Chances are you could easily tell the Los Angeles Galaxy that started the 2012 season from the one that stood at the podium at the end of the MLS Cup Final on Saturday as it accepted the Philip Anschutz Trophy as MLS champions for a second consecutive season.

The LA Galaxy that started the season certainly did not look like the team that had steamrolled through the 2011 season en route to the MLS Cup title, as injuries, absences and an apparent hangover from the 2011 season played a role in the team stumbling to a 3-8-1 start, yet anyone who appeared set to write the Galaxy’s 2012 eulogy back in May would’ve underestimated the battle-tested resolve displayed by this group of players over countless years, and that resolve was more than evident the second half of the season, as LA was one of the best teams the last part of the season and in the end, was the last team standing after yet another grueling MLS campaign.

“I think we made it easy last year because we were exceptional the whole year. This year was different because we made it hard for ourselves,” Galaxy midfielder David Beckham said. “We didn’t start well. Good teams and good character in teams become good at the right time. I think we showed that this year.”

Coming off a 2011 season which in addition to its MLS Cup title, included advancement to the knockout stages of the CONCACAF Champions League tournament and an undefeated year at the Home Depot Center, expectations were high for the Galaxy, which had just reacquired striker Edson Buddle to pair up with Robbie Keane as well as reacquiring Juninho on another loan after the Brazilian midfielder had signed a three-year contract with his main club, Sao Paulo. The Galaxy started off its 2012 season with two important matches, starting off with a CONCACAF Champions League match against Toronto FC in front of 45,000 rowdy fans at the Rogers Centre. The Galaxy fell behind 2-0, but eventually fought back for a 2-2 draw. LA then opened up the 2012 MLS Season at home against Real Salt Lake in a rematch of the Western Conference final from the previous season. LA took the lead midway through the second half, but allowed RSL to fin the back net three times and LA lost 3-1, its first home loss since the 2010 Western Conference final. That loss turned out to be a sign of things to come for the next three months.

The opening week loss to RSL was quickly followed by a 2-1 CCL loss to Toronto FC in the return leg, eliminating them from the tournament. The Galaxy got its first win of the season against DC United four days later, but that certainly was not enough to ward off what would eventually be a sluggish start to the season, with the low point coming on the last week before MLS embarked on a two-week international break. First came its first loss to Chivas USA in five years on May 19, then perhaps the most glaring result, a 3-2 home loss to the San Jose Earthquakes on May 23^rd in which it blew a two-goal lead. LA then lost to the Houston Dynamo 2-1 at BBVA Compass Stadium on May 26 and the Galaxy stood near the bottom of the Western Conference with a 3-8-1 record. LA was then eliminated from the US Open Cup by the Carolina Railhawks by the same score three days later.

“I was coming in maybe once a week when those hard times were happening and those days that I would come in, everyone’s heads would be down,” Galaxy Center Back Omar Gonzalez said.

The slow start could be attributed to a number of factors, such as injuries, as LA went without Center Back Gonzalez for the first four months of the season. Galaxy keeper Josh Saunders also missed some time as he went into the league’s substance abuse program. However, the long break in June that followed would provide an opportunity for the Galaxy to turn things around.

“When the season ended last year, we had an endless tour of obligations and we couldn’t put this 2011 season behind us. And I think, as I look back on, it finally came to a close when we went to the White House in May,” Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena said. “I just said ‘let’s put’ – I want to watch my language here – ‘this past us.’ And not only that but start focusing on getting things right.”

The attitude adjustment was evident the very week MLS play resumed. It started on June 17 at home against the Portland Timbers, as LA welcomed back Saunders between the pipes and the result was a 1-0 win, its first shutout win of the season. The biggest result of that week however came on June 20, as the Galaxy traveled to Utah to face Real Salt Lake. The Galaxy fell behind by two goals, but came back with three unanswered goals to steal the three points from RSL. LA wrapped up that week with a 3-0 home win over the then third-place Vancouver Whitecaps on June 23.

“The guys responded well, but oddly enough in June we still had a horrible run, but you could see things were getting better,” Arena said. “There was an important game, I think a lot of guys mentioned it, when we won in Salt Lake, which was just a character test. You could see that we kind of got that back and then we literally battled every day.”

