CARSON, Calif. – Steven Gerrard’s exploits on the field are legendary. But it’s what the former Liverpool captain brings to the locker room that has his new Galaxy teammates even more impressed.
Gerrard scored his first MLS goal in Friday’s 5-2 thrashing of the San Jose Earthquakes in front of a sellout crowd of 27,000 at StubHub Center, but Galaxy players couldn’t help but talk about the intangibles the 35-year-old brings to the defending MLS Cup champions.
“He’s even better in the locker room, which people on the outside don’t see,” said midfielder Baggio Husidic, whose pass into the San Jose penalty area in the 37th minute was slightly deflected and went right to Gerrard, who beat goalkeeper David Bingham for a goal that forged a 2-2 tie.
“He’s pretty good,” Husidic added with a grin.
Veteran defender Dan Gargan said he was more interested in the person than the player when Gerrard officially began training with the club earlier this month, and he hasn’t been disappointed.
“What we had heard, or I had heard, was he’s a pro’s pro,” Gargan said. “A great, quality individual and I’ve seen nothing short of that.
“Obviously everyone will talk about him being a great addition on the field. I think he’s been a fantastic addition in the locker room, which is exciting. I think if you can add a person of his character and quality to this mix it certainly raises our level on all accounts.”
Midfielder Kenney Walker had heard plenty about Gerrard, who had played 17 seasons for English Premier League powerhouse Liverpool before deciding to give MLS a try in January. Walker’s college roommate at the University of Louisville, Luis Pacheco, was a big Liverpool fan and couldn’t help but constantly praise the talents of Gerrard to Walker, who admittedly was a Manchester United fan.
“We had some real battles,” Walker said with a grin.
And when Pacheco heard Gerrard was joining the Galaxy, he immediately asked Walker for a signed jersey. Walker said he will allow Gerrard “to settle in a bit” before filling that request.
In the meantime, he’ll be more than happy to watch the Galaxy’s newest addition do his thing.
“Just another great player,” Walker said. “It’s different from watching him to actually getting on the field and playing with him.
“I kind of was thinking about Becks (former teammate David Beckham) when I first trained with him. But I was coming straight from college to the professional level. Now I’ve been here for a couple of years.
“He (Gerrard) has actually impressed me quite a bit just for getting back into it. He’s not fully in shape, and it will be interesting to see what he has in two or three weeks when he’s fully fit and ready to go.”
Midfielder Juninho said he’s already impressed.
“He stepped up and did his job today,” he said. “He’s such a good player and we trust him a lot. I’m glad we have someone like him.”