HOUSTON -- They say good things come to those who wait.
Giovani Dos Santos hadn’t scored in an MLS match since September 2015, but Friday night against the Houston Dynamo the Mexican international opened his 2016 campaign with a brace to help the LA Galaxy take down Houston 4-1.
The first Dos Santos goal came in the fourth minute as a result of a defensive mix-up by the Dynamo. Capitalizing on a breakaway in Houston's box after two Dynamo defenders collided while going after a ball, Dos Santos' tally softened the blow after Houston scored in the very first minute.
“The first goal was a big goal to get us back in it after conceding an early goal,” said LA Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena after the game.
If the first goal was perhaps fortunate, the second was world class. Dos Santos settled a Steven Gerrard cross in the box and calmly shot it past Joe Willis as the Dynamo defenders could only look on.
Dos Santos, who’s still working his way back from a quad injury, also nabbed a secondary assist on Gyasi Zardes’ goal.
“He’s getting there. He’s missed a fair amount of time,” said Arena.
Dos Santos played 45 minutes in the Galaxy’s opening match and missed the next three games, before making his return last week against the Portland Timbers.
“It’s going to take some time but he’s working hard," Arena said. "I think if we can get him some consistent games over the next month or two he’s going to get himself into good form.”
Dos Santos, who had a mob of media surrounding him after the game, said he’s working himself back into shape to support the Galaxy as much as possible. He added that’s he’s happy that the work he’s put in resulted in two goals against the Dynamo.
Despite the 4-1 scoreline, Arena acknowledged that the Galaxy, now with 11 points through six games, are still a work in progress.
“Every game is a tough game...it’s never easy but I’m pleased that we’ve kept our heads above water and we haven’t disappeared from the season.”
