View from the Blues, Volume 16: Horrible Weekend Against Harrisburg

Fresh off their U.S. Open Cup victory over the Ventura County Fusion, Charlie Naimo's Los Angeles Blues were hoping to build momentum as they hosted the Harrisburg City Islanders.

“We fought hard for 90 minutes and made it difficult for Ventura to create chances,” forward Chukwudi Chijindu told LABluesProSoccer.com's Gunnar Berndt. “Both teams did have a few opportunities, but I felt like we had more of the ball and used it to create the better of the offense, which led to us being victorious.

"We felt like we were the better soccer team, and the key to being successful was to dictate the pace of the match to limit their direct style over the top of our defense. I thought we were able to do that well for good stretches of the match.”

“Defensively, I thought we did pretty well as a unit [on Tuesday],” defender Mike Randolph said. “We got stretched out a handful of times because we were trying to go forward, but we were always able to minimize the damage and keep the play in front of us. It was good to see the team work so hard collectively and get the shutout.

“I expect Harrisburg to be a good side, so we’ll have to take the match very seriously. We’ve gone a few weeks without playing a league match, and I think the best way to start getting back into a rhythm is by focusing on what has gotten us where we are – our possession and our attacking-minded approach.

"If we can stick to that game plan, I think we’ll be fine.”

Indeed, the City Islanders, who were eliminated from the U.S. Open Cup, did not make life easy in the first match at Corona Centennial High School. Both sides would fight to a 1-1 draw, with Harrisburg playing down to 10 men in the 28th minute.

Josh Tudela scored in the 59th minute off a delivery from Chukwudi Chijindu to offset a goal from Harrisburg's Andrew Welker in the 53rd minute of play.

"We need to move the ball around faster when we have it," Naimo told reporters after the match. "The possession was great on Friday and that’s what I want from the guys, but we were lacking the urgency in the second half.

"In the first half, we did a great job of keeping it when we needed to and then getting in behind them when we saw an opportunity. That would have been the perfect blend if we hadn’t failed to finish off those situations.

Both teams returned to action on Sunday, June 26 at Titan Stadium. Naimo elected to rest a number of his starters for Tuesday against the Los Angeles Galaxy in Open Cup play.

The result was disastrous. Israel Sesay scored in the 82nd minute, but the Blues fell, 2-1. LA had to play down to 10 men late in the match, with Cesar Rivera's ejection in the 89th minute.

With the loss, the Blues fall to 5-3-3 and might be in trouble in their third-round match with the Galaxy. Kickoff is scheduled for Tuesday, June 28 at 7:30 p.m. PT/10:30 p.m. ET.

Afterwards, it's back to USL PRO action. Los Angeles will hit the road. On July 1, they take on the Charleston Battery. Kickoff is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. PT/8:00 p.m. ET at Blackbaud Stadium.

On July 2, the Blues travel to Legion Stadium in Wilmington, Del., to take on the Wilmington Hammerheads. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. PT/7:30 p.m. ET.