Giovani dos Santos’ year-long exclusion from the Mexican national team is all the more baffling when you consider his form of late. Perhaps Juan Carlos Osorio simply preferred giving youth a chance for El Tri’s meaningless qualifiers against Honduras and El Salvador. Or, he might still be salty over dos Santos’ decision to reject a call-up for the Copa America Centenario. Either way, dos Santos is in inspiring form for the LA Galaxy at the moment.
HAVE A GAME, @OficialGio! #RSLvLA pic.twitter.com/2Z0ggYmw4U
— LA Galaxy (@LAGalaxy) September 8, 2016
In his last six games for the Galaxy, dos Santos has registered six goals and one assist. Against Real Salt Lake on Wednesday night, dos Santos scored two opportunistic goals and registered a brilliant assist.
His pass to setup Emmanuel Boateng for the opening goal was proceeded by a bit of skill that demonstrates dos Santos’ international quality — he’s a step above the rest in MLS.
Dos Santos’ two goals, giving him a total of 12 on the year, showed a player keen to get forward and clearly enjoying his attacking freedom. Nick Rimando got a hand to the first, but there’s nothing the American international could really do about it.
The second was the result of being in the right place at the right time, dos Santos collecting the ball after it’d ricocheted off the crossbar and finishing.
It wasn’t the best day at the office for Los Angeles goalkeeper Brian Rowe. He contrived to give up an early penalty and allowed the equalizer to roll under his body in the 94th minute, resulting in a 3-3 draw.
The draw befitted two teams who are level on points in the Western Conference, RSL and LA occupying the second and third positions.
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