Steven Gerrard’s First Two LA Galaxy Matches
- Updated: July 17, 2015
(Photo via ESPN)
Just a week after his halftime introduction, Steven Gerrard played his first game with LA against Club America during the International Champions Cup on July 11. Gerrard only played 45 minutes—much to the displeasure of fans—but he’s still acclimating to MLS, the United States, and most importantly, the LA Galaxy. I’m still surprised that he played that much since he’s only trained with the team for about two weeks—give or take. He even almost scored a goal off a tricky pass from Jose Villarreal! The Galaxy triumphantly beat Club America 2-1
Then last night, Gerrard played another 45 minutes when Bruce Arena subbed him in for Kenney Walker during the second half of the Galaxy’s US Open Cup Quarter Final match against Real Salt Lake. Unfortunately—or not—the Galaxy lost 1-0. I added “or not” because it means less games will be added to the Galaxy’s already busy schedule, which has hurt the team in a few games because of exhaustion and injuries—not to say more games might be added later (keep your fingers crossed that no more will come up during the regular season). I digress.
Gerrard played excellently against RSL and even came close to scoring at least one goal! I’m impressed that he’s been able to perform so well considering he’s only been with the club for a short period of time. It just goes to show the man’s level of skill. I do have to say that so far, I have more respect for Steven Gerrard in his early days as a Galaxy player than I did for David Beckham. Already, Gerrard has shown that he’s not just with the Galaxy as a publicity stunt—he wants to earn some trophies, win matches, and help the team succeed. While I’m sure Beckham had good intentions, they failed to come across a good portion of the time. For more insight into the Beckham years, read Grant Wahl’s The Beckham Experiment—an excellent piece of work.
After their loss, Gerrard discussed his playing time with Adam Serrano, the LA Galaxy Insider. He told Serrano that he’s pleased with his playing time and performances and that he’s ready to start scoring some goals.
I can confidently say that Gerrard will definitely contribute to the Galaxy. He’s a highly talented player (teaser—the Galaxy have another on the way!), and I’m excited to see him in future games. Commissioner Don Garber selected him (and Frank Lampard) for the 2015 MLS All-Star roster, so Gerrard will potentially miss the July 25th and August 1st matches against the Houston Dynamo and the Colorado Rapids.
Tune into Fox Sports 1 on July 17 to see the LA Galaxy take on the San Jose Earthquakes and Steven Gerrard make his official MLS debut!
Stay with us at Calisportsnews.com as we will keep you up-to-date on all things LA Galaxy and the rest of the LA sports teams! All Cali, all the time!
Related Posts
About Patrick Salkeld
