May 2009 Archives

Galaxy 1 Kansas City Wizards 1

Seen this. Heard this. Done this. So I'll keep this short.

A fifth straight draw for the Galaxy tonight. A club record. And eight ties in nine games. And undefeated in nine games.

But said Wizards goalkeeper Kevin Hartman - agreeing with Coach Curt Onalfo - after the 10-men Galaxy scored an 87th minute equalizer to tie it up: "it felt like a loss."

Game story.

Bonus quotes

*Here's Galaxy Coach Bruce Arena on all the ways the Galaxy are getting "better:"

"I thought we played real well. We just get better and better. ... "In every phase of the game we've gotten better. ... Coming from behind and getting a point with 10 men speaks volumes for our team."

*Arena on goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts:

"Donovan Ricketts is a fabulous goalkeeper."

*Here's Galaxy goalkeeping coach Ian Feuer on Kevin Hartman's 82nd minute save of Chris Klein's shot:

"In my eyes, so far, it was the save of the season."

Game story.

Bonus quotes
*Sol Coach Abner Rogers on the team's WPS-leading seventh shutout:

"A lot of credit must be given to our defense. We sometimes overlook what they do so well. To keep clean sheets week in week out is not easy."

*Sol midfielder Shannon Boxx on her goal:

"Something I have been working on is the offensive side and to get two goals the last two games it feels good."

*Athletica goalkeeper Hope Solo:

"Two great goals, but to be honest I thought our team defense was pretty good."

Twitter of the night from the Sol's injured Aly Wagner:

"Okay, whoever has a voodoo doll of me and keeps sticking me PLEASE cut me some slack!"

Galaxy 1 Wizards 1

The usual lack of offense until late in the game. Then the usual late goals. And the usual Galaxy draw.

The two goals came within three minutes here.

First, Kansas City striker Davy Arnoud tapped in a header by Claudio Lopez who got on the end of a Roger Espinoza cross in the 84th minute.

Then Edson Buddle equalized from about 12 yards after Jack Jewsbury gave the ball away to Demo Kovalenko.

The Galaxy squandered chances in the second half, too.

Wizards goalkeeper Kevin Hartman was required to bring off a great save to defy a 22-yard Chris Klein shot that appeared destined for the top corner of the net in the 82nd minute. A minute later Buddle saw a header bounce off the bar.

That's five straight ties for the 1-1-9 Galaxy.

More later.

The Galaxy's Gregg Berhalter was sent off in the 58th minute for holding Claudio Lopez just outside the box. Berhalter, the last man back, was sent off in similar circumstances on his Galaxy debut against Chivas USA earlier this season.

Edson Buddle has come into the game in the 66th minute for Alan Gordon. There was a huge cheer from the crowd.

Galaxy 0 Kansas City Wizards 0

Alan Gordon missed two excellent chances to give the Galaxy the lead in this one, Wizards goalkeeper Kevin Hartman getting the best of him as he ran at the goal in a one on one situation in the 22nd minute and managing to hit the bar from just five yards out after getting on the end of an Eddie Lewis cross six minutes before the break.

The best chance for a Galaxy goal may have come from a Jimmy Conrad header that skidded off his scalp and whizzed just over the bar after he got in the way of a Dema Kovalenko shot.

The Wizards should have scored just before half time, but Galaxy goalkeeper Donovan Rickets again showed his quick reactions by stopping a hard Davy Arnaud at point blank range.

Both teams were credited with just one shot on target apiece.

On to the main event.

Galaxy Coach Bruce Arena starts the same lineup tonight that drew 1-1 with Dallas at Pizza Hut Park last time out, the Galaxy's fourth consecutive draw. It's the first time this season - and only the second time since Arena took over the Galaxy coaching duties - he has fielded an unchanged lineup in successive games.

The Galaxy XI: Ricketts, DeLagarza, Berhalter, Gonzalez, Dunivant, Magee, Kovalenko, Tudela, Lewis, Donovan and Gordon.

Edson Buddle is fit enough to make the bench.

Former Galaxy goalkeeper Kevin Hartman is between the posts for the Wizards, who also have former Galaxy striker Herculez Gomez up front in place of suspended top scorer Josh Wolff (six goals) alongside Claudio Lopez.

The Wizards have just one win in their last five games. Can you feel another tie game coming?

The game is on FSN.

Sol 2 Athletica 0

This was a more dominant Sol victory than the scoreline suggested with Camile Abily and player of the game Shannon Boxx scoring either side of half time to propel the WPS-leading Sol's record to 6-1-2 before 6,288 at Home Depot Center. Athletica fell to 2-3-2.

That's two goals in two games for Boxxy, not bad for a defensive midfielder; she scored the opening goal for the U.S. Monday in the 4-0 U.S. win over Canada.

More later.

Sol 2 Athletica 0

Torrance's Shannon Boxx scored her first Sol goal in the 49th minute from a Han Duan pass.

Sol 1 Athletica 0

Sol striker Camile Abily scored her third goal of the season in the 35th minute by getting on the end of a Shannon Boxx cross that was flicked on by Marta and burying the ball in the top of the net from six yards out.

Disappointing crowd for the first game of the doubleheader with the Galaxy with not many fans of the men's game bothering to come out a little early for the women. This, of course, is why AEG isn't interested in the Sol.

So gray and gloomy here in Carson then (in more ways than one), but perfect for football.

Here's the Sol XI:
goalkeeper - Karina LeBlanc
defenders - Allison Falk, Martina Franko, Stephanie Cox, Manya Makoski.
midfielders - Shannon Boxx, Aya Miyama, Camille Abily, Brittany Bock
forwards - Han Duan, Marta

Notable names for Athletica include Hope Solo in goal, Tina Ellertson in defense, Angie Woznuk and Lory Chalupny in midfield along with former Sol midfielder Kendall Fletcher. Former Sol forward Christie Welsh is on the bench.