Slowly but surely, the pieces started to fall back in place for the Galaxy. Gonzalez returned to the lineup on Independence Day, but more importantly, striker Robbie Keane also rediscovered his scoring touch. After scoring three goals the first half of the season, Keane returned after representing Ireland in the European Championships and started finding the back net often, scoring 13 goals to finish with a total of 16 goals on the season. Also rounding into spectacular form was Juninho, who also struggled the first half of the season, but emerged in the second half, scoring seven goals, most of them on his trademark long-range volleys. LA also played with its 2011 championship backline of Gonzalez, Center Back AJ DeLaGarza, Left Back Todd Dunivant and Right Back Sean Franklin for the first time in 2012 on August 12 against Chivas USA and looked every bit the part, neutralizing Chivas’ attack and marching onto a 4-0 win that night, which began a run in which it would earn clean sheets in five of its next seven matches, which included two CONCACAF Champions’ League matches.

“I think Bruce’s experience just took over and said ‘we’re going to be fine,’ (and) we ended being just that,” Gonzalez said. “In the very middle of the season everyone started turning around and everything turned out the way Bruce said.”

LA got as high as second place during that run, but eventually had to settle for fourth place in the Western Conference. The Galaxy’s mettle was certainly tested during its playoff run, as it erased a one-goal deficit in the one-game playoff match against Vancouver, then fell behind by a goal on aggregate in the semifinal series against San Jose as the Earthquakes stole the first leg at the Home Depot Center with yet another late goal. Heading to San Jose midweek for the second leg at Buck Shaw Stadium, the Galaxy weren’t fazed, running out to a three-goal lead in the first half of the last leg against the recently crowned Supporters’ Shield winner Quakes and eventually coming out with a 3-2 aggregate win. Against Seattle in the conference final, LA raced out to a 3-0 home win in the first leg, but held on for dear life in a hostile atmosphere at CenturyLink Field, as Seattle closed to within a goal of the Galaxy before a Robbie Keane penalty restored some breathing room and LA came out with the win.

“Being successful doesn’t come easy. You have to work on it, (and) I think we provided that this year,” Beckham said. “All the way through the season, we had players out of games and young players and players that weren’t in the starting 11 come into the game and perform. This game and this championship is about the whole squad, not just the starting 11.”

If there was ever a time to show the value of Omar Gonzalez to the Los Angeles Galaxy, it was during the first four months of the 2012 season.

Gonzalez had missed the first four months of the season after suffering an ACL tear in his left knee while training with German side FC Nuremberg. The Galaxy surely felt his absence during that time, as they went 3-8-1, surrendered an alarmingly amount of goals during that time while going through a succession of Center Backs to fill his spot alongside fellow CB AJ DeLaGarza, so it’s no coincidence that his return has helped spark the Galaxy to a second half turnaround culminating in its second straight MLS Cup, with the 6-5 Defender playing a vital role in the LA backline against the Houston Dynamo on Saturday afternoon.

“Omar’s a good player, he’s a big defensive body, great in the air (and) we knew that coming in,” Dynamo midfielder Brad Davis said. He played a very good game and a player like that who’s on top of his game is tough to beat.”

Of course, Gonzalez’s worth to the Galaxy was evident as far back as his rookie season. Drafted out of the University of Maryland with the third overall pick in the 2009 MLS Superdraft, Gonzalez was expected to turn around the fortunes of a Galaxy backline that had given up over 60 goals in 2008. Gonzalez certainly did just that, as he and college teammate AJ DeLaGarza asserted themselves on the Galaxy backline that had 11 shutouts that season as the Galaxy reached the MLS Cup Final that season only to lose to Real Salt Lake on penalties.

Gonzalez had another stellar campaign in 2010 and parlayed that into his first call-up to the United States National Team in August in a friendly against Brazil and continued to impress in 2011, winning MLS Defender of the Year honors while helping the Galaxy to its first MLS Cup title since 2005. Gonzalez parlayed all that into a trial run with German side FC Nuremberg. However, the stint ended almost as quickly began, as on the first day of training, he suffered an ACL tear in his left knee. Ironically, the tear occurred during a collision with possible US teammate Timothy Chandler.

