CARSON, Calif. -- It’s hard to imagine a return to the pitch going more smoothly for the LA Galaxy’s Giovani dos Santos.
The forward has returned triumphantly from an early season left-quad injury. In his second game back this season, last week in Houston, dos Santos tallied two goals in the first half and added an assist in the second to help lead LA to a resounding 4-1 victory. His performance earned him MLS Player of the Week honors.
“I feel so happy coming back after being injured for a long time," dos Santos said after training on Thursday. "We won the game and I scored two goals, so I’m very happy.”
Even with Robbie Keane missing due to injury, dos Santos doesn’t feel his role in the Galaxy’s offensive attack has changed all that much. The 26-year old Mexican international credits his teammates with having all helped carry the team during this stretch of injuries.
“Of course Robbie is a very important player for the team, and we’re waiting for him to come back," dos Santos said. "He’s a player who will always make a difference on the pitch. But, the players that are playing now are doing great, and we are very happy at the moment."
Head coach and general manager Bruce Arena is pleased with dos Santos’ breakout performance, especially in the absence of Keane, but he believes there’s even more to come.
“Well, not only Gio, as we’ve moved some other players around, but he just has to continue to move forward as a player," Arena said. "And he has. He’s worked hard, and hopefully Saturday is another good game for him."
LA faces an undefeated Real Salt Lake squad at StubHub Center on Saturday night (10:30 pm ET; MLS LIVE), and will look for dos Santos to continue his surge. RSL is riding a three-match winning streak, having given up only one goal during that stretch.
“They [RSL] have been a very solid team, been defending very well, and have very good strikers, so it’s going to be a very exciting game,” dos Santos said.
On maintaining his form, dos Santos oozes confidence: “I’ve been working very hard, and I feel more confident after the win and scoring two goals. I’ve been the same Gio as one month ago.”
