CARSON, Calif. – It’s been a wild season for the LA Galaxy, and despite a good placement in the standings at present consistency – especially in picking up wins – has eluded them.
That can all become white noise, to an extent, on Sunday, because when LA face the Seattle Sounders they can clinch an Audi 2016 MLS Cup Playoffs berth with a win (4:00pm ET; ESPN in the US,MLS LIVE in Canada).
Not that clinching will change head coach Bruce Arena’s approach. He told reporters after practice on Wednesday, “We’re not resting anyone."
“We have four games in a month, we don’t need to rest anyone," he said. "We’re going to try to win every game. Like we’ve tried in the first thirty and haven’t succeeded in that either.”
Arena's comments alluded to the unusual history on the line for the Galaxy this season, as they are in the running to both break the record for most ties in an MLS regular season and tie the regular season record for fewest losses, with four.
They'll get some help in their quest to turn some of those ties into wins in the form of Giovani dos Santos, who returned to practice Wednesday after sitting out LA's 2-2 road draw against Sporting KC.
Elsewhere in the lineup, losing Gyasi Zardes to a broken metatarsal at the same time that Robbie Keane was finishing his final tour of international duty in early September caused some squad rotation up top. Dos Santos scored five goals over a three-game stretch, and now Alan Gordon has stepped up, scoring in his last two appearances.
Said Arena, “[Gordon] didn’t score his first goal of the season until two weeks ago, now to score in two consecutive games is a big plus...Alan’s a guy who does what he has to do to help a team.”
And it’s not just veterans who are stepping up for the Galaxy recently. Raul Mendiola has played the last four games in the midfield, and although he’s yet to make his mark on a scoresheet, LA have been high on his work rate for some time.
“[Mendiola]’s done well,” said Arena. “Hard worker. Struggling to get through all ninety minutes but probably due to all the extra work he’s willing to do on the field. He’s a real competitive kid, needs to get a little cleaner in the attacking third, but he’s done well.”
For young players like Mendiola or his fellow former LA Galaxy II prospect Daniel Steres, the main issue is finding consistency as the business end of the season approaches.
“Probably a pretty typical year for a young defender,” said Arena about Steres. “He’s had his ups and downs. For the most part it’s fairly steady, but we still see little dips in his performances and then other times where it’s quite good.
“We want to stabilize that, be a little more consistent.”
