Starting XI: LA Galaxy at Chicago Fire | August 24, 2016

8.24 XI
LAGalaxy.com

LA Galaxy Starting XI (4-2-3-1)


Clement Diop; A.J. DeLaGarza, Daniel Steres, Jelle Van Damme, Dave Romney; Jeff Larentowicz, Baggio Husidic; Sebastian Lletget, Mike Magee ©, Emmanuel Boateng; Gyasi Zardes


Substitutions:


Dan Kennedy, Leonardo, Ashley Cole, Rafael Garcia, Nigel de Jong, Giovani dos Santos, Alan Gordon


Lineup Notes


  • LA Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena will shuffle his lineup to account for three games in a week Wednesday as he makes five changes to the starting lineup: Dave Romney, Jeff Larentowicz, Sebastian Lletget, Mike Magee and Emmanuel Boateng start in place of Ashley Cole, Nigel de Jong, Giovani dos Santos, Steven Gerrard and Robbie Keane.
  • Bruce Arena enters the match with a 199-119-84 record all time as an MLS coach. With a win Wednesday at Chicago, Arena would become just the second coach in MLS history with 200 wins, joining former Sounders coach Sigi Schmid.
  • LA Galaxy goalkeeper Clement Diop will make his second-ever start in Major League Soccer Saturday. The athletic Frenchman has been a standout for Los Dos over the past two seasons and brought the Galaxy to the 2016 U.S. Open Cup Semifinal this year. He put in a strong showing Saturday at Yankee stadium in his first MLS action.
  • The deeply dependable, very versatile and super savvy defender A.J. DeLaGarza makes his 19th start of the season Wednesday vs. Chicago. No other current Galaxy member has made as many appearances as DeLaGarza, who has 198 appearances all time for LA in the MLS Regular, just two away from 200 appearances.
  • In the center, two-time LA Galaxy II Defender of the Year Daniel Steres continues in what has been a standout year in MLS. Steres has appeared in every game but one this season and has been one of the most reliable defenders for Arena.
  • Big, bald, beautiful, bulky, Belgian centerback Jelle Van Damme gets the nod Wednesday against Chicago. He joined the Galaxy this offseason and has solidified himself as one of the best in MLS. Van Damme is in line for MLS Best XI and MLS Defender of the Year. He also saved the life of an injured Pigeon Saturday against NYCFC.
  • On the left side of defense, Dave Romney slots in for Ashley Cole. Romney was the first-ever player to sign with LA from LA Galaxy II and has been a steady contributor since. This year, he has made eight MLS appearances in addition to featuring in the U.S. Open Cup.
  • In the center of the pitch, Jeff Larentowicz makes the start against his former Chicago Fire side. Big Red has made more than 300 MLS appearances, and nearly 100 of those have been with the Fire, who he played for from 2013-2015.
  • Next to Larentowicz, steady vegan midfielder Baggio Husidic will make his second-straight start. Husidic has been an unheralded contributor to the Galaxy since 2014, notching eight goals and 10 assists and doing all the little things right.
  • On the right, Da’ Boy Sebastian Lletget will make the start in what is his 15th start this season. Lletget will have fresh legs after coming off the bench Saturday against NYCFC. All time, Lletget has eight goals and five assists for LA.
  • In the center of the attack, Mike Magee gets the start in his hometown against his former club. The 2014 MLS MVP with Chicago has tallied six goals and four assists on the year for LA. When he was with Chicago, he once took a day off from training.
  • On the left, the tiny but speedy Ghanaian Emmanuel Boateng will make the start. Boateng is the fastest player on the Galaxy and one of the fastest players in MLS. He will make his 10th start of the season.
  • Up top, Hawthorne hero and USMNT star Gyasi Zardes will make the start in his third-straight game since returning from injury. Zardes has five goals and five assists on the year, but has contributed just as much with his endless hustle and cover in midfield for LA.


Additional note:

  • Robbie Keane will miss the match due to a slight knock he picked up during training in Chicago


Game Notes


  • The Galaxy’s +14 goal differential this year is the best in MLS and their 24 goals allowed are second-fewest in MLS.
  • Bruce Arena has 199 wins heading into Saturday’s game, one away from becoming only the second MLS head coach to reach 200 wins.
  • The Galaxy have lost just once in their last 10 MLS matches (6-1-3).
  • The Galaxy have allowed just seven goals in their last 10 MLS matches.
  • This year on the road, the Galaxy have gone 3-4-5 while scoring 14 goals and allowing 13.
  • LA Galaxy’s 1.00 GAA is the second-lowest in the league (COL, 0.83).
  • When Gyasi Zardes starts, LA Galaxy average 2.00 goals per game. Without him, they average just 0.75.
  • LA Galaxy’s 3-3-6 record when allowing the first goal is the best in MLS.


Storylines


  • How will an adjusted Galaxy squad fare on the road?
  • What will the attack of Zardes, Magee, Boateng and Lletget yield?
  • Can the Galaxy avoid two straight scoreless road games?
  • Can Mike Magee and Jeff Larentowicz get the W against their former squad?
  • Can Clement Diop put in another solid showing?
  • Are deep dish pizzas better than tacos?
    • *Spoiler: no


Quick hits



Quotable


Nigel de Jong:

  • "This is very important. We’ve got 10 games left to go, and we haven’t won in a while. It’d be good for our confidence to get this victory on the road before we get back to L.A. We have to improve offensively to score goals and win games. We were struggling a bit against New York in the delivery into the final third. We just need to improve.


Jeff Larentowicz:

  • “It’s a tough team to beat. They’ve had some troubles on the road, but they’re a tough team to be at home. It’s a huge game. With 10 games left, every game is big. It’s one that we need to win. I think that we’ve had so many draws, we just need to win,” Larentowicz said. “Victories are the focus.”
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