For those watching Mexico play New Zealand in a friendly match in early October, it was easy to scoff at the sight of Giovani dos Santos wearing the captain’s armband for El Tri. Leadership has never been a quality directly associated with the Mexican attacker, but his continued evolution as a footballer speaks to his newfound maturity.
Dos Santos is in the form of his life for club. He scored 14 goals and registered 12 assists throughout the 2016 regular season, but he saved his most important goal for Sunday. The Colorado Rapids, the second seed in the Western Conference, boast the most pragmatic defense in MLS. However, some good work from defender Jelle Van Damme resulted in a great goal for Dos Santos, giving the Galaxy a slight advantage before the return leg in Commerce City, Colorado.
What an assist from Jelle Van Damme @LAGalaxy open up the scoring. #LAvCOL https://t.co/33wxvUd9eG
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) October 30, 2016
It’s all to play for next Sunday, and with Jermaine Jones, Steven Gerrard, Robbie Keane and Landon Donovan all returning to form and fitness, expect fireworks in this balanced matchup.
Follow me on Twitter: @ConmanFleming
