CARSON, Calif. – Jaime Penedo's MLS Player of the Week performance snagged the headlines following the LA Galaxy's victory Sunday over the Seattle Sounders, but teammates thought that Rafael Garcia, making his first MLS start in nearly two years, played nearly as big a role.
The 26-year-old defensive midfielder, a major contributor to LA's reserve teams since he arrived from nearby Cal State Northridge in 2012, provided a solid midfield foundation for the Galaxy, making defensive plays and serving as a conduit for the possession game as they halted a four-match winless streak.
He stepped in next to Juninho in central midfield for ailing Mika Vayrynen and was LA's best field player in the 1-0 triumph.
“Unbelievable. I think he could have been Man of the Match, too,” praised Galaxy goalscorer Alan Gordon. “He goes unnoticed, but he did a lot of hard work in there. He kept the ball for us, kept it moving – he did a really good job. I was proud of him.”
Said midfielder Baggio Husidic: “Fantastic. For me, he was Man of the Match.”
It was a long time coming for Garcia, who had played all of 254 minutes in MLS – including one playoff appearance – heading into the match and had figured in just three first-team games, all off the bench, since the start of the 2014 season. One of those was last year's friendly against Manchester United.
“It's been a roller-coaster, up and down, but I worked really hard in the offseason, in the preseason, and when you get an opportunity to step in, guys like Juni make the transition a lot easier,” Garcia said after the match. “I felt really comfortable tonight, really comfortable.
“I don't feel I did anything out of the ordinary. I just did what was asked of me.”
He's done that with the reserve team all along, served as Galaxy II's captain in last year's inaugural USL campaign and started Los Dos' first match this season.
What was Garcia happiest with?
“Seattle's a tough team, and we tried getting them out of their game,” he said. “Being tight on them, not really allowing them to roam free like they usually do. I think our midfield did that, for the most part. I was happy to get in there and mix it up, throw a few tackles and help us going forward, as well.”
The Galaxy started with a 4-2-3-1 alignment against the Sounders, in part to bulk the midfield – “to help out with Rafa,” Arena said – but quickly reverted to their customary 4-4-2. Garcia, whose presence enabled Juninho to surge forward in ways he hasn't since David Beckham was around, didn't need much help.
“I don't know how much he's played with us in the past, but he put in an excellent shift [against Seattle] ...,” head coach Bruce Arena said. “He's quite capable of switching the point of attack, some of his passing over distance was good, [he] gets around the ball, was pretty clean at times with his first pass and getting us out of trouble.
“He's experienced. He's been with us a number of years now, and he's quite capable of stepping in and performing at this point.”
Omar Gonzalez, stationed behind Garcia, was impressed.
“Rafa stepped in and played amazing,” the big center back said. “It was great to see for a guy who's always giving it 100 percent in practice, and he showed the coaches he's ready to play, and when he stepped on the field, we all saw that he played great. Really happy for him.”
Might he be in the conversation about who partners Juninho until Steven Gerrard arrives this summer?
“Those decisions are all up to the coaches,” Garcia said. “But if I get called upon, I step in and do my best.”
