Caps goalie on other side of the Galaxy
Former Galaxy goaltender ‘a guy who can step in at any time and do the job’
Brian Rowe will have plenty to say to his former L.A. Galaxy teammates.
He won’t say much about them, though.
The veteran ’keeper joined the Vancouver Whitecaps in the offseason in a trade with the Galaxy, leaving the SoCal area that had been his home for 10 years — six with the MLS side and four as the starter for the UCLA Bruins.
Rowe was part of the 2012 and 2014 MLS Cup-winning Galaxy sides, and had a breakout season as the starter in 2016, starting 31 of 34 games while putting up nine shutouts, 113 saves, and earning a call to the U.S. national team.
But when the Galaxy (1W-0D -1L, ninth in the West) visit the Whitecaps (2-0-1, fourth in the West) at B.C. Place tonight, the home side won’t have any insider information to use to their advantage.
“It’ll be nice to catch up with them. The team has changed a lot since last year when I was there, but there’ll be a few familiar faces,” said Rowe, who will see incumbent No. 1 Stefan Marinovic make his third straight start.
“I’m excited to give them a little taste of Vancouver.”
Rowe knew his time in L.A. was coming to an end after the team suffered through a traumatic 2017 season that saw them finish dead last in the league for the first time in league history with an 8-18-8 record, giving up a team-record 67 goals in the process. Coming into the year, it was expected the team would take a step back with the losses of players like Robbie Keane, Landon Donovan, Steven Gerrard, Mike Magee and A.J. DeLaGarza — not to mention coach Bruce Arena to the U.S. national team — but no one expected the carnage that followed.
“We had a big transition … they were trying to move in the direction of trying to bring up the academy kids, the younger kids, and we had a bunch of new faces coming in,” said the Eugene, Ore., native.
“It’s always tough on an MLS team when you have a big core group of players who have been around the organization for a while … and you’re trying to incorporate new guys, bring them up to speed, and get everyone gelling, it sometimes doesn’t always go well. It was definitely a tough year. But having those early years of success puts things in perspective.”
With the writing on the wall, Rowe began looking elsewhere, and a past league connection in Whitecaps goalkeeper coach Stewart Kerr, whom he knew from his time with Toronto FC, provided the perfect opportunity.
“Brian’s been excellent,” Kerr said.
“When the opportunity came, I always had a mental note in the back of my head, he’d be the perfect guy to bring to the club. He’s a backup goalkeeper at the moment, but he’s been a first-team goalkeeper in the league. So we’ve been very lucky. He’s a guy who can step in at any time and do the job.”
The Galaxy come into tonight’s game with a host of injuries, which has put a blanket of uncertainty over their starting lineup. They lack star power, with all three of their designated players — Romain Alessandrini, Giovani Dos Santos and Jonathan Dos Santos — out with hamstring injuries. Left-back Ashley Cole, the Premier League legend, is suspended for a game, and Norwegian striker Ola Kamara is on international duty, where he tore up Australia for three goals on Friday.
For all the talk of who’s not there, all the talk on Friday was about who’s coming: Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
The Swedish superstar striker, most recently of Manchester United, signed a two-year deal with the Galaxy this week, injecting a dose of star power not seen since the days of David Beckham, three-time MLS champ Keane notwithstanding.
“It put a smile on my face. It’s a terrific signing by them. He’s a world-class player,” said Caps coach Carl Robinson. “He’s getting towards the end of his career, but thinks he can go another two or three years.
“Ultimate professional, a good character, and I think it will bring more attention to the league. Credit to L.A. Galaxy for making a big splash and signing him.
“It’s up there with the very, very best (signings in MLS history) the David Villas, the Thierry Henrys, the Steven Gerrards.
“Ashley Cole, for me, was the best left back in the world at one time. Zlatan will come with all the whistles and bells, and all the media around him will be huge.”
Ibrahimovic had been courted by the Galaxy for years, even visiting L.A. for a dinner with Jovan Kirovski, the team’s technical director, and Beckham in 2016. No move happened that year, with Ibrahimovic moving to Man United from Paris St- Germain. A knee injury the following season also waylaid any plans of a move across the Atlantic.
United coach Jose Mourinho gave the 36-year-old his blessing to move on this year, and the Galaxy now have one of the game’s most accomplished pros, one who has won 33 titles and scored more than 400 goals in his 19-year professional club career.
The only thing that matches Ibrahimovic’s legendary talent is his equally legendary ego. In Friday’s L.A. Times, he took out a full-page ad containing just five words: “Dear Los Angeles, you’re welcome.”
Supreme talent, supreme showman, supreme ego.
“Obviously, Sigi has to deal with him now, so I’m sure he’ll enjoy that,” Robinson joked about his L.A. counterpart, Sigi Schmid.
The team has changed a lot since last year when I was there, but there’ll be a few familiar faces.