CARSON, Calif. – Jeff Larentowicz has faced plenty of challenges in his 11-year MLS career, but the veteran midfielder has never relished one quite like the task that awaits him with the LA Galaxy in 2016.
The Galaxy announced the signing of the 32-year-old midfielder on Wednesday and Los Angeles’ first-ever free agent signing, Larentowicz joins the Galaxy after stops with the Chicago Fire, Colorado Rapids and New England Revolution.
“It’s the move that I wanted and the place that I want to go. It was at the top of my list going into the offseason. It took some time, but it eventually worked out. The prestige of the club is something I fully understand,” Larentowicz told LAGalaxy.com. “I absolutely feel like this is an opportunity for me to bounce back. I haven’t been this excited for an MLS season in a long time.
“My first seven years in the league, I made the playoffs then the next four years I didn’t, and three of those were in Chicago, so I do think that I have something to prove, and I’m looking to do that.”
Larentowicz arrives at StubHub Center with an impressive pedigree having won the MLS Cup in 2010 with the Colorado Rapids and complying 301 appearances as well as 37 goals and 18 assists. The 32-year-old midfielder has also played on a winning team in seven of his 11 seasons in the league.
During the 2015 season, Larentowicz split time between center back and his natural defensive midfield position during his 29 appearances for the Fire. With midfield lynchpin Juninho departing to Mexico in the offseason, Galaxy boss Bruce Arena admits that Larentowicz could slide right into the Brazilian’s former holding midfield role from day one.
“He’s another player that will be competing with for a position on the field. We’re not quite sure how we’ll play him but likely as a pretty restricted type of defensive midfielder,” Arena told LAGalaxy.com. “He’ll give us cover in front our center backs and help the likes of Steven Gerrard and Robbie Keane above him.”
And that move suits Larentowicz just fine.
“The job that I like doing is to allow the talented attackers to do their thing and to save themselves so that when we do get the ball they can create chances and goals,” Larentowicz said. “I’ll be in the role of winning the ball and give it to the guys who can create the goals. Defensively, I’ll probably be the fifth defender in the back and the connector between the backline and the guys going forward.”
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog at www.LAGalaxy.com/Insider and contact him at LAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com.
