CARSON, Calif. – Even though the LA Galaxy’s Giovani Dos Santos has been largely absent from the goals and assists columns in the early part of the season, the message from his team is clear.
He just has to keep doing what he’s doing.
After scoring on a penalty kick in the Galaxy’s season opener, Dos Santos has yet to register a goal or an assist in the four matches since. There was some time missed due to injury and the recent emergence of his fellow Designated PlayerRomain Alessandrini has underlined Dos Santos’ relatively quiet outings.
In the Galaxy’s win over Montreal on Friday, Dos Santos took three shots (only one on target) and went 26 out of 30 on his passes, good for an 87 percent completion rate. After practice on Tuesday, the Mexican international was more focused on the team than on his own statistical rankings.
“I think the chemistry in the team is getting better between the players,” Dos Santos said. “It’s about time [we] get more chances and get closer to the goal.”
In the wake of the Montreal match, head coach Curt Onalfo mentioned how he felt the team needed to get Dos Santos more involved. He praised his playmaker for making “world-class” runs and wanted his players to work on getting him the ball early and often.
Speaking to the media after Tuesday’s practice, Onalfo praised Dos Santos’ play so far.
“I thought he had an excellent game,” Onalfo said about last Friday's match against Montreal. “He looks better literally every minute.
“He made great runs. He didn’t necessarily get rewarded, but he created space for other players and that’s all part of it. He just needs to keep doing what he’s doing and the goals and assists will come.”
When asked about Onalfo’s comments that the Galaxy needed to get Dos Santos more involved, LA midfielder Jermaine Jones agreed, but made sure to note that the team’s success doesn’t come down to any one player.
“He got a couple chances,” said Jones, “but I think he’ll get better from game to game, too.
“It’s not only him, it’s the whole group. I think if he’s 100 percent, we all know that he’s a good player, but we have a lot of good players on this team.”
So are the goals and assists right around the corner? Should the team adjust to get him the ball more? Dos Santos himself laughed off all the talk and brought the conversation back to the team.
“As I say always,” said the El Tri star, “the most important is the team. If the team wins, everything is good. I will try my best to create chances, but I will always say the most important is the team.”
Dos Santos and the Galaxy next travel to Florida for a national network-TV clash with Orlando City SC on Saturday (2:30 pm ET | FOX, FOX Deportes in US; MLS LIVE in Canada).
