CARSON, Calif. – Sebastian Lletget’s return to Major League Soccer has been a tale of two disparate seasons.
Arriving in May of 2015, Lletget was a breakout star, scoring seven of the LA Galaxy’s 56 total goals that season. So far this year, he’s played about two-thirds of the total minutes he played last year, but he’s yet to break through in terms of scoring after 16 appearances.
Despite the goal drought, Lletget remained a consistent part of the Galaxy lineup until recently. He’s come off the bench for two straight games, the second time this season that has happened, and it could stretch into a third straight game when the LA Galaxy take on the Houston Dynamo Friday night at the StubHub Center (11 pm ET; UniMás in US, MLS LIVE in Canada).
It’s something he faced earlier in his career at West Ham, and the Galaxy midfielder isn’t dwelling on it.
“I can’t be down about it,” Lletget said. “It’s a long season; I have to remind myself of that. Every time I get the chance, I’m going to prove myself.”
It is a long season. But Bruce Arena's efforts to find the right balance between attacking pieces Robbie Keane, Gyasi Zardes and Giovani dos Santos can demand some flexibility from someone like Lletget. Thus far in 2016 he’s played every midfield position, and even a few games at forward, as the Galaxy have dealt with injuries and international absences.
To hear Arena tell it, these things will happen with the depth that he has to balance.
“We just have a pretty competitive group,” said Arena. “Everyone has their chance. He’s had a number of games this year, and others will. Sebastian’s going to get other opportunities as we move forward.”
Who exactly Lletget is competing with isn’t always clear. Last time out Lletget came off the bench for Steven Gerrard, who started at the new No. 10 position. What does seem clear is that the club hasn’t found their ideal starting XI just yet.
“We have not been able to get the same team on the field two games in a row this year,” Arena said. “Once we get everyone back, I would think by the end of August we should have a team that’s fully coordinated in the right kind of rhythm we want.”
So what does Lletget have to do to get back on the pitch? It’s easy to forget that he’s only 23, that in some ways he’s still going to go through the rough patches any young player can face in MLS when he’s competing with Designated Players and seasoned veterans for limited spots in the attack.
“I’ve got faith,” said Lletget. “I’ve just got to keep shooting and never forget that. I still believe that I’m going to get many goals this season. I have to believe that.”
