CARSON, Calif. (Wednesday, March 1, 2017) – LA Galaxy announced today that defender Jelle Van Damme has been named the 2017 LA Galaxy Team Captain. Van Damme, 33, joined the LA Galaxy ahead of the 2016 MLS Season and went on to record one of the best seasons of any defender in the league last season.

Van Damme, 33, joined LA last offseason from Belgian side Standard Liege and went on to make 29 appearances for LA during the regular season in addition to three more during the Audi 2016 MLS Cup Playoffs, which all came as all starts. Van Damme also led a Galaxy defense that allowed just 39 goals on the season, tied for the third-fewest in Major League Soccer, which gave LA the league’s second-best goal differential (+15).

The captain’s armband had previously been worn by former Galaxy forward Robbie Keane since 2013, who departed from the team after the conclusion of last season.

The LA Galaxy will kick off the 2017 MLS Season on Saturday, March 4 at StubHub Center when they host FC Dallas at 1 p.m. PT live on Univision. LA Galaxy Season Ticket Memberships for the 2017 MLS season are available for purchase now. Galaxy fans can go to www.lagalaxy.com/tickets/seasontickets or call 877-3GALAXY (342-5299) to secure their 2017 LA Galaxy Season Ticket package.