July 2007 Archives

The group phase of SuperLiga concludes today and Wednesday with the Galaxy visiting Dallas at 5p.m. and CD Guadalajara and CF Pachuca following that game from Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Denver. Both games are live on Telefutura.

Overshadowing the Galaxy game, however, is the latest no-show by David Beckham due to his sensitive ankle.

Here's my take on that from my regular weekly column.

Below is the Group A table and the scenario that needs to unfold for teams to advance:

Group A W L T Pts. GD
CD Guadalajara 1 0 1 4 +1
LA Galaxy 1 1 0 3 0
FC Dallas 0 0 2 2 0
CF Pachuca 0 1 1 1 -1

Group A Scenarios
A win or a tie by Guadalajara against Pachuca would assure Chivas a spot in the semifinals.
A win by the LA Galaxy against FC Dallas would qualify the team to the semifinals. If the Galaxy tie, they would need a loss or tie by Pachuca in the other group match, in order for the Galaxy to be guaranteed of qualification.
A win by FC Dallas against LA Galaxy would qualify the team to the semifinals.
If Pachuca defeats Guadalajara AND either LA Galaxy or FC Dallas WINS, then Pachuca moves on to the semifinals.
If Pachuca wins and LA Galaxy and FC Dallas draw, the three teams would have four points.

The first tiebreaker is head-to-head competition between the tied clubs, the second is goal difference and the third is goals scored. You don't want to know the fourth.

For more on Wednesday's games visit the SuperLiga Web site.

Meanwhile on Monday Chivas USA reserves (3-1-2) defeated their Kansas City counterparts.

From the (edited) Chivas USA press release:

"Rookie forward Anthony Hamilton (U.C. Irvine) scored two goals for the Red-and-White, including the 72nd-minute winner, while former Chivas de Guadalajara midfielder Rodrigo López recorded two assists. Defender Bobby Burling also scored for Chivas USA, while Yura Movsisyan (Pasadena City College) and Will John added goals for the home side. Sueño MLS Winner Jorge Flores of Anaheim, signed last week to a developmental contract by Chivas USA, made his debut for the reserves."

Finally today, the UCLA men’s soccer team has been tabbed as the pre-season No. 1 by College Soccer News.

Here's the (edited) UCLA press release:

"The Bruins return eight starters from last year’s national finalist squad, including top two goal scorers David Estrada and Jason Leopoldo, U.S. Under-20 international Tony Beltran and Palos Verdes Estates' Kyle Nakazawa.

UCLA plays 10 games against Top 30 teams, including three straight to open the season on the road (No. 11 Notre Dame Aug. 31, No. 8 Indiana Sept. 2 and No. 21 Creighton Sept. 8).

Here's the College Soccer News Pre-Season Top 10:

1. UCLA
2. Duke
3. UC Santa Barbara
4. Wake Forest
5. Santa Clara
6. Virginia
7. SMU
8. Indiana
9. Maryland
10. New Mexico

The David Beckham road show has been delayed with Galaxy Coach Frank Yallop confirming at training this morning what was widely suspected: Beck's will not travel with the team to Dallas' sold out Pizza Hut Park and remain home rehabbing his still-injured left ankle.

Beckham is now targeting Sunday's MLS game against Toronto F.C. for a return to the field, Yallop said, although that will be played on artificial turf in Canada, which is hard on even completely healthy knees and ankles.

"He's going to start running on it ... tomorrow, so he can get on it and see what it feels like," Yallop said. "He's got to get rid of the pain."

Also out for Tuesday's final SuperLiga group game: Kyle Martino (groin) and Cobi Jones, who was undergoing an MRI Monday to determine the severity of a deep hip strain it's hoped is not a tear.

I'll have more on Beckham's health woes in Tuesday's column.

Rookie striker John Cunliffe got his first-ever MLS goal, but couldn't stop Chivas USA from losing Sunday, while Pasadena City College's Yura Movsisyan was the hero for the Wizards. Former Galaxy forward Joseph Ngwenya also scored in SuperLiga action for Houston. Details are here.

We'll find out this morning if David Beckham plays tomorrow against Dallas; with a month on the road looming the Galaxy have opened training to the media.

Cuauhtemoc Blanco and the Chicago Fire are visiting Toronto F.C. right now live on Telefutura (the game started at noon). If you've never seen a game from the stadium where David Beckham will allegedly make his MLS debut Saturday, you might want to check it out. The atmosphere is the best in MLS.

