Galaxy Fan Fest
More than 4,000 people attended the Galaxy's annual fan fest Saturday at the Home Depot Center.
The free event included a 3-1 Galaxy win over PDL outfit the San Fernando Quakes, with Carlos Ruiz, Michael Gavin and Landon Donovan scoring.
Donovan headed to LAX before the event had even finished to catch an airplane for the U.S. game Wednesday against Poland, while David Beckham was similarly scheduled to fly out to join up with the England squad.
I missed the "fan with biggest Galaxy tattoo" contest unfortunately, but heard Alexi Lalas' address to season ticket holders in the Stadium Club.
Last season was a "hell of a year" Lalas told the crowd , while acknowledging that in their "zeal' to promote the brand with Beckham the Galaxy had overlooked "the product on the field."
He pledged that would be different this year although he again acknowledged the "calculated risk" in tying up much of the salary cap in just three players; Becks, Ruiz and Donovan.
Lalas expanded on the reason for releasing former Newcastle United defender Celestine Babayaro, conceding that his was a "perfect example" of a playing style that didn't fit the team.
"It's difficult, but I'd much rather make that decision now than four or five months down the road," Lalas said.
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About 100 Percent Soccer
Sportswriter Nick Green has written the 100 Percent Soccer column since 2005 for the Daily News, Daily Breeze and other Los Angeles area newspapers. 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 and follow him on Twitter.
Hard to imagine ANY defender on Galaxy playing a style that doesn't fit in...