Galaxy coach Greg Vanney usually looks at the final 10 games of the season, using it as a stretch to prepare for the playoffs.
Now with only eight regular-season games left, the Galaxy resumes MLS play on Saturday night against Atlanta United FC at home, where it has yet to lose in 13 games.
“For us, it’s three things. We want to get results. You want to be entering the playoffs in the best possible position, you want to be entering the playoffs with momentum and confidence,” Vanney said. “The second part is you want to have clarity within our group, because as I said before, a knockout tournament is a little bit different than a regular season, details and things we have to be mindful of going the final eight games so that those become our behaviors every single game.
“The last, we want to use our group and make sure everybody is ready. There’s a lot of choices to be made and we’ve got to make sure we keep everybody fresh and healthy.”
One player ready and available will be new signing Marco Reus, the 35-year-old German midfielder who signed last week, received his visa Thursday and will be available for selection.
“Not a bad player,” Galaxy goalkeeper John McCarthy said. “Really good dude. He’s quality and you see it already on the field. It’s nice when you have a quality player and he’s also a quality person.”
Reus’ talent and early impact have already impacted the Galaxy.
“Just having him around, I think the whole group, the level of concentration and intensity goes up,” Vanney said. “You see his quality in certain actions, whether it’s just finishing – I don’t think he’s missed a goal since he’s been here. One chance, one goal, that sometimes is the difference between great players and good players.
“Intelligence in terms of the way he moves around the field, intelligence on the defensive side how he takes things away, doing more than one task at the same time just shows his high level of intelligence. He’s quickly connecting with the group, with his voice and leadership, his presence here has already impacted the group.”
The Galaxy (14-5-7) returns atop the Western Conference with 49 points, two ahead of LAFC and five ahead of third-place Real Salt Lake. Of the final eight games, the Galaxy has four at home, where it is 9-0-4, and four on the road. Atlanta (7-11-7) is 1-0-3 in its past four games and has yet to play the Galaxy.
“You can’t worry about who you have next week, or where you’re going to finish at the end of the season,” McCarthy said. “Right now, (our focus) is just Atlanta, there’s nothing else to it.
“It’s been a good season. I think we were a little disappointed with how Leagues Cup went, wanted to make a big run in that (tournament), but life goes on, you move on and fortunate enough it wasn’t the season. We’re top of the West right now and we’re looking forward to doing whatever it takes to stay up there.”
When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Dignity Health Sports Park
How to watch: Apple TV+ (free)
