At the 2018 Jersey unveiling last night, LA Galaxy head coach Sigi Schmid hinted at the possibility of “more” signings. And this morning he was proven good to his word as the club signed former Philadelphia Union and DC United midfielder, Chris Pontius to a Freee Agent contract.
Pontius, 30, spent his last two seasons with the Philadelphia Union where he played in 63 games scoring 14 goals and assisting on 12 others.
In his nine previous seasons in Major League Soccer, he’s played 16,625 minutes scored 46 goals and tallied 29 assists in both the regular and post-season.
Pontius is a left-footed attacking player that fits best into the lineup on the left side of the midfield or as a secondary strike when needed. You’d expect Pontius to be a good option off the bench for Schmid on the left side of the midfield and he may split time with Emmanuel Boateng. There is also something to be said for either Boateng or Pontius to be able to fill in on both sides of the midfield and that provides some real depth at those very tiring positions.
For a team that lacked leadership and a veteran presence throughout the 2017 campaign, Pontius will give them both. He a well-admired player throughout the league and he seems to be a fan-favorite where ever he lands.
And while the Galaxy certainly have a plethora of midfielders, Pontius is a good addition that allows for a lot of versatility – especially when Giovani dos Santos and Jonathan dos Santos take off for the World Cup in the early summer months.
By all accounts, the club has built a deep roster with players capable of playing at multiple positions. A real sea-change from last years very thin roster.
The Galaxy will officially have 23 roster spots taken up with the three draft picks – Tomas Hilliard-Arce, Drew Skundrich, and Nate Shultz – all making a play to be signed by the club. If all three signed that would leave the Galaxy with 26 players on the roster out of a maximum of 30.
With the preseason officially beginning today, the Galaxy have more signings and more surprises on the way. But for now, the roster shake-up has provided everyone with a bit of focus and optimism.
