In about two months, Bruce Arena will be able to confidently evaluate the roster he built during his longest offseason since his first year as the Galaxy head coach. It’s going to take time, he said.

Forward Robbie Keane, on the other hand, is not one to wait.

“(In) two days, I want the team to be ready,” the Galaxy captain said Friday, two days before the team’s MLS season opener on Sunday against D.C. United.

In the midst of a major offseason rebuilding project, Arena preached patience. But with the curtain finally rising on the MLS season on Sunday at 7 p.m., time suddenly becomes more precious as the team tries to erase the bitter memories of a disappointing 2015 season with its star-studded roster.

• Key questions for the Galaxy’s 2016 season

Only four players remain from the Galaxy’s starting 11 that won the 2014 MLS Cup. During the offseason, Arena unloaded Omar Gonzalez and Juninho, whose contracts were too large to squeeze under the stringent MLS salary cap, and maneuvered the signings of three European stars in Ashley Cole, Jelle Van Damme and Nigel de Jong. The head coach also added several MLS veterans in addition to some younger signings.

The ambitious roster experiment started well, showing promise in a scoreless draw against Santos Laguna to begin 2016 competition. Six days later, L.A. fell flat in a 4-0 drubbing in Mexico.

“You need shocks and setbacks and disappointments to grow to become a unit and come together,” midfielder Steven Gerrard said of the loss. “Hopefully that will put us in good shape.”

Old faces in new places

Not only are there new faces all over the field, but there are old faces in new places for the Galaxy. Cole’s addition at left back moved Robbie Rogers to the right side of the defense and forced A.J. DeLaGarza back into the center alongside Van Damme.

Perhaps DeLaGarza’s greatest quality is his versatility. He can play any position on the back line, but the 28-year-old shines mostly at center back, where he primarily played since he was a teenager.

• GK Dan Kennedy to bring leadership to changing defense

Although he is back in his natural position, DeLaGarza is without his old partner Gonzalez. The pair spent a decade building its relationship, and now DeLaGarza has to start over with his new teammates.

“You can compare Omar and I, we just knew each other,” he said. “But we played together for 10 years. It’s not a couple-of-month thing. It’s a journey, and it takes time to really get to know someone as well as you would like to. Hopefully we can make it happen quick.”

Shake it off

Offensively, the Galaxy struggled to put away chances during the preseason. While the team created opportunities, it only had three goals in five games.

When asked if he was worried about the offense, Keane furrowed his brow and shook his head. No, he’s not worried at all.

It’s just going to take time.

Sunday’s game

L.A. Galaxy vs. D.C. United

Kickoff: 7 p.m. at StubHub Center

TV/Radio: UniMas (SAP Available), MLS Live