CARSON, Calif. – A.J. DeLaGarza is itching to get back onto the field, and the veteran defender is hoping to make it happen in a better return trip home than the last time the LA Galaxy visited D.C. United.
That was some 18 months ago, and DeLaGarza lasted all of eight minutes, exiting after dislocating his elbow in a fall while defending Chris Pontius. He had more than 200 friends and family at RFK Stadium that evening, and, he says, “they were all giving me crap after the game.”
This time (Sat., 7 pm ET; MLS LIVE) there will be more than 250 DeLaGarza supporters in the stands, and he's an option on the backline, if head coach Bruce Arena wants to break up a unit that's been pretty good through LA's first three outings.
DeLaGarza can play anywhere in the back, although his usual spots are in the middle, partnered with Omar Gonzalez, or on the right, where Dan Gargan has been stationed.
“He's certainly a wild card,” Arena said. “He's truly capable of playing every [backline] position, which is unique, and he merits the opportunity to get back on the field on a full-time basis, and we're going to find time to start getting him back in there.”
Any preference where, Arena was asked?
“It doesn't matter,” he responded. “Right now, Leonardo's playing very well [as Gonzalez's partner in the middle]. I'm not sure there's a need to make a change there.”
That doesn't favor DeLaGarza, who is coming off a foot injury that sidelined him nearly all of preseason. He made a brief appearance at the end of LA's opener three weeks ago – “And I was winded from that,” he reports – played an hour in a scrimmage a week and a half ago and went the full 90 for reserve side LA Galaxy II in last weekend's USL opener.
Most of that time has been in the middle, which doesn't do much to aid in match fitness for an outside back.
“I could play 180 minutes at center back and not be too tired as long as our team keeps the ball,” DeLaGarza said ahead of LA's trek to Washington. “It's just a different mentality, different work rate. Just going to take time, if I'm playing outside, to get that fitness down. We'll see if I get in there anytime soon.”
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Arena says DeLaGarza's “fitness is pretty good.”
“I'm sure he's not where he wants to be,” Arena said, “but he's made a lot of progress.”
DeLaGarza, who is from Bryans Road, Md., remembers getting emotional and tearing up – due to all the friends and family on hand – when he was hurt at RFK in mid-September 2013. He'd played a role in Robbie Keane's seventh-minute goal, volleying a loose ball to Landon Donovan, who set up the Galaxy's captain.
“I think right off the kickoff, they came down, and Pontius loves to do those chops and cuts, and he just kept chopping and cutting it,” DeLaGarza said. “And then when I went to go slide, I got a little push from him from behind, and the ground was really hard that day, and my arm came down and just popped out. I knew something was wrong immediately, even though I couldn't see it.”
DeLaGarza missed the rest of the campaign.
He's gotten stick from some of the 250-plus that will be on hand, good-natured reminders that they'd like to see more than eight minutes from him this time.
“I just hope to be out there, no matter what,” DeLaGarza said. “Hopefully, I'm starting and out there, and I'm going to make them proud and the club proud.”
