Last season was the Galaxy's shortest since 2008, the last time the team missed the playoffs. And that gave Gio dos Santos a long offseason to think about what happened.
"Nothing in life is easy," he said in Spanish. "We all go through some difficult times and last year was one of those. It was a really sad year.
Gone are two team captains in Jelle van Damme and Jermaine Jones, all three goalkeepers and five homegrown players, among them national team midfielder Gyasi Zardes, the last remaining starter from the 2014 MLS Cup team. The housecleaning was a bold admission last year's 8-18-8 team — which set franchise records for losses, fewest points (32) and goals allowed (67) while matching the record for fewest victories — was ill-conceived from the start.