CARSON, Calif. – The LA Galaxy’s Baggio Husidic said he’s looking forward to seeing some familiar faces when the defending MLS champions take on his former club, Hammarby IF, on Monday in Stockholm, Sweden as part of the club’s 11-day European tour.
The Galaxy left Wednesday on a trip that also will take them to Dublin, Ireland, where they will take on powerhouse Shamrock Rovers FC on Saturday, Feb. 21.
Husidic, who joined the Galaxy on a free transfer from Hammarby in November of 2013, said he had a few misgivings about the trip, but they had nothing to do with continued preseason preparations against European oppostition. But they did have everything to do with the weather.
Temperatures in Stockholm, for example, are expected to be in the high 30s for the next 10 days. In Dublin they are predicted to be in the high to mid-40s.
“There’s no point in checking the weather,” Husidic said with a grin after Wednesday’s light training session. “It will be 30 to 40 and gray.
“I was just thinking today it was what, 84? I don’t want to leave.”
Husidic said the Galaxy will face a Hammarby side he said plays “really attractive football” and is captained by Kennedy Bakircioglu, “a difference-maker,” Husidic said.
Hammarby’s home field is Tele2 Arena, which has a capacity of 33,000 and features a turf field he called one of the best artificial surfaces he’s played on.
“It’s good, state of the art,” he said. “I played there my last six months. It feels just like grass.”
The trip is particularly special for Keane, who recently returned from an offseason visit to his home country. Keane said the Galaxy might even meet Republic of Ireland president Michael Higgins during their stay and a visit to a Guinness factory could be in the works as well.
“It means a lot to me,” he said of the trip. “Go back home, see everybody, bring the team to my country. Everyone’s excited.”
It won’t be all pleasure, however. There is the business of continuing to prepare for the regular-season opener March 6 against the Chicago Fire at StubHub Center.
“We hope to get our team better and bond a little bit as a team,” Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena said. “Hopefully play two good games and move our team further along with our conditioning and our play.
“I think we’re having a good preseason so far. But this is all preseason and in the end it amounts to nothing, in all honesty. We’ll have a better feel for things starting on March 6.”
