CARSON, Calif. ā The LA Galaxy will play Club Tijuana in an exhibition Tuesday at StubHub Center (8 p.m., Spectrum SportsNet) in what head coach Curt Onalfo calls āpart of your progression.ā
Click here for tickets
Onalfo, who replaced Bruce Arena during the off-season, doesnāt view it as a measuring stick, considering the Galaxy arenāt even two weeks into the MLS preseason and Club Tijuana, popularly known as the Xolos, are tied for first with Pumas UNAM in the Torneo Clausura.
āItās not about being ready on Tuesday against Tijuana,ā Onalfo said after training. āItās about being ready for the start of the season on March 4 against (FC) Dallas and starting the season in a positive way.
āI feel good. Weāve made good progress in every aspect ⦠physically, technically and tactically. And we continue to unify ourselves as a group.ā
The Galaxy certainly wonāt be fielding a finished team on Tuesday. New acquisitions Romain Alessandrini and Joao Pedro, for example, are overseas awaiting work visas. Gyasi Zardes is out with a bruised knee suffered in the U.S. menās national team training camp and Jermaine Jones, one of the Galaxyās major off-season acquisitions, participated in his first practice with the club on Thursday.
Goalkeeper Brian Rowe, coming off a banner year in which he had nine shutouts and earned a call-up to the U.S. national team, said he has liked what he has seen in the revamped five-time MLS Cup champions, despite only recently returning to practice after being released from the U.S. camp.
āProgress is good,ā he said. āI think we have a lot of young, hungry guys that are coming in here and trying to prove themselves. Thereās a lot of energy out there.
āIām a little bit late, but the few days Iāve been here the level and the quality has gotten better. Itās definitely a new team and a new look, a new feel. Weāre all excited.ā
Central defender Jelle Van Damme, who this week signed a contract extension, said he believes the Galaxy will be a āreally strong teamā once everyone is available.
He said he wasnāt concerned with the Galaxyās roster revamping that included the retirement of Steven Gerrard and the departures of Robbie Keane, Mike Magee, Jeff Larentowicz and A.J. DeLaGarza, among others.
He feels the changes will work out for the better.
But it will take a little time, he said.
āWe have some young guys who are going to be ready to step up when they need to,ā Van Dame said. āI think weāre doing great work and everybody has a good mentality.ā
He agreed with Onalfo in refusing to put much importance on Tuesdayās match.
āWe donāt have to pay attention to the result,ā he said. āI mean, I want to win preseason games, but itās going to be a good workout.
āThese are the games you need to become a better team."