Gonzalez’s status for the 2012 season ranged anywhere from eight months to perhaps being lost for the entire season. The Galaxy certainly felt his absence during that time. In addition to its 3-8-1 start, the Galaxy were leaking in goals similar to its 2008 performance. Some of those glaring moments were letting in three unanswered goals in its season opener against Real Salt Lake and allowing the San Jose Earthquakes to come back from two-goal deficits in two meetings. The Galaxy struggled to find a suitable replacement for Gonzalez alongside DeLaGarza, starting players such as Tommy Meyer, Andrew Boyens, David Junior Lopes and Bryan Gaul on Gonzalez’s spot.

While the Galaxy were struggling early on, Gonzalez was working hard to get himself back in game shape, and made his return to the lineup much sooner than expected, on July 4 against Philadelphia. His return at first didn’t net immediate returns, but that quickly changed, as the Galaxy went through a run during August and September that saw them earn clean sheets in four straight matches. The Galaxy finished fourth in the Western Conference, but defied the odds to reach Saturday’s final, where Gonzalez turned the game into his personal showcase, using his 6-5 frame every way he could, from marking Dynamo forwards Will Bruin and Calen Carr to asserting himself in the air by cutting off long balls, corners or set pieces to scoring the equalizer via a header off a Juninho cross in the 61st minute.

“Everything was working for him tonight,” Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear said. “He’s the type of player, you can move him around. They take advantage, they’re flipping balls up in the air. It happens, but I think he’s been probably the turning point in their season was when he got healthy because a lot of things were good going forward but maybe not as strong defensively. I think he’s definitely an important part of their back four.”

Gonzalez actually could have had a brace on Saturday, but a potential go-ahead goal off a David Beckham corner was disallowed after referee Silviu Petrescu ruled that Gonzalez had held down his marker. Still, his performance on Saturday made him the first defender to win the game’s Most Valuable Player award.

“It just turned out to be an amazing season for me, myself, the organization,” Gonzalez said. “It’s just truly outstanding players and friends on this team that I’ve made. It’s been a really special year.”

Gonzalez’s first United States call-up was against Brazil on August 10, 2010, though the general consensus surrounding both the Galaxy and Dynamo, especially after the Final was that more caps could be in store for Gonzalez in the near future.

“He’s a young player with a lot of talent,” David Beckham said. “I hope someday that he will play for the U.S. national team more regularly because he deserves it. He deserved the MVP today and are very lucky to have a young player with his talent on this team.”

Making his first public appearence regarding the status of Chivas USA since acquiring sole ownership of the club late this past Summer, Jorge Vergara outlined his future plans for the club, which he says will include a more closer affiliation with its parent club, C.D. Chivas Guadlajara, a new head coach, and what he hopes will be a new stadium in downtown Los Angeles.

“We want to bring back the concept that we started when we decided to become Chivas USA,” Vergara said. “It’s a team that has to become an extension of Chivas Mexico with a different philosophy in a sense of the players, but with the same philosophy of how to play football, how to be exciting, how to be spectacular, and of course, how to be successful.”

The team was founded on August 29, 2004 and began play in Major League Soccer in 2005. After a dismal inagural season in which it went 4-22-6, Chivas started to turn the corner, making the playoffs for the next four seasons, the first in 2006 under Bob Bradley and the last three under Preki. Chivas USA’s best season came in 2007, when it went 15-7-8 and won the Western Conference regular season title, but for all the success it enjoyed in the regular season during that span, it could never translate that success into the playoffs, as the team lost in the first round all four years, and the team’s playoff failures from 2007 to 2009 eventually cost Preki his job. The last three years have been forgetable for the Goats, as they have went 23-50-24 over the last three seasons, finishing at or close to the bottom of the Western Conference each time.

Vergara cited two factors for the club’s recent struggles. One factor was the attempt by Chivas USA management to distance themselves from that of Chivas Guadalajara. Vergara pointed out that he offered his U.S. counterparts the services of Manchester United’s Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez for a season, but was rebuffed by the Chivas USA staff. Another factor Vergara cited was Chivas USA’s attempt to emulate the style of most MLS teams, which relied mostly on strength and athleticism.

