“A warrior”
That was the term Galaxy head coach Curt Onalfo used post-match to describe the effort of midfielder Rafael Garcia at right back.
It’s an apt description. There were moments during last Sunday’s defeat to the Portland Timbers when Garcia seemed to perform athletic feats out of sheer will.
His lung busting sprint across the pitch and slide tackle to keep Fanendo Adi from icing the game was the play of the match, but the 28-year-old had other moments: A floating cross in the first half careening towards the dangerous Adi was extinguished when the 5’6” Garcia out jumped and outmuscled the 6’4” forward, using his noggin to bat away the ball before collapsing to the turf in pain.