L.A. Galaxy are having to go deeper into roster earlier than anticipated
This is the kind of season it’s been for the Galaxy: the team went in to a two-week Major League Soccer break missing three starters to injury and when they return Saturday in Vancouver, they’ll be missing four.
Captain Robbie Keane, who shares the team lead with two goals after three games, was the latest casualty after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Thursday. He’s expected to be out four to six weeks, joining first-choice goalkeeper Dan Kennedy (groin), midfielder Steven Gerrard (calf) and attacker Giovani dos Santos (left leg) on the sidelines. None of the four made the trip to Canada for Saturday’s game with the Whitecaps.
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This was a possibility Coach and General Manager Bruce Arena planned for in the off-season, acquiring 10 players to give the Galaxy a roster that was two-deep with quality at every position. He just didn’t expect to be tapping into that depth after just three games.
“It’s a little early,” Arena acknowledged Friday. “But it’s probably good for us to get guys on the field and let them show what they can contribute to the team.”
However, injuries have picked away at that depth, too, and that’s limited Arena’s choices. Defenders Jelle Van Damme and Ashley Cole each sat out one of the team’s first three games, forward Alan Gordon sat out two because of a neck problem and defender Leonardo (knee) and midfielder Jeff Larentowicz (hernia surgery) haven’t played at all this season.
The injuries have hit the Galaxy (2-1) especially hard in the midfield, which could earn Baggio Husidic and Emmanuel Boateng their first starts of the season Saturday. Mike Magee and Gyasi Zardes are the probable starters up front, where they’ll have to make up for the loss of Keane.
Yet as bodies continue to fall, Arena said he’ll resist the temptation to rush players back. Dos Santos, for example, trained last week and could play next week, a timetable Arena could have pushed. But he said that wouldn’t have been good for Dos Santos or the team.
“There’s no point in bringing him back too early,” Arena said. “There’ll be no excuses once he comes back. He’ll be fully healthy and ready to contribute.”
Of the nine front-line players the Galaxy lost to injury in the last month only two, Dos Santos and Leonardo, are younger than 32. However Arena, who purposely stocked his team with veterans — some of them brittle ones — said age had nothing to do with the injuries.
“It’s a long season,” he said. “Anyone who [thinks] they can make a conclusion on anything at this point is an idiot.”
Injuries aren’t the only challenges facing the Galaxy on Saturday. The venue also poses a problem since the Galaxy, unbeaten in two home games this season, haven’t won on the road since August. And they haven’t won in Vancouver since 2013.
They have done well after extended vacations, though. Over the last two seasons the Galaxy have had five breaks of at least 13 days, usually to accommodate FIFA international fixture dates, and they’ve lost just once in the first game back.
Follow Kevin Baxter on Twitter @kbaxter11