There's no TV for this game so follow along here.

Good morning and now you've watched this game it's time to turn your attention to the rare doubleheader today at Home Depot Center.

First up is Sol-Saint Louis Athletica. The teams' last meeting produced a 0-0 tie (Marta was missing though) so it's no wonder the Sol tout this as the battle of goalkeepers Karina LeBlanc and Hope Solo.

Former Galaxy one-season wonder Herculez Gomez could have a prominent role for Kansas in the second game in the absence of top scorer Josh Wolff.

Also, here's a Becks update. Relevant line on Galaxy fans' expected reaction:

"I hope they realize by now the reasons why I made this move. I'm sure they do deep down. I'm sure they'll be supportive when I come back. But you never know. Things could be good. Things could be bad. I can only play the game and enjoy myself. I've had quite a bit of stick [fan abuse] at certain grounds in England, so I'm sure I can take it."

Deal o' the week: Four tickets to the games, four hot dogs and sodas and a $50 ESPNZone Gamecard are $66. Call 1-877-3GALAXY.

If you don't plan to be there, check back here: I'll blog from the games.

Why is this a big deal?

Because for the last few years the annual finale to the English football season has been aired here live exclusively on pay per view.

So that has meant crawling out of bed at 6:30 a.m. or so for the dubious honor of paying $24.95 to watch the game at home. Or heading to a British pub, paying a $10-$20 cover charge, and then having some inebriated Brit screaming in your ear by half time "Come on you (pick the team)." Or waiting until the next day to see it free and hope you manage to avoid seeing the result (an increasingly iffy idea these days).

I don't know about you, but those prospects in what I like to call my reclining years has proved less and less alluring. That's prompted me to skip the game entirely in recent years.

But this Saturday, as a result (I believe) of Fox's new deal with the English FA the game between Chelsea and Everton will be seen live at 6:30 a.m. on Fox Soccer Channel.

With U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard between the posts for Everton and Chelsea scheduled to play in Pasadena this summer, there's plenty to keep Southern Californian soccer fans interested.

For a primer on the historic game click here.

For a preview of this year's game click here.

Enjoy.

Game story.

Highlights:

Notable: The Fire's 11 game undefeated record to start the season is the longest in club history and the second longest in league history. The title holder: the Galaxy, which posted 12 wins in 1996 (my, my, is that a long time ago now).

Bonus quotes
*Here's Fire Coach Dennis Hamlett on the pivotal last call and his reaction to Preki calling it a dive:

"That's his opinion. It was a PK. I saw the ball being played in, Brian (McBride) going up and being pushed from the back. ... You can't just take a free shot at a guy in the box. You have to play the ball.

*Here's Paulo Nagamura on his bomb of a goal:

"That was an opportunity that came to me. I got the ball in the middle and there was nobody around me and I saw that I could drive forward and so I kept going and nobody came to me. It was a chance to hit a ball and I hit it pretty well."

*On whether his goal celebration was a copy of the goal-scoring routine of Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o:

"Actually, I did that a few weeks ago. He may be watching MLS games."

*Here's Preki on the continuing unnecessary flurry of yellow cards that referees are prone to in MLS this season, especially on Jesse March's first, which became much more relevant when he received the second (that no-one questioned) and are undermining the contests:

"Just before Jesse got his second yellow card (Fire midfielder John) Thorrington makes the foul in the middle of the field against Jesse, the referee reaches in his pocket to give him a second yellow card and he changes his mind. We can see it clearly from the bench. And then the tackle by Jesse gives him a second yellow. That's nuts. That's like a comedy hour because if you look at the replay it's a devastating call to a group that played its heart out."

*Here's Mexican Mariano Trujillo on the massive cheers heard after Blanco, a former player with huge CD Guadalajara rivals Club America, scored at Home Depot Center:

"We know that there's a lot of fans for Blanco here in L.A. It's just like a little bit sad that we're playing at home and they're cheering. But we're getting used to these games."

BTW, how will Chivas USA mark the loss (and their fifth anniversary)? By going to Disneyland! On Friday the players will: participate in a cavalcade along Main Street USA and take a team photo in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle (if Sacha shows up in a tinkerbell outfit flying over the castle we'll be sure and bring it to you).

Thanks again to Phil Collin for the bulk of those quotes.

Sweet dreams boys and girls.

Chivas USA 2 (7-2-3) Chicago Fire 3 (5-0-6)

A stupid push in the back by Chivas USA right back Mariano Trujillo on Brian McBride in the box just moments before the game ended gave Cuauhtemoc Blanco the opportunity to convert his second PK of the night and extend the Fire's undefeated streak to eleven.

Fire substitute Patrick Nyarko had equalized against 10-man Chivas USA in the 90th minute.

It was an exciting end to an eventful game played before a season-high Chivas USA crowd of 20,379 with the teams combining for 28 shots.

Preki was clearly unhappy after the final whistle with the call that ruined a gutsy performance by his still MLS-leading team. Chivas USA played with a lone forward up front for the last 30 minutes after Jesse Marsch was sent off for a foul on Blanco.

Despite an excessive 11 cards handed out by ref Terry Vaughn this was a fast-paced game with end to end action that was a great advertisement for MLS.

Lots of talk about in this one; back with more later.

Chivas USA will play the final half hour or so with 10 men; Jesse Marsch just received a second yellow for a foul on Blanco.

Chivas USA 2 Fire 1

What looks to be Chivas USA's biggest crowd of the year is enjoying what is arguably their best game of the year so far at the HDC.

Attacking, flowing football on both sides of the field has resulted in eight shots for Chivas, four for Chicago and five yellow cards.

