General manager Garth Lagerwey was talking to reporters at practice yesterday about the importance of RSL's game against the Los Angeles Galaxy at Rio Tinto Stadium on Wednesday night.

Not only is the team trying to snap back from another 2-0 road loss — this time at Colorado, last weekend — but it also must do so without injured starting goalkeeper Nick Rimando, suspended midfielder Javier Morales and suspended center back Jamison Olave, just three days before a trip to red-hot Chivas USA.

Basically, Lagerwey's point was that a victory can go a long way toward soothing the aches of the past few days and restoring confidence, while a loss might make things feel exponentially worse — especially because the team would have lost three straight (counting the U.S. Open Cup qualifying disaster at Seattle last week) going into another road game against the hottest team in Major League Soccer.

The Goats lead the league with a 6-1-1 record for 19 points, with a 4-0 record at home and only three goals allowed.

“We need a big game,” coach Jason Kreis agreed. “We need a real positive reaction from our group. That's one of the good things about having a game this quickly. We don't have to wait all week, for this one. Get the guys back out there, and they can prove some things correct.”