American Soccer News

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

It didn’t feel like one day, or even a whole season was riding on Sunday night’s MLS Cup matchup. Continue Reading

The Galaxy will be finishing its season at the Home Depot Center approximately two weeks from now. Continue Reading

After the feistiness of the first leg of the two-game Western Conference playoff series between the Los Angeles Galaxy and New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena on Sunday, the return leg at the Home Depot Center on Thursday night was sure to be entertaining.

The two teams delivered alright. An early New York goal, followed by one player who quickly asserted himself as the Galaxy fans’ public enemy No. 1 and an overall gutsy effort from David Beckham was followed by two LA goals, which were more than enough to send Los Angeles back into the Western Conference final courtesy of a 2-1 win over the Red Bulls.

“Certainly a difficult game tonight,” Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena said. “Our players showed the kind of character they did to get back in the game in the first half and have a pretty good second half.”

The win clinches a two-goal victory over New York and brings LA to its third straight conference final, where the only obstacle standing between them and what would be literally a home game in the MLS Cup final two weeks from Sunday evening will be Real Salt Lake, the team that denied them the 2009 MLS Cup in Seattle.

“We played a decent game,” Red Bulls head coach Hans Backe said. “We gave it a go for 90 minutes and I would say it was two even games.”

Trailing in the match 1-0 and tied on the aggregate from the fourth minute on, LA was on the offensive for most of the half, but found the go-ahead goal elusive. In the 38th minute, Chris Birchall launched a long volley was collected by Rost, but he spilled it back into play towards Keane. Rost though recovered and stuck his left hand out at Keane’s rebound attempt just enough to prevent the goal. LA’s chance finally came in the 41st minute, as Beckham’s corner went into the box and Magee headed the ball over Rost and into the back net for the match equalizer and aggregate lead.

“We dropped a little too deep after our goal and gave LA too much possession in the first half,” Backe said.

LA then got its chance to put the series on ice in the second half. It started in the 74th minute when Beckham had the ball inside the 18. Beckham, who had been physically mangled by the Red Bulls for most of the night, received a boot by Roy Miller near his neck, thereby forcing referee Hilario Grajeda to whistle for the penalty spot. Donovan did the rest a minute later, as Rost went right and Donovan went left for LA’s second goal of the match and what proved to be an insurmountable two-goal aggregate lead.

Despite playing a goal down against a Galaxy side that had not lost at home all season, New York showed that they weren’t simply going to step aside for the Galaxy. In the fourth minute, Thierry Henry sent a ball forward for Luke Rodgers, who sprinted past Omar Gonzalez into the penalty area and proceeded to beat Josh Saunders far post to give the Red Bulls the aggregate equalizer.

Rodgers though was just getting started. The controversial English striker tried to disposes David Beckham on the ensuing restart, but his studs up challenge instead resulted in a yellow card. Rodgers was fortunate to avoid a sendoff in the ninth minute while chasing down a forward ball. Rodgers didn’t keep the ball alive, but he also didn’t win any further popularity contests with the fans when he launched a dangerous howler into the crowd, further enraging the LA fans.

“We started off bad and it wasn’t what we had planned,” Beckham said. “It was a dissapointing start, but the way we adjusted ourselves showed the character of our team.”

LA’s first chance came in the ninth minute when Beckham led a Galaxy break and fired a rocket on target, but sailed an inch over the crossbar. Momentum looked to further swing towards the Galaxy in the 16th minute when midfielder Teemu Tainio had to leave the match with what coach Hans Backe stated was a hamstring injury.

However, a scary moment occured for the Galaxy around the 28th minute when Beckham collided with Dane Ricahrds. The collision looked to further aggravate the back spasms that had plagued him throughout the season. Beckham was in a state of wooziness for several minutes, to a point which smelling salts had to be applied, but Beckham somehow shook it off and made his way back onto the pitch.

“They would’ve had to carry him off the field tonight.” Landon Donovan said of Beckham’s effort.

For Los Angeles, they move on despite the absence of midfielder Juninho, who was serving a one-match suspension due a red card given for his role in the post-match fireworks during Sunday’s first leg. Chris Birchall filled in Juninho’s spot and started off slowly, but recovered to turn in a solid performance as the match went on.

“He had Henry, he had about four other guys buzzing around in the middle of the field and he did an amazing job doing it by himself,” Mike Magee said of Birchall’s effort. “You can’t say enough good things about the things Birchie did tonight.”