No offside calls in this game between MLS' best.

This one is a joy to watch.

Chivas USA 2 Fire 1

Maykel Galindo scored from what was believed to be his first penalty kick for Chivas USA in the 36th minute after he was scythed down by Fire defender Bakary Soumare right in front of the referee.

Chivas USA 1 Fire 1

Cuauhtemoc Blanco just equalized from the penalty spot in the 25th minute after Shavar Thomas pulled down Wilman Conde inside the box.

Chivas USA 1 Chicago Fire 0

Jon Busch apparently hasn't watched enough game tape of Chivas USA's Paulo Nagamura.

Nagamura nailed his fourth goal of the season with a nasty, swerving shot from all of 35 yards out that Busch was far too slow to react to in the 16th minute, although his defense should have also done a better job of shutting down the dangerous Brazilian.

The alleged defensive midfielder is now tied for the team scoring lead with Eduardo Lillingston.

A delicious match-up tonight between the respective conference leaders, with the Fire's MLS-best offense facing Chivas USA's MLS-best defense.

The Fire are undefeated in 10 games, while Chivas USA haven't lost in five and are beginning to field a stable lineup.

Just one change in Preki's starting XI from the team that drew 1-1 with Kansas City last time out, Mexican striker Eduardo Lillingston replacing Fontana's Chukwudi Chijindu (who is on the bench), in attack.

Chivas USA lineup: Thornton, Trujillo, Talley, Thomas, Bornstein, Kljestan, Marsch, Nagamura, Harris, Galindo, Lillingston.

The Fire counters with John Busch, Tim Ward, Wilman Conde, Bakary Soumare, Gonzalo Segares, Marco Pappa, Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Logan Pause, John Thorrington, Brian McBride, Chris Rolfe.

In other news, Chivas USA today announced the signing of 18-year-old Sylmar midfielder Casar Zamora to a developmental contract. He's the third product of the club's youth system to sign a pro contract.

In addition, Chivas USA goalkeeping coach Leo Perkovich was fined $500 for his conduct at the Wizards game, MLS announced today.

This is a game even the wine and cheese crowd should watch.

It's The Chicago Fire, the best in the East, against Chivas USA, the best in the West, at Home Depot Center live on ESPN2.

It's the best offense against the best defense (although the Fire are also the last undefeated team in MLS).

And it's Blanco and McBride against Bornstein and Thornton.

Think it will be a tie? (Ahem).

Game preview.

Possible reason for Sacha Kljestan's lack of form revealed!

MLS standings.

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

Finally, soon to be Galaxy player Chris Birchall said he has signed a four-year contract with the club.

The not so surprising news this afternoon was that Galaxy midfielder/defender Sean Franklin, hobbled much of this season by a problematic hamstring, is now done for the next four to six months after undergoing surgery Tuesday to repair a torn right upper hamstring tendon.

So he's pretty much gone for the season then.

Last year's MLS Rookie of the Year started eight games for the Galaxy this season and frankly looked much better going forward on the right side of midfield in several games than at right back.

In other news:

*ESPN released its Confederations Cup schedule.

ESPN will show four and ESPN2 eight of the 16 games live generally at 7 a.m. and 11:25 a.m. June 14-28 from South Africa.

The U.S. opens against Italy at 11:25 a.m. June 15.

* Cal State Northridge released its men's soccer schedule.

*There was also a UEFA Champions League thingie today. Manchester United played for 10 minutes then stopped when Barcelona scored. Barca won 2-0. Messi scored the second, which must be worth a buck or two. You can read more about it * here.

The big winners locally were the Galaxy, which put tickets on sale today to their * Aug. 1 game in Pasadena against the now reigning European Champions.

A quick quiz related to the Barcelona-Manchester United final on live at 11:25 a.m. Wednesday on ESPN.

You know this game is big when:

A. ESPN actually recognizes soccer exists and puts Barcelona's Lionel Messi on the cover of ESPN: The Magazine.

B. ESPN shows the final on well, ESPN, compared to ESPN2 or ESPN Classic, which is where it usually shows UEFA ECL contests.

C. Clerks in Trader Joe's are eager to talk about the relative merits of the two teams.

D. I take the day off for a game.

E. All of the above

The answer is, of course, E.

Frankly, there's more buzz surrounding this soccer game than I can ever remember between two club teams in this country.

And there's unprecedented coverage, too:

*Seven hours of Fox Soccer Channel coverage (except the actual game) beginning at 9 a.m. Expect lots of Bobby McMahon.

*ESPN will air the game to 115 nations using 14 commentators in three languages with pregame segments splattered throughout its programming on ESPN and ESPN2.

The Galaxy will sponsor four local viewing parties:

*ESPN Zone at L.A. Live, 1011 S Figueroa St., Los Angeles.
*The Underground, 1334 Hermosa Ave., Hermosa Beach.
*Lucky Baldwins, 17 S Raymond Ave., Pasadena.
*Ye Olde Kings Head pub, 116 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica.

Here's a preview of the game:

By ROBERT MILLWARD
AP Soccer Writer
ROME -- From Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Lionel Messi to Wayne Rooney vs. Thierry Henry, this Champions League final shapes up as a classic of European club soccer.

Already with the domestic league and cup titles to show for his first season as a coach,
Barcelona's Pep Guardiola chases the ultimate prize in European club soccer on Wednesday when he bids to topple Manchester United and Alex Ferguson in a final fans all over the world have been waiting for.

"I think we have been able to show maturity for quite a few months, but tomorrow's game is the most important," Guardiola told reporters at the Stadio Olimpico on Tuesday.

"I want the players to feel well, to feel beautiful, to feel like they are playing in front of the whole world, to be daring and to feel that they are here because they deserve it and to show how good we are. It's the best match to show it."

