LA Galaxy Starting XI

Dan Kennedy; Robbie Rogers, Leonardo, Jelle Van Damme, Ashley Cole; Baggio Husidic, Steven Gerrard, Mike Magee; Giovani dos Santos; Robbie Keane ©, Gyasi Zardes.

Bench

Brian Rowe, Dave Romney, A.J. DeLaGarza, Daniel Steres, Jeff Larentowicz, Emmanuel Boateng, Sebastian Lletget.

Lineup Notes

Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena will shift his lineup to accommodate a quick turnaround from Sunday’s game against New England. He makes six changes to the starting XI from Sunday: Dan Kennedy, Leonardo, Ashley Cole, Baggio Husidic, Mike Magee start as Brian Rowe, A.J. DeLaGarza, Daniel Steres, Jeff Larentowicz and Sebastian Lletget will begin on the bench. The Galaxy have yet to start consecutive lineups in matches this season.
In net, veteran goalkeeper Dan Kennedy makes his first appearance since suffering an injury in the team’s opening match this season against D.C. United. Since 2008, Kennedy has been one of the most consistent goalkeepers in MLS, making 161 appearances in total.
On the right, defender Robbie Rogers is set to make his second-straight start and his ninth appearance of 2016. After making the move to defense full-time with a start against Chivas USA on June 8, 2014, the Galaxy have gone 28-10-15 in all MLS competitions in which Rogers appeared, including MLS Cup Playoffs and the 2014 MLS Cup Final.
Defender Jelle Van Damme gets the start in central defense Wednesday against Philadelphia, making his ninth start of the year. Big, bald and Belgian, Van Damme has helped the Galaxy defense give up just three goals in four away matches this year.
Alongside Van Damme, Leonardo makes his 2016 debut. Big, bald and Brazilian, Leonardo has been a steady presence in the back for the Galaxy since 2010, making 81 appearances. He is coming off a year in which he earned 2015 LA Galaxy Defender of the Year honors.
On the left, Englishman Ashley Cole wastes no time returning to the lineup after serving a one-game suspension against New England. Cole has been arguably the top left back in Major League Soccer since arriving this offseason.
In the center of the midfield, Steven Gerrard returns to the Starting XI, making his first start since April 23 against Real Salt Lake since recovering from a groin injury. Gerrard has put in some of his best performances in a Galaxy jersey over the last few games, including scoring twice and adding an assist in the previous three.
To Gerrard’s right, leaf-eating midfielder Baggio Husidic makes the start. Husidic has been one of the most unheralded players on the Galaxy and in MLS since joining in 2014. He has made 67 appearances for LA, scoring eight goals and adding 10 assists.
On the left, new Instagram member Mike Magee makes his eighth start of the season for LA. Magee has been a stud since returning to Los Angeles this offseason, notching three goals and four assists.
Pulling the strings, birthday boy Giovani dos Santos will play underneath the strikers Wednesday in his seventh start of the year. The Mexican international has been Major League Soccer’s most in-form player over the last few weeks. In his previous four games, Dos Santos has five goals and three assists. Overall, he has 8 goals/8 assists in 16 games during his time in LA. Giovani turns 27 on Wednesday.
Up top, LA Galaxy Homegrown Player Gyasi Zardes starts in his 10^th appearance this year. Zardes has put together a strong 2016 season, scoring four goals and adding four assists, including a goal or assist in his last four games.
Unfathomably handsome Irishman Robbie Keane will captain the side Wednesday night in his second game back from knee surgery. His first game back from knee surgery went well: he scored twice in the first 45 minutes. In total, he has 77 goals and 43 assists in 112 career appearances for LA.

Additional notes

Wednesday will mark the first time defender Daniel Steres will not be on the field for LA this year. Until this point, he has been the only player to feature in every minute for the Galaxy.
Nigel de Jong is unavailable Wednesday with a knock.

Game Notes

The LA Galaxy are 6-1-1 all-time against the Philadelphia Union, and 2-0-1 in matches played on the road.
This year, the Union have not lost at Talen Energy Stadium, going 3-0-1 to start the season.
In their first five games, LA didn’t score any first-half goals. In their last four, they’ve scored 11 and are tied with Houston for most in MLS.
LA lead the league in goals (22). They are the only MLS club to be averaging more than 2 goals per game (2.44).
With 22 goals for and just 10 against, the Galaxy have the league’s best goal differential (+12). It is more than double the goal differential of any other MLS club.
LA is one of two teams (RSL) to have a winning record when they allow the first goal (3-1-2).
The Galaxy have won the last three meetings between the teams, outscoring Union 13-3 over that time.
In the last contest between the two, the LA Galaxy earned a 5-1 over the Union at StubHub Center.
Wednesday’s match will mark the only fixture between LA and Philadelphia this year.

Storylines:

Can a shifted Galaxy lineup keep a seven-game unbeaten streak going?
How will a quick turnaround affect LA Wednesday night?
Will Giovani dos Santos celebrate his birthday by continuing his strong form?
How will Leonardo look in his first action of the season?
How will Dan Kennedy fare in his first game back since the season opener?
Can the Galaxy remain undefeated in matches featuring Dan Gargan in studio?

Quick hits:

Quotable

Bruce Arena:

“They’ve had a good start to their season, and they’ve played well at home. They’ve gotten a lot of good play at out of Pontius, Sapong, Barnetta and Sebastian [Le Toux] who are dangerous attacking players and they’ve got a goalkeeper [Andre] Blake, who is one of the best young goalkeepers in the league. They have a good solid team.”

Robbie Keane:

“We’ll be fine. When you win games, it gives everyone confidence, and I don’t think that there are many teams that want to play the Galaxy whether it’s home or away.”