Despite several rumors and reports to the contrary, the LA Galaxy expect star attacker Gyasi Zardes will be with the club in 2016.
“We fully anticipate having Gyasi back with the Galaxy,” LA head coach Bruce Arena told LA Galaxy Insider recently.
Zardes, 24, has two more years on his current contract. He has been a mainstay for the Galaxy since joining the club in 2013 as a Homegrown player. He has scored 27 goals and notched 10 assists in 95 appearances (regular season and playoffs) in his first three seasons at StubHub Center. His production was down in 2015 after he exploded for 16 goals in 2014.
But Zardes became a regular for the US national team in 2015, making 19 appearances for Jurgen Klinsmann's squad.
A native of nearby Hawthorne, California, Zardes is one of the success stories for the MLS Homegrown program. Galaxy President Chris Klein told LA Galaxy Insider that he is just the beginning of the academy's impact on the club.
“Gyasi is a player who has done very well and has progressed in our system," Klein said. "We think he has a long way to go, but we also think through our Academy that there are more Gyasi's."
