CARSON, Calif. –João Pedro looks set to be given the keys to the LA Galaxy midfield with Jermaine Jones out for the next month.
The Galaxy revealed on Monday that Jones will miss three to four weeks with a Grade 2 MCL sprain that he suffered in the closing stages of the first half of the team’s 2-2 draw with the Chicago Fire last Saturday.
With Jones on the shelf against the Fire, Pedro saw his role evolve as he was pressed into a more offensive posture. Pedro excelled as he completed 79 percent of his passes, while repeatedly linking up with the team’s attackers to help propel the Galaxy attack.
After the match, Galaxy boss Curt Onalfo praised the Portuguese midfielder stating that “played very well” during the team’s recent two-game unbeaten run.
“We have to build our team on those type of performances,” Pedro told reporters. “We played very well against a team with a very good midfield. In the second half, we did a good job of dealing with those three guys.”
As successful as the 24-year-old Portuguese midfielder has been as of late, he admits that his American journey has been far from smooth sailing.
Primarily an offensive-minded central midfielder with Vitória Guimarães, Pedro has had to learn new skills while playing a defensive role in his first nine appearances with Los Angeles. To find his footing in the United States, Pedro has changed up his preparations in hopes of finding success with the Galaxy.
“I came from a different league. A league where we care more about tactical stuff and not so much about big runs and stuff like that,” Pedro said. “In the US, the league is more physical, and it’s not like that in Portugal. All the players [who come to MLS] have to adjust. I’m starting to get better with that.
“I’ve been researching, spending more time in the gym, and I just working differently to understand the game. I’m not in Portugal anymore. If I want to succeed, I have to go with the way things are here. It’s not frustrating, but it is taking its time.”
Another aspect that has helped Pedro has been the calming presence of veteran midfielder Baggio Husidic. In the second half against Seattle and the Philadelphia Union, Onalfo opted for a three-midfielder pairing that placed Husidic and Pedro beside one another as Jones made runs up field.
Once Jones departed against Chicago, it was up to the duo to pick up the slack, and they were able to do so with aplomb mostly shutting down the Fire’s midfield troika of Bastian Schweinsteiger, Juninho, and Dax McCarty.
“When I have Baggio on my side. The team is more balanced and secure, and I can go higher on the field. That’s what I like more,” Pedro, who played predominantly as a two-way midfielder in Portugal said. “Jermaine is a player who runs in behind and with Baggio, it’s different because he stays and it’s easier to help the team defend. When we attack, we always have the balance in the right position to make the right attack.”
Husidic and Pedro will likely once again partner up in central midfield on Sunday when the Galaxy start a four-game road swing with a match against the New York Red Bulls. Although Pedro found success in the advanced role he was placed in last weekend, he is leaving it up to fate whether he takes that position once more.
“Every game is different. Every week is different,” Pedro said. “With Jermaine or without Jermaine, we have an idea, and we have to keep that up.”
