Upon first review of the 2018 MLS regular season schedule, a bye week in the third week of the season may be viewed as less than ideal. It is a crucial time for teams to continue to become a cohesive unit while returning to ideal fitness levels. However, with the injury bug biting the L.A. Galaxy so early, this bye week is coming at the perfect time.
Injuries already are a recurring theme for the Galaxy. Both Romain Alessandrini and Giovani dos Santos are addressing hamstring injuries, which can easily recur without proper rest and treatment. Several others, such as defender Michael Ciani, midfielder Chris Pontius and forward Bradford Jamieson IV have unclear timeframes for their returns.
In lieu of an official MLS match, Galaxy coach Sigi Schmid scheduled a closed-door scrimmage for his side Friday. The friendly serves as an opportunity to test players who may be close to returning from injury. It is also time for Schmid to test a few options he may have to call upon if injured players aren’t progressing as planned.
Several players may return for the Galaxy’s next match March 24th in Vancouver, but there are two key players who will definitely miss the match: Midfielder Jonathan Dos Santos is with the Mexican National team and defender Ashley Cole will serve a one-game suspension following his red card in last week’s match in New York.
The L.A. Galaxy will face a tough stretch in upcoming weeks, including their first match against cross-town opponent LAFC, as well as hosting Eastern Conference rivals Atlanta United FC and New York Red Bulls in back-to-back matches. The bye week gives Schmid extra time to prepare for these matches, as well as extra time for players to recover from the knocks they’ve sustained so far this season.