Meanwhile, here's a roundup of Saturday's soccer action including SuperLiga, MLS and the U.S. Women's National Team.

South (Torrance) High's Shannon Boxx may have awakened this morning with a headache after clashing heads with an opponent Saturday, but she did score her first goal for the U.S. women since her serious knee injury, so that's worth a few more game details.

Southern California youngsters continue to excel at the national championships.

In other games today, Club America visits D.C. United while Morelia meets the Houston Dynamo in back to back SuperLiga games that begin at 5 p.m. on Telefutura.

An hour earlier over on Prime Ticket, Chivas USA takes on the Wizards.

Finally, while this has little to do with soccer in Southern California, it's somewhat comforting to know there is one unifying force in Iraq.

Here's more on the actual game.

Updated 3:45 p.m. Can you wait a decade for the World Cup to return to North America?.

I'm betting Canada would be the No. 1 nation on FIFA's list since it has never hosted the event and just put on the successful Under-20 version.

Still, 10 years give us enough time to replace the Coliseum with something resembling a world class soccer venue. Doesn't it?

The game wasn't as close as the scoreline suggests, with Chivas notching a comprehensive win tonight against a thoroughly outclassed Galaxy team, which became the first American side to lose so far in SuperLiga.

The first goal came in the 59th minute when Francisco Rodriguez outjumped a ruck of players to latch onto an Omar Esparza cross.

The second came in the 82nd minute when Galaxy defender Abel Xavier couldn't quite cut out a Ramon Morales cross that was met by substitute Omar Bravo, Chivas' top scorer last season.

The Galaxy pulled one back in the 88th minute, when Rodriguez inadvertantly chested a hopeful cross into the path of Landon Donovan, who made no mistake from close range.

The Galaxy should have had another, but striker Carlos Parvon (who has been rather invisible so far in his short Galaxy career) put his shot over the bar from just five yards in the 77th minute.

Rodriguez was named Man of the Match.

Updated

After the game, Coach Frank Yallop said he was encouraged by his team's second half showing.

"We had some chances to score, we fought back into the game," he said. "We're still growing as a unit. ...I wouldn't say it was a step back."

Abel Xavier, who has emerged as a leader in marshalling the defense, said he was encouraged by the seven offside calls in the second half (it was actually five) that he believed illustrated improving organization at the back.

"We must believe we are strong and can match with any team," he said, adding that many of the Galaxy's problems are mental ones. "If you feel you are strong you don't chase the game, you control the game."

The crowd apparently filled in, too: 37,337 was the final attendance figure.

The result means the Galaxy sit second in SuperLiga Group B to Chivas, with Dallas third on two points and Pachuca trailing with just one point.

The final games in the group stage are set for Tuesday with the Galaxy on the road against Dallas and Chivas playing Pachuca in Denver.

Updated: Galaxy beat writer Billy Witz has a biting assessment: of the game.

Updated: The natives are restless.
(Parental discretion is advised)

Chivas didn't so much hold the Galaxy in check in the first half as had them checkmated.

Chivas totally dominated the tempo of the game -- taking 11 shots to their opponent's one - and the Galaxy found it difficult to get out of their own half.

The Galaxy had no shots on target at all. So ineffective were their forwards that Coach Frank Yallop pulled off striker Alan Gordon in the 40th minute, replaced him with defensive midfielder Pete Vagenas and moved Landon Donovan up front to get him nearer the goal.

Chivas had the game's two best chances.

First, a punishing Ramon Morales run left Abel Xavier in his wake and he squared the ball perfectly to Omar Arellano, who missed a sitter from just seven yards out.

A couple of minutes later Morales sent a direct free kick blazing goalward only to see his effort pushed around the post by an acrobatic Joe Cannon save.

With a win tonight the Galaxy can clinch a berth in the semifinals, but now they run up against Chivas' A team.

Chivas gave nine first team players time off after Copa America and they missed Tuesday's 1-1 tie against F.C. Dallas, but most are back tonight.

In all, there are six changes to Chivas' starting line-up tonight compared to the Dallas game.

Ernesto Michel remains in goal, but 25-year-old Hector Reynoso is the lone holdover in the back four from the team that played Dallas. In come Omar Esparza (a starter for Mexico at the Under-20 World Cup) and Mexican National Team players Francisco Rodriguez and Jonny Magallon.

In midfield, Edgar Mejia and Sergio Santana retain their places and are joined by captain Ramon Morales and Gonzalo Pineda, who were both with the Mexican National Team.

