2016 LA Galaxy Season: 4 Categories to Consider
- Updated: March 6, 2016
Tonight, the LA Galaxy face D.C. United in the season opener for the 2016 MLS Season. It’s the first home game of the season! I’m pretty excited to watch some soccer. I chose four categories to think about–the leading goal scorer, best defender, players to watch, and who will retire first.
Leading Goal Scorer
Hmm, this category always stumps me. Last year, Robbie Keane scored 20 goals. Only Sebastian Lletget (7) and Gyasi Zardes (6) came relatively close. The Galaxy scored 56 goals in 34 games. With Keane aging, will someone new step in as LA’s leading goal scorer? The team must not entirely rely on him. Yet, I think this year it will once again be Robbie Keane. I predict he will score 20 goals.
Best Defender
Last year our defense turned out to be the weakest part of the team. Hopefully it will no longer be a plague in 2016! The Galaxy signed some new defenders—Ashley Cole, Jelle Van Damme, Josh Turnley, and Daniel Steres. People thought Robbie Rogers was the best left back last year. I agree. He played excellently, even with Achilles problems. This year, I think he will be the best LA Galaxy defender. He transitioned to the right side because of Cole’s arrival. Yet, he acclimated well to the left back side after playing as a winger. It will take time to adjust, but I don’t see a problem. Van Damme and Cole will be strong contenders for it too though.
Players to Watch: Emmanuel Boateng and Sebastian Lletget
With such a different roster, we have so many new players to watch. Some of them are fairly young. Just like the new older players, they need to prove themselves too—if not more. Emmanuel Boateng played quite well during the pre-season and Champions League matches. He has speed, dribbling skill, and passing ability. Will we see quite a bit of him? I hope so.
Sebastian Lletget debuted last year and fantastically well. He suffered a mild injury during the off- and pre-season. Yet, I don’t expect that to slow him down. In fact, I hope he plays much better. He scored 7 goals with 2 assists last season. Unfortunately, we won’t see much of the Lletget-Rogers connection. I hope he connects well with Ashley Cole and potentially Dave Romney.
Who will retire first?
During the off-season, the LA Galaxy signed several players and added to their collection of old guys. So, I’d like to address an important topic: Who will retire first? We have a number of choices—Ashley Cole (35), Steven Gerrard (35), Robbie Keane (35), and Alan Gordon (34), but I’m thinking it will be Steven Gerrard. He has about a year left on his contract. Unfortunately, Gerrard has not played up to his previous Liverpool potential. Therefore, he is showing his age and the toll of MLS scheduling and traveling on an international player. If he signs an extension, I will be sorely disappointed and surprised.
What do you guys think? Did I pick right? Who would you choose for these categories?
Let’s have some fun and cheer on the LA Galaxy! But, remember, American soccer clubs exist outside of Major League Soccer as well, so please support your local club too! They deserve an audience and equal attention as well.
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