After scoring 151 league and cup goals this season, Barcelona has the ability to take the
title from defending champion United, which also captured the Premier League title for the
third season in a row and 11th time in 17 years.

While Barcelona is chasing its third trophy of the season, United is after a fourth.

Ferguson's team has also captured the FIFA Club World Cup and domestic League Cup.

United will make more history on Wednesday if South Korean star Park Ji-sung becomes the first Asian player to play in a Champions League final, after being surprisingly left out of the squad that beat Chelsea in a penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw in Moscow.

"I think there was a terrible disappointment last season when we didn't include him in the
squad," Ferguson said Tuesday. "I can assure you he will be involved in the squad tomorrow and, if he plays or comes on, he has an impact that other players like Messi and Ronaldo don't have.

"He's a different type of player. He has fantastic understanding of space and movement which is completely different from Messi and Cristiano. (They) work to have the ball all the time and make things happen, whereas Ji-sung doesn't need the ball."

United defender Rio Ferdinand says he will play after shaking off a calf muscle injury and
Guardiola said he was confident striker Thierry Henry and attacking midfielder Andres Iniesta would also be fit, setting up the final even neutral fans have been waiting for.

In Messi, Samuel Eto'o and Henry Barcelona has a strikeforce to match or even outplay
United's. Ferguson is unlikely to field Ronaldo, Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov and Carlos Tevez all at the same time, and there is speculation that two of them will be on the bench when the game kicks off.

Likewise, Ferguson is unlikely to field both of his 30-something midfielders Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs at the same time against the top quality duo of Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta.

But Ferguson should have the edge when it comes to defense.

With Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic in central defense, that lineup at the back can show why the team set a British record by going 1,311 minutes without conceding a goal in the league during mid-season.

Barcelona, by contrast, is counting the cost of having Brazilian right back Daniel Alves and
French left back Eric Abidal missing through suspension and Mexican center back Rafael Marquez out through injury.

The only thing missing from this final in Italy's capital are any Italians.

Serie A has missed out again in a competition it used to dominate when AC Milan and Juventus were at their best.

Now Italy's top teams can only watch, although there are security fears that local fans may
try to ambush the spectacle by targeting the visiting 50,000 spectators from England and
Spain, who have been advised to stay away from certain parts of the city on match day.

A look at Barcelona's attack:

By PAUL LOGOTHETIS
AP Sports Writer
ROME -- Barcelona's formidable attack should be at its best with Thierry Henry and Andres Iniesta likely to return for the Champions League final against Manchester United.

Henry and Iniesta were traveling with the team to Rome on Tuesday, a day after taking part in their first full training session since picking up separate leg injuries earlier this month.

The puzzle is coming together for the Spanish champions in time for Wednesday's match between two of the world's best clubs.

"They are two basic footballing pieces in our scheme," Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez said. "We know they're going to play, that they'll be 100 percent, and to have them is a privilege because with them we're better."

Both players have been key to the offensive juggernaut that has scored 151 goals in collecting two trophies this season.

Iniesta's injury-time goal against a staunch Chelsea side earned Barca its sixth trip to the
final; it has won the cup twice. The Spain midfielder, recovering from a thigh injury, abandoned his usual reserved nature when it came to deciphering the final.

"United are the defending champions, one of the best, but they don't scare me. I have the same respect for them as they have for us," Iniesta said. "It's a chance to go down in history. I'd accept winning on penalties."

Based on their training methods, that's something Barcelona is not exactly ready for.

"We haven't practiced them," Xavi said. "I think to do that is ridiculous because you can't
emulate the tension of a game in a training session."

Henry has combined with Lionel Messi and Samuel Eto'o to net a league-record 71 goals by a trio. But Iniesta provides an integral midfield piece to rookie coach Josep Guardiola's
philosophy: attacking, possession soccer borne out by midfielders Xavi and Iniesta.

The two players are straight out of the mold of Guardiola, a former midfielder who orchestrated Barcelona to 10 major titles from that role, including in the Champions League in 1992.

"This is special for us because we played the best football," Xavi said after the club secured its 19th league title. "I have never seen (a team) play at this level, I have never played in a better team. We have individuals but, above all, we've won as a team. I'm proud."

But the absence of several defenders has left Barcelona's defense exposed against a team that knocked it out at the semifinal stage last year.

With fullbacks Daniel Alves and Eric Abidal suspended and center back Rafael Marquez injured, midfielder Yaya Toure will likely partner with former United player Gerard Pique in the middle as he did against Chelsea, then against Athletic Bilbao in the Spanish Cup final. Captain Carles Puyol and 35-year-old Silvinho are likely to fill in on the wings.

With forwards Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tevez and Dimitarm Berbatov to contend with, goalkeeper Victor Valdes again may be called upon to make big saves in
pressure moments.

"What I must value is how Rooney, Tevez, (Paul) Scholes, etc., work," Iniesta said. "Rooney played left back against us. To win a final against United you can't make any
mistakes."

Hmm, the timing of this may be just a little too precious, but just 90 minutes before Barcelona takes the field against Manchester United in their hotly anticipated UEFA Champions League final, the Galaxy decide to begin sales of tickets to their game with Barca Aug. 1 at the Rose Bowl.

Tickets start at $25.

More info: 1-877-3GALAXY.

Do I need to mention 90 minutes before the game starts means 10 a.m.? Didn't think so. Wonder how many fans are actually going to be sitting on hold (or on-line) at Ticketmaster while the game is getting started?

I'll be back a little later with a complete viewer's guide to the final Wednesday. And yes, I am taking the day off work. Aren't you?

No column from me this morning due to Monday's holiday.

But those of you looking for a good soccer read might want to check out the work of former Daily Breeze food critic and converted Galaxy fan Chris Cognac who has guest-blogged here before and now has a new blog from a fans' point of view called Chivas USA from the Stands.