A young striking tandem sees Jesus Padilla, who was raised in San Jose and turned down the chance to play for the U.S. Under-20 National Team, starting up front alongside 21-year-old Omar Arellano.

The Galaxy make just one change from the starting 11 that beat Pachuca, drafting in young Quavas Kirk for Kyle Martino who has been bothered by a groin injury. David Beckham is on the bench

Kick off is at 7 p.m. on Telefutura.

There does not look to be 40,000 people in the stands though; press box wisdom is fewer than half that are here. (Perhaps slightly more the number that were here at the Coliseum for the USC spring football game, estimated Galaxy beat writer Billy Witz).

Updated: Ooops. The CD with the Mexican national anthem was skipping and they took it off and apologized for the "technical difficulties."

Updated: F.C. Dallas and Pachuca tied 1-1 in the first SuperLiga game of the night in Frisco.

Former Galaxy star Carlos Ruiz gave Dallas the lead in the 75th minute; Argentine Christian Giminez tied it up on a penalty kick three minutes from time.

First off, David Beckham didn't practice all week and won't play today against Mexico's Chivas at the Coliseum in the second Superliga group game (he's targeting next Saturday's MLS game in Toronto for a return to the field).

Still, Galaxy beat writer Billy Witz stirs the pot and revisits Landon Donovan's on-field emnity for Mexican teams.

Also, Mexican players talk nice about MLS.

The Galaxy-Chivas game begins at 7 p.m. on Telefutura. The F.C. Dallas-Pachuca game precedes it at 5 p.m. on the same channel.

Meanwhile, as the Women's World Cup nears, the U.S. will beat Japan today (the U.S. has never lost to that nation) in the Bay Area in a game that can be seen at 7 p.m. on the Internet only.

There's only one MLS game today -- the Revs visit Real Salt Lake at 6:30 p.m. on Fox Soccer Channel -- while Chivas USA takes on the Wizards at 4 p.m. Sunday.

And we can't forget the youth nationals.

Chivas USA beat the Red Bulls 2-0 in New York last night before 10,732. Anaheim's Jorge Flores did not get off the bench if you're wondering.

The game details are here.

Here are the all-time MLS leaders in goals by the way (the asterisk means the player is still playing in the league):
Jason Kreis 108
Jaime Moreno *108
Ante Razov *104
Jeff Cunningham *96
Roy Lassiter 88
Taylor Twellman *83
Raul Diaz Arce 82
Preki 79
Carlos Ruiz *77
Ronald Cerritos 71

Finally, here's an update on the youth national championships.

This is Anaheim's Jorge Flores, 17, and if you think he's happy here, wait until Chivas USA plays tonight on national television.

To find out why this teenager is smiling (and so is UCLA's Sal Zizzo), for more on the rumor of Juan Sebastian Veron coming to MLS and a Chivas USA game preview click here.

Meanwhile, American teams remain undefeated against their Mexican counterparts in SuperLiga.

Here's the upcoming TV schedule for SuperLiga, including the showdown between the Galaxy and the real Chivas on Saturday.

And So Cal youth soccer players aren't doing bad at the national championships either.

Always good to start the day with a little unsubstantiated rumor.

Citing Argentine Web site reports, Staff Writer Ivan Orozco reports today that former Manchester United midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron could be headed to Chivas USA in a $20 million deal from Estudiantes where he is on loan from Chelsea.

Of course, earlier reports had Veron headed to D.C. United, but for what it's worth here's the story.

Lots of soccer on TV today: at 4 p.m. on Fox Soccer Channel F.C. Toronto plays EPL club Aston Villa; at 5 p.m. on Telefutura it's D.C. United and Monarcas in their SuperLiga opener; and at 7 p.m. on Telefutura it's the Houston Dynamo against Club America in the day's second SuperLiga game.

After Beck's sat out the SuperLiga opener Tuesday, Galaxy Coach Frank Yallop said after the game he anticipates making another late decision on whether he'll play Saturday against Mexico's Chivas at the Coliseum, so you might want hold off buying a ticket yet.

And, it turns out, people are, at least on the secondary market.

TicketsNow said Tuesday "ticket demand in the secondary market has come back down to earth" and they had more than 2,000 tickets to move for the three Galaxy SuperLiga games. The price range: $11-$268, compared to prices as high as $1,250 for the game this past weekend.

Meanwhile, Telemundo TV executives must be praying Beckham will play Saturday.

