2018 was a tough year in MLS for LA Galaxy attacker Giovani dos Santos.
The Mexican star missed more than half the season, between injuries and being called up by his country for the 2018 World Cup, and ended up playing just 14 MLS regular season games, scoring two goals and three assists, as the Galaxy limped to a second straight season without reaching the MLS Cup Playoffs.
While there has been some speculation Giovani could be on the move this offseason, his brother Jonathan dos Santos said during the Galaxy's end-of-season media availability this week that while it was a disappointing campaign, Gio is "staying positive", as he "wants to stay here" for the 2019 season.
"Gio wants to stay here. He knows that this year was a complicated year. He had the misfortune and bad luck of not being able to play a lot of games. He had a lot of injuries. In the end if you aren't healthy it's very difficult. But he's at ease, eager and very ambitious," Jona told reporters in Spanish on Tuesday.
"With the hope of next year being the player he has always been, and he's demonstrated that since playing here, but unfortunately this year was a difficult one. He's staying very positive. We always talk about it; we want to make history with this club. God willing and next year will be good for the both of us. We want to lift the Galaxy from where it's at now."
Jonathan, who joined the Galaxy in the middle of the 2017 season, two years after his brother, also faced injury issues in 2018 but had by all accounts a better season overall, making 23 appearances in league play, scoring two goals and eight assists from a deep midfield role.