In his latest post Chris tallies up the cost of being a Galaxy fan compared to following Chivas USA (he's talking monetary cost not the emotional toll, BTW).

Look for the South Bay resident to continue to observe the simple, yet awe-inspiring virtues of the bacon wrapped hot dog and other pleasures from his seat beneath the Stadium Club with his family.

Welcome to the blogging party, Chris.

Canada 0 U.S. 4

Torrance's Shannon Boxx scored the first goal; the U.S. scored three more.

Now let's get on with the WPS season.

Game details.

FC Gold Pride 0 Sol 2

Cohesive, crisp passing, a virtually impenetrable defense that has only allowed two goals en route to seven shutouts all season and Han Duan's first goal for the Sol in the road victory.

Game story.

WPS standings.

Highlights:

More women's soccer later today: at 4 p.m. it's U.S.-Canada on Fox Soccer Channel featuring Torrance's Shannon Boxx and others missing from WPS action this weekend.

It was close though.

The details.

We'll just have to wait on top Mexican clubs visiting regularly just across the border.

A depleted L.A. Sol (4-1-2) takes on an under-strength F.C. Gold Pride (3-3-1) at 4 p.m. today on Fox Soccer Channel thanks to the meaningless U.S.-Canada friendly scheduled for Memorial Day.

A Marta game preview is here.

Goalkeeper Val Henderson replaces Karina LeBlanc, who has six shutouts, between the posts today for the Sol.

Meanwhile, the Sol's latest victim, Sky Blue FC, have "indefinitely suspended" Coach Ian Sawyers:

"Differences have arisen between Ian and the ownership of the organization," said Thomas Hofstetter, CEO and President of Sky Blue Soccer - the parent organization of Sky Blue FC. "We are working through this matter as professionally as possible and will have further information available sometime next week."

Sky Blue FC lost to the Washington Freedom Saturday and sit in the WPS basement with a 1-4-2 record.

The roster Coach Bob Bradley announced today.

Game story.

Game story.

All three Carson-based pro teams have fled town this holiday weekend along with a goodly number of Southern California residents.

So I'll keep this brief:

* Galaxy at FC Dallas at 5:30 p.m. on FSN.

* Chivas USA at Kansas City Wizards at 5:30 p.m. on Fox Soccer Channel.

Cleaning out the digital voice recorder from vacation...

After the Seattle Sounders-Galaxy game I asked Bruce Arena and Sigi Schmid the same question: Is it more difficult to create a brand new MLS team or rebuild a bad existing one?

Here's what Arena said:

"I think building an expansion team is easier. Ironically, no-one in the press has a clue about that. I laugh when I see your guys' opinions.

"They give you more money, they give you more draft picks, they give you more ways of getting players. It's very much an advantage to start fresh than maybe trying to rebuild a team that's already there. Having said that, you wouldn't argue having to do it, say, (without) David Beckham.

"But I do think there's many more resources for an expansion team, financially, and just your ability to get players. And I think the league has made some big errors in how they've allowed an expansion team to come into the league. I think it's been wrong and it's not fair to existing teams. ... They have more resources to build a roster and they have more access to players - having rights to players in then A-League, to having the number one picks in all the drafts and all the numbers they have - they have a much easier way of getting players."

Here's Schmid's response:

"His answer is it's more difficult to rebuild a bad team. (Laughs).

"I've been on both sides. I think it is more difficult to rebuild a bad team especially when you're financial resources have not been used appropriately, so therefore your hands are tied a little bit.

"But an expansion team is also difficult because you're guessing in a lot of areas and you're trying to get a group to play together in a short period of time so it presents a different difficulty than a team where you've got maybe four or five parts that are already working and you're just adding some parts. You've got no parts you know are working at an expansion team and you've got to try and get it working as quickly as possible."

Chivas USA and the Galaxy might not like the competition for Latino fans, but it could happen.

The Galaxy this afternoon announced a June 9 friendly at Home Depot Center against Cosa Rican team Club Sport Herediano, which includes former MLS players and Costa Rican internationals Andy Herron and Mauricio Solis on its roster.

That makes the third friendly against international opponents in Southern California this season - after scheduling just two (from Asia) - in the last two years.

Hmmm, I wonder why?

"We strive to provide exceptional value to all of our season ticket holders and believe that games such as this one will only add to that value," said Galaxy President of Business Operations Tom Payne.

Season ticket holders get in free.

Translation: "Our season ticket holders, rightfully angered by paying exorbitant prices for a less than convincing David Beckham-less team and seeing two friendlies against largely unknown Japanese and Korean teams last year, want more value for money. Please don't cancel your season tickets."

That's what I thought you said, Tom.

Tickets go on sale to everyone else Friday. The Galaxy didn't announce ticket prices.

From the Galaxy press release:

On Sunday, Herediano booked a spot in the Primera Division Verano Final against LiberiaMia with a 6-2 aggregate win over Brujas. The two-leg final will be played on May 20 and May 24 with Herediano looking to win their first championship since the 1992-93 season... Herediano were the top attacking team in Costa Rica this season, scoring a league-high 28 goals in 19 games.

The Galaxy also plays AC Milan July 19 in Carson and UEFA Champions League finalist Barcelona Aug. 1 at the Rose Bowl. Season ticket holders get in free to those games, too.

Well, I'm still trying to figure this team out.

Frankly, whether we'll know much more after this weekend - the Galaxy play on the road against a terrible Dallas team - as the season reaches its one-third mark is unclear, too.

What do you folks think? Is this team as bad as many suspect? Or are there signs of improvement? Chime in.

New names and numbers up in the Galaxy locker room this weekend. Most are just training with the team.