ESPN released the final ratings Tuesday for David Beckham's MLS debut and while lower than the 1.2 overnights in major markets released earlier said it was the most-watched MLS telecast ever on ESPN or ESPN2, with 947,000 homes tuning in. That translated into a 1.0 rating, which may not sound like much, but MLS ratings are usually all but invisible, averaging around a 0.2 or so.

Here's the (edited) ESPN press release:

"The telecast, which featured David Beckham playing for 16 minutes in his first match in a Galaxy uniform despite nursing an ankle injury, was also the most-viewed and highest-rated program of the night on ad-supported cable networks among Men 18-49 and 25-54.

The match beat the previous most-viewed telecast, the first in league history in April 1996 between D. C. United and the San Jose Clash, which was seen in 681,000 homes for a 1.0 rating.

The game also beat the most-viewed, non-World Cup final U.S. National Team game on ESPN or ESPN2. Previously, the most-viewed U.S. National Team telecast, seen in 680,000 homes for a 0.9 rating, was for the Oct. 3, 1997, World Cup qualifying match between Jamaica and the U.S. on ESPN."

Not surprisingly, the Galaxy (and Beckham) are slated for five more prime time appearances on ESPN2 this season.

And David Beckham's Soccer USA premieres at 6 p.m. today on Fox Soccer Channel.

Two second half strikes from Alan Gordon and Landon Donovon took the Galaxy to the top of SuperLiga Group B tonight in front of 19,317 in Carson.

The win broke a four-game Galaxy winless streak and was their first victory since Independence Day.

Alan Gordon claimed the opener five minues after the break, getting behind the last Pachuca defender and employing his left arm to control the long Landon Donovan cross before slotting it home.

The goal galvanized Pachuca and it was no surprise when striker Rafael Marquez Lugo equalized twelve minutes from the final whistle, stepping in front of Galaxy defender Abel Xavier and side-footing home a Damian Alvarez cross at the near post.

But the Galaxy struck back just three minutes later with a well-worked move begun by Chris Klein. Donovan received the ball, beat a defender and supplied Cobi Jones wide on the left, who beat two more defenders himself and shot a ball from 17 yards that deflected off Donovan into the net.

Updated 11:15 p.m.

Possession-oriented Pachuca still dominated the stats sheet in the second half -- winning eight corners to the Galaxy's one and getting twice as many shots (12) as the Galaxy on goal.

But it was the Galaxy that got the breaks -- literally, said Coach Frank Yallop.

"(In the first half) we kind of allowed ourselves to let them play," he said. "And I thought if we really, really decided to break on them we'd score goals and that proved right."

Striker Alan Gordon acknowledged he handled the ball on his goal. But, y'know, he didn't care.

"It wasn't called," he said with a laugh. "I kind of looked over my shoulder, but the flag was down. I'll take it."

Next up for the Galaxy: the real Chivas Saturday at the Coliseum.

Updated: Galaxy beat writer Billy Witz has more on the game here.

The first 45 minutes of the game reflected exactly what it was: a preseason game between the reigning Mexican champions and one of the worst teams in MLS.

Pachuca dominated possession, attacks and scoring opportunities -- out shooting the Galaxy 11-3 -- but most shots were from long range and dealt with easily by Galaxy goalkeeper Joe Cannon.

Pachuca's best chance came in stoppage time when a hard shot by defender Carlos Rodriguez was parried by Cannon and cleared by Ante Jazic.

The Galaxy unimaginative offense generated few clear cut opportunities.

The best came midway through the first half when Landon Donovan put Chris Klein behind the Pachuca defense, but Carlos Pavon headed the cross into the side netting.

With David Beckham not dressed as expected, the champagne and caviar crowd are absent and the stands are sporting plenty of empty seats.

Chris Klein has returned to the starting line-up for the Galaxy and Cobi Jones is back on the bench for the Group B game, otherwise it's the same starting 11 that began the game against Chelsea.

Pachuca are without three Mexican National Team players, who will join the team Wednesday.

SuperLiga is under way, however, with FC Dallas and CD Guadalajara tying 1-1 in the opening Group B game

The inaugural SuperLiga tournament kicks off tonight when the Galaxy play Mexican champions Pachuca at Home Depot Center.

Here's a tournament preview from my weekly column.

And here's a Galaxy update from Monday's training.

Wikipedia has more background on Pachuca here.

Updated 3:30 p.m.

