A few items this morning:
*The impending David Beckham loan deal to AC Milan has prompted the Galaxy to postpone its scheduled Dec. 11 game against the Queensland Roar due to the uncertainty of his availability, according to the BBC. Hmmm, it’s the Beckham tail clearly wagging the Galaxy dog. Until now, he had supposedly not been leaving for Italy until the New Year.
*MLS officials announced today they have named a new MLS Cup trophy after Galaxy owner Phil Anschutz:
“Phil Anschutz has transformed the face of soccer in America,” said MLS Commissioner Don Garber. “Through his commitment and support, Major League Soccer has become an important part of the American sports landscape and an emerging player in the global soccer scene. Phil’s vision and deep love of the game have helped establish a vibrant ‘Soccer Nation’ in America. We are honored to name the MLS championship trophy the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy.”
*The new sterling silver trophy was created by Tiffany & Co., and unveiled at a morning ceremony at the jeweler’s New York flagship store on Fifth Avenue. From the MLS press release:
The Philip F. Anschutz championship trophy is 24″ tall with an additional seamless base of 4 5/8″. The trophy features fluid and dynamic handles that include 11 facets on the front and back, symbolizing the 22 players that participate in a soccer match. The gold star represents the championship club, which often incorporates a star into its team crest for each MLS Cup title it wins. The new trophy inherits select design elements from the previous two trophies, thereby honoring the League’s history while moving forward. The bottom of the Philip F. Anschutz trophy features a map of North America, with a star identifying the location of each MLS market.
*The Galaxy’s Tristan Bowen and Chivas USA’s Jorge Flores were named to a U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team squad that will train in Spain later this month. The most interesting thing about the roster is the number of young Americans with foreign teams. Here’s the full squad:
goalkeepers Earl Edwards (San Diego, Calif.), Josh Lambo (FC Dallas); defenders Gale Agbossoumonde (Syracuse, N.Y.), Anthony Arena (Kenmore, Wash.), Kyle Davies (Southampton FC), Zarek Valentin (Lancaster, Pa.), Anthony Wallace (FC Dallas); midfielders Bryan Arguez (Hertha Berlin), Jorge Flores (Chivas USA), Gregory Garza (Sporting Lisbon), Josh Hernandez (Dallas, Texas), Jared Jeffrey (Club Brugge), Alfredo Morales (Hertha Berlin), Giuseppe Nazzani (Reggio Emilia, Italy); forwards Vincenzo Bernardo (SSC Napoli), Tristan Bowen (Los Angeles Galaxy), Abdusalam Ibrahim (Toronto FC), Jose Torres (Loros de Colima).
*Meanwhile, the Galaxy have knocked someone out of the MLS playoffs – Revolution striker Taylor Twellman. The club announced Tuesday he is out indefinitely after continuing to suffer from concussion-related issues in the wake of Galaxy goalkeeper Steve Cronin punching him on the head Aug. 30. Cronin suffered a broken finger on the play. Twellman missed 14 games through injury this year and his latest set-back couldn’t come at a worse time.
*UCLA senior defender Brad Rusin has been named the Pac-10 Player of the Week. He scored his third goal of the year over the weekend in UCLA’s 1-0 win over Oregon State.
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