy captain.

The good news is the return of Janel Neal after a long injury that had kept him sidelined at the start of the season.

The young player will see more minutes in the upcoming games and will compete for a spot in the central defense alongside Maya Yoshida and Martín Cáceres.

The Galaxy will play away again on May 5th when they face the Seattle Sounders in search of a new victory to return them to the top of their conference.