Steven Gerrard wasn't happy with the way things played out in his first competitive game for the LA Galaxy, a face-off against Real Salt Lake in the U.S. Open Cup. He wasn't happy with his one-on-one miss, either. Still, he carried a “cheeky smile” on his face after getting his first real taste of Major League Soccer.
Gerrard came on at halftime, played a bit as a forward/attacking midfielder hybrid, and had two good scoring chances go for naught as the Galaxy were ousted from the United States's oldest soccer competition Tuesday night.
“I walk away disappointed with the result,” the former Liverpool legend told reporters at Rio Tinto Stadium. “I move away with another 45 minutes that will get me toward full fitness, but I'm walking away with a cheeky smile because I'm very happy with my feeling in the game, and I'm very confident moving forward.”
Gerrard came on at halftime for rookie Ignacio Maganto, after making his Galaxy debut with a first-half stint in Saturday's International Champions Cup victory over Liga MX's Club America. He teamed with Robbie Keane and Sebastian Lletget in this one as LA looked for an opener in a tight battle controlled primarily by the home side.
He had a shot at his first goal with the Galaxy after getting behind RSL's defense on a 54th-minute breakaway, but goalkeeper Jeff Attinella did well to parry his shot away. Gerrard fired high on another chance 22 minutes later, after Keane collected a Lletget ball through the goalmouth at the left byline and fed him near the left post.
RSL claimed the victory on Aaron Maund's 87th-minute header after LA goalkeeper Brian Rowe had made three tremendous stops -- on Sebastian Jaime in the sixth and 75th minutes and on Abdoulie Mansally just before the goal -- to keep the Galaxy even.
“It's always tough when you lose on the road, especially toward the end of the game,” Gerrard said. “We've had some good chances tonight to at least take the game to extra time, and I'm guilty of missing one, so I'll take responsibility for that."
“I'm not surprised [that I'm not fully sharp]," he continued. "I've had two 45 minutes in seven or eight weeks [since my last game for Liverpool, on May 24], so it's maybe not a surprise I'm a little bit off the boil at the moment, but I'm strangely happy at the moment. Giving me a flavor of the MLS standard tonight, and I'm very confident the goals, the assists, the dangerous play will come from me in the future.”
Head coach Bruce Arena is confident about that, too.
“He'll be a good player for us,” Arena said. “It's going to take some time, though.”
Gerrard will have a shot for his first competitive win with the Galaxy as he is expected to play in Friday night's California Clasico against San Jose at StubHub Center.
