The Los Angeles Galaxy's struggles are so pronounced that they are making waves as far away as Ireland in advance of their home game Sunday night against the Vancouver Whitecaps.

Multiple reports in Irish newspapers this week said that former Galaxy star and Ireland international Robbie Keane had been hired to replace Guillermo Barros Schelotto. The Galaxy characterized the reports as a "rumor," according to the Los Angeles Times, and Schelotto is expected to be on the sideline Sunday.

Yet the episode served as the most excitement that has surrounded the Galaxy (4-9-3, 15 points) in weeks. The club has lost six consecutive games and is on a seven-game winless streak since a four-game winning streak from Aug. 22-Sept. 6.

The Galaxy still has not won a game with high-profile addition Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez on the field. He was replaced in the 54th minute of Wednesday's embarrassing 4-0 defeat to the San Jose Earthquakes and did not look particularly engaged in the proceedings.

"We have to figure something out," Schelotto said. "The only way to come back from this moment is to fight, to work. We don't have time to get down. We need to be strong."

The Galaxy are six points outside of the playoff line and the team that is holding that final playoff spot in the Western Conference is Vancouver (7-11-0, 21 points). The Whitecaps are coming off a 2-1 victory over Los Angeles FC at their adopted home, Portland's Providence Park.

Lucas Cavallini scored a pair of goals in the victory, the Whitecaps' second consecutive following a four-game losing streak. Showing how far they have come, that slide started with a 6-0 defeat to LAFC on Sept. 23.

Cavallini, a native of Canada, now has five goals in his first 13 career MLS games after joining the club following stints in Mexico and Uruguay. He has three goals in his last two matches.

Unable to play host to U.S.-based clubs in Canada, the Whitecaps have decided to fully embrace the oddity that is the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic season. Each of their last two victories have come as the home team at Portland.

"It's hard but what we decided to do is that if we're going to have to go through this, we're going to go through this to make something happen," Whitecaps coach Marc Dos Santos said after Wednesday's victory. "(We'll) go back home to say 'Look at what we did. Look what we achieved.'"

--Field Level Media