View from the Blues, Volume 18: Another Week of Troubles for Los Angeles

After a rather fast start to the season, things are starting to get a bit difficult for the now-struggling Los Angeles Blues under manager Charlie Naimo.

Last week started off ominously with a 2-1 defeat to the Los Angeles Galaxy in the U.S. Open Cup. A live blog that highlighted the action can be seen on Bleacher Report.

“There’s no shame in losing to the best team in MLS, but when you get a lead and you think you might be able to hold it, it’s still disappointing,” Naimo told labluesprosoccer's Gunnar Berndt. “I feel like we could have done a little bit better job of keeping things tight and saying, ‘Hey, let’s bunker in now. Let’s move our feet. Let’s do everything a little bit sharper and smarter.’ Instead, we had to commit some fouls as a result of being too lax and losing our concentration after we scored.

“Overall, I’m not unhappy, though. The boys gave it all they had and I’m very proud of them. Perhaps we also played enough attractive soccer to earn a few fans. I hope that when we’re not playing the Galaxy, their fans will become Blues supporters.”

Defender Nelson Akwari, who used to play for the New York Red Bulls and Real Salt Lake, held his head high.

“I think we had a strong performance against the Galaxy,” Akwari said. “We tried to play an attractive style as much as we could. They had a lot of first-team players out there and they showed their composure. We defended well from the run of play, but unfortunately we gave up two goals on free-kicks. That’s very disappointing.

“I definitely enjoyed playing against those guys, and it felt good to see that I can still perform at that level. They’re at the top of MLS for a reason. There’s no doubt that they have a ton of quality and composure. Every time you get the chance to play against a team like that, it’s a lot of fun.”

Blues captain Josh Tudela was a former Galaxy player, had mixed feelings following the contest.

“I’m very happy with our performance, but also very disappointed with the result since we had it right where we wanted it, at 1-0 with about 15 minutes left,” Tudela said. “Unfortunately, we ended up giving up two goals on set plays. It never feels good to have the game in your hand and let it slip away, but the guys fought hard and I’m very proud of them. Now we have two big games coming up against Charleston and Wilmington. We really need to get some points from those.”

Unfortunately for Tudela, those points would be harder to come by.

Against the Charleston Battery, the Blues battled to a scoreless draw. Los Angeles then proceeded to drop their fourth league contest of the season, a 4-2 blowout defeat to the Wilmington Hammerheads.

Cesar Rivera, who was instrumental in giving the Blues an early 1-0 lead on the Galaxy in the U.S. Open Cup, scored in the 23rd minute and Akeem Priestley added a consolation goal in the 88th minute after the Blues capitulated in the second half, surrendering three goals in fifteen minutes.

Los Angeles, however, has a great chance to secure some points when they host the Dayton Dutch Lions.

The first match is scheduled for Friday, July 15 at Titan Stadium on the campus of California State University, Fullerton in Fullerton, California. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. PT/11:00 p.m. ET. A live blog of this match will be on Bleacher Report.

The second match is scheduled for Sunday, July 17 at Centennial High School in Corona, California. Kickoff is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. PT/8:00 p.m. ET.