CARSON, Calif. – The LA Galaxy have everyone in camp as they get to the grist of their preparations for the Western Conference Championship of the MLS Cup Playoffs, presented by AT&T, against Seattle, with the added bonus of getting Robbie Keane and A.J. DeLaGarza back early from international duty.
Keane and DeLaGarza returned to training Tuesday morning with the Galaxy, who open the home-and-home series with the Sounders on Sunday at StubHub Center (5 pm ET; ESPN, get tickets here).
“I think it helps everyone. Certainly, it helps me,” said Keane, who saw spot duty in Ireland's EURO 2016 qualifying loss Friday to Scotland then skipped the Irish's 4-1 romp Tuesday over the US in Dublin. “It gives me six days to get back into the swing of things, get over the travel and stuff. That was important I came back.”
Keane figured to stick around for the US game, but Galaxy coach Bruce Arena asked Ireland manager Martin O'Neill about letting Keane come back to Southern California ahead of the friendly. Keane had no problem with whatever the determination might be.
“[O'Neill] pulled me [aside] and said, 'How important of a game is it on Sunday,' so he would let me go back,” Keane said. “It was up to them. It was out of my hands. If I'm called up to the national team, I'm there, but the manager appreciated and realized it was a massive game [against the Sounders].”
Keane said his ailing left hamstring, which forced him to miss the regular-season finale at Seattle and dogged him a little during the Western Conference semifinal series against Real Salt Lake, was just fine.
“Not 100 percent,” he said, “but I'm definitely … 90ish.”
Keane came off the bench against Scotland, a 1-0 loss in Glasgow, the first Ireland game he has not started when available in 13 years. He said he wasn't offended with O'Neill's decision to leave him on the bench, although his postgame comments were depicted as such.
“The manager was playing one up front,” said Keane, who is more of a withdrawn forward who roams deep. “It doesn't suit me to play one up front, so I have no problem, certainly, with that decision.”
DeLaGarza returned to Los Angeles following two of Guam's three East Asian Cup qualifiers in Taiwan. He played in Thursday's 2-1 victory over Chinese Taipei and in Sunday's 5-1 loss to North Korea and will miss Wednesday's game against Hong Kong.
“We know how important this weekend is, and [Guam's encounter with Hong Kong] is the 19th, so that'd be a pretty quick turnaround, and I think my priority is here,” the veteran defender said. “… It's a big difference than coming back and having two days [to prepare]. That's why this whole time we planed on playing two games and coming back. Unless [Guam was] close to winning [the qualifying tournament].”
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Arena said the Irish and Guamanian federations were “cooperative,” but he isn't sure what impact their early returns will have.
“I think we'll find out on Sunday whether it means anything or not,” he said. “It's good, though. It's less wear and tear on the players, leaves us a better chance of having them ready to play.”
