After the first 11 games of the season, the real season is preparing to start for the Galaxy.
Starting Saturday, the Galaxy will play three games in eight days, with two on the road along with their first midweek game of the season.
Surviving three-game weeks is a good test for potentially successful Major League Soccer seasons.
“It’s a busy week,” Galaxy coach Greg Vanney said. “Physically, I think we’re in a pretty good spot. Obviously, we’ve had some guys who are coming back from having issues and all of those were pretty minor in the grand scheme of things.
“With Dejan (Joveljić), we were able to get him 10-12 days just to try to get some and recover. The other guys, Mark (Delgado), same thing, just giving them chance to recover and deal with stuff. Nothing that we have is significant, everything is on the small side and we’ve been able to stay in that space for awhile. Now we’re going to a busy part of the schedule, it’s good to have everybody available and then we can make some choices on how we want to attack each of these games and attack the week.”
Joveljić has dealt with a hip injury, but returned to training this week.
First up is Real Salt Lake, which enters the week in first place in the Western Conference (6-2-3, 21 points). RSL has scored 18 goals, nine by Chicho Arango, and has allowed just nine.
Meanwhile, after a strong offensive start to the season, the third-place Galaxy (5-2-4, 19 points) has been held scoreless in consecutive games (a 2-0 loss against Austin FC and a scoreless draw against Seattle).
The return of Riqui Puig, who missed last week due to yellow-card accumulation, and Joveljić should bring the attack back to life.
“We’ve been together playing (this season) for a long time and if they were present, I think there would have been some differences,” midfielder Joseph Paintsil said. “We really needed them, now they’re back and we’re going to give everything 100 percent
“Having Riqui (back), him giving us the balls (passes) that we need because we missed it a lot, especially in the last game. Him being present will boost us and give us the energy to do the runs and to do whatever that it is deserved for him to also find a way to get us the ball.”
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The Galaxy will depart Tuesday for Minnesota for a meeting with the Loons on Wednesday and then head to Charlotte FC to begin preparation for a May 18 clash. After that will be consecutive home games to close May, the first time this season with back-to-back home games.
“We like the spot that we’re in and we want to keep building, but we know we have to get through this tough stretch of games and the home games will come on the other side of this,” Vanney said. “I think we’ve done a nice job of managing what the schedule has been (seven of 11 on the road). I think the guys have done a great of managing what we’ve faced.”
REAL SALT LAKE at GALAXY
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Dignity Health Sports Park
How to watch: Apple TV (MLS Season Pass)