Lozano's debut not enough as Galaxy's winless run reaches five in Houston

HOUSTON -- For the LA Galaxy, the frustration after Saturday’s 1-0 loss to the Houston Dynamo was not simply that another game slipped away. It was how familiar some of the problems looked.

The Galaxy struggled to connect their midfield with Kyōgo Furuhashi in his first start for the club, conceded from the penalty spot and then spent the second half trying to survive after defender Emiro Garces was sent off. Even when they found their best opportunity late, Joseph Paintsil could not finish the breakaway.

It left the Galaxy winless in five games and 12th in the Western Conference with 14 matches remaining.

“We have to be better in every phase of the game,” Jakob Glesnes said. “What we have been doing so far isn't good enough.”

Houston’s only goal came in the 18th minute after John Nelson caught Guilherme by the foot inside the box. The penalty call initially looked borderline, but VAR confirmed it, and Guilherme converted against JT Marcinkowski for his 12th goal of the season to put the Dynamo ahead.

The Galaxy had already been struggling to establish themselves before the goal. Their possession often moved toward the right side through Harbor Miller, while Furuhashi was left waiting for service. When the Japanese forward did receive the ball, he showed flashes of what he can provide, turning defenders and finding space, but those moments were isolated.

That disconnect was exactly what Greg Vanney pointed to afterward.

“It's been a little bit of a struggle for us for a year and a half now,” Vanney said of playing through the midfield. “We've got to be able to get into the middle of the opposition, play forward passes.”

The problem became more pronounced in Houston's heat and humidity. Vanney said the conditions made it difficult for the Galaxy to consistently press, placing more importance on communication when players rotated into different positions.

Instead, there were moments of hesitation.

“There’s an indecisiveness or an indecision on whether they should step or not step,” Vanney said. “When you come here, you just have to be ready to suffer, and you have to be ready to suffer together.”

The Galaxy managed to stay within one goal despite rarely threatening Houston consistently. Glesnes and John Nelson combined on several important defensive interventions, while Jonathan Bond made a couple of saves to keep the deficit at one.

Then came another setback.

After Emiro Garces was shown a straight red card following a VAR review for denying a clear scoring opportunity, the Galaxy had to play most of the final 20 minutes down a man. Vanney had already introduced Hirving Lozano for his Galaxy debut in the 65th minute, giving the club its first glimpse of its newest attacking piece since he last played competitively in November.

Lozano's 30-plus minutes did not produce an equalizer, but Vanney liked what he saw.

“He came in to try to add to the game,” Vanney said. “He didn’t just enter in.”

The Mexican international repeatedly tried to involve himself, even picking up a yellow card late, but the circumstances made it difficult to judge what he can ultimately bring to a team still searching for its attacking identity. Vanney said the minutes were important for building Lozano toward a larger role as the Galaxy get healthier.

The best chance to rescue a point still fell to Paintsil.

With Houston protecting its lead, Paintsil broke into space in the second half but could not put his shot on target. Vanney called it the Galaxy's best chance of the half.

For Glesnes, that moment summed up the difference between having quality and actually getting something from it.

“We are too good of a team,” Glesnes said. “We shouldn't think that we are better than what we are, but for me to see all the quality that we have in the room, I'm wishing that we are getting more out of it.”

That is now the challenge facing the Galaxy with 14 games left, still searching for their first win since the World Cup break.

“We have done enough talking now,” Glesnes said. “It's time to show it out on the field.”

The next opportunity comes Wednesday, when the San Jose Earthquakes make the trip down to Carson for the second Cali Clasico of the season.