“We became nothing,” Vergara said. “We didn’t play like the U.S. and we didn’t play like the Mexicans, we played like nothing, and the best proof was the last season we had.”

One of the many questions that Vergara addressed was the management structure of the team. He stated that Jose Domene, the team’s General Manager, will remain as the team’s Administrative Director and that Johan Cryuff will come on as an advisor, a role he currenlty serves with Chivas Guadalajara. One of the first tasks for the new administration is to choose a replacement for Robn Fraser, who was fired as head coach last week. Vergara stated he hopes to have a head coach in placewithin the next ten days and that Cruyff will be the main desicion-maker on the new head coach. Vergara said that they looked at canidates from Mexico, Argentina, and the Netherlands.

Another pressing issure for Chivas is its quest to find its own stadium. It’s no secret that Vergara prefers a stadium located near downtown Los Angeles and one site that has been talked about is a site at the LA Memorial Coliseum in cohorts with USC. In that scenario, the stadium would be built at the current site of the LA Sports Arena. Vergara said he hopes to restart those talks with USC to see if they’re still interested. Vergara also said that he has had overtures from other cities to move his team there, but was adamant that the team would be staying in Los Angeles for the near future.

Perhaps the most important man in the young history of Major League Soccer has put one of the league’s most valuable teams on the market.

Late yesterday, it was announced that Phillip Anschutz, the Denver-based billionaire in charge of Anschutz Entertainment Group, a sports and entertainment subsidiary of the Anschutz Corporation, announced that AEG, which owns the Los Angeles Galaxy and the Home Depot Center, in addition to numerous sports entities, would be put up for sale.

Anschutz is revered for investing in a sport, let alone a league, at a time when such an investment was considered risky. Anschutz was one of the co-founders of Major League Soccer in 1995 and its first franchise it owned was the Colorado Rapids. Anschutz eventually came to own the Galaxy as well as the Chicago Fire, DC United, Kansas City Wizards (now Sporting KC) and the New York Metrostars (now the NY Red Bulls). AEG also owned the San Jose Earthquakes when it moved to Houston and became the Dynamo in 2006 and won MLS Cups in 2006 and 2007 and a new Earthquakes franchise was eventually reborn in San Jose in time for the 2008 season. Overtime, Anschutz eventually divested himself of those teams and the Dynamo are in the process of being sold, most likely to Houston Rockets owner Leslie Alexander. AEG built the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA for the Galaxy in 2003 and paved the way for other Soccer-Specific-Stadium projects in Chicago, Houston and New York.

The Los Angeles Galaxy took a step towards reinforcing the depth of its lineup ahead of the stretch run of the MLS season on Wednesday, as the team announced it had signed Swedish midfielder Christian Wilhelmsson.

The 32-year old Wilhelmsson has played in numerous countries since his career began in 1997, starting out with Swedish club Mjallby, where he played there until 2000 and scored 11 goals in 51 appearences. Wilhelmsson then moved to Norwegian club Stabæk, where he spent another three years and scored 25 goals in 84 appearences. Wilhelmsson then moved to famed Belgian club Anderlecht, helping them to league titles in 2004 and 2006. Recently, Wilhelmsson has had stints in France, Italy, England, Spain and more recently, with Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal.

Wilhelmsson had also represented Sweden, collecting 78 caps and playing in the 2006 World Cup and the 2008 European Championships. Wilhelmsson is currently awaiting P-1 visa and International Transfer Certificate (ITC) and if all goes according to plan, he could make his debut on Friday, September 14 against the Colorado Rapids at the Home Depot Center.

Chivas USA has undergone a major shakeup at the top, and where that leads the franchise from here on out remains to be seen.

Jorge Vergara, owner of Chivas Guadalajara and part owner of the Los Angeles-based MLS club since its inception, annoucend on Wednesday that he along with his wife, Omnilife CEO Angelica Fuentes, had bought out the stake owned by Antonio and Lorenzo Cue and are now fully in control of the club.

“It has been an exciting time for Major League Soccer and we are proud of the role that we played in the growth of the League,” Antonio Cué said in a statement.  “We have enjoyed our time with Chivas USA, and we would like to thank our fellow MLS owners and the League office.”

