LA Galaxy Are Suddenly Road Warriors and Columbus Has No Answer

The LA Galaxy are about to walk into one of the most predictable matchups in MLS right now: a trip to face the Columbus Crew, who look absolutely lost. And here's the thing that should scare Columbus fans most: the Galaxy are coming off the road with genuine momentum, and one more win away from shattering their own awful record from last season.

Let's set the stage. The Crew (1-4-3, 6 points) are a mess. They used to be nearly impossible to beat at home, but under first-year coach Henrik Rydstrom, they're sitting at 0-1-2 at home and have just one win in their last five matches overall. Then you've got the Galaxy (2-3-2, 9 points) rolling in after a wild 2-2 draw at FC Dallas on Saturday, improving to 1-1-2 away from home. One more road win gets them to eight points on the road this season, which beats their entire 2025 road record of zero wins and 10 losses and seven draws combined.

From Road Warriors to Actually Road Warriors

Galaxy coach Greg Vanney isn't hiding his belief in what's happening here. "I think everybody believes that we can continue this momentum," he said. "We've got a tough stretch because we play four out of our next six on the road, so we've got to be road warriors during this time too and take points."

The shift in mentality is real. Galaxy defender John Nelson put it perfectly: "I think maybe even last year we would have maybe put our heads down and just kind of gave up, unfortunately. But I think this year, the Austin win and now this going into Columbus, it's everything."

Paintsil Back, Crew Limping Without Their Scorer

The Galaxy caught a huge break against Dallas when Joseph Paintsil returned from a hamstring injury that sidelined him since March 7. He scored the tying goal and added an assist. Vanney sees exactly what his playmaker brings: "You see that Joe makes a huge difference. The chances that Joe gets with his quality and velocity, speed, things like that, it changes the group."

Columbus, meanwhile, is trying to figure out offense without Wessam Abou Ali, their leading scorer with five goals. He suffered a torn ACL and meniscus damage in his right knee on April 12 against Orlando City. Crew midfielder Max Arfsten knows the pressure is mounting: "I think we all just need to be more accountable in terms of we know what we're doing right now is not working, so we have to do something to change and it's on the players. It's on us."

Wednesday night's match at Columbus is exactly the kind of situation where the Galaxy can keep building something real on the road. The Crew need answers fast.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.