Dave Romney was up to the task of defending Didier Drogba on Saturday night.
By Ivan Yeo
While the Galaxy did not have a good night against Montreal on Saturday, there were some positives to take out of the match.
Point number one was its defense, especially on a night where they went up against one of the top strikers in the world, Didier Drogba, who had firmly announced his presence in the league by recording a hat trick against Chicago Fire the week before.
LA’s backline, particularly Center Backs Omar Gonzalez and Dave Romney, was up to the task this time, as they managed to keep Drogba in check for most of the night. Romney’s performance on Saturday drew the most praise from Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena and Romney’s CB partner, Omar Gonzalez.
“He played a good game,” Arena said of Romney’s performance. “Solid, it’s probably his second start for us I think. He is a strong physical player, passes well, good in the air.”
Actually Bruce, it was his first start for LA. Still, Romney got the equivalent of a trial by fire on Saturday night, as he was thrust into the starting lineup alongside Gonzalez and was faced with the tough task of trying to stop the incomparable Drogba. Romney was featuring in just his fourth match for LA after being signed by the team a month ago, but he didn’t look to be fazed by the moment, as he stood his ground against Drogba and didn’t allow the legendary Chelsea striker to take control of the match like he did against Chicago.
“I watched the Montreal vs. Chicago game last night in bed, and just watched his movement, watched how he turned off the ball, stuff like that,” Romney said of facing Drogba. “I just tried to play him as safe as I could, as aggressive as I could and things worked out.”
Still, it had to be a surreal moment for Romney, who until at recently might have been best known for having the same last name as 2012 Republican presidential canidate Mitt Romney. Romney played collegiately at the University of San Francisco from 2011-2014 and collected numerous WCC honors during his four years as a Don. Romney then divided his time with LA Galaxy II and the first team, seeing time in the Galaxy’s two friendly matches against Club America and FC Barcelona. Romney made his MLS debut on July 25 against Houston, as he came in as a substitute in the second half and played 33 minutes. Romney was officially signed by the Galaxy on August 5.
Romney got his first real shot on Saturday night against Montreal and made the most of it. With Leonardo serving a red-card suspension, Romney’s number was called to partner alongside Gonzalez at the Center Back spot. Romney’s usually a left back, turned in a solid performance, playing Drogba up close and not allowing him to impose his physical will on the match. Drogba did get a few opportunities in the second half, but aside from that, Romney and Gonzalez stood their ground against the imposing Ivorian striker.
“It’s something growing up is never even a possibility, so just given the opportunity and trying to take advantage of it playing aggressive as I could,” Romney said. “He (Drogba) got a couple of counters in the second half that were pretty dangerous, but outside of that I think we kept them in check mostly throughout the game.”
Where things go from here for Romney remains to be seen, but one thing is clear, and that is Romney looks to have firmly cementer a spot on the Galaxy roster for the remainder of the season for LA. Whether Romney is able to crack the Galaxy’s starting 11 or is used primarily for depth purposes, there’s no denying that when Dave Romney’s number is called again, he will be more than ready to answer the call.
