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LA Galaxy manager Bruce Arena announced last night at the second kit unveiling that Robbie Keane has been named the captain of the club for the 2013 season. Keane has become the Galaxy's face in the media with Landon Donovan continuing his sabbatical, and has been the veteran leader through the Galaxy's preseason. A vice-captain has yet to be named.
Keane captains the Irish national football team, and was vice-captain last year wearing the arm band in Donovan's absence. Certainly this is an earned change in captain, and should not result in the friction from the last time Donovan was asked to give up the armband; the arrival of David Beckham.
In fact, not being the captain should free up some of the pressure Donovan feels. It won't be his responsibility to lobby the ref on behalf of his teammates, to lead out of the locker room, to speak in the media about all team maters.
Donovan, Keane, and Beckham have now all been the Galaxy captain at some point in their DP career. Before the DP era, the Galaxy had captains in Peter Vagenas, Kevin Hartman, and Cobi Jones. Jones is still one of the faces of the franchise, Vagenas was a longtime fan favorite and local, while local Kevin Hartman was the Galaxy keeper for almost a decade.
Big shoes, but Keane seems...eager to fill them.
In other roster notes, Bruce Arena announced yesterday that Andy Riemer and the Brazilian trialists are no longer with the club. Tim Leiweke hinted last night that there was still a splashy DP signing to come. We'll have an update to the unofficial depth chart soon.