MINNEAPOLIS – Every team needs players they can depend on in tough situations and Rafael Garcia has quickly become that asset for Curt Onalfo’s LA Galaxy squad.
Earlier in the season, Onalfo relied on Garcia’s industry to fill in the gaps at outside back and on Sunday, he was thrust into a different, but the more familiar role. After Baggio Husidic had gone down with a serious left leg injury in the eighth minute, Garcia was called into action and helped the Galaxy secure a 2-1 victory in Minnesota.
“It’s not easy, you never want to see a teammate go down. Unfortunately, that was the case, but I was ready to be honest. I know it sounds cliché, but when you have been working hard and doing things and trying to get ready for an opportunity,” Garcia said after Sunday’s victory. “It just so happened that it came today and I hit the floor running and didn’t really look back.
“I was just happy to step on and help the team as far as my performance goes, I’ll let you guys [in the media] and the coaches decide be the ones to say how I did. Most importantly, it was really good to get in there and help the team get a win. We need all the wins we can get, it was rewarding.”
The diligent Garcia’s contributions weren’t pretty, but significant.
Of Garcia’s 51 touches in his 82-minute shift, 33 of those won possession from a Minnesota attacker, leading all players on both sides in balls won. Garcia didn’t purely just win the ball, as he also made five clearances, intercepted the ball four times, and blocked a team-high three shots.
Garcia was also steady in his distribution, completing 86 percent of his passes and providing the Galaxy with a needed release valve to counter a swarming Minnesota attack. Following the match, defender Jelle Van Damme offered the highest compliments for Garcia’s performance describing the hard-nosed midfielder as “a fighter” and a “lion” and Onalfo agreed.
“Rafael did an excellent job,” Onalfo said postgame. “It’s very difficult for a player not to warm up and step into a game while having the fitness level to do what’s required in that position, which is a lot of running. I thought he was clean on the ball, won a lot of balls and put himself in some pretty good positions.”
With Husidic expected to miss significant time and Jermaine Jones already unavailable due to an MCL Sprain, Garcia is expected to reprise his role Saturday when Los Angeles take on the San Jose Earthquakes.
Ever the good soldier, Garcia is unconcerned with the possibility of an extended run of starts. He's simply focusing on helping his team get results any way possible.
“I’m taking it one day at a time. We’ll see how the week goes,” Garcia said. “If Curt needs me in there, I feel like I’m ready, whether it’s someone else the objective here is to get points and do it as a team. Whether it’s a starting role or a reserve, we’ll keep doing what we’re doing.”
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog at www.LAGalaxy.com/Insider and contact him at LAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com.
