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Steven Gerrard’s LA Galaxy debut against Club América ends in win Steven Gerrard’s LA Galaxy debut against Club América ends in win
(about 2 hours later)
Steven Gerrard made a winning debut for Los Angeles Galaxy after playing the first half of the 2-1 friendly win over Club América. After 114 appearances for England, 17 seasons with Liverpool and a Champions League title, Steven Gerrard added an odd experience to his résumé on Saturday night.
Gerrard was named in the starting line-up for the opening match of the International Champions Cup clash against the Mexican team but was one of a raft of changes made by the MLS side at the interval. Related: Frank Lampard’s debut for New York City FC delayed by leg injury
When Gerrard made way the score was 1-1 – Robbie Keane showing superb control to cancel out Darwin Quintero’s early opener for Club América – but Galaxy won thanks to Alan Gordon’s late header at the StubHub Center. Gerrard made his debut for Los Angeles Galaxy in a home friendly in which most of the local fans treated the Galaxy as if they were the visitors.
The 35-year-old ex-England midfielder, who left Anfield this summer after more than 700 appearances for his home-town club, showed his new fans glimpses of what they can expect with a raking 40-yard pass to a team-mate early on. Mexico City’s Club América provided the opposition and had the majority of fans in a packed-out crowd of 27,934 at the StubHub Center during the home side’s 2-1 victory in the International Champions Cup. Some sat on a grassy knoll underneath the stadium’s huge video screen, while several hundred others, clad in Club América’s yellow home jerseys, filled the north-east corner of the stands behind a sign that read, “La Que Manda En 2 Paises.” English colloquial translation: “We rule in two countries.”
Gerrard then almost marked his debut with a 22nd-minute goal but, after bursting into the area, he saw his low left-footed shot blocked by the Club América goalkeeper Hugo González. Those fans – part of California’s vast population of Mexican immigrants and Mexican-Americans – overwhelmed the Galaxy’s support. They loudly cheered, chanted and sang in Spanish, and even ignited a couple of flares in Club América’s colours.
Had that gone in it would have levelled the scores up at 1-1, with Club América having taken a seventh-minute lead through Quintero, who got in behind the Galaxy defence and fired through Brian Rowe’s legs. Into this atmosphere stepped Gerrard, who started to the left of Juninho in the centre of the Galaxy’s midfield and played only the first half.
It would be Gerrard’s former Liverpool team-mate Keane who drew Galaxy level on the stroke of half-time with a memorable piece of skill. On some occasions, the former Liverpool captain’s decision-making looked a little slow after a break from competitive football. In the 11th and 42nd minutes, Gerrard reacted late when receiving simple passes. In the 18th minute, he failed to secure a clearance from a team-mate near the Galaxy goal, which allowed Club América to pounce on the loose ball.
The Republic of Ireland striker brilliantly pulled down a long pass forward from Juninho with his left foot and, with González having been left in no man’s land after racing out in a bid to collect the through-ball, Keane immediately rolled his shot into a gaping net with his right from the edge of the box. “Physically, it was tough,” Gerrard said. “I haven’t played a competitive match for six or seven weeks, so it was very important that I got out there and got 45 minutes.”
Both Keane and Gerrard made way at half-time as the Galaxy head coach, Bruce Arena, replaced all 10 of his outfield players for the second half. Yet at other times, Gerrard demonstrated the quality that made him one of the world’s best players.
Despite all those changes, Galaxy still went on to win the game as Gordon rose highest at the far post to send a looping header into the net for an 80th-minute decider. In the sixth minute, he delivered a well-weighted diagonal ball to defender Dan Gargan on the right flank. A minute later, Gerrard’s dangerous lofted ball forced Club América goalkeeper Hugo González to punch the ball away .
Arena, whose side are next in action against Real Salt Lake in the Open Cup on Tuesday, was impressed with Gerrard’s first showing for the club. “He’s a very dangerous passer, as you can see,” Galaxy defender AJ DeLaGarza said. “A few times, we kind of stuck him in bad positions. But he got out of most of them.”
“I think Steven played well and we’re gonna see how he feels tomorrow and Monday before we make a decision about how we’re going to approach the cup game,” he said. Then in the 22nd minute, he received Jose Villarreal’s backheel and fired off a shot that was blocked by a defender.
“His passing was very good, his partnership with Juninho was very good, he won some tackles, helped create some chances, could have a goal but the keeper made a great save. “Steven played well,” the Galaxy coach Bruce Arena said. “His passing was very good. His partnership with Juninho was good. He won some tackles, helped create some opportunities. He could’ve had a goal.
“So his first time out was very encouraging, he looked like he belonged, his leadership was very good and I thought it was solid.” “His first time out was very encouraging. He looked like he belonged.”
Gerrard later told the club’s official website: “It was a great feeling. It was a difficult game and I thought [Club América] were very good. I thought after 15 or 20 minutes that the team settled really well, we played some good football and we got our deserved equaliser. For me personally, it was good to get 45 minutes under my belt and I’ll keep getting better and better and the more I get used to my team-mates, I’ll improve.” Nevertheless, Gerrard would need “probably a month” Arena said, to reach match fitness.
“We’ll try to build him into that slowly,” Arena said. “But from what I could see, it was a good 45 minutes from him.”
For Gerrard, progress is just a matter of time.
“I’ll keep getting better and better,” he said. “The more I get used to my team-mates, I’ll improve.”
As the Galaxy players were finishing their interviews, the yellow-clad denizens of the StubHub Center’s north-east corner continued singing and chanting to a drumbeat. For them, Steven Gerrard might just as well have been an apparition.