A.J. DeLaGarza found some solace in his return to the field Sunday and said he wished he could have made more of an impact for the LA Galaxy, who were disappointed to snare only a 1-1 draw at San Jose.
DeLaGarza's newborn son, Luca, who died 10 days earlier from a congenital heart condition, was never far from his thoughts, but getting back into the swing with the Galaxy was a big step toward normalcy. The veteran defender had missed four games, the first after Luca's birth on Aug. 28 and three more after the boy passed away a week later following six days on life support at Children's Hospital Los Angeles.
“I think when you step over the lines, everything outside that field is not gone, obviously, but I'm so focused in on what's going on in the game,” DeLaGarza told reporters in Northern California after playing the full 90 at right back in place of suspended Dan Gargan. “I can't say that I didn't think about my son, obviously, but I don't think it hampered me in any way.”
The Earthquakes honored Luca with a moment of silence before kickoff, which touched DeLaGarza deeply, as have similar gestures from teams around the league.
“I appreciate everything everyone's done,” said DeLaGarza, who returned Saturday to the Galaxy after a week in his native Maryland, where he and his wife, Megan, buried their son and grieved with their families. “All the different teams and players that are wearing armbands and had moments of silence and are donating to our cause, it's amazing.”
The DeLaGarzas' “Luca Knows Heart” campaign is raising funds for CHLA's heart center, “so they can better themselves and help other families,” he said.
DeLaGarza was not exactly ecstatic about his performance, nor that of the Galaxy, who dominated the first half but scored just once and then watched the Earthquakes equalize in the 66th minute after struggling to create chances.
- Get more LA Galaxy news at LAGalaxy.com
“I felt alright,” he said. “I wish I had more of an impact, but the fact is … I haven't played a game in two weeks, which is not bad, but to come back and be your first real good minutes was a little bit of a damper on what I think I could have done.”
Head coach Bruce Arena had no big qualms with DeLaGarza; he was pleased to see him back in the fold.
“He played very well,” Arena said in his post-game news conference. “He's had a lot of support, and he's a strong person.”
DeLaGarza said on Time Warner Cable SportsNet's postgame show that the past couple of weeks have been “rough … hectic … a whole bunch of things, but it's good to be back out here and be with my 'family' out here, too.”
“I got to get back into my normal routine, and this is a good first start,” he said. “I wish I'd had a better impact in the game, [but] next time I'll come out and, hopefully, do a little bit better.”
