(Editorial) – Ever since Gionvani dos Santos came to the LA Galaxy in July 2015, the Galaxy have had chemistry issues at forward. Dos Santos immediately replaced Gyasi Zardes up top, who moved to wide midfield. Keane and Dos Santos had some good moments but struggled down the stretch to get used to each other and establish defined roles.
Head coach Bruce Arena stuck with this pair through the end of the regular season and the disastrous playoff game in Seattle. He did so despite the success of a Keane-Zardes partnership up top in 2014 and the first half of 2015: Zardes scored 16 goals in 2014. Keane scored 19, adding 14 assists on his way to an MVP season. Four of Zardes’s six goals came before Dos Santos arrived.
Keane And Dos Santos Get In Each Other’s Way:
The Galaxy began 2016 with Dos Santos at right midfield and Zardes at forward. The 26-year-old Mexican International spent the entire preseason out wide but was ineffective. His defensive weaknesses were also a concern. Zardes has his issues, but he’s a better defender than Dos Santos.
Zardes started up top for the home leg of the CONCACAF Champions League, but switched to right midfield early in the first half. The second leg again listed Zardes up top and Dos Santos at midfield. But within the opening minutes, Dos Santos appeared at forward and Zardes was out wide.
While Keane and Dos Santos are better players than Zardes in a vacuum, they don’t have chemistry together. They’re both naturally withdrawn forwards who want the ball on their feet. They don’t want to get physical like a traditional center forwards (something Zardes can do). They both want to make plays for themselves or their teammates, including their strike partner. Dos Santos has lots of questions surrounding him right now.
The LA Galaxy strikers get in each other’s way because they’re too similar. Arena has stuck with a forward pairing that has not worked. He hasn’t given another combination the chance. But all of that changed at half time in the MLS opener against D.C. United on Sunday.
Mike Magee Rises From The Ashes:
Dos Santos was subbed out at halftime for Mike Magee after a reported injury. Magee returned to the Galaxy after two years with the Chicago Fire. He had multiple injuries while in Chicago but was one of the most effective role players with LA from 2011-13. The 31-year-old immediately changed the Galaxy offense. His corner led to a game tying goal. He scored on a fabulous chip. He scored on a header. He even drew a penalty.
Galaxy fans saw vintage “Mr. November” in the second half. He wasn’t on the ball often. He was roaming on both sides of the field, making the right run at the right time. Like Keane, Magee isn’t as fast as he used to be, but he’s very intelligent. Nothing Magee did was spectacular or world class. But it was clutch: he just got in the right place in the right time and finished off plays. He did so without needing many touches (only 17 touches from the run of play).
Magee was a cog in Arena’s 4-4-2 system. He combined with his midfielders at times. He ran the channels and let Keane be the withdrawn striker on the ball. Magee was happy to be Robin and let Keane be Batman. Unlike Dos Santos, he doesn’t get in Keane’s way by trying to do the same thing. He works with Keane.
I don’t know if Magee is a 90-minute player anymore considering his age and injury history. I still think he could be effective in the midfield, but not for a full match. Still, Magee proved on Sunday he deserves to be in the 18. In the coming month, I expect him to find a role on this team and more playing time.
Zardes Deserves Another Chance Up Top:
For all of Zardes’s shortcoming (his first touch, lack of anticipation, his hair depending on who you ask), he has been extremely effective as a striker when paired with Keane. In the right system, Zardes is an extremely effective and valuable forward. A soccer team is like a recipe: you need the right ingredients in the combination. Messing one of those up can ruin a recipe. Putting the an ingredient in the wrong place makes the ingredient stick out, in a bad way.
Zardes out wide is like pineapple in place of chocolate chips in a cookie. He’s reactionary, which reduces the impact of his speed. As fast as he is, he’s never used his speed to take over a game (unlike Fabian Castillo or Joao Plata). He’s a better defender than Dos Santos, but he still isn’t great. He can beat defenders one-on-one, but still gives up the ball at times.
Him and Keane up top are like ham and pineapple pizza. Keane provides crispy and salty protein. Metaphorically, Keane orchestrates the offense. He gets Zardes in a good position ahead of time and directs him on his runs. Then he does his thing with the ball on his feet. This results in Zardes getting scoring opportunities or his teammates getting opportunities as a result. All Zardes has to do is finish with his head or or feet.
Zardes is imperfect. He’s still a work in progress. It is possible he has plateaued in his development. Even if he has, he is still useful. Keane provides the brain and Zardes has enough other skills to be dangerous. Zardes lets Keane do his thing and is able to play the No. 9 role (Alan Gordon is the only other Galaxy player who does that). He just needs to be put in a position to succeed. Like putting pineapple on pizza instead of in a cookie. Like putting Robin under Batman’s stewardship.
Other Thoughts:
Gordon is still recovering from a neck injury. Once he returns, he’ll bring something different and needed to the lineup. If Arena wants to make a forward sub and has Magee and Gordon on the bench, I think his decision will depend on the opponent and how the game is going. If the Galaxy want to go Route 1 and be physical, Gordon. If they want a bit more build up play, they’ll go with Magee.
Dos Santos might not be available for Saturday’s game in Denver. I’m not sure what his role on this team is though. It shouldn’t be surprising if Arena again starts him at striker with Keane. He didn’t work out at wide midfield in preseason. It might be worth benching him to motivate him. His most valuable role on this team right now might be as Keane’s back up.
