The news on A.J. DeLaGarza isn’t crushing for the Galaxy, but it’s certainly not great, either.
Looks like the starting center back will miss the rest of the regular season; the L.A. Times reported so this morning.
There is no question that a back line, right to left, of Sean Franklin, DeLaGarza, Omar Gonzalez and Todd Dunivant is the optimum Galaxy foursome.
This will surely make Galaxy fans nervous, recalling the bad old days of the spring when Andrew Boyens, Tommy Meyer and David Junior Lopes rotated in and out alongside DeLaGarza as the club foraged desperately to identify a central defensive combo that worked. Each combo seemed as ineffective as the last one as everyone paying attention gained even more appreciation for 2011 MLS Defender of the Year Omar Gonzalez.
This will not turn into the same frustrating exercise; Gonzalez, now healthy and performing with zeal once again, ensures as much.
On the other hand, this increases the chances that Seattle and Real Salt Lake will nick the Galaxy in the race for second and third place in the West. Everyone is straining to avoid fourth and fifth, which means an extra playoff game and the additional wear-and-tear involved prior to a conference semifinal series.
At the very least, the Galaxy need not worry about falling all the way to fifth. That will be Vancouver or Dallas, no doubt.