SuperLiga is being televised in more than two dozen nations around the world including such unlikely spots as Somalia, Iran and Libya. And belatedly, MLS has announced that English-language commentary is available here, too.

Meanwhile, Chivas USA has a special ticket deal for Saturday's Galaxy-CD Guadalajara SuperLiga game at the Coliseum.

Buy a ticket to that game (prices start at $25) and you'll get a free ticket to the Sept. 6 Chivas USA-D.C. United game. That will save you at least $14.

To order, click here.

The SuperLiga trophy was unveiled today at a press conference in Hollywood. It's pretty cool looking as you can see above.

What inspired the design? Here are the details from MLS:

"The winning team will gain possession of a silver and gold eagle feather or la pluma, which has long been one of the most coveted objects in world history, revered as a sacred symbol of honor, bravery, strength, excellence and glory. The bald eagle (U.S. and Canada) and golden eagle (Mexico) also carry great significance in North America with the golden eagle featuring in Mexico's national flag."

Alrighty then.

So how did the British press view the Beckham unveiling?

Here's a sampling: from the Independent.

And the perspective from the Daily Mail.

Overshadowed by David Beckham's debut perhaps, but Major League Soccer's second biggest star has just made his first appearance for the Chicago Fire and put on a dazzling display.

Mexico's Cuauhtémoc Blanco scored in the Fire's 1-1 tie with Scotland's Celtic in an exhibition game today in Chicago that was shown on Fox Soccer Channel, but that wasn't the half of it.

The 34-year-old former Club America striker tormented defenders, made an audacious back heel and in the space of the hour or so he was on the field generally helped dispel bad memories of such highly-touted countrymen as Luis Hernandez and Carlos Hermosillo who never lived up to their reputations in MLS.

The league has been rightly criticized in the past for a lack of star names, but is making amends for that this season.

This afternoon's four televised MLS games showcases some of the high-profile players who have joined the league this season.

On Direct Kick right now, beloved former Boca Juniors star Guillermo Barros Schelotto has just scored his second goal of the game for an improving Columbus Crew against expansion team Toronto FC. The 34-year-old Argentine now has four goals and seven assists in 13 MLS games.

Over on Telefutura, the free-spending New York Red Bulls are up 1-0 against DC United. New York is home to the MVP of Thursday's All-Star game, Juan Pablo Angel, who is third in the league in scoring with nine goals in 11 MLS games (although the former Aston Villa player isn't in the starting lineup today).

New York also signed former U.S. captain Claudio Reyna from Manchester City to add to a roster that includes a revitalized Clint Mathis and rapidly emerging youngster Jozy Altidore.

Add the likes of recent Galaxy signing Carlos Pavon, 33, the Honduran veteran; Chivas USA's Cuban defector Maykel Galindo (seven goals and four assists in 15 games); and D.C. United's Brazilian striker Luciano Emilio (10 goals in 16 games) and the number of impact players with flair who give armchair fans a real reason to tune in has increased dramatically.

For more on Blanco, here's the Wikipedia entry.

Here's what the same source says about Barros Schelotto.

Chelsea scored the lone goal of the game three minutes into the second half from a corner kick. John Terry scored with a left-footed shot from 18 yards, the ball pinging off the right post before entering the net.

The Galaxy's best chance came in the 70th minute when substitute Quavas Kirk sent a pin-point cross to an unmarked Landon Donovan who headed over the bar from just five yards.

The night's biggest cheer so far also came in the 70th minute when David Beckham began warming up. He disappeared down the tunnel, presumably for a pain-killing injection in his left ankle. (Beckham said after the game he needed a bathroom break and his foot strapped).

Alan Gordon became the answer to a trivia question in the 78th minute when Beckham replaced him to massive applause, including a clapping Posh Spice up in a luxury suite.

Becks played a total of 16 minutes (and 19 seconds) including stoppage time, according to one press box count, touching the ball 12 times and creating a buzz in the stadium every time he did.

"It was embarrassing at times," he said.

Becks didn't do much, but then he didn't have to.

"The objective was for him to get on the pitch and give people the dessert they were waiting for," Chelsea Manager Jose Mourinho said in the post-game press conference.

Still, one crunching tackle from former Reading player Steve Sidwell left him clutching his ankle and undoubtedly sent the pulses of Galaxy officials racing before he quickly jumped to his feet.

"I saw him coming and I jumped just in time, so my foot wasn't planted when he hit me," Beckham said.

