João Klauss’ Galaxy career was off to a good start until an April 18 trip to Dallas.
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Klauss, who had scored five goals through the first six MLS games, got derailed when he suffered a foot injury and was forced to the sideline.
“The moment, it was a lot of pain and you didn’t really know what happened,” Klauss said Thursday. “Then immediately after the game, we had an X-ray that showed that nothing was broke, so that was good news. But then of course, you had to do an MRI and you have to see the specialist, until you know exactly what happened.
“At the moment, a lot of things go through your head until you see everyone and then get done all the checks that you need, you don’t know exactly what happened.”
A week after injury, Klauss underwent surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left foot. The Galaxy placed him on the injury list, initially sidelining him until Aug. 1. He was finally taken off the list and activated for last Saturday’s game against the Seattle Sounders.
“I would say, you go a lot of stages during the injury,” he said. “You don’t want to accept the injury, then you don’t want to accept the situation, then you blame yourself, then you blame someone else, you go through so much. For me, it was the same. I went through a lot of things. It was a very tough time for me, especially being off of the field and not being able to help my teammates and help the club.
“I think I started the season very well and then you’re in good form and then you had to restart everything. It was my first surgery as well in my career, so everything was new. It was a tough period for me.”
Personally, at the same time of his surgery, Klauss said his wife gave birth their son.
“After my surgery, my wife also delivered our son, so to not be able to walk at the hospital, not to be able to with her in the last day, not to be able to hold my son when he was born,” he said. “All these things were very difficult.”
Klauss returned as a second-half substitute in the Galaxy’s 1-1 draw against Seattle on Sept. 12. He was credited with 24 minutes, not including stoppage time, and recorded one shot.
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“Having a striker that can be a real target up there, a guy you can play off of, he’s a guy who has a presence, you can play into and he’s going to hold and bounce then move again,” Galaxy coach Greg Vanney said of Klauss. “We just need goals in the team. I feel like, when you look on paper, we should have goals in the team, but in practice, we’ve got to be cleaner and tidier about our final actions, when we have these moments that look promising.”
With Klauss back, the Galaxy are nearing a full healthy squad. Sergi Roberto is questionable this week with a shoulder injury, Joseph Paintsil is nearing a return from a hamstring issue and Elijah Wynder is overcoming an ankle injury.
Saturday’s game against Minnesota United FC is No. 27 in a 34-game MLS season and the Galaxy (7-10-9, 30 points) are in 10th place and just outside the ninth-place playoff line in the Western Conference. The Loons (7-10-8, 29 points) aren’t far back in 12th place.
“Until the end of the season, I think every game is a six-point game for us,” Klauss said. “We have this chance to play all these teams. It’s an opportunity for us. We know that we have to win games to make the playoffs. I think we have enough quality to do that.
“It was important to have some minutes against Seattle because when you step in the field, you don’t know exactly what is going happen, you don’t know exactly how you’re going to feel. I think that game gave me a lot of confidence moving forward.
International call-ups
Hirving “Chucky” Lozano has been called up to the Mexican national team for the upcoming international window. Mexico will play four games, concluding Oct. 6 against Chile at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. This is Lozano first call-up since November. He has 18 goals and 12 assists in 75 career appearances for Mexico.
Also, Harbor Miller and Enrique Martinez (L.A. Galaxy Academy) will join the U.S. U-20s in Spain for games Oct. 1 against Brazil and Oct. 4 against Denmark.
Academy products Eric Preston (U.S. U-19s) and Aaron Medina (U.S. U-17s) will also depart for their respective camps.
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GALAXY (7-10-9, 30 points) at MINNESOTA UNITED FC (7-10-8, 29 points)
When: 5:30 p.m. PT Saturday
Where: Allianz Field, St. Paul, Minn.
How to watch: Apple TV