Who should start in goal for the LA Galaxy?
As if Greg Vanney didn’t have enough on his mind.
Injuries, player departures, bad luck and a few tough calls are some of the issues the LA Galaxy manager has navigated to start a season that’s had an unsettling resemblance to the 2023 Year From Hell.
Now the Galaxy potentially have a goalkeeper crisis on their hands.
It was supposed to be Novak Micovic’s year. Acquired for a seven-figure fee from the same Serbian club that developed Revs goalkeeper Dorde Petrovic who signed with Chelsea, the Galaxy were keen on developing their own elite shot stopper. Following two seasons as a backup with a few promising cameos under his belt, it became clear at the Coachella Valley Invitational that Micovic would get his chance.
The plan didn’t go as hoped. Micovic struggled to acclimate in his first three starts and had some nervy moments, notably when a poor touch to Emiro Garces cascaded into the first goal in San Diego FC history. Against St. Louis SC the 23 year old spilled a ball in the air that ping-ponged around the six-yard box before Cedric Teuchert eventually tucked away the finish.
“Every position on the field for us is a competition, and I think for young goalkeepers, they need a few games, three, four, five, whatever it is, games, to show whether they can catch a rhythm, whether they are ready for the moment,” Vanney clarified to the press after the lopsided St. Louis defeat. However, it was McCarthy who would take over the starting job for the next three regular season matches.
I have to admit I was a bit surprised when Vanney elected to bring McCarthy back into the fold. Yes Micovic made mistakes, but for a raw goalkeeper earning consistent minutes for the first time, some growing pains are expected. It should be noted the Serbian’s spill vs. St. Louis occurred after Maya Yoshida barged into Micovic and those hiccups tend to disappear as the back line builds chemistry.
Nervy moments aside, his form was arguably sufficient enough to warrant more playing time. With the squad playing so poorly to begin the year however, you could understand why Vanney would opt for the steady veteran hand to mitigate the risk.
Unfortunately McCarthy hasn’t been up to par either. A strong performance vs. Minnesota was marred by a clumsy sequence when the veteran keeper fumbled a dive gifting Kelvin Yeboah a tap-in.
Saturday night the Galaxy were poised to draw with Orlando City when disaster struck. What should have been a routine save turned ugly as McCarthy bobbled Luis Muriel’s 30-yard free kick and the ball agonizingly bounced pass the goal line. For the second week running, McCarthy had a big mistake that directly led to a goal.
“It could be. It certainly could be if they both want to keep leaving the door open for one another,” vented a clearly annoyed Vanney afterwards when asked if the starting job was still up for grabs. “I hope not. Somebody needs to take ownership of it and be the guy. John did it all of last year and he's capable, and he needs to bounce back. But we'll see as we move forward.”
Sunday night Vanney was criticized by Apple TV’s Sacha Kljestan and Dax McCarty for creating the goalkeeper crisis, a notion I somewhat disagree with. Swapping the pair may not have been an ideal scenario, but the fact of the matter is neither Micovic (who requested a transfer last year btw) nor McCarthy have earned the starting position outright.
How do the Galaxy get out of this mess? Go back to Plan A.
For the time being, Micovic should be given a serious run of games to round into form. The decision should also be clearly communicated by the club to quell speculation. Should the 23-year-old fail to earn the starting job once again, stick with McCarthy going forward. JT Marcinkowski is a bit of a wild card depending on his fitness but another option.
It’s important to remember the Galaxy have dual objectives. With two points in six matches LA badly need results, but they also need badly need allocation money. With four goalkeepers on the roster, the obvious way to do so is by moving one. As Taylor Twellman noted during Sunday Night Soccer, 2-3 teams are currently looking for keepers.
A MLS Cup champion with both LA clubs, McCarthy is likely the most valuable commodity within the league. Successfully developing Micovic gives the Galaxy the flexibility to move the veteran or another keeper should the right offer come along.
Micovic might be a work in progress, but giving him the starting job could pay off in the long run or perhaps have the club thinking about his future. As I wrote in my last piece, it’s time for Micovic to prove his worth.