Tuesday Galaxy Gameday & More
No column today after the long weekend, but the Galaxy are back in action tonight in Carson against the Colorado Rapids in a U.S. Open Cup qualifier at Home Depot Center.
Valentin played in and started two of the three U.S. matches in France, by the way, while Gavin and Jordan each started one. The U.S. lost all three games at the tournament. Long-term injury victim Pete Vagenas could also play tonight.
The Galaxy lost 4-0 to the Rapids in the season-opener and the two teams last met in the U.S. Open Cup two years ago with the Galaxy winning 3-1 to clinch a semifinal spot.
The Rapids took an early lead through Clint Mathis before Quavas Kirk equalized just before half time. Landon Donovan scored twice in extra time to give the Galaxy the victory.
There's no TV, but I'll blog from the game as usual.
Meanwhile, the hype is building for the U.S.-England game Wednesday with Fabio Capello naming Chelsea's John Terry captain in a bid to cheer him up after his penalty kick miss in last week's Champions League final.
David Beckham apparently has a good chance of playing, while Columbus Crew midfielder Frankie Hejduk has been called into the U.S. squad.
In other national team news, U.S. Women's midfielder Leslie Osborne tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee during training at Home Depot Center last week and is out of the Olympics.
Osborne, 25, has played 60 times for the U.S., but faces up to 10 months out with the injury.
In local games this past weekend, David Estrada scored three times and Camillo Rojas added a goal and an assist as the Galaxy Rios U-20s defeated the Poway Vaqueros 6-0 at Home Depot Center Saturday. Palos Verdes Estates' Kyle Nakazawa (UCLA) also scored as the Rios improved to 2-0-0 on the season and are alone in first place in the USL Super-20 League Pacific Southern California League.
In PDL action it was:
Bakersfield Brigade 1 Southern California Seahorses 0
Ventura County Fusion 0 San Francisco Seals 1
San Fernando Valley Quakes 0 Los Angeles Legends 5
Orange County Blue Star 3 Fresno Fuego 4
In the W-League:
Los Angeles Legends 1 Vancouver Whitecaps 2
Los Angeles Legends 0 Seattle Sounders 0
Finally, those psyching themselves up for Euro 2008 can relive the last nine finals in a condensed one-hour version of each game showing on ESPN Classic at 4 p.m. through June 5.
Tonight it's the 1976 final between two nations that don't exist anymore: West Germany and the Crech Republic.
2 Comments
Leave a comment
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.
Shouldn't that be Czechoslovakia? The Czech Republic did not exist in 1976 and I'm pretty sure the Crech Republic never existed.
Nick replies: Yeah, you're right. Actually, the Czech republic was created in 1993 when Slovakia split off. But it didn't in 1976 - that's just ESPN being politically correct, I'm guessing.
Good catch!
Nick replies: Yeah, you're right. Actually, the Czech Republic was created in 1993 when Slovakia split off. But it didn't in 1976 - that's just ESPN being politically correct, I'm guessing.
Good catch!