*#26 Mike Stevens, a UCLA product who played for the Galaxy Under-20 team, and began training with the senior squad last week.

*#31 Goalkeeper Kevin Guppy of Chino Hills, a Cal State Northridge product and former Big West Goalkeeper of the Year, who played in the PDL last year.

*#33 Brighton & Hove Albion utility man Chris Birchall, who headed back to England Monday and will join Trinidad & Tobago for their World Cup qualifiers in early June before likely rejoining the Galaxy.

*#35 UCLA goalkeeper Brian Perk, who has one year of college eligibility left, and played for the Galaxy Under-20 team, which is why he's training with the first team as of last week.

#36 Ian Sarachan, Dave Sarachan's son, who took a semester off school back in Illinois and has actually been training with the team for a while.

AP Photo

Crash and burn: The Columbus Crew's Danny O'Rourke earns a second yellow Sunday for tripping the Galaxy's Landon Donovan shortly before the end of the 1-1 game.

This is getting old.

The Galaxy have now scored more than 60 percent of their goals this season - seven - in the final 15 minutes of a game and are 0-1-6 when conceding the first goal. Five of the six draws materialized with a goal in the last 15 minutes of a game. Oh, and their seven game unbeaten streak is the fourth longest in club history.

Here is the game story from today's newspaper.

Galaxy Coach Bruce Arena described his players as "tentative' going forward, the field as "slow" and slippery and Columbus as "awful good:

*"Given the circumstances we're certainly happy with the point. I thought we really wasted 45 minutes today. Our first half was poor.

*"I don't think we showed a whole lot of energy and we were out-competed in most positions on the field.

*"I thought in particular (Crew players Eddie) Gavin and (Brian) Carroll won the (midfield) battle against (Stefani) Miglioranzi and (Dema) Kovalenko (in the first half)."

Arena pretty much conceded at one point that this team has him stumped:

"Who can explain it sometimes? Sometimes you can't quite figure things out in terms of why players react to certain conditions. We just didn't react well to dealing with the heat in the early going. In the second half it was better. They needed to get screamed at a little bit at half time."

Here's Arena on Tony Sanneh's IQ:

"I think if Tony has an IQ of over 40, I think he probably exactly understands the mistake he made. I didn't want to dwell on it today. ... Tony thanked the team for bailing him out. He knew he made a mistake. Schelotto made an excellent play, too. He's a headsy player."

Here's Sanneh on his howler:

"I saw him coming that's why I trapped it across my body 'cos I didn't want to go into him and then I probably should have just cleared it, but Omar (Gonzalez) was calling for it and I just over thought it. I saw the other guy coming in and I just tried to squeeze it in there, but I had a shitty ball."

Arena on the team's best player:

"(Mike) Magee was good today. He was our best player from start to finish. He wanted the ball in tough spots. He was confident with the ball at his feet."

On Landon Donovan's performance:

"Landon has to be more assertive in these games and I think he was in the last 45 minutes of this game. The first half he didn't find himself. He was second on too many plays. And in the second half he turned it around, so give him some credit."

Here's the Crew's Robbie Rogers on the Galaxy:

"They really are a team that just sits back and tries to counter attack with Landon so I think we could have kept the ball a little better in the second half. We maybe lost our legs a little bit and gave up one of those late goals."

Arena's scariest line of the press conference:

"We've gotten better in each and every game. We've gotten closer to where we want to be."

Highlights:

Quite a shaker here in Torrance..

Galaxy 1 Crew 1

Eddie Lewis scored his first goal of the season in second half stoppage time with an excellent 25-yard blast from a Crew clearance.

It was only the Galaxy's second effort on target in the game.

The Galaxy are now 1-1-7.

We'll see how Arena spins this one.

Galaxy 0 Crew 1

The vastly experienced Tony Sanneh, who came on at half time for right back Sean Franklin, apparently decided it was perfectly safe for him to attempt to pass the ball along the top of the box after receiving a pass from goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts despite the close attention of Guillermo Barros Schelotto.

It wasn't.

The result was Schelotto's fifth goal of the season (he had seven all of last year as the Crew won the title).

The goal came almost immediately after a 30-yard Schelotto free kick that ricocheted off the wall and hit the bar.

Galaxy 0 Crew 0

Bruce Arena is either a frightened coach or one who understands the limitations of a mediocre team.

The Galaxy played the first half of this affair like a road team, often with eight or more players behind the ball. On one rare Galaxy attack the ball was actually pushed backward because there were no options going forward. Arena defends his conservative approach as he rebuilds the team, but this is not particularly attractive stuff.

The predictable result: Columbus had the better of the attacking chances.

A rasping Robbie Rogers shot in the 13th minute required a fine Donovan Ricketts save to prevent a goal and Riverside's Chad Marshall had a header from a corner kick similarly stopped in the 21st minute.

And that was about it for entertainment.

I wonder what Brighton midfielder Chris Birchall, the Trinidad & Tobago international who began training with the Galaxy earlier this week, thought of this dour display. He's on trial, is apparently out of contract this summer and is presumably a possible acquisition when the transfer window reopens in July.

It's quite a commentary on the current Galaxy team that a player from the third tier of English professional soccer is considered a potential upgrade.

My second consecutive noon Sunday Galaxy game and what a difference a week makes.

The clouds are clearing in Carson, but instead of 30,000 screaming green-bedecked Sounders fans in Seattle last weekend it's a half-empty stadium with the makings of an ugly game in store given these two teams' records.

Up top for the Galaxy, Bryan Jordan gets his first start of the season alongside Alan Gordon, while Edson Buddle has aggravated his right quad injury and is sitting this one out. Todd Dunivant is resting after the Galaxy's stint of three games in eight days and Tony Sanneh is on the bench.

