(Editorial) – The LA Galaxy have signed Free Agent Jeff Larentowicz. After a puzzling and surprising off season that has seen Omar Gonzalez and Juninho leave for Liga MX, the Galaxy finally made a notable addition. Free agent Larentowic, in particular, fills a need (possibly two) for Head Coach Bruce Arena.
LA Galaxy Fill A Need In Signing Free Agent Jeff Larentowicz
Larentowicz is 32-years-old and an experienced veteran. Arena has made mistakes in the past in picking up aging veterans (Edson Buddle, Pablo Mastroeni, etc.), Larentowicz has remained healthy since turning 30. He’s made at least 28 starts in MLS every year since 2007. Big Red can absolutely step into a regular starting role this year and be effective.
He took on a significant leadership role with the Chicago Fire and was their captain this past year. He even took over the penalty kick duties for Chicago, scoring 6 goals from the spot last year. He’s excited for the new season, which should motivate him to perform even better than last year.
Larentowicz is a solid MLS yeoman. He’s an above average work horse considering his age. He’s primarily been a defensive midfielder, but transitioned to center back when the Fire needed him to the last few years. He was one of the few bright spots these past three years on a poor Chicago Fire team.
He was willing to do anything to help his team win, including switch positions. Surrounded by young players and a struggling Sean Johnson, Larentowicz was the only thing good about the back line that gave up the most goals in 2015 (58, tied with Toronto and New York City). At 6′ 1”, he might not be the best defensively in the air. That is a concern for LA with Gonzalez’s departure should Larentowicz replace him at center back.
He’s known for a very good defensive work rate as a midfielder. Juninho and Steven Gerrard didn’t work in 2015 due to the roles they were forced to play. Juninho was used to a slightly defensive role, with some give and take with Marcelo Sarvas. Gerrard and Sarvas are on the same player.
If Larentowicz lines up as a central midfielder, he will bring some needed physicality and a defensive work rate as good as Juninho’s. As a natural holding midfielder, he allows Gerrard to be more of an attacking midfielder. This pair will have more chemistry in these defined roles than Gerrard and Juninho had in 2015.
Even if Larentowicz isn’t able to be a 90 minute player, Arena has Baggio Husidic on the bench.
I’m still not sure which position he’ll play at. This is what the Galaxy pay Arena to figure out. Larentowicz is probably a better fit in the midfield, but center back is probably a bigger need. We could see Arena experiment with his position and the formation. He could switch back and forth between the two.
More reinforcements might be on the way. Gonzalez’s departure gave LA a lot of flexibility. Larentowicz made about $270,000 last season. Under the CBA, Larentowicz was allowed to negotiate up to a 15% raise. His max salary for 2016 is around $310,000. Juninho made $350,000 in 2015.
Even before the cap relief from Gonzalez transferring and new allocation money from the transfer fees, the Galaxy are in the green. There’s plenty of room to go get another center back or a holding midfielder. Maybe they re-sign Alan Gordon or go get Mike Magee.
Regardless, Big Red is bound to fill one of LA’s holes. This off season hasn’t been that bad after all.