The Cue brothers and Vergara founded the franchise in August of 2004 and the team began play in 2005 at the Home Depot Center, home of the Los Angeles Galaxy. After a subpar first season, the team was a perenial playoff team, making the playoffs from 2006-2009 and its highest honor came in 2007 when it won the regular season Western Conference title as well as that year’s Honda Spuerclasico against the Los Angeles Galaxy, the only year it has won the in-stadium series from its most prominent neighbor. The team however has never advanced past the first round of the playoffs in the four years it was there and has recently fallen on hard times, failing to make the playoffs the last two season and is in danger of missing out on the postseason for a third straight time. Despite rallying from a three-goal deficit to tie the New England Revolution on Wednesday at Gillette Stadium, Chivas USA still sits two spots out of the fifth and final playoff berth in the Western Conference and nine points back of the Vancouver Whitecaps, who currently occupy that fifth spot, though that hasn’t tempered Vergara’s enthusiasm about the future potential of the club.

“We are very excited about the future of Chivas USA,” stated Vergara.

In search of a much-needed spark to its roster, Chivas USA spent all of Thursday delivering some much-neeeded help on both sides of the ball just in time for the Honda SuperClasico.

First came the long-rumored acquisiton of Center Back Danny Califf from the Philadelphia Union, but then came the stunner, which was the acquisition of promising striker Juan Agudelo from the New York Red Bulls in exchange for defender Heath Pearce and allocation money.

Agudelo has long been regarded as a future superstar, both in MLS and on the U.S. National Team, since 2010, but has struggle for playing time in New York while playing behind the likes of Thierry Henry, Kenny Cooper and Luke Rodgers last season. The move out west for the teenage prodigy should afford him more playing time as well as the opportunity to pair up with Juan Pablo Angel and form one of the most dangerous striker tandems in the league, even if it meant giving up a versatile defenders in Heath Pearce, who split time between his natural Left Back spot and the Center Back position.

Califf’s potential move to Chivas USA had been rumored for about a week. In fact, Califf’s potential departure from Philadelphia all together has been basically a forgone conclusion since a falling out with head coach Piotr Novak early in the season. the longtime MLS veteran spent most of his career with the Los Angeles Galaxy, winning an MLS Cup title  in 2002 before stints with San Jose and later in Europe before joining Philadelphia in 2010. Calif was exchanged for Michael Lahoud and allocation money.

Both players are expected to jumpstart a 2012 season that hasn’t started out well so far. Chivas USA is currently eighth in the Western Conference and have only scored six goals all season while letting in 12 goals themselves. Agudelo and Califf are expected to be on the field for Saturday’s SuperClasico matchup against the Galaxy.

Fresh off its best season in years culminating with an MLS Cup, its right back to work for the Los Angeles Galaxy, and they’ll start off with a familiar foe.

Almost four months after dueling for the Western Conference title in November, the Galaxy will open defense of its MLS Cup against Real Salt Lake at the Home Depot Center on Saturday, and the intensity figures to be no different that from the last meeting back in November.

“We knew it was going to be a tough start to the season,” Galaxy midfielder Landon Donovan said. “Sometimes where you’re the champion, you hope to get a little easing into the league, but this is as good as it gets.”

In last year’s Western Conference final, the Galaxy jumped out early, as defender Omar Gonzalez drew a foul in the penalty box and Landon Donovan converted the penalty to put LA ahead. Salt Lake though equalized a mintue later, as a Javier Morales corner found the head of Jamison Olave, which then went to Alvaro Saborio, who punched in a header to tie the match. LA however broke through in the second half with goals from Mike Magee and Robbie Keane to seal its trip to the MLS Cup final. RSL was at an disadvantage entering the final, as their two center backs, Nat Borchers and Jamison Olave carried injuries stemming from its aggregate series against Seattle. Borchers was unable to got, but Olave gave it a ride, going 82 minutes that evening.

“Salt Lake is always difficult to play against,” Galaxy midfielder David Beckham said. “They play soccer in the right way, they have a lot of good players and experienced players.”

While RSL returns pretty much the same squad from last year, the Galaxy have been busy reloading for another run, bringing back striker Edson Buddle to pair up front with Robbie Keane as well as bringing back midfielder Juninho for another loan when it looked like they had lost him to his old club Sao Paulo. One big question mark remains for LA, and that is the absence of center back Omar Gonzalez, who is out with a torn ACL.

