CARSON, Calif. -- Brian Rowe may have been a surprise starter in goal last week for the LA Galaxy, but the question for week two is whether Jaime Penedo will take over the starter's role.
Head coach Bruce Arena cited “a few nagging injuries in preseason” for the decision not to start Penedo in Friday's victory over Chicago in the MLS opener, giving the call to Rowe, the usual backup, instead.
UniMás reported on its telecast of the 2-0 affair that Penedo said he was healthy but wasn't playing because of ongoing contract negotiations, but Arena denied that, and Penedo on Monday said that he and Arena “came to an agreement, and there's no problem with that situation.”
“I have been suffering a few nagging injuries and a couple other items that with a coach like Bruce Arena, if you have someone like him, you have to be 100 percent all the time,” Penedo said through a translator. “I have a thing, a kind of policy, where when you're ready, you're ready. And because I've played with some uncomfortable nagging injuries, at the end of the day, it's the coach's decision.
“I would have loved to play. It would have been amazing -- first game of the season, first game of the league [in 2015] -- and sometimes things don't come out as you plan.”
Penedo added that he has not extended his contract, which runs through the end of the season, but that the Galaxy have an option. He also said he'll do all he can to win the assignment Sunday at Portland (7 pm ET, Fox Sports 1), but he doesn't see it as a “battle” with Rowe.
“You have to fight for that position during the week,” Penedo said. “I prepare for myself, to try to give the best for the team. I never prepare looking at what my teammates are doing and how they're preparing. It's good to have that competition -- it makes the team better, it makes everyone better -- but I don't prepare looking at what the other goalkeepers are doing.”
Arena said the preseason ailments, which limited Penedo to just 179 minutes across four of seven LA preseason matches, “slowed him down a little bit, but he's on his way back now.”
Following Friday's triumph, Arena said the decision was made because Penedo “hasn't played that much, and we felt Brian was a little ahead of Jaime at this point, and [we] went with Brian.”
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Rowe, in his fourth year with LA, was required to make just one save on Chicago to post his fourth shutout in eight career MLS matches and sixth in 12 competitive starts.
He endured one difficult moment against the Fire. Attempting to clear a back pass from Omar Gonzalez, Rowe saw Quincy Amarikwa race in and block the clearance, deflecting the ball back over the crossbar.
“I saw him coming,” Rowe said. “I tried to hit it off a little further to the right, but he did a good job closing it down, and my heart stopped for a second. I'm glad it went up and over.”
