CARSON, Calif. – It will be 13 days between games by the time the LA Galaxy play their next match on Saturday at The Home Depot Center against the New England Revolution (8 p.m. PT, NBC Sports Network).
The break has been welcome, not so much to recover from the physical demands of a taxing start but especially from getting in some worthwhile training with an almost full squad.
“We never kind of caught a rhythm because of fatigue and all that kind of stuff,” head coach Bruce Arena said after Monday’s training session.
The Galaxy played four matches, including two in the CONCACAF Champions League, in the first 12 days of the season despite having several players getting in minimal training with the squad. Juninho, for example, was back with club just before its preseason camp in Arizona in late February. Landon Donovan, back from his loan with Everton, was sidelined by the bronchitis in the early going and trained sparsely. Robbie Keane, also coming back after a stint with Aston Villa, trained only a couple of days before the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal against Toronto FC. Edson Buddle was another late arrival from Germany, joining the club in early February.
It has been a difficult period for the defending MLS Cup champions, but Arena wasn’t looking for any sympathy.
“No excuses,” he said. “It’s a little bit better now to have this where we get a little bit of training in and get to know each other a little better.
“We needed a little bit of rest.”
Galaxy players were thankful to have almost a full roster available.
The only exceptions are central defender Omar Gonzalez, who is expected to miss most of the season after undergoing knee surgery in January; fellow center back Leonardo, who is coming back from major knee surgery of his own last April; goalkeeper Brian Perk, sidelined 4-6 weeks after recently having sports hernia surgery, and midfielder Michael Stephens, who is with the U-23 U.S. National Team trying to qualify for this summer’s London Olympics.
“It’s been tough on us,” said Chad Barrett, who also recently returned from a dislocated foot suffered just before last season’s MLS Cup in November. “We couldn’t get our guys here to play as a unit. We had to figure out how to play without Omar. We had to figure out how Edson was going to pair up top with Keane. And me getting back from injury, tons of things.
“Most important, we had to learn how to play as a unit. Now we’ve played a few games and everybody knows what to expect from everybody.”
Defender A.J. DeLaGarza said the break between games was beneficial, especially when it comes to cohesiveness.
“Getting in some team training is the most important part,” he said.
“Before that first game in Toronto, I think we had maybe a day of team training. It’s been good to get some quality practice in.
“We’re all getting used to each other again.”
