At the beginning of the summer, the Los Angeles Galaxy made a number of key moves to their roster, adding names like Xavier, Pavon, Beckham. But one important acquisition that slipped under the radar was that of Kelly Gray.
The midfielder arrived in Los Angeles from Houston Dynamo in exchange for Nate Jaqua. In Gray, the Galaxy got a player entering his sixth MLS season, with more than 100 league starts to his credit. Coming from a Dynamo side that has arguably been playing the best soccer of any team in MLS over the course of the last few months, it comes as no surprise that Gray has been one of the most solid performers in a Galaxy uniform the past few weeks.
"I think that's the reason (Galaxy head coach) Frank (Yallop) brought me in," said Gray. "I probably wasn't going to play over Dwayne de Rosario and Ricardo Clark, two of the best midfielders in the league. He saw the potential and brought me in."
Gray is coming to Los Angeles into what has very suddenly become a very crowded midfield. With David Beckham expected to play the attacking center midfield role, Gray is competing for a holding midfield role. It's a job that he knows well, and has already talked to his head coach about what is expected from him.
"My role is to sit deep in the midfield and protect the back four," said Gray. "I think when David steps in he'll be that attacking player in the midfield."
That doesn't mean Gray won't be venturing forward. On several occasions Gray has made penetrating runs from that defensive midfield spot, oftentimes generating some of the Galaxy's most potent attacks. It's a part of his job that he does with a smile.
"Frank encourages me, where if I see it, it's on to go," said Gray. "If I see it I'm going. I've got to do what I can."
Gray has started every game for the Galaxy since his arrival, and will be called upon to play a large role in the last half of the season in Los Angeles. With the Galaxy returning to league play this weekend when they pay a visit to Toronto FC, Gray and his teammates are set to make a push and challenge the conference leaders.
The Galaxy are going to need to do much as a collective if they are going to turn around the season. Coming from a team that is starting to put some space between themselves and the rest of the Western Conference, to a team that is struggling to get into the playoff picture, Gray knows that there is a lot of work still to be done. And with Beckham in the mix now, Gray is enjoying the extra attention his new club team is getting.
"I'm so excited. What a good time to come in," said Gray. "We have some challenges in front of us as far as the league goes, but we have a lot of games where we can get everything right."
Greg Daurio is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
