Zlatan Ibrahimovic is one of the most fearsome scorers in modern soccer history, with more than 500 career goals to his credit and already three in his first two appearances of the LA Galaxy’s 2019 season.
All that said, the Vancouver Whitecaps believe they can post their second consecutive clean sheet when LA hit BC Place to kick off MLS Week 5 on Friday night (10 pm ET | TSN1 — Full TV & streaming info).
“We know what he brings to the table, he's a quality player,” Whitecaps center back Doneil Henry said of Ibrahimovic this week. “He's a player that can hurt you and damage you in a second, in a blink of an eye. so we respect what he brings to the game, but we're still focused on ourselves and what we need to bring.”
And the Galaxy’s attack isn’t just Ibra: A talented midfield corps featuring Romain Alessandrini, Uriel Antuna, Jona dos Santos, Joe Corona and Sebastian Lletget are eminently capable of both serving and combining with their superstar striker in the final third.
It looks like a steep challenge for a ‘Caps side that conceded seven goals in their first three games of the season, all losses, as they found their feet under new head coach Marc Dos Santos.
Last weekend's scoreless home draw against their Cascadia Cup enemies the Seattle Sounders has lifted spirits, though, and Henry sounded a note of defiance ahead of the visit from Zlatan and his 3-1 Galaxy.
“It's not one person, it's within a structure,” said the Canadian international. “We don't think about him alone, they have other players that are dangerous. But if we focus on our shape and how we defend as a group, as a unit, we won't be penetrated. So that's our keys.”
