MLS Draft: Galaxy Draft a Defender

Thankfully.

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Updated –
Here’s the (edited) Galaxy press release: The LA Galaxy today selected University of Maryland defender Omar Gonzalez with the No. 3 pick of the first round of the 2009 MLS SuperDraft. Voted the Defensive MVP at the 2008 College Cup after helping Maryland win the National Championship, Gonzalez is a member of the Generation adidas program, meaning that he will occupy one of four spots on the Galaxy’s Developmental Roster and will not count against the club’s salary budget.

“We think that Omar has the potential to be an outstanding defender for our club,” Galaxy General Manager and Head Coach Bruce Arena said. “He comes from an outstanding collegiate program that instills excellent qualities in their players and he fills a void in an area of the field that we felt we needed to improve.”

A native of Dallas, Gonzalez started all 69 games in which he appeared in for the Terrapins, scoring seven goals and adding five assists while helping his team reach the NCAA Tournament in each of his three seasons.

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Twas the Night Before the MLS Draft

And not much is stirring in terms of trades.

The Galaxy though have made a move this afternoon, picking up Mike Magee, the longest-tenured player in New York, in exchange for a second round pick in next year’s draft.

Magee, like recent addition Stefani Miglioranzi, is a utility player. As one Galaxy official said to me recently such players have increased in importance with the shuttering of the reserve division because smaller squads mean more adaptable players are needed.

“Mike is a very good attacking player and can play in a number of positions,” Galaxy General Manager and Head Coach Bruce Arena said. “At 24 years old, Mike brings us some proven quality and experience. I believe he will be a great asset to our team.”

From the (edited) Galaxy press release: Magee, 24, is a six-year MLS veteran who originally joined the Red Bulls in 2003 as an 18-year-old. A Chicago native, he has played in 130 games during his MLS career, scoring 23 goals and adding 13 assists, including five goals and an assist in 26 games in 2008.

Originally drafted by the MetroStars (now New York Red Bulls) in the first round (4th overall) of the 2003 MLS SuperDraft, Magee scored a career-best seven goals in his rookie season, establishing himself as one of the top young talents in MLS. In August 2006, he was joined in New York by Arena, who was hired to coach the Red Bulls.

However, Magee was limited to just ten games in 15 months under the now-Galaxy head coach as a result of a knee injury. Fully recovered from his injury, Magee returned to play in 26 games for New York last season, his most since 2005, scoring five times, including three game-winning goals, to help lead the Red Bulls to the MLS Cup final for the first time in club history.

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MLS Draft Preview

Alllow me to confess: I don’t really care about the MLS Superdraft, which in case you have forgotten is scheduled for Thursday in St. Louis.

Frankly, I don’t find it super at all.

I am in the minority, I know.

Other soccer blogs have dissected the combine, held mock drafts and speculated about trades and the eventual draft order.

All I can say is – yawn.

It’s not just because I’m English born and there’s no such thing there.

Back in the dark ’80s, when there was no real football in the U.S. and I was a big fan of the pointy-ball version I loved the NFL draft.

Mel Kiper. Live ESPN coverage. All of it.

But MLS is not the NFL.

In American soccer, most of the best players leave college early to sign with pro teams.

In MLS the draft is arguably the least relevant of any held by a major American sport. And that’s how it should be. It speaks to the continued maturation of the league that the draft is becoming less and less important.

Want proof?

Here’s last year’s draft picks.

How many of those players made a major impact on MLS last season?

Well, yes, No. 2 pick Brek Shea is still just 18 years old (for instance), so I’m being a little unfair.

But still, is the draft hype anywhere close to reality?

Um, no.

I was reminded of that recently after a Galaxy official pointed out how successful the draft was for the team last year compared to other MLS clubs.

The team’s first three picks were Sean Franklin (No.4 overall), Ely Allen (No. 21 overall) and Julian Valentin (No. 29 overall).

All played quite a bit for the Galaxy. And look at the impact they had. My, didn’t the Galaxy do well last season?

My point: the apparent success of the Galaxy’s draft picks was more reflective of a weak team and desperate management than anything else (quick, name the top Chivas USA pick last year).

Frankly, even those who purport to have insider knowledge of the draft don’t seem to know what they’re talking about.

I read one recent article that talked about how the Galaxy’s most desperate need was for a goalkeeper, the author apparently not remembering (or rating) veteran Donovan Ricketts, the Jamaican international the club picked up in the off-season. Frankly, with playmaker Landon Donovan all but gone and the memory of last year’s Swiss cheese-like defense lingering, the Galaxy need a helluva lot more than another goalkeeper at this point.

But look, now that I’ve pissed all over the importance of the draft, it’s still going to be held.

So here are the basics: there are four rounds and 60 selections beginning at 11 a.m. live on ESPN2 (only the first hour is televised).

The Galaxy on Tuesday traded away the MLS rights for 2007 Defender of the Year Ty Hardin (who retired last year to enter the nonprofit world you’ll recall) to Colorado for another third round pick. That gives the Galaxy five picks: one in the first round (3rd overall), two in the third round (33rd and 35th overall) and two in the fourth round (48th and 49th overall).

Chivas USA picks No. 9 and No. 19, BTW.

Want rumors and speculation? Go here.

Expect lots more today as the pre-draft wheeling and dealing gets under way in earnest.

