CARSON, Calif. – When Robbie Keane joined the LA Galaxy, it seemed it was just a matter of time before the Republic of Ireland captain would have an impact on his new club.
Four games into his MLS career, Keane has already shown what he is capable of, scoring three Galaxy goals in all competitions. And there could be more to come.
“We’re learning more about him as a player,” Galaxy coach Bruce Arena said. "He’s learning more about us. We haven’t had a whole lot of training together, but I think you recognize the fact that he’s a really good fit.”
WATCH HIGHLIGHTS: LA 3, VAN 0
Keane has scored two goals in 186 minutes during regular-season play, and he scored another in a 2-1 CONCACAF Champions League loss at Morelia last week. In fact, Keane had another goal in the loss, but it was waved off with a controversial offside call.
In his latest match, Keane showed how influential he can be. He set up Mike Magee for the game’s first goal, then added his own to put the game out of reach in a 3-0 Galaxy win over Vancouver on Saturday night.
Keane’s three regular-season outings have all finished in LA victories, helping ease the transition into his new club.
“It’s like anything,” Keane said. “When you settle into a groove and you’re winning games, when you’re scoring goals it makes things a lot easier. That’s been the case since I’ve been here. So far it’s going well and I’ve settled in very quick. All in all, I’m very happy.”
Jordan shines off the bench
Before the match against Vancouver, Sean Franklin was ruled out for 2-3 weeks because of knee inflammation. The Galaxy had a hole to fill on the right side of the field, and Arena turned to Bryan Jordan.
Pressed into service, Jordan delivered with service. Jordan had two assists in the second half to help LA pull away in their victory over Vancouver.
His contributions are just another sign of the club’s depth, teammates said.
“The ability to bring in a lot of different guys is really helpful,” Galaxy captain Landon Donovan said. “We’ve seen it all year, and it’s really paying dividends now because we need a bunch of different guys and we’re going to need a bunch of new guys on Wednesday.”
This week, the Galaxy will travel to Costa Rica to play Alajuelense in a crucial Champions League match on Wednesday night (10 pm ET, Fox Soccer). Eight players who started in Morelia also started against Vancouver, but Jordan wasn’t one of them. He could either start and be relatively fresh or come off the bench and provide some energy as well.
“The last couple of games we’ve given him an opportunity in that position, he’s played well,” Arena said. “It’s good to see. He’s a player with some good physical tools for that position in terms of his speed and quickness, and nice to see he can get forward once in a while. He’s really done a pretty good job.”
Beckham a question mark for CCL
When the Galaxy traveled to Morelia a week ago, the club did so without David Beckham as his first-ever match in Mexico did not materialize.
Will Beckham make an appearance in Costa Rica? Arena said after Saturday’s match that he had not immediately decided on whether the English midfielder would play but it seems possible that, because of the Galaxy’s match at the Crew on Saturday, Beckham could make the trip whether he plays or not.
“We’re actually going on to Columbus from Costa Rica,” Arena said, “so we’re going to try to bring our whole group when we depart on Monday.”
