Newly signed Pele van Anholt settling in for the Galaxy’s defense

At home on the Galaxy back line is where you can find Pele Van Anholt.

The Dutch defender finally made his Galaxy debut in last week’s scoreless draw against the Seattle Sounders.

Van Anholt was signed July 12 after time with Willem II in the Eredivisie.

“It was a beautiful moment,” van Anholt said. “The big stadium, a lot of people in the stadium ….the (scoreless) draw can be better. I think we had a lot of chances and we have to score one of those chances.”

Communication is a key for the back four and the goalkeeper and that’s been somewhat of a problem this season with the Galaxy (6-10-5, 23 points) having to utilize so many different faces in both positions.

“Maybe a little different tactical stuff I have to learn,” he said. “I think in a few weeks, I will know everything.”

The time between his arrival and debut was welcomed as it helped van Anholt get settled to his new surroundings. He’s still living in a hotel, but is scheduled to move in an apartment shortly.

One big adjustment has been adjusting to the climate.

“I have to learn to play with this weather,” he said. “In the beginning, it was difficult. In Europe, there’s also a lot of rain, but I like this more because every day is sunny.”

Up next for van Anholt and the Galaxy is a difficult challenge today on the road against the Portland Timbers (11 a.m.; ESPN). Sigi Schmid said he liked what he saw from van Anholt last week.

“I thought he was good,” Schmid said. “I think it is important sometimes for players to play within themselves. I think he knew he knew where he was at physically, that he wasn’t 100 percent at the top level fitness and I thought he kept his game within himself and did what he needed to do. He was simple at the right times and also alert. I thought he had a good impact on the game for us.”

DOS SANTOS CLEARED

Jonathan dos Santos made the trip to Portland and will be available to make his Galaxy debut.

Dos Santos, who was signed as the Galaxy’s third designated player July 27, had to sit out of training until he received his P-1 Visa and International Transfer Certificate.

All of the important paperwork was cleared Saturday morning. Dos Santos will wear No. 8.

VIDEO REVIEW BEGINS IN MLS THIS WEEK

Major League Soccer is finally introducing Video Review starting with this week’s games.

The Galaxy’s game will be the first MLS game with Video Review on national television.

The Video Assistant Referee will be situated in the booth watching the game. The VAR will alert the head referee on “potential clear and obvious errors.” The only reviewable plays during a game are: goals, penalty kicks, straight red cards and mistaken identity.

“If you saw VAR used in the Confederations Cup, they had a few hiccups with it and it was because they didn’t have the learning curve that MLS has,” Schmid said. “The VAR that sits there for the game is probably going to be the 20th game that he’s actually done, whereas in the Confederations Cup, the guy was probably doing his second or third game.

“To get the important calls right, I think it’s worthwhile. They might review 20 or 30 plays, but there is maybe only one that requires a stoppage in play. The final decision always rests with the referee on the field.

“When they factored in the number of reviews over a number of games, it was .7 per game. I don’t want fans to think that there will be a lot of stoppages.”

GALAXY at PORTLAND TIMBERS

Kickoff: 11 a.m. at Providence Park; Portland

TV/Radio: ESPN; KTMZ/1220 (delayed – 12:30); KWKW/1330 (delayed, 1 p.m.); LAGalaxy.com (English)

Update: The game was moved up two hours due to forecasted high temperatures in the area. The Timbers (8-8-7) entered the weekend in fourth place in the Western Conference on 31 points. The teams met once in preseason and March 12 of the regular season. Portland won both games (2-1 and 1-0). Diego Valeri and Fanendo Adi are as dynamic an attacking duo in the league. Valeri leads Portland with 11 goals and Adi has 10. Valeri also has eight assists. The Galaxy will be without defenders Jelle Van Damme and Bradley Diallo (yellow-card accumulation).