This Is Greek To Me

Just when you thought things couldn’t get any weirder, The Washington Post’s Steven Goff, (the best soccer reporter in – ahem – LA) observed that the mercurial Clint Mathis has apparently signed with a team in Crete. Really.

Here’s a translation of the Web site Goff refers to courtesy of Babel Fish:

The PAE International Union Ergote’lis announces the acquisition of American INTERNATIONAL footballer CLINT MATHIS for one year. The Clint Mathis was given birth on 25 November 1976 in the city of Tzw’rtzja. It has height 1.77 and fights as mesoepjcetjko’s. It has in the asset 46 attendances with the national team of United States and has fought in teams as: Los Angelas Gka’laxj, Me’trostars, Hanover, Rea’l Solt Le’jk, Colorado Ra’pjnts and New York.

Got that?

The Greek team is apparently a horrible one, by the way. There’s a lively discussion here.

So what was with that “Mathis is happy to return to LA ‘cos his in-laws live in the OC thing anyway?”

For what it’s worth, I just called Galaxy spokesman Patrick Donnelly and he had no idea what’s going on.

Well, alrighty then, there goes my planned Mathis column, I guess.

Esky Speaks

Sticking with Goff’s site, he caught up with soon-to-be Chivas USA striker Alecko Eskandarian here. And yes, I deliberately stole Goff’s blog post headline.

Cobi Honored

A couple of hours before retired Galaxy great Cobi Jones was honored in Marina del Rey, the Galaxy released this (edited) press release:

LA Galaxy assistant coach Cobi Jones will be honored with a Commitment to Excellence Award at the 8th Annual L.A. Sports Fans Choice Awards on Thursday evening at the Marina Del Ray Marriott. Jones, who played his 12th and final season with the Galaxy in 2007, is scheduled to be presented his award by Los Angeles Clippers guard Sam Cassell and Los Angeles Lakers forward Ronny Turiaf.

Its an honor to be chosen to receive this award by the sports fans of Los Angeles, Jones said. I was raised in this city and I have always tried to represent it to the best of my abilities so it is truly special to be selected for this award by the people who I share this community with.

A true Galaxy legend, Jones is the only player in MLS history to have played with the same club for each of the first 12 seasons of the leagues existence. A Southern California native, Jones officially joined the Galaxy on March 1996 and went on to win two MLS Cup championships, two U.S. Open Cup championships and the 2000 CONCACAF Champions Cup with the club. Jones, who was named an assistant coach for the club shortly after the conclusion of the 2007 campaign, is the Galaxys all-time leader in nearly every offensive statistic, including goals, assists, games played, games started and many more. For his career, Jones finished with 70 goals and 91 assists, making him one of just two players in league history with 70 goals and 90 assists, in 306 career games.

In addition to Jones, three Galaxy players have been nominated for various awards which will be awarded at Thursdays ceremony. Defender Ty Harden and midfielder Kevin Harmse have been nominated for the Rising Star award while Landon Donovan is up for the MVP award. Both awards encompass all professional sports in the Southland, including nominees from the Angels, Dodgers, Clippers, Lakers, Ducks, Kings, Sparks and Chivas USA.

Of course, Cobi actually grew up in Westlake Village on the border of LA and Ventura counties, but let’s not quibble. And he’s probably on stage as I write this.

Becks Vitriol

Meanwhile, a particularly vitriolic anti-David Beckham column from his native England is here. Ouch.

And right after Becks met the British Prime Minister, too.

In a move several observers could see coming, the Galaxy today announced they have traded goalkeeper Joe Cannon to the San Jose Earthquakes, reuniting him with previous Galaxy coach Frank Yallop, with whom he won an MLS Cup in 2001.

Capable of some incredible saves, Cannon was also known for some horrible errors and was somewhat eccentric to say the least. A couple of reporters were surprised to see Cannon apparently sobbing in the locker room after one Galaxy loss last season.

New Coach Ruud Gullit didn’t become an instant fan; he pulled Cannon at half time in his first game in charge during the post-season tour of Australia and replaced him with backup Steve Cronin, whose new multiyear contract was made public Wednesday.

With Cannon earning almost $200,000 a year, the move is likely to free up some much-needed salary cap room for the Galaxy.

From the (edited) Galaxy press release:

The LA Galaxy announced today that they have traded goalkeeper Joe Cannon to the San Jose Earthquakes in exchange for allocation money.