Beckham also took one corner and sent one long ball to Quavas Kirk, providing a small reminder of his vision and accuracy and prompting Mourinho to note that "his right foot has eyes."

Oh, and Tigres won the World Series of Football on goal difference.

"It was nice to get out there and kick a soccer ball again," Beckham said. "I haven't trained all week, I haven't kicked a ball all week."

His ankle was "swollen slightly" and it's unclear if he will play Tuesday against Pachuca in the SuperLiga (although that didn't stop the Galaxy from promoting that he will play in that game on the illuminated advertising sign around one half of the field).

Still, Beckham said his foot wasn't as swollen as it was two or three days ago and his goal is to be fully fit for the Galaxy game against Chivas next Saturday at the Coliseum.

"He might not play in the next two games, we don't know," said Galaxy Coach Frank Yallop.

He called the game a "building block" and was visibly relieved to get Beckham's debut out of the way.

Mind you, so was Becks.

"This last week has been one of the most incredible of my life attention-wise," he said.

Among the celebrities paying attention and in attendance tonight: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, basketball player Kevin Garnett, Mary-Kate Olsen, Eva Longoria, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Katie Holmes.

Updated: Galaxy beat writer Billy Witz has more details.

Here's columnist Paul Oberjuerge's view.

Columnist Steve Dilbeck chimes in.

And it sounds like sports media columnist Tom Hoffarth really enjoyed tuning in.

Chelsea overwhelmingly had the better of the possession in the first 45 minutes, but didn't have their shooting boots on in only their third game of the preseason.

Young Galaxy defenders Ty Harden and Troy Roberts looked out of their depth at times, but Chelsea were unable to capitalize despite some shaky defending from the two in what is undoubtedly the biggest game of their respective careers.

Although there was a marked lack of midfield creativity from the Galaxy, which found it difficult to maintain possession, they weren't without scoring chances.

A Cobi Jones cross skidded off Kyle Martino's head in the 19th minute that just flashed wide.

And Chelsea goalkeeper Peter Czech had to stretch to foil an Abel Xavier header from a Landon Donovan free kick in the 39th minute.

But Chelsea are clearly not firing on all cylinders yet.

Tigres disposed of the Suwon Bluewings on the strength of three first half goals, two from Jose Fonseca and one from Walter Gaitan in the opening game.

Now it's on to the main event.

There are two changes to the Galaxy's starting line-up from the Tigres game earlier in the week: Peter Vagenas is on the bench, while Chris Klein isn't on the roster at all. In come Cobi Jones and striker Alan Gordon.

And yes, David Beckham is on the bench, but he did not participate in the pre-match warm-up.

Chelsea starts John Terry, Tal Ben Haim, Richard Carvalho and Paulo Ferreira in defense.

New signing Florent Malouda as well as Frank Lampard and Michael Essien comprise the midfield.

Up top: Shaun Wright-Phillips, Salomon Kalou and Didier Drogba.

Kick off is at 6 p.m. on ESPN.

Or maybe not.

"I'm hoping that everything will be OK to at least get him on the field," said Galaxy Coach Frank Yallop.

No kidding. A debacle looms.

Check in at 5:30 p.m. on ESPN.

Meanwhile, Professor Phil Collin checks in with an analysis of the Beckham swerve.

And here's Chelsea Manager Jose Mourinho on today's game from the Chelsea Web site.

Sports media critic Tom Hoffarth breaks down the planned ESPN coverage of Becks Saturday for what may or may not be his Galaxy debut in Carson.

And if that's news to you, read the previous post.

My bet: he'll put in at least a cameo appearance if only to prevent a class action lawsuit from fans seeking ticket refunds.

Meanwhile, Beckham has quietly put up his own American-oriented Web site.

Supposedly he'll blog at some point (welcome to the party, Becks), but for now that hasn't happened and the updates are coming a little slow. Still, you can win a signed Galaxy Beckham shirt there.

By the way, as the pace of marketing soccer quickens in the U.S., it's becoming a mini-trend for familiar names in Europe to try to establish themselves as brands here by unveiling Americanized Web sites.

English Premier League team Chelsea, the Galaxy's opponents Saturday, has one called Chelsea in America.

And Real Madrid, Becks' former team, unveiled one this week dubbed Real Madrid America.

I'll be talking to Warren Olney, host of "Which Way, L.A.?" at 7 p.m. on KCRW (89.9 FM) about David Beckham's prospects of making his debut Saturday against Chelsea.

