L.A. Galaxy coach Bruce Arena has 33 names on his roster for the first training session of the new year Wednesday, writes Grahame L Jones, and it includes a couple of surprises -- trialists Tony Sanneh, 37, and Venezuelan defender Henry "Leo" Bautista, 25.
Former U.S. national team player Sanneh was a starting defender on Arena's 2002 World Cup team, but last played an MLS game in 2007. "Whether this is merely a case of Arena doing an old warhorse a good turn or whether Sanneh still has what it takes is what the next few weeks will determine," writes Jones. "At his peak, Sanneh was one of the best defenders in MLS, and played 43 times for the national team."
Bautista, currently with Caracas FC in the Venezuelan league, "is tall, left-footed and fast." He can play at center back or at left back and could be a potential starter when the Galaxy kicks off on March 22 against D.C. United. If signed, he could replace Brazilian midfielder Alvaro Pires as one of the team's international players, as Pires was not on the training camp list revealed Tuesday.
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