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LA Galaxy

Galaxy Insider Player Ratings: Bryan Gaul

December 23, 2012 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
LA Galaxy News Release


The LA Galaxy season may be over, but LA Galaxy Insider Adam Serrano will spend the next few weeks offering an evaluation of each member of the squad.

The LA Galaxy Player Ratings will begin with players who appeared in the least number of games this season starting with goalkeeper Brian Rowe and concluding with Sean Franklin who played in all 34 of the club's regular season games. There will also be an evaluation of head coach and general manager Bruce Arena and his moves at the conclusion of the list.

We will have two to three evaluations per day and focus on what each player did well, what they need to improve on ahead of next season as well as a select thought from the player on their performance and a rating from myself out of four stars.

DAVID JUNIOR LOPES AGE: 30

POSITION: Center back

APPEARANCES IN ALL OFFICIAL COMPETITIONS: GP: 18 [1 in U.S. Open Cup] MIN: 1497 G: 0 A: 0

RESERVE LEAGUE APPEARANCES: GP: 2, MIN: 135, G: 0, A: 0

WATCH: Real Madrid Highlights HIGHLIGHTS: Lopes moved across The Home Depot Center's hallway on April 10 after being acquired for midfielder Paolo Cardozo. With Omar Gonzalez still recovering from offseason knee surgery, Lopes was thrown straight into circulation with two strong appearances in back-to-back Galaxy wins over Portland and Colorado. After missing three games in May because injury and suspension, Lopes made 14 straight appearances in the league from May 26 to Aug. 5, startubg each of the last 13 of those games. The Brazilian centerback showed his talents on the offensive side of the ball by scoring goals in LA's friendlies against Tottenham Hotspur (highlights above) and Real Madrid. (watch at right)

LOWLIGHTS: Lopes may have been able to step in right away for the Galaxy, but untimely errors ultimately marred the center back's season. The first such error came during LA's 1-0 defeat at the hands of Chivas USA as he was red carded for a handball that set up a penalty kick goal by Jose Erik Correa, which gave Chivas their first SuperClásico victory in five years. But Lopes' final appearance came during LA's Aug. 5 4-0 defeat to Seattle Sounders FC as he was repeatedly targeted in LA's worst defeat of the season. When Lopes appeared to close a return to the squad in October, he suffered a facial fracture that caused him to miss the remainder of the season.

HIS THOUGHTS: "For me, the season was very good because we ended in the final as the champion. The season started differently with Chivas USA, but I'm happy that we ended the year as a champion."

RATING: ONE STAR Lopes' season was one of contrasting performances. At times, the Brazilian's speed and physicality stifled opposing offenses, but he was also prone to errors that would cost the Galaxy points. While he performed admirably upon his arrival from Chivas USA, in the end, the Brazilian proved too error-prone to consistently remain in the Galaxy starting XI.

Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog at LAGalaxy.com/insider and contact him at LAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com

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