Galaxy keeper Brian Rowe got a rare start against FC Barcelona on Tuesday
By Ivan Yeo
Friendly matches present many opportunities for a team.
For one, it’s a rare opportunity for fans to see their favorite team or specific player, whether from Europe or Mexico, in person. Another opportunity friendlies present is an opportunity for coaches to see players that they may not get to see on a regular basis, to see if they have what it takes to be a part of the first team regularly.
For Los Angeles Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena, Tuesday’s match against FC Barcelona at the Rose Bowl was that opportunity. Arena sent in the reserves for the second half of its match against the Spanish powerhouse, and they did not disappoint, creating several scoring chances and scoring the Galaxy’s lone goal in its 2-1 loss to Barcelona.
“They did well; I think it is a fabulous experience for them,” Arena said of the play of his reserves. “Some of those kids are 19 years old, playing against an outstanding club, obviously in the second half, Barcelona went with some young players as well, but for our guys, I don’t think [Robbie] Keane and [Steven] Gerrard need these games as much as the young kids need the experience.”
The regulars such as Keane and Gerrard started the match for LA. Their evening however was basically over the moment the halftime whistle blew and both teams sent in their second units for the second half (though having Andres Iniesta as part of that second unit for Barca isn’t really saying much). On the other hand, the Galaxy sent in young players such as Bradford Jamieson IV, Ariel Lassiter, Tommy Meyer and Raul Mendiola, who actually came in during the first half after Baggio Husidic picked up in injury. LA actually had a starter in their second unit in full back Robbie Rogers, but the Galaxy’s second unit was mostly its reserves.
The half acutally didn’t start out well for the Galaxy reserves, as they gave up Barcelona’s second goal in the 56th minute. LA however soon settled down, and were actually able to get behind the Barcelona defense a few times. LA had its first scoring chance of the half in the 69th minute, as Rafael Garcia played a ball into the penalty area, Mendiola chased it down and crossed into the six-yard box, forcing Barcelona keeper Jose Suarez to make a play and cut off the cross.
“I think we showed a lot of heart out there,” Jaimeson IV said. “Obviously our tempo is a little bit slower but it is something that we know how far off we are. It’s not super far off there is a lot of things that we can work on and it is something that is not a big adjustment that we have to make to be at the level that they are.”
LA continued to pose several threats in Barcelona’s final third. Its next opportunity came in the 74th minute, as Mendiola sent a long ball and Lassiter got behind the Barcelona back line, sprinted for goal, but his shot missed the far post. Barcelona got the win, but the Galaxy got the last word in stoppage time, as Mika Varynen sent a corner kick into the box and Tommy Meyer headed a ball past Suarez into the back net to prevent the shutout.
“It’s something you dream about, I’m pretty excited” Meyer said of his goal. “Mika served a great ball and I was luckily there to put my head on it.”
From Gyasi Zardes to Jamieson IV, Mendiola and Jose Villarreal, the Galaxy have certainly had the advantage over the other MLS teams in terms of player development over the last few years. The formation of Galaxy II has also helped, as players that normally do not see time with the first squad can fine tune their games for Los Dos. Not every team can send out their second units and still beat Club America, or score a goal in stoppage time against a European giants.
“I think we have a lot of young guys on our team, kids from the academy that are part of Galaxy II now and are trying to work their way up,” Meyer said. “I think everyone wanted to go out and work as hard as they could. You make a mistake, it doesn’t really matter. You are playing Barcelona and I think that was kind of our mentality in the second half.”
The Galaxy have done an exceptional job over the last few years of identifying talent and finding ways to get such talent onto the squad. Players like Keane, Gerrard, Zardes, Omar Gonzalez and soon Giovanni Dos Santos will be expected to lead LA on another MLS Cup run, but the presence of Alan Gordon, Jaimeson IV, Mendiola, Villarreal etc. on your bench will be crucial to ensuring that LA’s MLS Cup run is a successful one.
