CARSON, Calif. – It’s what’s up front that counts, as far as the LA Galaxy is concerned.
There are seven forwards listed on the preseason roster, a group that now includes former leading scorer Edson Buddle, who just returned from a year-long stint in Germany. There are six in camp – not including Robbie Keane, currently on loan with Aston Villa of the English Premier League – and it would have been more if not for the recent release of Yuri Gorentzvaig.
READ: LA Galaxy Sign Forward Edson Buddle
Associate head coach Dave Sarachan said having so many forwards and attacking options is a good thing to have.
“I’ve always been a proponent of if you’re going to be flooded in an area, forward is a good place to start,” he said. “It’s so difficult to find forwards at this level anyway. And when you can have what we would like to think is a surplus or maybe more numbers than normal, it gives you so much more of an option as you move through a long and grinding season.
“If you’re going to have depth or extra bodies in the attacking half of the field, forward is a good place to start.”
The candidates include Adam Cristman, who was the only Galaxy player to score in all competitions last season (MLS regular season, U.S. Open Cup, CONCACAF Champions League, reserve league and the World Football Challenge). Chad Barrett, who had seven regular-season goals after being acquired from Toronto FC, hasn’t practiced yet as he continues to recover from a dislocated right foot that kept him out of last November’s MLS Cup final. Jack McBean, who just turned 17, became the youngest player in Galaxy history to score a goal last Oct. 24 against Houston. Keane, the Irish international, had three goals in seven regular season games. Pat Noonan, a nine-year MLS veteran with 41 goals and 33 assists to his credit, recently came over in the MLS re-entry draft. That list doesn’t even include midfielders Landon Donovan, who is the third leading scorer in MLS history and Mike Magee, who had 10 goals in all competitions for LA last season.
Now add to the mix Buddle, who had a career-high 17 goals in 2010 – second in MLS – before he left for FC Ingolstadt of the German 2. Bundesliga, and you have a crowded situation up top.
READ: Buddle: I always felt like I was a part of the Galaxy
But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. And those in the mix say they look forward to the competition.
“You’ve got to be ready every day,” Noonan said. “There will be opportunities throughout the year, but you have to be sharp in training. There’s plenty of competition, and that’s a good thing to have because it makes for an intense, competitive training session, and that translates well into games.”
READ: Veteran Noonan hopes to fight for minutes with LA
Said Barrett, “For the team, it couldn’t be a better situation. You have the top scorer (Buddle) back, and he was a force the last two years before he left. It’s very exciting to be on this team; there’s a lot of fire power up top.”
Head coach Bruce Arena said he has no problems with the overflow at forward.
“We need a lot of depth on the team this year, particularly in the attacking positions,” he said. “Robbie Keane will miss probably three to four games with the European Championships. David Beckham likely will represent Great Britain in the Olympics. We have the possibility of Michael Stephens being part of the U.S. Olympic team.
“There’s a lot of issues there, and we think we can have a lot of depth at the forward and midfield positions and quality. And Edson’s return certainly enhances our roster.”