Updated: Listen to the podcast here.

The Reporter's Notebook segment on Beckham is about 20 minutes into the program, after a lengthy discussion on Homeland Security.

Updated 9:50 p.m. Anyone else smell a major PR debacle brewing?

At the half of the MLS All-Star game tonight, Beckham said live on ESPN2 that he's more likely than not to miss Saturday's game against Chelsea.

But even after those comments, ESPN continued to promote his appearance during the game, simply saying he's unlikely to start. The network plans blanket coverage of his debut, including an isolated camera on Beckham -- even if he is on the bench.

In the Associated Press story that followed on Beckham's comments, Galaxy GM Alexi Lalas is quoted as saying Beckham will get on the field in some fashion.

The apparent conflict leaves plenty of questions:

Is a player-club clash over Beckham's fitness to play unfolding? Will commercial interests be placed over a player's long-term health? If the injury was this serious why didn't Beckham get here sooner for treatment rather than the day before he was introduced at the HDC? What kind of treatment did he receive in England? And how exciting will it be for television viewers to see Beckham wave to Tom Cruise from the bench?

Oh, and the MLS All-Stars beat Celtic 2-0 in the game.

The MLS All-Star game with Scottish powerhouse Celtic begins at 6 p.m. from the Colorado Rapids' new home in Denver. It's live on ESPN2.

Landon Donovan and Cobi Jones, in his last MLS season, represent the Galaxy; Torrance-born Jonathan Bornstein (although he grew up in Los Alamitos) of Chivas USA is playing in his first MLS All-Star game and is expected to start.

Kevin Hartman and Matt Reis will share goalkeeping duties for the MLS squad just as they once did for the Galaxy.

Here are the full rosters for both teams.

Of course, the highest profile player (I didn't say best, yet) in MLS will be cooling his injured ankle in a luxury suite rather than playing.

Chivas USA followed the Galaxy out of this year's U.S. Open Cup Wednesday as the USL Sounders came from behind to win.

The showcase MLS All-Star game is at 6 p.m. tomorrow against Scotland's Celtic in Denver live on ESPN2.

With reporters from around the nation in town, the league takes pains the day before to come up with some announcements in an effort to grab some headlines around what is largely a meaningless game.

Today was no different, although contrived as the timing is word usually leaks out about the biggest news and so we received confirmation of Tuesday's news that a newly-reconstituted San Jose Earthquakes will start play next season.

It was expected anyway since Oakland A's owner Lew Wolff was considered ahead of the game, which means he was willing to ante up the ever-increasing price tag for an MLS franchise, not that the team has a stadium.

The Earthquakes don't so they will lead a nomadic existence in the Bay Area for the first two years while one is built. That's no way to build either a fan base or revenue stream, but at least the Galaxy (and Chivas USA) regain their closest geographic rivals.

Toronto will host next year's All-Star Game, a reward to the public and team for the overwhelming response to the arrival of MLS.

Lastly, MLS unveiled something called the Coaching Diversity Initiative, essentially enshrining affirmative action in league policy.

"Beginning immediately, the new Coaching Diversity Initiative requires the league’s teams to interview candidates of diverse backgrounds for any open technical staff position, MLS said. "Technical staff positions include head coach, assistant coaches, youth coaches and technical director."

There are two minority head coaches -- Colorado’s Fernando Clavijo and Chicago’s Juan Carlos Osorio -- and nine minority assistant coaches in MLS, officials said.

To hype the game, Kansas City's All-Star defender Jimmy Conrad appears on "ESPN First Take" (the successor to "Cold Pizza" Thursday morning. His segment airs at 8:30 am.

The final game of the third round of the U.S. Open Cup is scheduled for tonight with Chivas USA playing striker Maykel Galindo's former team, the Seattle Sounders, in the Pacific Northwest.

There's no TV or radio coverage. The winner plays the Colorado Rapids Aug. 7 at the HDC.

To get up to date on the competition so far click here.

Updated: Ovan Orozco talks to Chivas USA rookie striker John Cunliffe, who has moved from his native Bolton to Palos Verdes to play pro soccer in MLS and may make his third start tonight.

An unmarked Didier Drogba scored in the 80th minute to break the scoreless deadlock in the nightcap, knocking in a ball at the far post Shawn Wright-Phillips had intelligently scooped over the Bluewings defense.

The game, which started at a fairly pedestrian clip, livened up as it wore on.

