SEATTLE – Is the dam finally breaking for Gyasi Zardes?
Only time will tell, but if the embattled LA Galaxy forward’s last two games are any indication of things to come, he might be emerging from the lengthiest prolonged funk of his professional career.
Prior to the Galaxy’s game against the Colorado Rapids on Sept. 2, Zardes hadn’t scored a goal in MLS play in over a calendar year. With his 25th-minute opener against the Seattle Sounders on Sunday, however, the 26-year-old now has netted twice and bagged one assist in his last two matches.
After Sunday’s match, which finished in a 1-1 draw, Galaxy head coach Sigi Schmid pointed to Zardes’ 56th-minute tally in the match against Colorado as the type of moment that can act as a critical confidence boost and, hopefully, open the floodgates for his young striker.
“I think any time, as a goal-scorer, when you score a goal you feel better about yourself,” Schmid said. “Your confidence comes back. So it was important for him to get another goal tonight because he’ll continue to build off of that confidence.”
For his part, Zardes said some of the recent success can be attributed to the work he’s put in with the Galaxy coaching staff at training. But he added that his improving rapport with his fellow attackers – specifically wingers Romain Alessandrini and Emmanuel Boateng – also deserves some of the credit.
It was Alessandrini who bagged the primary assist on Zardes’ goal on Sunday with a perfectly weighted cross that allowed Zardes to flick a header past Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei for LA’s lone tally of the game.
“I’m working hard at training with my coaches, but also our wing guys are doing an amazing job, Romain on the right and Ema on the left,” Zardes said. “They’re getting to the end-line, they’re getting crosses in, and that’s allowing me to get opportunities. I can easily free myself from two defenders, but they’re finding me.”
The recent uptick in production has admittedly occurred over a two-game sample size, meaning it’s probably still too early to declare Zardes fully broken out. Even so, the goals can only be considered a positive sign for the Galaxy as they look to finish their difficult 2017 season on a positive note – and with Supporters' Shield leaders Toronto FC visiting on Saturday (10:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE in the US, TSN1 in Canada).
“It’s a totally different team because guys are back and guys are healthy,” Zardes said. “At the beginning of the year, a lot of guys were hurt and guys were injured. So it was difficult for our team, but I feel like we’re progressing each and every single week.
“This upcoming game is going to be the true test, at home against Toronto.”