The Galaxy had its first menaingful competition of 2012 on Wednesday, as they faced off against Toronto FC in the first leg of the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions League in front of 47,568 at Rogers Centre. Toronto got out early, as goals from Ryan Johnson and Luis Silva staked TFC to an early two-goal lead. The Galaxy finally broke through with a goal from Mike Magee in the 29th minute and Landon Donovan’s goal in stoppage time salvaged the draw for Los Angeles.

Coming off a championship season for the first time in six years, the Los Angeles Galaxy appear to be even better heading into the 2012 season.

The 2011 season was a special one for the Galaxy, as they won its second straight Supporters Shield with an accumulation of 67 points. The Galaxy then defeated the New York Red Bulls in the two-game first round aggregate series, then outlasted Real Salt Lake in a classic Western Conference final before winning its first MLS Cup since 2005 on a cold wet Sunday November evening against the Houston Dynamo 1-0 in front of 30,000 plus at the Home Depot Center. During that span, the Galaxy went undefeated on its home ptich and also reached the knockout stage of the CONCACAF Champions League tournament, which it will resume on Wednesday as they head to Canada to face Toronto FC in the opening leg at Skydome.

But even as the champagne was flowing in the Galaxy clubhouse, question lingered around what the Galaxy would look like in 2012. Standout Brazilian midfielder Juninho had agreed to return to Sao Paulo on a three-year deal, Landon Donovan had returned to Everton on a short-term loan similar to his 2010 stint and striker Robbie Keane followed suit, albeit it to Aston Villa. To make matters even more complicated, 6-5 Center Back Omar Gonzalez tore his ACL during a stint with German Club FC Nuremberg and is feared lost for the season.

The biggest question however was the status of midfielder David Beckham, who enjoyed his best season since his much-hyped arrival in 2007, as he finished second in the league in assists, playing a part in 15 Galaxy goal last season. Even before his magnificent 2011 season, Beckham was gauging interest from several clubs abroad, with French club Paris Saint Germain being the most serious of the contenders for Beckham’s signature.

But while PSG went out of its way to court the English midfielder, the Galaxy kept a low profile, and in the end, they won out, as the Galaxy’s resurgence combined with family desires led Beckham to sign a two-year extension with LA.

Beckham’s decision to stay in LA could prove to be a good one. Thanks in large part to a slew of allocation money acquired during the calendar year, Galaxy General Manager/Head Coach Bruce Arena re-tooled the squad and as a result, the 2012 Galaxy could be even better than last season’s squad. The first major acquisition was actually a re-acquisition, as striker Edson Buddle re-joined the team after a short stint with German club Ingolstadt. Buddle’s last season in a Galaxy shirt was a memorable one, as he scored 17 goals in 2010 and coming in second in the Golden Boot race that season. Buddle is expected to form a formidable partnership up front with Robbie Keane.

That move however was only the beginning, as Juninho was reacquired on another loan from Sao Paulo. Juninho is expected to continue his stellar partnership alongside Beckham in central midfield. Juninho is not the only Brazilian midfielder on the squad, as LA signed Marcelo Sarvas during the offseason, presumably to fill Juninho’s spot in central midfield, now he will most likely be used strictly for depth, although he won’t be able to participate for the Galaxy in any remaining CCL games since he played in the tournament for L.D. Alajuelense during the group stages last year, ironically in the same group as the Galaxy.

Filling Gonzalez’s spot in central defense appears to be the only question mark for Los Angeles. As of right now, 6-4 Andrew Boyens appears to be the man to fill the void. The 28-year old New Zealand international had stints with Toronto FC and the New York Red Bulls prior to the upcoming season and will get his first opportunity to prove himself on Wednesday against Toronto.

The Galaxy will be thrown into the fire right from the get go. After its first leg of the CCL matchup against Toronto, LA will open the MLS regular season against Real Salt Lake on Saturday at the Home Depot Center in a rematch of last year’s Western Conference final, then comes the return leg of the CCL series against Toronto at the HDC a week from Wednesday.

Chalk up another win for the Los Angeles Galaxy.

Only this one wasn’t just for them, Continue Reading