On paper, the Los Angeles Galaxy look loaded this year. The squad is filled with internationals from all over the region.
That's also the problem. Six players on Steve Sampson's roster were with their respective national team last week for World Cup qualifiers, leading to the question of how well prepared the Galaxy are going to be for their season opener against the Columbus Crew.
Sampson doesn't seem to be too worried. "I've been with many teams, and this is the best chemistry I've had heading into a season," he said.
That chemistry that has been developing, however, is with players not likely to start on Saturdays -- not even this Saturday at Crew Stadium.
Instead, the Galaxy could be starting three players on the back line that haven't been with the team in over two weeks. In fact, the Galaxy hasn't had their full team in Los Angeles yet this season.
"Thursday, it [was] the first time I've had my entire team together," Sampson said.
That left just two days of training before Saturday's season opener for all the players to learn to play together. The season opener happens to be against a team that ended last year on the longest unbeaten streak in league history, and the Crew have improved their team from a year ago.
Ante Razov joins an attack that already featured a young Edson Buddle, and both should be more than a handful for a defense that hasn't played together in a fortnight.
The only defender who has been with the Galaxy is Tyrone Marshall. With international experience of his own with the Jamaican national team, lack of time with his teammates isn't new to him.
"It's like being with the national team. You come in for a week and play the big game," Marshall said. "It's a very simple system we play in the back line. It's just a matter of getting on the same page."
With close to half the team arriving on separate planes to Columbus, Sampson could be relying on some younger players to fill the void while his veterans get acquainted with one another. When asked if those second-tier players are ready to step up to the challenge this weekend, even Sampson wasn't too sure.
"We're going to find out, aren't we?" said Sampson. "The team we're going to field this Saturday will have a tremendous amount of experience."
Greg Daurio is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
