After several months of preamble and an official introduction during halftime of a league match last weekend, Steven Gerrard will finally take the field as a LA Galaxy player.
Gerrard joined his new Galaxy teammates for training earlier this week ahead of the International Champions Cup match against Mexican giants Club América on Saturday night (live, 11:30p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports Go).
Galaxy manager Bruce Arena put Gerrard through his paces over the past few days and said he planned to field the former Liverpool captain from the start in order to help him acclimate to his new side.
“We’re getting Steven Gerrard on the field for [the] first time,” Galaxy manager Bruce Arena told reporters this week. “That’s good because the games mean a little bit more next week, certainly, with his home opener in the league next week against San Jose. We can practice all that we want, he needs to get into game situations with his teammates, and this will give him the opportunity, and give us the opportunity. We’re playing him 45 minutes. We’re playing two teams with 45 minutes each.”
It is a rather sensible approach that evokes memories of David Beckham’s first match in a Galaxy uniform. Beckham turned out against Chelsea in his first match for the club in a friendly in June 2007. His cameo appearance included little else than the wrong end of a crunching Steve Sidwell tackle, but it paved the way for him to start his ultimately successful spell in MLS nevertheless.
Gerrard opens his own Galaxy career with a different opponent and a similar sentiment. He must work on his fitness as he emerges from his own offseason and joins a team in the middle of its campaign. Most importantly, he must locate his place in a side that spent most of the first half of the season grinding out results and waiting for his arrival.
There is no doubt Gerrard will feature in central midfield, but his exact role and how advanced he will play remains under consideration. Arena most often plumps for a 4-4-2 formation, but he is flexible enough to entertain other options.
Juninho serves as the fulcrum in the center of the park capable of ensuring the tactical shape is implemented effectively. The São Paulo academy product, 26, operates deftly in front of the back four with a mixture of application, bite and guile. His considerable work rate frees his partners to venture further afield.
Gerrard bears some defensive responsibilities in that shape (and those tasks would increase if the Galaxy sign Mexico international Giovani dos Santos), but he also boasts the freedom to pursue the game as he sees fit. It is a welcome responsibility for him. He poses the greatest threat when given the license to locate the game and rove freely through the midfield.
There are some balance and chemistry issues to sort out along the way, but Arena’s pragmatic approach -- he essentially stationed Beckham anywhere necessary to allow him to hit diagonals when Beckham played for the Galaxy -- bodes well for success at some stage.
“I spoke to the manager and he wants to build my minutes up with the idea that the first couple of games is to get used to the team and the team shape, and the way the players play,” Gerrard told reporters this week. “With a big eye on the first league game next Friday for me to maybe be ready for 90 minutes, and go all guns blazing. It’s a big week and I’m excited.”
It is, at the very least, the start of a new chapter away from Anfield. Gerrard no longer faces the questions about his place in the starting XI or wrestles with the weight of turning out for his beloved club every week. Those issues are in the past now. They are replaced with a different, more relaxed life out of the withering spotlight of the Premier League. There are still matches to win and trophies to lift, but Gerrard’s life changed irrevocably from the moment he crossed the Atlantic.
The transition from the top level to the ascendant league in the United States breathed new life into Beckham and permitted fellow Galaxy teammate Robbie Keane to focus on scoring goals once more. MLS is not some walkabout to pass the time before retirement, though. There are rigorous travel demands and the standard of play increases with each successive year. There are foibles to comprehend and peculiarities to contemplate, but most players in Gerrard’s class sort it out and thrive during their time in the States.
The adjustment process starts now. This is no longer a move in theory. It is the new reality for Gerrard as he finally kicks off this American adventure. It is why this friendly matters a great deal. There are preparations to take before his expected league debut against San Jose on Friday. It is time to wind down the overture and step onto the field once more.
