What's behind LA Galaxy's defensive struggles at MLS is Back Tournament?

What’s up with the LA Galaxy backline?

It’s a matter of trust, or lack thereof according to analyst Brian Dunseth.

In the aftermath of LAFC’s stunning 6-2 El Trafico win over the Galaxy Saturday night, in which Bob Bradley’s side scored four times after halftime, Dunseth broke down what he thought ailed the Galaxy defensively on Sunday’s MLS Today.

“This team is so soft psychologically they just get pulled all over the place,” Dunseth said. “In the moment there’s a breakdown, here’s my concern for [Guillermo Barros] Schelotto … it’s almost as if the guys know they can or cannot trust.”

The Galaxy boss was equally critical of his team’s defensive mindset in that defeat.

“I think that defensive situation happened because the team gave up the battle and the fight,” the Argentine said after the match. “We can’t do that. We have to play for 90 mins and try to play when we have the ball and when we don't have the ball try to get it. We can’t give up before time and that’s what happened and that’s what generated a heap of spaces in our defense.”

Winless after two matches with a -5 goal differential, the Galaxy will need a big result against the Houston Dynamo in their Group F finale Thursday (8 pm ET | FS1, TUDN, FOX Deportes in US; TSN, TVAS in Canada) to have any hope of advancing to the Round of 16.

It would also be the club’s first win of the 2020 MLS season after opening with a 1-1 draw against the Dynamo and a 1-0 home defeat to the Vancouver Whitecaps in March.