SANTA CLARA, Calif. – A.J. DeLaGarza returned to the LA Galaxy after the most trying time of his life and did not miss a beat in his first start in more than two weeks.
Starting along the right side of defense, DeLaGarza went the full 90 minutes in the Galaxy’s 1-1 draw with the San Jose Earthquakes on Sunday at Buck Shaw Stadium. The appearance was DeLaGarza’s first since the death of his infant son Luca due to complications from Hypoplastic left heart syndrome earlier this month.
Despite being limited to training in his in-laws’ home gym and a few scattered training sessions, DeLaGarza did not appear to miss a beat as the Galaxy's defense limited San Jose to just three shots on target.
“I felt alright. I wish that I had more of an impact, but I think the factors today played a role,” said DeLaGarza. “I haven’t played a game in two weeks which is not that bad, but to come back and get really good minutes puts a damper on how I could have done.”
Although DeLaGarza gave himself a harsh grade on the afternoon, his teammates and head coach were pleased with his showing.
“He played well,” said Bruce Arena. “He’s received a lot of support and he’s a very strong individual.”
Added DeLaGarza’s longtime teammate Omar Gonzalez, “Having A.J. back with the group is crucial. He’s a key player for our team and we’re just happy to have him back with us.”
Even during a match between the league’s most bitter rivals, Luca DeLaGarza remained on the minds of all involved.
During warm-ups, Earthquakes forward Steven Lenhart embraced A.J. DeLaGarza in a show of support and prior to the start of the match, the Earthquakes held a moment of silence in Luca’s memory in the latest of many league-wide tributes to the DeLaGarza family in this trying time.
“I appreciate everything that everyone has done,” said DeLaGarza. “Whether it’s moments of silence or players wearing armbands or donating to our cause [at the heart center at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles] so it’s been amazing.”
As the focus shifts from the tributes to the action between the lines, DeLaGarza believes that the Galaxy have their sights set on the Supporters’ Shield race where they currently find themselves six points behind first-place Seattle Sounders FC.
“We play Seattle twice to end the year. We just want to make sure that we’re right there and if we could do that then we’ll have everything in our hands,” said DeLaGarza. “We just need to be within a few points of them.”
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog at LAGalaxy.com/Insider and contact him at LAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com.
