CHESTER, Pa. – Drenched by a driving rain Saturday night, Sigi Schmid sought a spark. He’d watched Philadelphia Union winger Fafa Picault bedevil Tomas Hilliard-Arce, playing on the right edge of the back three in a 3-5-2. He’d seen his Galaxy team create chances but still incur a one-goal deficit at the break.



So the L.A. Galaxy coach figured he could kill two birds with one tactical stone. He looked down the substitutes’ bench to find Romain Alessandrini, a dynamic winger he regards as a starter who just happened to be the odd man out of the starting XI on Saturday. Schmid thrust Alessandrini into the fray for Hilliard-Arce, and moved Dave Romney from left wingback to right center back.



In one swap, Schmid, whose strength as a manager rests more with handling personalities than tactical intricacies, shored up two areas of concern. He mitigated the threat of Picault’s speed with Romney and introduced a player in Alessandrini who would...