Former opponents Robbie Rogers and Juninho will soon become teammates.
[View the story "Robbie Rogers joins Galaxy, Mike Magee exits" on Storify]
*The Seattle Sounders face a challenging few days that includes their trip to Southern California Sunday to face the Galaxy.
*Fair is fair: Here’s why Robbie Keane will miss MLS games with the Galaxy to play in exhibitions for Ireland.
*Meanwhile, the Galaxy’s Omar Gonzalez hasn’t left for U.S. National Team duty yet either. He will sign autographs in Carson from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday at the AT&T store, 20810 Avalon Blvd.
The Galaxy will play the Carolina Railhawks for the second consecutive season after the NASL club beat the Carolina Dynamo Tuesday night to reach the third round if the U.S. Open Cup. Kickoff is at 4:15 p.m. next Wednesday in Cary, N.C.
Chivas USA, meanwhile, will face the LA Blues after the USL pro outfit downed the Ventura Fusion 5-1 in Fullerton in the biggest blowout of the night Tuesday in the knockout competition. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Titan Stadium.
Chivas USA reached the semifinals last year before falling to eventual champion Seattle.
Later Wednesday U.S. Soccer released the fourth round draw, which paired the winner of the Chivas-Blues game with the winner of the Railhawks-Galaxy game.
The important part of this equation for local fans: if the Galaxy win they will host the fourth round game 7:30 p.m. June 12.
You can read the weekly soccer column here.
Noted: I received an email today from U.S. Soccer observing that the Gold Cup is not precisely “utterly superfluous” as I wrote in today’s column given this April announcement. Point taken. Now it’s just mostly superfluous (and, of course, the Confederations Cup is so highly rated, too). Ahem.
In other news today:
Today’s not unexpected news that former Galaxy midfielder David Beckham will retire at the end of the European season, elicited these responses today from the Galaxy:
“The LA Galaxy would like to congratulate David Beckham on the completion of his 20-year career in the sport of soccer,” Galaxy President Chris Klein said. “His six seasons with the Galaxy saw the club reach unprecedented heights, highlighted by our back-to-back MLS Cup championships in 2011 and 2012. David was a tremendous ambassador for our club and our league and it was an incredible honor in having him wear the Galaxy colors. We join the world in celebrating all of his achievements in the sport and look forward to continuing his relationship with our club.”
“Today is a day to celebrate David Beckham and the completion of his fabulous career,” said coach Bruce Arena. “In addition to being such a great player, David is also a great personality, a great teammate, a great friend and family man. He is a person that you cannot replace, on the field or off and our club is in a better position for having him play for us in the six years that he did.”
Check out highlights of his Galaxy career on YouTube here.
In a spectacular public illustration of his desire for a spot on the U.S. Men’s National Team roster and his value to coach Jurgen Klinsmann ahead of upcoming friendlies against Belgium and Germany, the Galaxy’s Landon Donovan put on a show in LA’s 4-1 win Wednesday over the Philadelphia Union.
The roster will be was released this afternoon (and Donovan was not on it).
A goal and two assists for #LAGalaxy ‘s Landon Donovan as LA score 4 in #Philadelphia. Yup, too bad he’s not ready for #USMNT yet (ahem).
— Nick Green (@LAsoccerblog) May 16, 2013
Here’s what Donovan had to say.
And there’s more reaction here.
What do you think?
The Galaxy plays the winner of the second round game between the NASL Carolina Railhawks and PDL Carolina Dynamo on the road in North Carolina May 29, while Chivas USA faces the victor of the LA Blues-Ventura County Fusion match-up on the road in either Fullerton or Ventura May 28.
U.S. Soccer announced the third round match-ups today.
With the Galaxy reportedly chasing the signature of Rolling Hills Estates’ Robbie Rogers Irishman Robbie Keane is set to return for LA against the Union today in Philadelphia (4:30 p.m. TWC).
It’s a game the Galaxy needs to arrest their recent decline in form, but the Union are wary.
There’s a romance to the under-appreciated U.S. Open Cup I’ve especially appreciated since watching obscure Roma FC lose to the Galaxy a few years back (wonderfully named and stylish midfielder Quavas Kirk scored the winner, if I recall, with a beautifully struck shot that was the highlight of his brief Galaxy career) at the HDC Track & Field Stadium, the LA Riot Squad boozing it up behind one net in a fenced off beer garden.
(And I’ve still got the red Roma T-shirt I bought for $10 the club were selling to finance their cup run).
So while I was occupied with far more mundane matters Tuesday night, the Ventura County Fusion were scoring twice in the last 13 minutes to come from behind in battling FA Cup fashion in the first round of the U.S. Open Cup and dispatch Agoura Hills-based FC Hasental.
Classic. And in the next round the Fusion plays the LA Blues (of Orange County) at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Titan Stadium.
Yeah, there were familiar names involved in games last night: the Sounders (whose David Geno became the stuff of cup legend with four goals in the U-23 teams’ win over Doxa Italia), Timbers, Red Bulls.
But there was the unfamilar, yet evocative, names too Tuesday that invoked the spirt of the tournament:
I could go on. Or you could just click here for a full run down of the night’s action.