SAN JOSE, Calif. – Giovani dos Santos implored his squad to be more confident following a flat display in Monday’s U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal defeat to the San Jose Earthquakes.
Dos Santos assisted on Jelle Van Damme’s opener in his first appearance for the LA Galaxy since returning from a nearly two-month international stint with Mexico. The 28-year-old started the match strong with his assist and nearly found the back of the net himself minutes later, but saw his impact taper off as the Quakes nullified his presence by adding numbers to the center of the park.
With the Galaxy chasing the game, dos Santos frequently drifted into midfield to facilitate the attack to no avail. After the match, dos Santos said that his team must improve offensively if they’re going to return to winning ways.
“We have to be more confident on the ball in the second half, we didn’t want to play anymore,” dos Santos told LA Galaxy Insider. “We have to be more confident on the ball because we have quality. We’re a team that likes to play, so everyone needs to improve on the ball.”
As the Galaxy look to kick start their offense once again, they’ll need dos Santos to return to the blistering form that he enjoyed before departing for Mexico. Back in the lineup once again, the striker believes that he’ll be back in top form soon.
“I feel good,” dos Santos said. “People are obviously going to look to see if I score or get an assist, but as I said at the beginning of the season, I’m just going to keep working like I have been. I’m sure that good things will come.”
