We could divide Giovani dos Santos’ tenure with Los Angeles Galaxy in two parts: one starting with his arrival and ending in March, and the second one from April through this weekend. The numbers would suggest we’re talking about two completely different players, but the reality is that he’s the same Gio, but in the past months he simply settled down in LA.
And it’s amazing how settling can make a difference.
Gio wasn’t much of a factor early this season for the Galaxy, and in fact he was held scoreless in the first five games of the campaign. The 27-year-old, however, broke free in the 4-1 win against Houston Dynamo with two goals and he never looked back. Dos Santos has netted five goals and dished out three assists in the last four games, and he is quickly becoming an important piece in Bruce Arena’s attacking line.
His latest goal against the New England Revolution was, in fact, a thing of beauty. Dos Santos saw the ball coming toward him in the edge of the box, and unleashed a fierce one-time that sneaked right into the top corner leaving the keeper absolutely helpless.
Gio, however, is not all about power. He can also score goals with beautiful finesse shots, and even with chipped shots like he did against Sporting Kansas City two weeks ago. That goal was such a masterpiece that even started the hashtag #ThingsGioCanChip on Twitter.
His overall numbers in MLS might not look that great for a player of his caliber with eight goals in 16 total matches, but he’s trending up. He finally found a role in the Galaxy’s attack next to Robbie Keane and Gyasi Zardes, and all signs point to the three being perfectly comfortable with each other.
The fact that the team’s best players are beginning to thrive alongside each other can only mean good things for LA, and it should create havoc on opposing defences. The pace of Zardes, Keane’s poacher ability and Gio’s creativity in the final third could generate impossible matchups for the Galaxy to exploit.
The former Barcelona and Villarreal product was given one of the largest contracts in MLS history almost a year ago, and several experts thought too much money was being given to a player who never excelled in Europe. It took him almost a year, but Gio is proving all his doubters wrong. At this pace, he might even be in the MVP conversation once the season comes to an end.