Even when they don’t lose, the Galaxy can’t win.
Winless through six games of their MLS season, marking the worst start in franchise history, the Galaxy turned their focus to the CONCACAF Champions Cup on Tuesday, playing Mexico’s Tigres UANL to a 0-0 tie at Dignity Health Sports Park.
The two-leg quarterfinal playoff will conclude next week in Monterrey, Mexico. But despite the scoreless draw, the Galaxy suffered a big loss when their captain and center back, Maya Yoshida, limped off with an apparent hamstring injury late in the first half.
Yoshida, who led MLS in minutes played while guiding the Galaxy to their sixth league title last season, went down behind the play in the 29th minute and immediately grabbed at his leg. If he misses more than the final 60 minutes of Tuesday’s game, he will become the 10th starter from last season’s championship team to be unavailable for multiple games because of injury or a trade.
Read more:Orlando City scores late to keep Galaxy winless on the season
The Galaxy, who appeared to be chasing the game for much of the first half, caught up in the second, putting their first try on target when Isaiah Parente one-hopped Tigres keeper Nahuel Guzman in the 65th minute. And they kept the pressure up despite getting outshot 17-7.
Galaxy goalkeeper John McCarthy, coming off a couple of tough MLS games, was solid against Tigres, making four saves. The biggest came in the 84th minute when he stopped a low, left-footed shot from Ozziel Herrera at the near post, then jumped off his line to smother the rebound.
The Galaxy, playing in the CONCACAF tournament for the first time in a decade, haven’t gone beyond the quarterfinals since 2012.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.