The Galaxy XI: Ricketts, Franklin, Berhalter, Gonzalez, Lewis, Donovan, Kovalenko, Miglioranzi, Magee, Gordon, Jordan.

Rolling Hills Estates' Robbie Rogers is in midfield for the Crew, while Guillermo Barros Schelotto and Alejandro Moreno are up front.

The game is on TeleFutura.

Before I head to the Galaxy game in Carson:

* Chivas USA-D.C. United game story

* The United perspective.

* Galaxy preview.

* And between the posts for the Crew is...

After raising a pint (or two) at 12 microbreweries, reconnecting with friends in Oregon and Washington, seeing two road Galaxy games and visiting two national parks in seven states over the last 12 days while clocking up 3,185 miles, I returned to Los Angeles late Friday night.

But a co-worker and fellow soccer fan will not be there when I get back to the office next week. Vu Nguyen, who sits at the desk adjacent to mine and was just 34-years-old, died Friday night in hospital:

"Nguyen kicked two goals while playing a soccer game with friends Sunday in a Santa Monica park and collapsed as he ran with his arms outstretched like an airplane down the field."

Wherever you are now, Vu, I'm sure you are still scoring and soaring.

So, while the Sol won Friday, Manchester United clinched the EPL title today and the two best teams in MLS play at Home Depot Center tonight, I'm keeping things in perspective.

Tonight is my wife's birthday, so I'm going to play hooky from soccer today and spend time with her instead.

I'll blog at noon Sunday from the Galaxy game against Columbus at the HDC.

Until then, slow down, take care and spend time with someone you love.

I'm on vacation.

Before I resume my vacation, here are the post-game views of the Galaxy's 1-1 tie with the Sounders in Seattle on Sunday.

Here's Sounders Coach Sigi Schmid on the Galaxy's playing style given they were a man up:

"I'm very proud of our team from the standpoint of playing a man down and still trying to go for the win whereas the opponent was a man up and they were still content to tie the game," he said. "Their whole playing style all season has been to keep themselves close in games and snag a goal here and there."

And here's Galaxy Coach Bruce Arena on the same topic:

"We didn't do a good job. I think in the last 20 minutes of the game we were obviously fatigued and we didn't do a good job getting the ball forward and put them under a little bit of pressure. No question about it, we could have been better at trying to get the three points today."

Here's Schmid on whether he thought the Galaxy were capable of a second goal in the second half:

"It became less likely as they took forwards off the field and brought on midfielders."

Here's Landon Donovan's assessment of the game and why the Galaxy couldn't convert the numerical advantage on the field to the scoreboard:

"We got tired. It was a little unfortunate because we worked hard for 70 minutes and played well and I think we got tired, we got lazy, we stopped wanting the ball, we stopped moving and I wish we could have played them at a time we didn't have a midweek game because we could have got something more out of the game."

Schmid on the "disappointing" refereeing of Tim Weyland, who this time around handed out nine cards:

"I've known the referee for a long time and when I was coaching in college we were allowed to list a couple of referees who could not be put on our games. So, he hasn't refereed many games that I've coached let me put it that way. ... He was retired, he unretired a few years ago."

Arena on the six ties the Galaxy has, which is tied with Chicago for the most in the league:

"It tells you a little bit about the league, that there's not much of a gap from one team to another," he said. "We haven't lost a game in a long time, but we want to get some wins."

Here's Dema Kovalenko on the first half non-PK call and whether he worried his reputation could have preceded him in that situation:

"He was going down already, y'know. It's not like I slid and hit him. Believe me I worry about myself, too, in those situations (and) so does Bruce, so it's good it didn't happen."

Here's goalscorer Alan Gordon on whether this game amounted to a missed opportunity for three points:

"It's a little bittersweet. We like the point, but we've got to grab three points somewhere and this was a good opportunity to do it. That being said we can't be mad at ourselves for getting a point. This is a really tough place to play. We're still moving forward. We're unbeaten in six games, this is good for us, so I don't think we should take anything negative from this performance."

Lastly, veteran Sounders defender Tyrone Marshall let young fellow defender James Riley know in the locker room after the game that he shouldn't have got thrown out on what amounted to a "cheap card" that led to his second half ejection. Here's how veteran Galaxy defender Gregg Berhalter, who picked up the ball initially, saw the incident and resulting melee:

"He wanted to take it quickly, I picked it up and was trying to delay the kick and the guy went nuts. He threw me into the turf, hit Mike (Magee) - I guess he overreacted a bit. But he got a red card and I think deservedly so."

Sounders 1 Galaxy 1

Despite playing the final 30 minutes or so a man to the good, the Galaxy were unable to break down the Sounders to claim an away win on their first-ever visit to Qwest Field.

Still, the Galaxy are now 1-1-6, have picked up consecutive road points and are undefeated in six games now.

This outing lacked the late drama of the tie in Utah earlier in the week, but if anything was a more even performance.

Edson Buddle made a belated appearance in the 84th minute, but was unable to make a difference before another fine crowd of 29,025 at Qwest Field.

More later.

A bit of a fracas in the wake of a free kick call against the Galaxy has resulted in the dismissal of Seattle defender James Riley in the 57th minute. Seattle's Freddie Llungberg and the Galaxy's Mike Magee received yellow cards for their part in the incident.

Here's the Galaxy's chance with about a half hour left to go.

Sounders 1 Galaxy 1

Referee Tim Weyland was once again the center of attention at an MLS game with a non-call just before half time against the Galaxy's Demo Kovalenko, who seemed to bring down Nate Jaqua in the six yard box.

Weyland was roundly booed off the field at the break, with the Galaxy perhaps fortunate to escape the PK call.

The Sounders have had the better of the attacking play during the half, but the Galaxy are rising to the occasion and had one of their more resilient halves of the season.

