LAGalaxy.com

LA Galaxy Starting XI

Brian Rowe; Robbie Rogers, Daniel Steres, Jelle Van Damme, Ashley Cole; Raul Mendiola, Sebastian Lletget, Rafael Garcia, Emmanuel Boateng; Giovani dos Santos; Alan Gordon ©

Substitutions

Dan Kennedy, A.J. DeLaGarza, Jeff Larentowicz, Baggio Husidic, Mike Magee, Landon Donovan, Robbie Keane.

Lineup Notes

LA Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena will again shuffle his lineup in the final of three games in eight days as he makes three changes to the Starting XI from Wednesday’s match vs. RSL: Jelle Van Damme, Raul Mendiola and Rafael Garcia get the start in place of Jeff Larentowicz, Baggio Husidic and Leonardo.
LA Galaxy goalkeeper Brian Rowe will make his 26^th appearance of the season. Rowe is recording one of the strongest seasons of any goalkeeper in MLS this season, allowing just 1 goal per 90 minutes and making 99 saves, the second most in the league.
On the right side of defense, the athletic and versatile Robbie Rogers makes the start, his 14^th of the year. Since making the move to defense full-time with a start against Chivas USA on June 8, 2014, the Galaxy have gone 29-11-20 in all MLS competitions in which Rogers has appeared, including MLS Cup Playoffs and the 2014 MLS Cup Final.
Alongside Rogers is central defender Daniel Steres, who makes his 26^th start of 2016, the most of any player on the Galaxy this season. Steres, a two-time LA Galaxy II Player of the Year, signed with the Galaxy this offseason and has become one of LA’s most consistent defenders.
Alongside Steres is the big, bald, beautiful Belgian Jelle Van Damme, who makes his return to the lineup after suffering an MCL sprain last month. After joining LA during the offseason, Van Damme has been arguably the best defender in MLS this season.
On the left, the Englishman Ashley Cole continues in the lineup for LA. Cole has been a standout in his first season in MLS since signing from AS Roma before the season.
On the right side of the midfield, the LA Galaxy Homegrown Player Raul Mendiola makes his second-ever MLS start and his second-straight at StubHub Center. Mendiola, who led USL in assists last season, played 80 minutes in the Galaxy’s win over Columbus last Saturday.
In the center, midfielder Sebastian Lletget continues to slide inside to play centrally. Da’ Boy is very good at soccer. Da’ Boy will also sport a new haircut Sunday.
Midfielder Rafael Garcia will make his first start of 2016. One of the hardest working players on the roster, Garcia has been with the Galaxy since 2012 and has been reliable whenever called upon.
Out wide on the left, the speedster Emmanuel Boateng again gets the start after a strong performance midweek against Salt Lake. He has notched two goals and three assists this year. Boateng will likely be the fastest player on the field Sunday.
Pulling the strings on offense, the in-form, charming Mexico international Giovani dos Santos again gets the start. Dos Santos has 12 goals and 9 assists on the year. Only he and Toronto FC’s Sebastian Giovinco have 12+ goals and 9+ assists on the season.
Up top, the vet Alan Gordon will again captain the side in second-straight start. Gordon has tallied 49 goals and 28 assists in his MLS career. Alan Gordon also has great hair.

Additional lineup notes

Landon Donovan starts on the bench after returning to the Galaxy this week.
Robbie Keane returns to action following a groin injury. Keane’s last action came last month against NYCFC on 8/20.
The Galaxy will have three former MLS MVP winners begin the match on the bench Sunday (Keane, Donovan, Magee).
Six of the seven LA Galaxy bench players have won an MLS Cup.

Game Notes

The Galaxy’s +15 goal differential this year is the best in MLS and their 30 goals allowed are second-fewest in the MLS Western Conference.
In their last eight MLS matches at StubHub Center, the Galaxy have allowed just four goals.
This season, the Galaxy remain undefeated at home with a 7-0-7 record at StubHub Center, scoring 26 goals while allowing just 12.
The Galaxy are one of only four MLS teams still unbeaten at home in MLS.
The Galaxy have been one of the most successful MLS teams at home during the last four seasons, scoring 143 total goals at StubHub Center (2.23 goals per game).
The Galaxy’s home MLS record throughout the last four seasons is 41-5-18, with 143 goals for and just 48 against (+95 goal differential).
Since 2014, the Galaxy have only lost five of their previous 64 MLS games at StubHub Center.

Storylines

Can the Galaxy find their second-straight win at StubHub Center?
Can Giovani dos Santos build off of his two goal/one assist performance Wednesday?
Can Brian Rowe bounce back from a tough outing midweek?
What kind of action will Robbie Keane see?
Will LD play?
How will Raul Mendiola fare in his second-ever start?
Does John Strong endorse Trevor Siemian or Paxton Lynch to be the Broncos’ starting QB?

Quick hits

Quotable

Robbie Keane on LD

“Listen, it’s only going to be a matter of time before we see [his talent]. We obviously don’t know where he is in terms of fitness. It’s going to take him a few weeks to get him into the swing of things, but we have people who can help him do that. It’s nice to have him back. If he can help the team as he’s done in the past, it’s going to be a plus for the LA Galaxy. People are always going to be thinking that he’s going to come in and set the world alight by scoring in every game and score every goal. Everyone has to be patient.”

Giovani dos Santos on LD

“For me, it’s a dream come true to play with the best player in the history of the United States and the history of this club. To be able to play alongside Landon for me is going to be an honor. Hopefully, he can bring a lot to this club.”

LAGalaxy.com -

@LAGalaxy

Starting XI: LA Galaxy vs. Orlando City SC | September 11, 2016