The Anschutz Entertainment Group-owned L.A. Galaxy held a Major League Soccer game last weekend largely devoid of entertainment or quality soccer worthy of being called major league before just under 16,700, the defending champion’s lowest crowd of the season.

“The game was lousy and everything with it was lousy,” Galaxy coach Bruce Arena was quoted as saying afterward in what has become a recurring theme this season.

Including when it came to the actual attendance count, which appeared to be several thousand lower than the announced figure.

The disappointing turnout was to be expected in event-oriented Southern California, especially given the hype and genuine anticipation surrounding the Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight.

Add in the NFL Draft, Kentucky Derby, NHL and NBA playoff series involving the Ducks and Clippers, as well as Chelsea winning the EPL title Sunday, and sports fans of all persuasions had better things to do than watch an early-season MLS game involving the Galaxy against the worst team in the Western Conference.

Coach Bruce Arena’s Galaxy teams customarily play far better when it counts in the fall than during the meaningless spring, but this is still among the ugliest MLS teams with a four-game winning streak in memory.

The weakened Galaxy contributed to the lack of quality on display through no fault of their own without several first-choice regulars, including reigning MLS MVP Robbie Keane.

And it’s possible to see tedious games at any level as the “boring” tag attached to Chelsea this season by some EPL fans shows.

Still, that’s no excuse for a Galaxy performance so appalling the Colorado Rapids would have won only their second game of the year, but for yet another game-saving goal off the bench by Alan “Late-Goal” Gordon.

Given the entertainment quality of the rival sport options available, the Galaxy and MLS must do much better.

The Southern California MLS — as distinct from soccer — market is more fragile than conventional wisdom might suggest.

The implosion of Chivas USA and alienation that caused among a significant number of local fans suggests the league has little margin for error when it comes to replacement franchise LAFC, which is expected to start play in 2017.

MLS appears to be merely the fourth-most popular league in Southern California after Liga MX, the EPL and UEFA Champions League, which this week reached the must-watch semifinal stage.

Increasingly expensive game tickets haven’t helped over the years. Galaxy attendance has declined annually since 2011.

Perhaps it’s just as well the Galaxy are departing for their longest road trip of the season, a three-game trek through Salt Lake City, Dallas and Orlando.

Yet Wednesday’s opponent, Real Salt Lake, came into the game languishing just one spot above the Rapids in the West, while Kaka-led Orlando had only two wins on the season ahead of its game the same night against New England. Only Western Conference leader FC Dallas, who the Galaxy play Saturday, boasts a winning record.

Parity and rapid expansion have apparently served to drain the drama out of the season so far, but it could be worse.

More than one critic dubbed the Mayweather boxing victory a pay per snooze, so count yourself lucky if you missed both the big fight and the Galaxy game, I guess.

Meanwhile, Galaxy-bound Steven Gerrard was scoring a late EPL goal Saturday for Liverpool in a dramatic win over Queens Park Rangers.

Of course, he had missed a penalty just minutes earlier before redeeming himself.

Either way that’s entertainment, but the Galaxy will hope Gerrard provides more inspiration than ineptitude upon his arrival.

Ugly we got.

For more local soccer news, read the 100 Percent Soccer blog at www.insidesocal.com/soccer.