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"This is my moment"

Refreshed after a six-month sabbatical, new LA Galaxy central defender Diego Polenta is ready to lead the Galaxy back line. Photos by Robert Mora/Bailey Holiver and words by Adam Serrano

By LA Galaxy

February 9^th, 2019

LOS ANGELES – At last, the LA Galaxy believe that they’ve found their man to lead their backline.

The LA Galaxy announced the signing of Uruguayan defender Diego Polenta on Thursday after a lengthy search to retool a backline that proved to be the team’s Achilles heel a year ago. The 27-year-old brings experience to the Galaxy back four with stops at Uruguayan giants Nacional and Italian sides Genoa and Bari while also featuring in Uruguay’s youth set-up.

“We brought in a young player, but one with a lot of experience in Italy and Uruguay at a high level,” Schelotto said of the left-sided central defender. “He will help us in our defense.”

“It’s a big challenge. The truth is I am beyond happy, my family and I accepted this challenge and the truth is I am proud and happy to be here,” Polenta said of his arrival.

During his time in Uruguay and Italy, the imposing 6-foot-1 and 192-pound Polenta quickly gained a reputation for being a hard-nosed defender. His aggressive playing style drew attention all over Europe and Argentina, with Schelotto being among those infatuated with his play.

Although he may be a fiery character on the field, but even hard-nosed central defenders need to clear their head.

Following the end of the 2017-18 campaign with Nacional, Polenta decided to take a break from the game for six months and return to the Uruguayan countryside. After leaving Uruguay as a teenager to head to Italy to join Genoa, the breather allowed Polenta an opportunity to recharge his batteries ahead of his latest challenge.

“The six months were a due to a personal decision when I was in Uruguay, playing for Nacional, and the truth is it was a great time in my life, it was lovely,” Polenta said. “I have the best memories, but I wanted to have things that way, I was a bit bored to be there, being there every day and I decided to be calm, and train alone.

“I went to live in the countryside, which is something that I love, and nothing else, that’s what I decided. I now choose this league, one because for me it’s very important that the coach called me, that he looked for me and I had an itch to get back to be able to play and I didn’t think I twice when I was told it was this team. Today it is a league that’s growing a lot and has great players and form me it’s a big challenge.”

Finally, ready to go, Polenta is determined to use his renewed focus to help the Galaxy back to the postseason.

“I gained tranquility. I gained being able to enjoy life as it is, with my family. I was lucky to go abroad when I was 14 years old, when a team from Italy signed me and I was in Italy for seven years. I later returned to Uruguay. I played for Nacional, which was great for me and I am very happy and thankful to the club. I wanted to enjoy what I had maybe missed before when I left Uruguay at a young age.

“So, I decided to take that sabbatical. I had some offers, but it was a decision that at the time it was what it was. And you will get to know me, I am a little bit like that. A little bit of thinking about things and doing them on the moment. Not overthinking things. Living the moment and now I’m here and I am happy. This is my moment.”

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