Return of Keane, Zardes helps Galaxy regain winning touch
Major League Soccer’s winter-to-fall schedule has long been a source of frustration for Galaxy Coach Bruce Arena.
Unlike most European leagues, which take the summer off, the MLS forces teams to share its top players with national teams for tournaments such as the European Championship, Copa America and Gold Cup. And the Galaxy have paid the price for that this season.
With midfielder Gyasi Zardes and striker Robbie Keane off with their national teams, the Galaxy went seven games without a win and 57 days without a player scoring a goal at home.
Both streaks ended Monday, with Keane and Zardes returning to spark a 2-0 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps before a sellout crowd of 27,167 at StubHub Center.
“It’s been too long. We’ve let a lot of games slip in the last moments. So to get over the line today and take maximum points, it’s a very important win,” said midfielder Steven Gerrard, who assisted on both goals. “Now it’s important that we build on this and try to put a streak of winning games together.
“When you get Robbie and Gyasi back into the team, that gives us a lot more firepower.”
The victory lifted the Galaxy into fourth place in the Western Conference standings halfway through the 34-game season while ending the team’s longest winless streak in more than four years — and significantly, the last two wins have come in games in which Keane scored.
In fact, Keane has a goal in four of the Galaxy’s six wins. When he doesn’t score, the team is 2-3-8.
“I get paid to score goals. That’s my job,” Keane said. “And obviously to get a result and three points is the most important thing.”
Although Keane was gone for six weeks with the Irish national team, injuries limited him to 23 minutes in the European Championship.
Zardes, who was with the U.S. national team in the Copa America Centenario, played all but one minute in the Americans’ six games. In comparison, Keane’s stay with Ireland was basically a European vacation. And it was a vacation the Galaxy wound up paying for in the standings.
But Arena, who gave his team a B+ grade for its play in the first half, wasn’t looking for excuses.
“It is what it is,” Arena said. “We’ve just got to try to be better in the second half of the season.”
Added Keane: “Now going forward, there’s no international games. We get everybody back fit and on the field I think we’ll be OK.
“Hopefully this game now can kick us forward.”
Keane didn’t need much time to make his presence felt, pulling up near the top of the 18-yard box and driving a right-footed shot into the back of the net in the 12th minute.
That marked only the third time the Galaxy had led since Keane left the team in late May.
Jeff Larentowicz doubled the lead two minutes into the second half, heading in a Gerrard corner kick, although the goal could have been disallowed had referee Robert Sibiga seen the Galaxy midfielder push off on Vancouver defender Jordan Harvey.
“I got away with a push,” Larentowicz agreed afterward.
But the Galaxy and goalkeeper Brian Rowe had to hang on for their third shutout in four games after midfielder Nigel de Jong was given his second red card of the season for a dangerous tackle with 15 minutes to play.
“It wasn’t a good tackle,” Arena said. “You can pick your color card.”
Sibiga appeared to do just that, first showing a yellow and then changing to a red.
The Galaxy, who will miss De Jong on Saturday in Seattle, played Monday without defenders Jelle Van Damme (yellow card accumulation) and Ashley Cole (red card).
kevin.baxter@latimes.com
