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Defender Jelle Van Damme has a lighter side, but he’s a serious force for the Galaxy

Galaxy defender Jelle Van Damme volleys a pass around Santos Laguna defender Carlos Izquierdoz during a CONCACAF Champions League game Feb. 24.

Galaxy defender Jelle Van Damme volleys a pass around Santos Laguna defender Carlos Izquierdoz during a CONCACAF Champions League game Feb. 24.

(Ringo H.W. Chiu / Associated Press)
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A crowd of reporters had Nigel de Jong pinned against a wall in a quiet Galaxy dressing room, and judging from the clipped answers he was giving, the Dutch midfielder wasn’t enjoying the interview.

Across the room teammate Jelle Van Damme surveyed the situation, reached into a cupboard, flipped a few buttons and the Dutch national anthem began playing from the locker room stereo.

A smile creased De Jong’s face.

“Jelle, he’s different,” De Jong said, his grin growing wider. “To be honest he’s always been like that.”

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Van Damme’s contributions are obvious on the field, where he’s added grit and physicality to a defense that went soft at times last year. With the Belgian veteran on the field, the Galaxy (2-1-1) has allowed two goals in three games heading into Sunday’s faceoff with the defending Major League Soccer champion Portland Timbers at the StubHub Center.

But Van Damme has been just as important off the field, where his practical jokes have helped bring camaraderie and chemistry to a roster featuring 10 new players.

“He’s a great guy for the team and for the dressing room,” said De Jong, a teammate of Van Damme at Amsterdam’s Ajax more than a decade ago. “And you need guys like that.”

Especially now, with the new-look Galaxy missing five starters because of injury after just four games.

Attacker Giovani dos Santos could return to the lineup Sunday for the first time since straining his left quadriceps in the first half of the first game. Goalkeeper Dan Kennedy, injured in the same game, also is nearing his return after playing 90 minutes Friday for Galaxy II, the team’s USL reserve squad.

But captain Robbie Keane is sidelined for at least another month after undergoing an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee. Midfielder Steven Gerrard, hobbled by a strain in his left calf, hasn’t fully trained with the first team in nearly three weeks, and defender A.J. DeLaGarza, who sat out the last two games with a sore left foot, is expected to miss Sunday’s game as well.

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That makes the versatile Van Damme, who missed the first game of the regular season with an ankle problem, even more valuable. He offers a bruising presence at center back and, as a onetime midfielder, he’s a good ballhandler and deceptively quick, allowing him to contribute to the attack as well.

He also helps keep things light off the field, which helps as well.

“It’s good for any team to have different characters and have the more experienced players take a little bit of a dominant role in the locker room,” said Galaxy Coach Bruce Arena, whose split-personality squad is unbeaten with seven goals in two home games but winless and scoreless on the road.

According to Belgian reports, Van Damme, 32, took a nearly $900,000 cut in base pay to leave his club for MLS in February. With the Galaxy, he’s the biggest player on the roster at 6 feet 3, 198 pounds, and with a shaved head and generous collection of tattoos, he’s their most intimidating player as well, belying his gentle, playful demeanor off the field.

“It’s me. That’s the way I am,” Van Damme said of his penchant for pranks. “I like having fun and making jokes. I’ve had that all my life. I did the same stuff on my former team.”

On the field, however, he lets his play speak for itself. And opponents have found very little to laugh about.

“When you see big dudes like that, all tatted up, bald head . . . you kind of assume they’re going to be a donkey,” teammate Mike Magee said with a smile. “He’s the opposite. He’s clever, he’s got good vision, he can run with the ball, and obviously he does dirty work as well.

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“It works out nice for us. He’s quality all the way around.”

kevin.baxter@latimes.com

Twitter: @kbaxter11

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