It's hard to imagine a club like the LA Galaxy as a team in transition, but that is the exact label being placed on the five-time MLS Cup champion at the start of the 2015 Major League Soccer season.

The Galaxy are currently in a holding pattern in advance of Steven Gerrard's arrival from Liverpool this summer. Gerrard is set to replace Landon Donovan, who retired after the 2014 season, as the club's third designated player. 

While Gerrard does not play the same position as Donovan did, he will fill the playmaking void left open by the United States legend's departure. 

In the club's 2-0 win over the Chicago Fire on Friday night, we saw a glimpse of the tactical setup manager Bruce Arena will use before Gerrard enters the fray. 

The decision that caught the most attention was the one to start Kenney Walker next to Juninho in the middle of the park. The pair were flanked by the duo of Stefan Ishizaki and Jose Villarreal. 

The spot next to Juninho on the pitch will be under a massive microscope before Gerrard's arrival because the Galaxy were forced to trade Marcelo Sarvas to Colorado to make room for their new No. 8. 

Walker did a decent job next to Juninho, but his replacement showed just how dangerous the Galaxy can be if Arena makes the right lineup decisions. 

When Baggio Husidic entered the match in the 63rd minute for Walker, he changed the complexion of the Galaxy midfield in a positive fashion. Within two minutes of him being on the pitch, the Galaxy struck the back of the net for the first time this season. 

Husidic's influence was also felt on the second goal of the night, as he headed a ball down to Robbie Keane in the penalty area. The 2014 MLS Most Valuable Player then proceeded to send a rocket of a shot past Chicago goalkeeper Sean Johnson to secure three points at the StubHub Center. 

If you look past the two goals scored by the Galaxy, you are able to get a true understanding of how the club will attack opposing defenses before the summer. 

Villarreal, a dangerous prospect on the left wing when healthy, provided a decent amount of pace in front of left-back Robbie Rogers. But he was not at his best in the first half, which led Rogers to make overlapping runs on countless occasions. 

Rogers was able to move forward into the final third with ease because of the lack of punch delivered by the Chicago attack. Against higher quality opponents, Rogers will be forced to stay back and defend more. When that becomes the case, the left winger in the 4-4-2 formation will face more pressure. 

Villarreal should keep his starting position for now, but it wouldn't come as a shock to see Husidic make the starting 11 in the near future. One of the best qualities about Husidic's game is that he is flexible enough to play in the center of the park, or on the wing. 

If Villarreal continues to thrive on the left wing, Husidic could be slotted next to Juninho to provide more of an attacking bite to the central midfield combination. In that scenario, Juninho would most likely drop back to a defensive role in a formation that could turn be shaped something like a 4-4-2 diamond. 

One of the things that eased the concerns of some regarding the Galaxy attack on Friday night was the play of Ishizaki. The 32-year-old Swede tore apart Chicago's Joevin Jones, who had one of the worst performances of any MLS player in Week 1. 

Thanks to Ishizaki's showing on the right flank, Robbie Keane and Gyasi Zardes received decent service at the forward position. There were times during the match where Keane dropped back into midfield in search of possession, but that mainly had to do with the play of Walker. 

One other option the Galaxy have is to start A.J. DeLaGarza on the right wing and push Ishizaki to the left. DeLaGarza, who started the 2015 season on the bench, played a vital role in an advanced position against Real Salt Lake in the second leg of the Western Conference semifinals. 

If Arena needs to switch up his game plan, he could call on the league veteran to start. DeLaGarza would also bring a defensive-minded approach to the pitch, which could help against some of the league's top attacks. 

Keane should be able to easily hit the back of the net on at least 10 occasions in 2015, and if Zardes continues his progression, he should be able to work well off the Republic of Ireland international. 

If the midfielders can hold down the fort behind them, Zardes and Keane will only have to worry about searching for chances in the final third. If they remain in the vicinity of the opposing center-backs for the duration of the match, Zardes and Keane should be able to make crafty runs off each other to create scoring opportunities. 

When certain matches do not go their way, the Galaxy will also be able to bring a physical presence off the bench in the form of Alan Gordon. A fresh body and strong hold-up play could hand LA an extra edge during the waning moments of certain matches. 

When Gerrard arrives for his Galaxy debut, the service will obviously improve since the current Liverpool player has proven time and time again that he is a genius when it comes to setting up his teammates. 

The teams facing LA over the final few months of the season will also have to worry about defending Gerrard while finding a way to deal with Keane and Zardes. If the forward pair can get their chemistry down before the Englishman moves to California, the trio could wreak a ton of havoc in the stretch run of the season. 

If everything goes as planned, the Galaxy might form a cerebral connection similar to the one formed by the players in the Seattle Sounders attack. If Gerrard does make that big of an impact on the Galaxy, we could be set for a legendary Western Conference Final between two of the top clubs in the league. 

While we may be a few months away from starting the Galaxy-Sounders comparison, there is plenty of potential for LA to match the terrific attack built by Seattle when Gerrard pulls on a Galaxy shirt for the first time. 

Until then, the Galaxy will continue to use a few different looks in midfield to adjust to the tactical setup of their opponents. 

Based off what we saw in Week 1, Arena should be able to use his assets in the right manner in order to remain near the top of the West. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. 

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