Building a successful roster requires depth. LA Galaxy team president Chris Klein and head coach Bruce Arena were well aware their team struggled late last season with a spate of injuries to their back line that softened their defense and helped shorten their season from a championship run to a glum early playoff departure.

That is why, in the offseason, the Galaxy focused on rebuilding their roster with an emphasis on depth at all positions, in particular the back line. The Galaxy feature eight new starters from the team that took the field on opening day in 2015. Unfortunately, even the smartest signings – not to mention the deepest pockets – might not prevent a club from seeing their well laid plans crumble when the injuries start to mount.

No sooner had Giovani Dos Santos returned to the lineup after suffering a leg injury that kept him out for a month, then the Galaxy lost Robbie Rogers (hip contusion) in the sixth minute of the match on Sunday night against defending MLS Cup champions Portland Timbers, The injury makes him the eighth starter for the Galaxy this season to go down to injury this season, a season which is still only five games old. When Rogers limped gingerly off the pitch and into the Galaxy locker room, he joined the following players on the training table: Robbie Keane (knee), Steven Gerrard (calf), Leonardo (quadriceps), A.J. De La Garza (foot), Dan Kennedy (groin), Jeff Larentowicz (groin).

Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena seemed unperturbed.

“It’s all part of the game,” Arena said. “Sometimes (injuries) come quickly, sometimes they’re spread out. It’s all part of it. You’re never gonna go without injuries. It’s part of the game. Unfortunately, it’s a part we don’t like, but it’s all part of the game.”

Arena has built a successful career preferring to choose veteran players over younger talent more often than not. Still, the Galaxy acquisitions in the past year have raised some questions, specifically: Are the Galaxy too old?

Designated players Robbie Keane and Steven Gerrard are both 35 years old. New additions Nigel De Jong, Ashley Cole, Jelle Van Damme and Mike Magee are all in their 30s as well. So is veteran goalkeeper Dan Kennedy (33), who was added in the offseason in hopes of cementing the Galaxy’s goalkeeper issues. Instead, Kennedy has played only 20 minutes this season. Which, to be fair, is 20 minutes more than veteran offseason signing Jeff Larentewicz (32), who has yet to take the field for the Galaxy this year.

Arena sees the injuries as a common part of the game, but does not see it as age-related.

“Obviously, I’m concerned about it,” Arena said, “but like I said, it’s all part of the game. The more players are on the field, the more likely they are to get injured. That’s all.”

Along with FC Dallas and the New York Red Bulls, the Galaxy academy program is widely considered the best in North America. Homegrown player Gyasi Zardes is a product, as are Jose Villarreal, Oscar Sorto, Bradford Jamieson IV, Daniel Steres, Ariel Lassiter and David Romney. All of these players have received ample attention from the various levels of the U.S. national team, and interest from other clubs. Yet, only Zardes has seen regular time with the Galaxy senior team this season. For all the other promising youngsters in the Galaxy system, a few minutes with the senior team is peppered in with extensive time playing for LA Galaxy II, the club’s USL team.  With so many veteran players on the injured list, that may be about to change.

“I’m looking forward to some other guys getting on the field and helping us,” Arena said. “Over the next couple of weeks, certainly the travel for the international players will be difficult. Likely, when we go to Houston, we’re going to have a number of changes in the lineup. That’s good to see where we’re at with some of those players.”