Tuesday's Column: MLS Goes Camping
The Galaxy and Chivas USA opened training camp Monday.
A couple of items that didn't make it into the column:
*Paraguay's all-time leading scorer and former South American Player of the Year Jose Cardozo was supposed to be at the Chivas USA camp Monday with a view to coming out of retirement. Coach Preki said he didn't know where the player was.
If he does show up, he apparently does not command the sort of salary a designated player gets: "We are not searching right now for a DP," Preki said. "We are keeping all our options open."
Chivas USA officials, by the way, tell me the scuttled deal for goalkeeper Brad Guzan does not mean zero cash is available for a DP. The money is there. The team just needs to find a player that can help the team on the field and put butts in seats.
Galaxy goalkeeper Steve Cronin sounded pretty happy Monday about the turn of events (Joe Cannon's trade) that has left him as the Galaxy's starting goalkeeper.
"This feels like home and this is the team I want to start for - so it's awesome," he said, adding he spoke with new Coach Ruud Gullit earlier Monday. "He's taken some of the pressure off me and given me some leeway to make mistakes. Hopefully I'll keep that to a minimum."
More coverage from camp is here.
Photos are here.
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About 100 Percent Soccer
Sportswriter Nick Green has written the 100 Percent Soccer column since 2005. The blog of the same name began in 2007. A native of England, he began writing about soccer in the mid-1980s and in 2000 permanently exchanged a seat in the stands for one in the press box. He lives six miles from Carson's Home Depot Center, home of the Los Angeles Galaxy, Chivas USA and the training headquarters for U.S. Soccer and is married to a long-suffering soccer widow. Join Nick on FaceBook.
"We are not searching right now for a DP," Preki said.
That's because you don't have a DP slot! Red Bull has it.
Will you be able to list all 35 players at the Galaxy training? I can't seem to find the information anywhere.
Nick replies: Here's the list circulated by the Galaxy Monday. Keep in mind players come and go all the time from camp. The following includes roster number, name, position, height, weight, DOB, hometown and college (in most cases):
36 Gabriel Aikhena
35 Charles Alamo GK 6-3 215 11/16/1984 San Luis Obispo. UC-Riverside
26 Ely Allen MID 5-11 165 06/12/1986 Kent, Wash. Washington
33 Celestine Babayaro DEF
23 David Beckham MID 6-0 165 05/02/1975 London, England --
38 Fed Bianchi* MID
14 Edson Buddle FWD 6-1 170 05/21/1981 New Rochelle, N.Y. State Fair C.C.
1 Steve Cronin GK 6-2 197 05/28/1983 Fair Oaks, Calif. Santa Clara
39 Prince Daye* MID
25 Daniel DeGeer MID 5-9 155 -- Portland, Ore. San Francisco
10 Landon Donovan FWD 5-8 158 03/04/1982 Redlands. --
34 Richard Duru*
Greg Folk DEF 5-9 165 04/10/1987 Woodland Hills. UCLA
28 Sean Franklin DEF 5-10 155 03/21/1985 Palmdale. CSUN
29 Michael Gavin DEF 5-10 -- 03/30/1986 Scottsdale, Ariz. Portland
21 Alan Gordon FWD 6-3 183 10/16/1981 Gilbert, Ariz. Oregon State
22 Kelly Gray DEF 6-2 185 04/07/1981 San Jose, Calif. Portland
3 Ty Harden DEF 6-1 190 03/06/1984 Junction City, Ore. Washington
6 Kevin Harmse MID 6-1 180 07/04/1984 Vancouver, British Columbia
30 Matt Hatzke MID 5-9 155 12/27/1985 San Jose, Calif. Santa Clara
4 Ante Jazic DEF 5-11 175 02/27/1976 Halifax, Nova Scotia Dalhousie Univ.
27 Bryan Jordan* FWD
15 Quavas Kirk MID 6-1 185 04/13/1988 Aurora, Ill. --
7 Chris Klein MID 6-0 185 01/04/1976 St. Louis, Mo. Indiana
18 Kyle Martino MID 5-10 155 02/19/1981 Westport, Conn. Virginia
32 Brandon McDonald MID 6-1 185 01/16/1986 Glendale, Ariz. San Francisco
2 Mike Randolph DEF 5-7 155 12/03/1985 Chino Hills. Yavapai College
12 Troy Roberts DEF 5-11 180 09/18/1983 Fremont, Calif. California
20 Carlos Ruiz FWD 5-9 180 09/15/1979 Guatemala City, Guatemala
11 Israel Sesay FWD 5-7 140 09/04/1990 Gaithersburg, Md. --
19 Josh Tudela MID 5-9 160 03/13/1984 Evansville, Ind. Indiana
8 Peter Vagenas MID 5-8 157 02/06/1978 Pasadena, Calif. UCLA
24 Julian Valentin DEF 6-0 180 02/23/1987 Lancaster, Pa. Wake Forest
31 Josh Wicks GK
17 Abel Xavier DEF 6-1 180 11/30/1972 Nampula, Mozambique
* = Non-Roster Invitee
Is Cardozo still coming to Chivas USA?
Nick replies: Yes, he arrived Monday night, trained Tuesday and is out there as I write this again today, according to a Chivas USA spokesman.