LA now looks ahead to its mouth-watering matcup with incoming Real Salt Lake for the Western Conference championship. The match is set for Sunday evening.

Los Angeles Galaxy 2, New York Red Bulls 1
Western Conference semifinal, second leg
November 3, 2011; Home Depot Center

Scoring Summary
NY – Luke Rodgers (Thierry Henry) 4
LA – Mike Magee (David Beckham) 42
LA – Landon Donovan (Penalty) 75

Discipline Summary
NY – Luke Rodgers (Unsporting Behavior) 5
LA – Landon Donovan (Unsporting Behavior) 46+
NY – Thierry Henry (Reckless Tackle) 61
NY – Jan Gunnar Solli (Tactical Foul) 81

New York Red Bulls – Frank Rost, Jan Gunnar Solli, Stephen Keel, Tim Ream, Roy Miller, Dane Richards, Dax McCarty (Juan Agudelo 64), Teemu Tainio (Stephen Auvray 17), Joel Lindpere (Medhi Ballouchy 87), Luke Rodgers, Thierry Henry.

Substitutes not used – Bouna Condoul, Carlos Mendes, Matt Kassel.

Los Angeles Galaxy – Josh Saunders, Sean Franklin, Omar Gonzalez, AJ DeLaGarza, Todd Dunivant, Landon Donovan, David Beckham (Michael Stephens 78), Chris Birchall, Mike Magee, Chad Barrett (Adam Cristman 81), Robbie Keane (Paolo Cardozo 89).

Substitutes not used – Donovan Ricketts, Frankie Hejduk, Dasan Robinson, Jovan Kirovski.

Referee: Hilario Grajeda
Assistants: Kermit Quisenberry, Paul Scott
Fourth Official: Ramon Hernandez
Weather: Partly Cloudy and 63 degrees
Attendance: 20,000
Time of match: 1:53

Fresh off its win over archrival that saw it’s newest star score its his debut, the Los Angeles Galaxy now resumes its quest to advance in CONCACAF Champions League Play when they host Costa Rican superpower LD Alajuelense at the Home Depot Center.

The two teams head into its matchup tied for first in Group A. The Galaxy got off to a good start in the tournament last Tuesday when it defeated Honduran club CD Motagua 2-0. Adam Cristman started things off with a strike in the 13th minute and Landon Donovan’s goal early in the second half was all LA needed to assert themselves in a very tough Group A, as evidenced by Alajuelense upsetting Mexico’s Monarcas Morelia on its home turf last week.

More recently, the Galaxy defeated the San Jose Earthquakes 2-0 on a memorable Saturday night at the Home Depot Center. The Galaxy unveiled the latest splashy namel, Ireland striker Robbie Keane, to Los Angeles and he did not dissapoint, scoring his first ever MLS goal in the 20th minute, and a second half stoppage time strike from Mike Magee sealed the three points for Los Angeles. The Galaxy lead the Western Conference standings with 51 points, which is also the highest point total in MLS.

Alajuelense is one of the most storied clubs in Central America. The La Liga, as they’re also known by, have won 26 Costa Rican titles, and are the reigning league champions. Alajuelense has also had success on the international level, winning the inagural CONCACAF tournament in 1986 when it was known as the CONCACAF Champions Cup. It won another Champions Cup in 2004 and has made it to the final three other times. Alajuelense has also won three UNCAF titles and participated in the Copa Sudamericana in 2006 and also the Copa Merconorte in 2000.

Keller Serves Up Beers and Stories to Seattle Fans at the Atlantic Crossing

It was a beautiful night in Seattle last Wednesday and the beers were flowing at Atlantic Crossing for the Kasey Keller-Arlo White meet and greet.  Arlo and Kasey make a great pair on the microphone with a lot of interesting banter covering the Sounders games, EPL and Kaseys’ stories from his successful career overseas and of course the topic all of Seattle is interested in his retirement and what will happen next for Keller.

Kasey will be hanging up his boots after this season with the Sounders and is optimistic about finishing with some hardware in the case as the team is playing really well. When asked about retiring when he is clearly still able to perform as a top goalkeeper in the MLS, Kasey simply said he didn’t want to “fade away”. He wanted to end his career playing well and not by pushing it until the fire has burnt out. He feels good about where he is at right now and rumor has it he’s just ready to relax with his family off the pitch.

