Greg Vanney voices frustrations after 3-0 loss to the Houston Dynamo

Greg Vanney and the LA Galaxy continue their poor start to the season with a 3-0 loss against the Houston Dynamo.
Greg Vanney and the LA Galaxy continue their poor start to the season with a 3-0 loss against the Houston Dynamo. / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
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The Galaxy sit 12th in the Western Conference after their 3-0 loss to the Houston Dynamo at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston, Texas, as goals by Hector Herrera and Amine Bassi saw the Galaxy fall short.

After suffering their third defeat in a year that already sees them winless, Vanney voiced frustrations about the club’s brand, insisting the team aspire to return to the level of greatness they had in the early 2010s.

"To our fans who show up and fight for us every single game: They won't see that again. That was unacceptable, and it was disrespectful to our brand and to who we want to be," he said.

Vanney also condemned veterans Martin Caceres and Douglas Costa for their behavior, after picking up red cards to miss their next game against rivals LAFC. Both players got sent off for incidents non-soccer-related. Caceres received a second yellow for confronting a referee and Costa a straight red for violent conduct.

"Yeah, it's unacceptable. They know it's unacceptable," Vanney lamented.

"They apologized to the group, but it's not acceptable. It can't happen. These guys are veterans in our team. They're supposed to be leaders in our team. They need to set examples. They need to, again, control their emotions, and we need them available always, and they understand that, and it's not acceptable.

"Discipline inside of our structure is important. Discipline inside of the game, which we saw with two red cards, is important. So those things need to – will, they don't 'need to' – will change and guys are very clear on that. It doesn't even matter, really, to talk about tactics or anything. There were too many gaps inside of the competitive side of it."

The only positive takeaway from the match for the Galaxy was the return of Mexico international Chicharito. The 34-year-old has not been on the field for the Galaxy this season due to a hamstring injury he suffered during a preseason training session in February.

Lastly, Vanney looked ahead to the Galaxy’s next match against LAFC, saying that it will be difficult, but it’s up to the squad to find the right mindset to compete. 

"There's no other shortcuts to getting results in this league. You don't get to show up on Saturday and say you're a talented team and win games in MLS. Every game is hard. Every game is a challenge. That's what I told these guys. That's the beauty of this league," he said.

"It has to just be better now. The motivation is everybody's here to win. Everybody is here at the LA Galaxy to win. You have to show up and perform and play at your level every single week, or else you lose. And if you make silly decisions over the course of the game and you leave the group vulnerable or yourself vulnerable, then you lose."