CARSON, Calif. – Now that the 2014 season is over and the LA Galaxy are once again champions of Major League Soccer, LA Galaxy Insider Adam Serrano will look back on the season with a review on each position.
The LA Galaxy Insider Year in Review will begin with goalkeepers and then move up the field to defenders, midfielders, forwards, and finally, coaches.
GOALKEEPERS:
JAIME PENEDO
APPEARANCES IN ALL OFFICIAL COMPETITIONS:
- GP: 38 (29 in MLS regular season, five in MLS Cup Playoffs, two in CONCACAF Champions League, two in U.S. Open Cup)
- GS: 38(29 in MLS regular season, five in MLS Cup Playoffs, two in CONCACAF Champions League, two in U.S. Open Cup)
RECORD: 20-10-8; SV: 96 (only in MLS competition); GAA: 1.10; SO: 12
BRIAN ROWE
APPPEARANCES IN ALL COMPETITIONS:
- GP: 3 (all three in MLS competition)
- GS: 3
RECORD: 1-0-2; SV: 2; GAA: 1.13; SO: 1
BRIAN PERK
APPPEARANCES IN ALL COMPETITIONS:
- GP: 2 (Both in MLS competition);
- GS: 2
RECORD: 1-0-1; SV: 2; GAA: 1.00; SO: 1
HIGHLIGHTS:
After a heartbreaking 2013 campaign that saw Penedo fall short for club and country, the Panamanian goalkeeper was redeemed with a stellar season for the Galaxy in his first full season with the club. In 2014, the Galaxy defense proved to be one of the top units in MLS, but when they faltered, Penedo was usually up to the task as he made a total of 96 saves in MLS competition while holding a stellar 0.916 goals against average.
However, it wasn’t just the numbers that made Penedo’s season great, but the moments. During the postseason in particular, Penedo shined as he notched a remarkable six saves to keep the Galaxy afloat in the Western Conference Semifinal first leg against Real Salt Lake. The Panamanian came up clutch again in the first round of LA’s Western Conference Championship series against Seattle as he made four saves—including two in quick succession—to deny the Sounders and set the Galaxy on a course to their fifth title. Internationally, Penedo also helped Panama shake off the disappointment of failing to qualify for the World Cup by helping the nation reach the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup as he won the Golden Gloves at the 2014 Copa CentroAmericana.
After nearly two seasons behind Brian Perk, Brian Rowe solidified himself as the No. 2 goalkeeper behind Penedo. With Perk sidelined with concussion symptoms for much of the year, Rowe became the top option for LA to rely upon when Penedo missed games due to international duty. The 26-year-old goalkeeper made the most of his opportunities as well as he went 1-0-1 with one shutout in his two starts.
LOWLIGHTS:
Jaime Penedo may have led the Galaxy to their fifth championship, but his goalkeeping was far from perfect as he was once again prone to costly positioning errors that in some instances cost LA points.
Penedo occasionally made poor decisions when leaving the penalty area that often resulted in free attempts at goals for Galaxy opponents. The keeper’s lowest moment came in the Galaxy’s Supporters’ Shield-deciding defeat to the Seattle Sounders when he surrendered two late goals, including a howler when he was dispossessed by Marco Pappa and gave Seattle home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Also had it not been for Juninho’s late away goal against the Sounders, Penedo could have been remembered as the reason that LA fell short of the title as he made two costly errors—one a positioning error and the second a failure to cover a rebound— in their Western Conference Championship second leg in Seattle that nearly gave away the series.
Perhaps the most significant lowlight for Penedo’s two understudies was the lack of playing time as both combined for just five regular season appearances. Perk endured the most difficult season as he suffered several concussions that rendered him unable to suit up for the Galaxy or Los Dos.
OVERVIEW:
Given the success that Penedo enjoyed in leading the Galaxy to MLS Cup glory, the 33-year-old Panamanian is expected to be retained for the 2015 season and remain the top choice goalkeeper heading into next season. Another year older, the 2015 campaign will be vital for Penedo to solidify his position as the Galaxy’s number one in net and to clean up the little mistakes that troubled him during 2014. But should he continue to be plagued by positioning errors, Arena and company may be inclined to bring in another goalkeeper to compete with Penedo for the job.
Meanwhile, Rowe is expected to once again serve as a backup to Penedo and will likely continue to see minutes for Galaxy II. For a young ‘keeper like Rowe, these minutes will be increasingly valuable as he looks to show LA—or any other teams watching—that he can be a capable starting ‘keeper. Perk’s future is far less secure after he saw his option declined by the Galaxy. Despite suffering from numerous concussions over the past year, Perk’s shot stopping ability—as evidenced by his brilliant showing against RSL in March—should keep him in contention for jobs in MLS and USL PRO.
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog at LAGalaxy.com/insider and contact him at LAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com.