Cannon was acquired by the Galaxy from Colorado prior to the start of the 2007 season and played one season with the club. He started 29 of the Galaxys 30 regular season games, as well as all five matches in the clubs run to the SuperLiga Final. Cannon had a record of 9-13-7 this past season, tallying five clean sheets and posting a 1.59 goals-against-average.

Meanwhile, having just bid good riddance to an injury-riddled 2007, it appears the Galaxy are starting the New Year much the same way they ended the old one.

Dependable Canadian right back Ante Jazic will miss the start of the new season after undergoing ankle surgery. An ankle injury limited his appearances last season, too.

From the (edited) Galaxy press release:

LA Galaxy defender Ante Jazic is expected to miss anywhere from 4-6 months after undergoing surgery on his right ankle. Jazic, 31, underwent an arthroscopic procedure on his right ankle late last month that revealed the extent of his injuries, leading to a more extensive cartilage debridement, which is a removal and smoothing of the cartilage. The surgery was performed by Dr. Kenneth Jung at the Kerlan-Jobe Surgery Center in Los Angeles. Under the current timeline, Jazic is scheduled to be able to return to action early in the 2008 MLS season.

A Canadian international with 15 career caps, Jazic has appeared in 29 regular season games for the Galaxy since being signed by the club in August 2006. A veteran of Austrian, Croatian and Russian soccer, Jazic appeared in 18 games for the Galaxy in 2007, starting 16 of the clubs 30 matches. He missed more than a month after suffering an ankle injury on August 18 against New York at Giants Stadium and also missed time while with the Canadian National Team at the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

In addition to Jazic, two other Galaxy players also underwent surgery over the recent holiday period, with goalkeeper Joe Cannon and defender Troy Roberts each undergoing hernia operations here in Los Angeles. Both players are scheduled to be ready to practice with the club when preseason training begins next month.

That press release was issued a couple of hours before the Cannon trade was announced, in case you’re wondering.

The beneficiary is likely to be versatile Galaxy defender Mike Randolph, who admirably stepped into the breach last season and earned himself a callup to the U.S. Under-23 team.

The Galaxy announced today they have resigned right back Chris Albright, backup goalkeeper Steve Cronin and oft-injured striker Alan Gordon.

Albright, restricted by injury last season, is the big prize here. He’s still arguably the best right back in the nation, although Cronin played a U.S. Open Cup blinder last year against New York and Gordon has the potential to get on the end of David Beckham’s crosses.

Here’s excerpts from the Galaxy press release on each player:

Albright, 28, will be entering his 10th season in MLS in 2008 and his seventh with the Galaxy. He appeared in just five regular season games in 2007 before suffering a torn right hamstring on May 20, ruling him out for the remainder of the season. The Galaxy right back had recovered enough from his injury in order to participate in all five of the clubs postseason friendlies last year. A member of the U.S. National Team at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Albright has made 172 career appearances in MLS and has earned 22 caps with the National Team.

Cronin, 24, was originally drafted by San Jose in the first round of the 2004 MLS draft and has been with the Galaxy since the start of the 2005 campaign. One of the best young goalkeepers in MLS, Cronin, who is currently training with the U.S. National Team ahead of their friendly against Sweden, appeared in one league game and three Open Cup matches for LA in 2007, producing one of the performances of the year with his 13 save performance in the extra time win over New York in an Open Cup Play-In Game. A former member of the U.S. Under-20 National Team, Cronin has appeared in six games for the Galaxy over the past three seasons, recording a 1.50 goals against average.

Gordon, 26, will be entering his fifth season in MLS and with the Galaxy. After playing in just eight games over his first two seasons, Gordon scored seven goals in 31 regular season games in 2006 and 2007. The former Oregon State star tallied six goals in 18 games in all competitions last season, despite missing the first half of the year with a foot injury that hindered him throughout the campaign.

The Galaxy have Clint Mathis, now their intrastadium rivals are apparently setting up a move for concussion-prone Alecko Eskandarian, the once-promising D.C. United striker whose career tailed off last season with Toronto and Real Salt Lake. Eskandarian is a gamble, but will provide much-needed depth up front if the deal goes through.

Looks like no-one – fans and players alike – were overly-excited at Home Depot Center Tuesday for the opening night of InterLiga. Really, the highlight was a 1-0 win for Cruz Azul over its biggest rivals’ reserve team? The other game was a meaningless encounter punctuated by a lone goal between Monterrey and San Luis. Ho hum.

Club America plays tonight. I won’t be there.