CARSON, Calif. – Robbie Keane is heading home and he’s bringing the LA Galaxy with him.
Keane and the Galaxy will spend the next 11 days in Europe during a preseason tour that will include a match in the Irishman’s hometown of Tallaght against local power Shamrock Rovers. The trip, which will also allow LA to take on Hammarby in Stockholm, is especially meaningful for Keane, who is excited to showcase the Republic of Ireland for his Galaxy teammates.
“It means a lot to me,” Keane said. “To go back home, see everybody, [and] bring the team to my country. Everyone’s excited this side of the pond and certainly over there, they’re looking forward to the game and the team training in Ireland.”
Visiting Keane’s home country is certainly an exciting prospect for his teammates and coaching staff who joked that they may have to assure that the captain doesn’t have too much fun.
“It'll be interesting. I've seen Dublin through my eyes. Might be a little cloudier through Robbie's eyes,” Arena said jokingly. “I know he's going to enjoy it, and there are a lot of people in Ireland that are looking forward to having Robbie there with his team.”
During their trip, the Galaxy will meet with the Republic of Ireland president Michael D. Higgins and attend a personal tour of the Guinness factory. Although the temptation might exist for Keane to show his team all of his Dublin haunts, the Irishman says all the fun will have to wait.
They're traveling for business
“As soon as we put the hard work, the effort in on the training field, we'll have some time to relax,” Keane said. “But the most important thing is we're over here to get ourselves ready for the start of the season.
“It's more about fitness and getting sharp. That's what preseason is all about,” Keane added. “You play the games, you get match-fit in games, but the results are not the big thing. Of course, you want to win every time you play, but more important is the fitness end. Come the sixth of March, we should be fit and ready to go.”
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog at LAGalaxy.com/Insider and contact him at LAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com.
