Tuesday Night Football: Soccer Collies & More
Things I should have noted earlier, but didn't:
* It's so hard to find good help these days - even if you're David Beckham.
*Landon Donovan has 19 goals and nine assists on the season with two games to go; no MLS player has ever recorded 20 goals and 10 assists in a single season.
*Further explanation on why Rolling Hills Estates' Robbie Rogers is not with the U.S. team Wednesday because of injury - he leads MLS in fouls suffered with 72. Ouch.
*The answer to the Galaxy trivia question, which team is worse than their senior squad? How about their reserve team? The Galaxy reserves lost to their Colorado counterparts Sunday 1-0 to go to 1-6-2 on the season. Steve Cronin was in goal. Chivas USA reserves, meanwhile, beat San Jose Earthquakes reserves Sunday, 3-1. Roberto Nurse scored two goals. Go figure.
*Player of the Week honors went to former (Torrance) West High star Jessica Murphy who was named Brine California Collegiate Athletic Association Women's Soccer Player of the Week after the freshman scored three goals in two games this past weekend - 60 percent of the team's output, mind you - in two CSUDH wins. Also: UCLA junior midfielder Michael Stephens was named the Pac-10 Men's Soccer Player of the Week after scoring the game-winning goal in overtime as UCLA upset sixth-ranked California, 3-2, on the road.
*Southern Californians named to the U.S. Women's Under-17 national team that will participate in the 2008 FIFA Under-17 Women's World Cup Oct. 28-Nov. 16 in New Zealand are: forward Samantha Johnson (Palmdale) and midfielder Elizabeth Eddy (Costa Mesa).
*Finally, no late night soccer report would be complete without the Soccer Collies (I think). They will perform Sunday at half time of the noon Chivas USA-Colorado Rapids game. From the Chivas USA press release:
The two collies, Ms. Z and BEK, each have unique soccer skills; Ms. Z can catch the ball between her paws, and BEK charges up the field while dribbling the ball with his nose. The dogs will also be available before the game in ChivaTown for photos and to play with fans.
Well, OK. To me they look like two mutts you see in any park playing with a ball. My wife thinks otherwise. Invest a minute of your life and you decide:
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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.
Hey Nick-
Cronin was in goal for only the second half of the reserve game (Wicks played the first half).
Of course, the second half was also the half in which Colorado scored...
Nick, why should it be surprising that the Galaxy's reserves are worse than the senior team? Remember who drafted or signed most of the players (Lalas, Bravo) and who had to approve the selections (Lalas, Leiweke).
When the fish stinks from the head, it's the whole fish that stinks.