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Tuesday’s Column: Marta and Mia

I almost talked to a pair of the greatest female players of all time on the same day (sadly Marta’s conference call back to the U.S. was canceled).

Read today’s column here.

Say what you will about AEG (and I often do), but the company has made the financial commitment to bring two of the best male (no, I did not mean they re-signed Steve Cronin) and female players in the world to play in Carson.

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Monday Night Football: A New Arrival & Some Other Stuff

I must admit to being distracted today.

Along with my wife, I would like to announce the arrival of – a bouncing big screen HDTV from Amazon.com. It’s our first, so we’re justifiably proud.

The wife was driven to tears by a National Geographic DVD. I may never leave the house again. And I may become one of those annoying people who never stop talking about their offspring.

So, because I frankly have have better things to do, I’ll keep this brief:
* Landon Donovan scored his first goal for Bayern Munich today.

*They’ve installed a revolving door at the U.S. Men’s National Team training camp in Carson: the official U.S. blog reported Sunday that goalkeeper Troy Perkins took a five-day hiatus from camp to return to Norway for a three-day team bonding trip with his club Valerenga that apparently involves training sessions with the Norwegian Special Forces.

That means Chivas USA goalkeeper Dan Kennedy was drafted in as a replacement. The Galaxy’s Sean Franklin missed training Monday with a groin strain. And Riverside’s Chad Marshall withdrew from camp with an injured right knee.

Is it any wonder they canceled training on Tuesday?

*Meanwhile, U.S. Soccer sat down to chat with Chivas USA’s Jonathan Bornstein. The Los Alamitos resident reflects on his national team career so far and fills us in on whether he finished his deck on his house (I kid you not). Read it here

*ESPN2 will air the U.S.-Mexico World Cup qualifier at 4 p.m. Feb. 11. In High Def, too!

*Former Galaxy defender Ezra Hendrickson, just retired from the Columbus Crew, has a new job – and an old boss.

*Fellow blogger Steven Goff provides the transfer gossip of the day. Chivas USA could also bring into preseason camp “Reinier Alcantara, the Cuban forward who sought asylum during his national team’s stay in Washington in October for a World Cup qualifier,” according to Goff.

*The latest player to want David Beckham to stay longer at AC Milan than two months- Kaka. And David Beckham’s commitment to the Galaxy has supposedly been downgraded you’ll notice.

*Ventura County PDL team the Fusion is the latest local pro club to hold open tryouts. Details here.

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Newly Crowned FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year Marta Joins the L.A. Sol

As expected, Brazilian Marta was named World Player of the Year for the third time today and also announced she has signed a contract with the L.A. Sol of Women’s Professional Soccer.

“I have in mind that a very competitive league will be created,” said Marta, who has spent the past five years playing for Swedish club Umea. “We are looking at the future. I think it will attract many players.”

More details here.

And in case you need reminding just how devastating Marta can be, check out this clip from the 2007 Women’s World Cup:

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Interliga: The Power & the Passion

Chivas triumphed at InterLiga Sunday at Home Depot Center.

I wandered around the stadium taking photos and soaking up an amazing atmosphere that you don’t see at MLS games. Here’s a sampling, beginning with some frenetic Morelia fans.

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This was as close as Los Angeles residents and Chivas fans Claudia Gonzales, 27, and Aida Aguilar, 33, could get to the action. They didn’t have tickets, so they sat outside the stadium.

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“Didn’t I tell you never to call me at work?”

i-be4e0e0b481be579c2e3e1a2ebb910f8-16910002.jpgDaddy goat and his kid

i-c5f66f19ca6fc12ab6591a1712590db3-tennis.jpgA lone security guard (left) contemplates the solitude of the empty tennis venue adjacent to the packed soccer stadium.

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InterLiga Preview: Zorros, Goats & More

Four Mexican teams.

Two spots in the Copa Libertadores at stake.

Two games at sold out Home Depot Center: at 4 p.m. it’s Atlas (known as the Zorros and one of three teams from Guadalajara) against Pachuca (winners of five Mexican championships in the last 10 years) and at 6:30 p.m. CD Guadalajara (will Panchito Mendoza of Chivas USA be in the starting lineup for the mother club at his home stadium?) faces Morelia.

Both games are live on Fox Sports Espanol.

Previews: Atlas-Pachuca.

Chivas-Morelia.

I’m going to wander around the HDC with a camera during the games and soak up the atmosphere. With any luck, I’ll post a few shots tonight.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend: David Beckham starts on the bench for AC Milan at 11:30 a.m. on Fox Soccer Channel in a Serie A game against Roma, while Marta could be officially confirmed as a L.A. Sol player as soon as today.

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InterLiga Finals Sold Out Sunday

Home Depot Center has its first capacity crowd of the new year (and it’s a real sellout).

No $20 grass berm tickets remain for Sunday’s InterLiga finals, officials announced late Saturday.

From the InterLiga press release:

A capacity crowd of 27,000 will see the top two finishers from both Group A and Group B of InterLiga when Pachuca battles Atlas at 4:00 p.m. PT, followed by CD Guadalajara, known worldwide as “Chivas”, against Morelia.

Due to the capacity crowd, fans are recommended to arrive early and enjoy Futbol Fiesta, an interactive fan zone in Lot 13 near the North West entrance to the stadium.

It’s the fifth time the Interliga finals has sold out at the HDC.

I plan to blog from the games, so join me then.

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