Starting XI
Brian Rowe; Bradley Diallo, Daniel Steres, Jelle Van Damme ©, Ashley Cole; Rafael Garcia, Jermaine Jones; Romain Alessandrini, Giovani dos Santos, Emmanuel Boateng; Jack McBean
Substitutions
Jon Kempin, Pele van Anholt, Dave Romney, Jaime Villarreal, Raul Mendiola, Bradford Jamieson IV, Ariel Lassiter.
Lineup notes
- Go pahk the cah in Hahvuhd Yahd! The LA Galaxy travel to Boston (more specifically, Foxborough) for a contest against the New England Revolution Saturday night at Gillette Stadium.
- With a (relatively) healthy/available lineup coming back in play, Curt Onalfo will make one change in the starting XI from Wednesday’s contest, with Jermaine Jones set to make his first start in two months in place of the suspended João Pedro.
- In net, Brian Rowe continues with his second start of the week after missing over a month due to injury. Rowe had a very solid outing on Wednesday night and will look to continue Saturday on the road. Last year, he recorded one of the best statistical seasons of any keeper in MLS last year, with nine shutouts and recording 113 saves with just a 1.07 goals against average.
- At right back, Bradley Diallo will continue out wide along the LA Galaxy back line. Diallo also played a solid match on Wednesday evening vs. Vancouver and has shown to be a reliable player in his first year with the Galaxy after multiple standout years with Los Dos.
- Big, he’s bald, beautiful, Belgian – all of these things are synonymous with captain Jelle Van Damme, who will again get the start as the leader of the backline.
- Making his second-straight start after a month of absence from the lineup, defender Daniel Steres will pair alongside Van Damme in Onalfo’s first-choice central defender pairing. Prior to his injury, Steres had been one of the most consistent performers in the LA Galaxy lineup, starting the most of any field player since last season.
- On the left, the talented Dave Romney will make the start as Onalfo looks to keep his top 11 players on the field with the return of Steres. Dave has also played multiple positions along the back line, and the left-footed defender will lock down the position out wide for the second-straight contest.
- In the center of the midfield, the LA Galaxy will welcome back MLS and USMNT veteran Jermaine Jones, who returns to play against his former club in New England, the side Jermaine represented in the Galaxy’s 2014 MLS Cup victory over New England. Jermaine has missed two months of action in the starting XI and slides into the XI after João Pedro is suspended for yellow card accumulation.
- To round out the central midfield pairing is veteran and legendary defender Ashley Cole, who will again play in the center of the field after a solid performance on Wednesday vs. Vancouver. Previously, Cole also played in the center of the pitch in the second half during the team’s Open Cup match against San Jose and showed well.
- On the right side of the midfield, Major League Soccer’s biggest snub in the MLS All-Star game, Romain Alessandrini, will make the start. Alessandrini, in his first year in MLS, has been one of the most effective players: he has eight goals and seven assists in his first year here – leading the LA Galaxy in both categories.
- Pulling the strings on offense, Giovani dos Santos will make his second-straight MLS start after over a month of absence due to duty with the Mexican National Team. Dos Santos played 45 minutes vs. Manchester United (and scored twice) before another solid performance on Wednesday.
- On the left side of the midfield, it’s the this-man-is-quite-short-but-this-man-is-incredibly-fast Emmanuel Boateng. Boateng has worked his way into the Starting XI and had a solid year while offering unmatchable speed out wide. He will undoubtedly be the fastest player on the field.
- Up top is LA Galaxy Homegrown Player Jack McBean, who continues in the starting XI in place of Gyasi Zardes, who is with the USMNT. McBean has two goals and an assist during play this season.
Game Notes
- The Galaxy are 18-15-7 all-time against the Revolution and will be making their first trip to Foxborough since 2015, when the two sides finished in a 2-2 draw at Gillette Stadium on May 31, 2015 behind goals from Gyasi Zardes and Ignacio Maganto.
- LA took down New England last season at StubHub Center in a 4-2 win, one of the Galaxy’s most dominant performances of the season.
- In that match, Robbie Keane tallied a brace, while Giovani dos Santos and Steven Gerrard rounded out the box score. Gyasi Zardes recorded two assists in the contest.
- This season on the road, the Galaxy have gone 5-3-1 while scoring 18 goals in just nine matches, one of the best road records in Major League Soccer.
- This year on the road, midfielder Romain Alessandrini leads MLS with six goals and four assists in just eight road contests.
- The Galaxy are 4-1-0 when scoring the first goal this year and 2-8-2 when conceding first.
Storylines
- Can the Galaxy bounce back in a short turnaround from Wednesday’s loss to Vancouver?
- How will Ashley Cole and Jermaine Jones pair together in the midfield?
- Will Romain Alessandrini continue his strong road form Saturday night?
- Can Jack McBean and Giovani dos Santos combine up top for some goals?
- Can the Galaxy win in a cross-country match just three days after their previous game?
- Are the Sox going to take the pennant this year?
Neil Diamond Lyrics
Where it began, I can't begin to knowing
But then I know it's growing strong
Was in the spring
Then spring became the summer
Who'd have believed you'd come along
Feet, kicking soccer balls
Reaching out, kicking me, kicking you
Sweet Soccertime
Good times never seemed so good
I'd be inclined
To believe they never would
But now I
Look at the night and it don't seem so lonely
We filled it up with only two
And when I hurt
Hurting runs off my shoulders
How can I hurt when I'm kicking you
One, kicking one
Reaching out, kicking me, kicking you
Sweet Soccertime
Good times never seemed so good
I'd be inclined
To believe they never would
Oh no, no
- Sweet Caroline Soccertime – Neil Diamond (1969)
