Seldom at a loss for words, Alexi Lalas, general manager of the Los Angeles Galaxy for six months now, spoke out about the club's bleak playoff prospects, after failing to beat the Colorado Rapids at home this past weekend. Lalas said he shoulders some of the blame for his team's failure this season and he vowed to make sure it doesn't happen again next year. However, he was also quick to point out that the club's previous management did little to leave the club in a position to repeat last year's MLS Cup success. "You can only go to the well so many times," he said. "I think we should have seen the warning signs, because they were there. The team was mediocre throughout the year, and, unfortunately, we didn't do enough to change that. Am I proud to be a general manager with less-than-stellar results happening on my watch? Absolutely not. Do I take it personally? Yeah. I don't want to be associated with a team that doesn't live up to the high standards the Galaxy has over the years." The Galaxy is 9-13-6, with 33 points from 28 games. The team was 2-8-1 when Steve Sampson was dismissed as coach. Frank Yallop, who won the MLS Cup twice with the San Jose Earthquakes, came in and produced a good seven-game unbeaten streak, but after that, a steady stream of positive results proved difficult to come by. Six points back from fourth place, the Galaxy's only hope of leapfrogging Colorado is if the Rapids lose two of its remaining four games and the Galaxy wins each of its remaining four convincingly. Real Salt Lake, fifth place in the Western Conference, would also have to lose at least one game. Read the original story...