Chelsea never looked particularly challenged and moved to 2-0 on its preseason tour of the U.S., after beating Mexico's Club America in the Bay Area over the weekend.

Based on tonight's Chelsea performance, Yallop has every right to be worried - and not just about his job.

Updated 11:59 p.m.

Chelsea Manager Jose Mourinho said after the game that after seeing his squad in 10 training sessions and two 45-minute games (he played virtually a separate line-up in each half of each game) he will for the first time this season against the Galaxy Saturday play the same 11 for an hour in a 4-4-2 formation.

Thankfully he only caught 10 minutes of the Galaxy game.

The Galaxy did come out in their alternate galactic blue for the second half, but the switch didn't help; they let in two more goals and were pretty comprehensively beaten by the Mexican team.

The Galaxy actually had more threatening attacks than they did in the first half.

Most notably, newly-acquired midfielder Kelly Gray made a surging run from within his own half in the 56th minute that ended with Landon Donovan shooting wide.

Fonseca scored a second in the 72nd minute after Tigres had easily split the Galaxy defense.

Substitute Alejandro Vilalobos notched the third, again after the Galaxy failed to close down the Tigres attackers, allowing them far too much space.

We'll see what Coach Frank Yallop has to say in the post match press conference.

Updated 9 p.m.

It took a grim Yallop 40 minutes to emerge from the locker room where their Galaxy had the second team meeting in four games.

It's probably a stretch to describe what took place as a team meeting; midfielder Kyle Martino observed Yallop did most of the talking and used lots of "verbs and adjectives" in his 15 minute address.

"We're playing with a lack of respect for him and the organization," Martino said.

When Yallop finally arrived he didn't mince words, declaring the first half one of the worst he has seen from a team he has been a part of including the almost 20 years he spent as a player.

"They almost played like they didn't want to make a mistake - scared - like they didn't want to make a commitment," he said. "The big stage is getting to us a bit. ... Some of them hid and some of them didn't want to play."

Striker Alan Gordon, who narrowly missed one of the Galaxy's best chances of the second half, described the game as the "last straw" for Yallop.

"It's hurting him watching us play like this," said Gordon, who was seeing his first action of the season. "He told us we're letting him down."

Gordon said the players are conscious that Yallop's job may be in jeopardy.

"I like him as a coach, as a person," Gordon said. "When I go out there I'm fighting for him, I'm fighting for me and I'm fighting to keep him here."

This sums it : up

Updated: Galaxy beat writer Billy Witz has all the gory details here.

The game is live on Telefutura.

Eleven minutes in and Argentine Walter Gaitan slips the ball to Jose Fonseca for the opening goal, shredding the Galaxy defense in the process.

It could be a long night for the Galaxy, sporting a back four of Troy Roberts (making his first start of the season), rookie Ty Harden, relative newcomer Abel Xavier and Ante Jazic against two classy, experienced strikers.

Fonseca almost claimed a second in the 25th minute from a free kick, out-jumping Xavier at the far post.

The Galaxy are playing at a desultory clip, but it suits Tigres with the Mexican season not resuming until next month.

The Galaxy placed their white shirts in the center circle at the end of the half.

Hopefully, they will come out in blue for the second 45 minutes. Either that or they are surrendering.

A David Beckham-less Galaxy plays Tigres at 5:30 p.m. in the World Series of Football opener at the HDC; in the night's second game, England's Chelsea plays Korea's Samsung at 8:30 p.m. live on Fox Soccer Channel.

Dumb name for a pre-season tournament? I thought so as well. Here's my regular weekly column.

Meanwhile, here's more from Galaxy beat writer Billy Witz on Beckham's inaugural practice Monday.

Here's a little background on Tigres from Wikipedia.

And here's some info from the same source on Samsung.

Photos by Sean Hiller / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

David Beckham stepped on the HDC turf promptly at 3 p.m. today for the first time as a Galaxy player with about 1,500 fans in the stands looking on, a press box full of English accents and a rock music soundtrack over the loudspeakers.

He didn't train with the majority of the squad, however, instead working out with the similarly injured Chris Albright and trainer Ivan Pierra on the side of the field in front of the press box.

Beckham's exercises appeared designed to strengthen his suspect left ankle, although his lateral movement looked strong.

Updated 3:50 p.m.: Beckham went through a light workout for 45 minutes, mainly stretching and jogging with our Galaxy players nursing knocks, including Quavas Kirk, Edson Buddle and Kyle Veris.

Next update: Beckham's dinner plans (I'm kidding).