Some things to be thankful for in 2020

Look, it’s been a rough year. Both in general and when it comes to the LA Galaxy.

If you’re here, you probably care a whole bunch about the soccer team, and it was hard. And more than ever, “stick to sports” was impossible this year. A health crisis (which is ongoing, by the way) shut everything in the sports world down. And then the players went on strike for an entirely different reason.

It was not normal, and hopefully much of it does not become normal. But that is what we’ve been going through, so it’s worth reflecting on for a moment.

I took over covering this site in January, taking over for Mike Gray, who did a great job before me. He’s impossible to replace, and I couldn’t possibly imitate what he brought to this site.

I wasn’t sure how you folks would respond to me running the show, but I’m appreciative of the support. Every day, I felt it, as I did my best to cover the Galaxy, LA Galaxy II, and whatever else struck my fancy. Thank you very much for that support, first and foremost. You don’t know how thankful I truly am for it.

I’m also thankful for the support from the Galaxy organization, before and since I’ve started this new role. Whether it was covering the preseason doubleheader (which turned out to be the only MLS-related games I attended in person this year) or the remote access to cover the team following the return from the coronavirus shutdown, they’ve been very helpful in covering this club.

I’m thankful to the players for getting out there and playing, under considerable risk and stress, in 2020. Some of you may think I’m being soft in assessing the 2020 season, but we have to grade it on a curve to an extent. We’ve never lived through something like this before, and while the results weren’t what we expected, and that’s not up to the club’s proud standard, I think the circumstances of a trying year has to be taken into account. From the MLS is Back Tournament bubble in Orlando keeping players away from home for a month, to teams traveling the day of games, to having to deal with the risk of contracting coronavirus all the time, to playing every three or four days for three months, it was tough. We can’t forget that.

I’m also thankful to the contributions this season from Ilcay Can, who was awesome on player ratings again this season, as well as pinch hitting help from Sabreena Merchant and Christian Rivas. I certainly couldn’t have done it without them.

Let’s hope this is the darkest part of the night before dawn comes, both on the field and off. Thanks for sticking by us in 2020, and let’s all work to get better moving forward.

What do you think? Leave a comment below.