CARSON, Calif. – Romain Alessandrini has been stellar in his first 14 games for the LA Galaxy, but without striker Giovani dos Santos for the next few weeks, the Frenchman will be asked to carry the load even more in the coming days.
The 28-year-old Frenchman is uniquely positioned to fill in for the Mexican international having scored seven goals and seven assists in 14 appearances. Alessandrini’s scoring clip is quickly elevating him among the league’s leaders with his average of 1.01 non-penalty goals plus assists per 90 minutes, the best scoring rate in the league.
In the team’s first league match without dos Santos, Alessandrini notched a goal and an assist to help the Galaxy earn a 2-2 draw with the Houston Dynamo and extend their unbeaten run to seven games. As he looks to fill the void over a busy week that includes matches against the Colorado Rapids and Sporting Kansas City, Alessandrini says he’s ready for the task.
“I played at this position [of attacking midfielder] and I have to give a little bit more. Gio is one of the best players in MLS and we need him,” Alessandrini said after the Dynamo game. “[Against Houston], I was a little bit tired – I felt a little pain from the last week. But I got an assist and scored one for the team, so everyone is happy tonight and we have to a good recovery and be focused for the next game.”
