CARSON, Calif. – There's a lot of talk these days about how the LA Galaxy have positioned themselves to win another MLS Cup title, a fourth in five seasons.
None of that talk is coming from the Galaxy.
The additions of Steven Gerrard and Giovani Dos Santos to an already-impressive group and the unexpected impact Sebastian Lletget has made since joining the club in May all appear to make LA (11-7-7) a strong favorite, at least on paper.
Galaxy coach Bruce Arena doesn't want to hear it.
“We have to step on the field each and every game and play well and try to win,” Arena said ahead of Saturday's Western Conference showdown at third-place FC Dallas (11-6-5), who hasn't lost at home to LA since 2012 and has dropped just two games at Toyota Stadium against the Galaxy since 2008. “All that other stuff is garbage and talk.
“We don't talk about championships.”
The Galaxy do talk about having the necessary tools, and they believe they've got them in place for the first time all season. They're healthier than they've been all year and have a full contingent of first-choice players, a rarity since the campaign kicked off five months ago.
“This whole season, we haven't played the same lineup two games in a row,” defender Omar Gonzalez said. “We're looking to hopefully make this the first time and build some momentum, build some chemistry on the field, and if we keep on having the same people in the lineup, then things will continue to get better.”
LA have played 25 different lineups in 25 MLS games – and six more in their US Open Cup, International Champions Cup and CONCACAF Champions League matches – and have come close to the same XI in successive matches on five occasions. They started the same 10 field players in their third game, a home draw with Houston, when recently released goalkeeper Jaime Penedo made his 2015 bow.
The only change against Seattle from their victory a week earlier at Colorado, their first league win away from StubHub Center in more than 11 months, was Dos Santos supplanting Alan Gordon up front.
That appears to be their first-choice lineup: Donovan Ricketts in the nets, A.J. DeLaGarza at right back, Gonzalez and Leonardo in central defense, Robbie Rogers at left back, a flat midfield of Gyasi Zardes, Juninho, Gerrard and Lletget, and Dos Santos and captain Robbie Keane up top.
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It's a potent group, but they know how little that means if things aren't clicking. Keane makes certain everybody's aware of that.
“The reason why we've been champions over the last few years is because we have that winning mentality,” he said. “At the same time, you can't get too carried away with yourself, thinking that you're going to win every game and win the championship, because it's not that easy. ... Nothing comes on a plate for anybody. You have to earn it.
“[Experienced players must] make sure the players don't get too carried away with themselves, thinking we're going to win the championship. Because it's far from that. ... Where there be times that people get carried away, sometimes, that's the times I have a chat with some people, make sure that they know that this is not easy.
“We're here as a group to make sure everybody's on the same page, going into every game with the same mentality, regardless of who it's against. And once we have that, I think we'll be OK.”
