Morning after: Mike Magee’s perfect return

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Photo by Mark J. Terrill/AP

Photo by Mark J. Terrill/AP

Besides the result, not many things went according to plan for the L.A. Galaxy in their season-opening win against D.C. United on Sunday. L.A. gave up a goal in the fifth minute, lost its starting goalkeeper in the 20th, then had to sub Giovani dos Santos at halftime.

No fear, because Mike Magee is back.

Magee’s storybook return to L.A. included two goals, an assist and a foul that led to a penalty kick. The 31-year-old scored 19 goals while with the Galaxy from 2009-13, but hasn’t scored in MLS competition since 2014.

Naturally, he drew raves from players and coaches after the game.

“We knew what he could do,” said Robbie Keane, who played with Magee during Magee’s first stint in L.A. “He’s a very calm finisher, as you saw with the first goal. He’s going to be a huge addition to this squad. Obviously the first time around he was here, he was brilliant.”

Watch Bruce Arena’s postgame comments on Magee and the team:

And here’s the man himself talking about his return to L.A. and how he was able to dominate the second half:

 

Formation change? 

Perhaps lost in the fray of Magee’s magical second-half was the Galaxy’s unique first-half formation. Bruce Arena seemed to ditch his typical 4-4-2 formation in the first half as dos Santos started much deeper back on the field behind Robbie Keane, who was announced as the lone starter up top. When Magee entered the game, all went back to normal, but it’ll be interesting to see how Arena arranges his lineup in the future.

Steven Gerrard battles sickness

Steven Gerrard said after the game he felt ill after about the first five minutes. Perhaps not coincidentally, he had a bad turnover in the midfield at the five-minute mark that led to D.C. United’s goal. If not for the other subs that the team had to use, he would have liked to come off the field at halftime, he said.

Sebastian Lletget returns to starting lineup

After dealing with a groin injury through most of the preseason, Sebastian Lletget got the start in the MLS season opener and impressed in 80 minutes of work. He tallied an assist, sending the cross to Magee for the go-ahead goal.

The 23-year-old looks noticeably leaner than he did last year, which helps him with his movement on the field. He and Arena had planned for him to play only 60 minutes Sunday, but with the other subs, he was forced to go longer. Despite the heavier workload, Lletget said he felt good after the game.

“He’s a beast physically,” Arena said of Lletget. “He gave us a terrific 80 minutes. … He was a handful for D.C. United tonight and obviously, you get him healthy and fit, that’s an advantage for our team.”

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