CARSON, Calif. – Clement Diop is poised to return to a starting role for the LA Galaxy after making his international debut with Senegal last week.
The LA Galaxy’s 23-year-old Parisian-born goalkeeper made his first appearance for Les Lions de la Teranga in their scoreless draw with Uganda last Monday. The experience with Senegal was an emotional one for the goalkeeper whose father still lives in the African nation.
With his experience behind him now, Diop is setting his sights on earning a starting spot in Saturday’s match against the Houston Dynamo.
“It felt good to be back home and to have some minutes for the country and get ready for the national [team game],” Diop said. “It also feels good to be back in L.A. to be ready for the game this weekend.”
If Diop returns to the lineup, it will be his first action for the senior team since suffering a hip injury during a collision in the latter half of the Galaxy’s defeat to Orlando City SC in April. Fully healthy once more, the talented goalkeeper is hopeful that he’ll get the nod.
“I hope that I will step up. I just want to get back to have good performances, and I hope that we get some wins,” Diop, who has five appearances for the first team this season, said. “I want us to advance in the standings. The performances or whether I’m in goal doesn’t matter; I just want us to win.”