There is a clear void coming to the Sounders in the leadership dept after Keller leaves. Keller is definitely the most qualified and best captain for the Sounders and when asked about who might fill his role after his departure, Kasey seemed unsure.  ”I believe it is going to be central position on the field, a player that sees the game from the middle of the field and can lead from that position.” But who that would be he could not predict, Osvaldo Alonso was one person that he mentioned that shows potential but the Sounders will be missing out on a key leader and player for next year. He did not seem to be showing any signs of “favre-esc” wavering, he will retire.

The Atlantic Crossing bar and Budweiser presented this night through Rezin Marketing with giveaways and promos. Kasey is a true talent on the microphone and from the looks of things he should be doing more work with Arlo broadcasting we hope.

There’s about two months left in the 2011 MLS season, but the Los Angeles Galaxy hope Saturday’s match against the San Jose Earthquakes is the start of something big.

When the Galaxy play the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday, the Galaxy will unveil its latest and brightest acquisition to date, as celebrated Ireland international Robbie Keane will make his debut for the Galaxy Saturday night at the Home Depot Center.

“Robbie is a fabulous addition to our team,” Galaxy general manager and head coach Bruce Arena said. “We’ve lacked a little bit in the final third of the field (and) Robbie is a player with a proven goal-scoring record .

It’s been a busy week for both Keane and the Galaxy. Keane’s acquisition by the Galaxy had been rumored since last Friday, but the two sides did not officially seal the deal until this past Monday, part of the deal included a hefty transfer fee being paid to Keane’s now former employer, Tottenham Hotspur. Keane then had to wait for a visa, which he received on Wednesday, then immediately arrived in LA on Thursday to a warm reception from Galaxy fans. Keane trained with the team on Friday and was formally introduced to the media shortly after.

“It’s been a hectic 6-7 days for me,” Keane said. “It’s a very exciting opportunity for me, its something that I’m going to relish, something that I’m really looking forward to and bringing something different to the team and score a lot of goals.”

Keane is expected to boost the Galaxy’s offense, which has been absent at times even as Los Angeles has amassed itself to the top of the league. Keane takes the Galaxy’s third Designated Player spot from Juan Pablo Angel, who was traded to Chivas USA shortly after Keane’s arrival was made official. LA hopes Keane’s presence can surpass that of Angel, who in his five months wearing the Galaxy shirt, had only three goals to justify his occupation of the Galaxy’s third DP spot. Keane on the other hand has scored 156 goals while playing for eight different clubs across Eurpoe, mainly in England. Keane has also scored 51 goals playing for Ireland. Keane insists playing in MLS will have no bearing on his future with the Irish national team as it attempts to qualify for the European championships next summer.

“The most important thing to do is do what you do best, and that is to play well and score goals,” Keane said.

Keane joins a Galaxy side that is among the best in MLS. Los Angeles has a record of 13-3-9 points 48 points. Landon Donovan leads the team in scoring with 11 goals, one behind another international superstar, New York Red Bulls forward Thierry Henry, in the race for the golden boot. The goals after that though have been very sparse, as striker Chad Barrett is second with just four goals this year. Most of the Galaxy’s goals have been supplied by the right foot of Beckham, whose 10 assists places him one behind the Houston Dynamo’s Brad Davis for the league lead.

Oh, did we mention the Galaxy are playing the San Jose Earthquakes. One year removed from getting to within a win of the MLS Cup final, the Quakes are now fighting just to stay in the hunt for the playoffs. It is unknown whether or not Keane will start the match, though Arena and Keane speculated that Keane will play some significant time on Saturday.

“I can tell you one thing; Robbie wants to play about 100 minutes,” Arena said. “We want to be smart, we realize there’s been a lot of travel and we don’t want to position him to be injured.”

The two teams met back on June 24 at Back Shaw Stadium. The meeting featured some very strange circumstances. The Galaxy’s starting keeper, Donovan Ricketts, making his return between the pipes after representing Jamaica in the Gold Cup, left the game with an arm injury on a collision, then backup keeper Josh Saunders was red carded after a confrontation with Steven Lenhart. The Galaxy turned to midfielder Mike Magee to be the last line of defense and amazingly succeeded, making four saves and helping Los Angeles get the shutout and the point.