The Galaxy always looked threatening on the counter attack and this one is by no means over. Both teams have three shots on goal apiece.

A large contingent of traveling L.A. Riot Squad and Angel City Brigade fans are on hand - a pleased President of Business Operations Tom Payne estimated about 80 or so - although they are tucked away in one corner and not easy to see in this large crowd that is almost a sea of green.

It's my first soccer game in Seattle since the days of the NASL and while Qwest Field is an improvement on the artificial Kingdome, the glassed in press box means the atmosphere is a bit lacking up here.

Still, the view of downtown Seattle gives a city feel to the stadium and it certainly felt like a game in Europe being able to walk to the game from the surrounding bars and restaurants.

Sounders 1 Galaxy 1

The Galaxy have pulled level, capitalizing on a bad Jhon Kennedy Hurtado mishit clearance/pass in his own half that went straight to Dema Kovalenko. Alan Gordon headed home the 36th minute equalizer with the final delivery by Mike Magee.

That's only the fifth goal Seattle has conceded this season.

Sounders 1 Galaxy 0

The Galaxy defense was caught napping in the 22nd minute, Steve Zakuani finding an open Nate Jaqua, who squared the ball to Sebastien Le Toux for a deceptively simple opening goal.

A couple of minutes after that the Galaxy were almost two down, a Jaqua header grazing Donovan Ricketts' far post.

The Galaxy (4-4-2) make four changes to the starting lineup that saw them score two goals in second half stoppage time to tie Real Salt Lake 2-2 Wednesday night and extend their unbeaten streak to five games.

Tony Sanneh comes into the back four for Sean Franklin, who has a slight hamstring issue and is sitting out as a precautionary measure, Jovan Kirovski and Mike Magee get starts in midfield in place of Chris Klein and Eddie Lewis, while Alan Gordon gets the nod up top and Edson Buddle drops to the bench.

The midfield shake-up is supposedly due more to the veteran status of Klein and Lewis (who are both on the bench) and the number of games they've played than the non-existent midfield Wednesday against RSL. Both have played six of the Galaxy's seven games this season

Buddle, who blames artificial surfaces for many of his injury problems, is on the bench.

The starting XI: Ricketts, Sanneh, Berhalter, Gonzalez, Dunivant, Miglioranzi, Kirovski, Kovalenko, Magee, Gordon, Donovan.

The Sounders, who sit nine points behind Chivas USA in the Western Conference, start Kasey Keller in goal, feature former Galaxy players Tyrone Marshall and Nate Sturgis in defense, as well as Nate Jaqua up front. Striker Fredy Montero, sent off in the 1-1 draw with Chicago last week, is suspended.

The starting lineup for Seattle (4-4-2): Keller, Riley, Hurtado, Marshall, Sturgis, Evans, Alonso, Ljunberg, Zakuani, Jaqua, Le Toux.

The referee today: Tim Weyland (groan).

The overcast skies are slowly giving way to slivers of blue; the temperature is 55 degrees, perfect for soccer.

The game is live on Fox Sports West and TeleFutura.

Happy Mother's Day from the Qwest Field press box in downtown Seattle where fans are filtering in to watch the Galaxy plays the Sounders at noon and a win could see 1-1-5 L.A. move into a three-way tie with Colorado and Houston in the Western Conference.

I've been out of Wi-Fi range for a few days, but refreshed from an apt Pacific Northwest chowder feast last night and a scrambled egg breakfast in the press box this morning, let's do a little catching up on what's been happening with Southern California soccer while I've been vacationing.

Chivas USA (7-1-1) are now eight points clear atop MLS after beating Real Salt Lake 1-0 last night at Home Depot Center behind Paulo Nagamura's team-leading third goal of the season. The win sets up an early season showdown next Saturday in Carson with 3-1-5 D.C. United, the second-best team in the league to this point.

Read the game story here.

Check out the goal here:

In other soccer news:

*The Galaxy finally and formally announced Friday the long-anticipated game against UEFA Champions League finalists Barcelona. With the HDC unavailable due to the X Games, the game will be held 8 p.m. Aug. 1 at the Rose Bowl. Tickets go on sale "in the coming weeks."

*The WPS' Sol, which this week traded defender Kendall Fletcher, forward Christie Welsh and a 2011 second-round draft pick to Saint Louis Athletica for a conditional 2010 first-round draft pick and a 2011 first-round draft pick, play the Boston Breakers at 1 p.m. today at the HDC. First place is on the line in a rematch of last week's game that saw the Sol succumb to their first loss of the season.

*Sol defender Brittany Bock has received her second-ever national team call-up for the May 20 game against Japan in Salt Lake City. Sol midefielder Shannon Boxx is also in the 21-player squad announced earlier this week.

Back in a few minutes with the lineups.

RSL 2 Galaxy 2

What to make of this 1-1-5 Galaxy team? They've led for what - all of 52 minutes this season?

Are results like this masking how bad the Galaxy are considering they've won just once this season? Or was it a demonstration of guts and team-building especially now the Galaxy are unbeaten in their last five games and are one of only two MLS teams unbeaten on the road?

Real Salt Lake are just the latest team to collectively scratch their heads.

And so is Mike Magee by the sound of it:

"To only lose one game seven games into the season says a lot about a team, especially with a bunch of new guys. ... Last year we gave away too many games and this year to have only lost one game is huge.

If we go down a goal we kind of come together. In the past we've kind of fallen apart. But we've dug ourselves out of a lot of holes and that can't speak enough about our team's chemistry.

All I care about is results. It was 2-2 in Salt Lake - that team hadn't given a point away yet at home. So we walk away with a point, people can criticize all they want about how our team plays, but if we can come away with a draw the joke is on everybody else.

Whatever. They'd better be careful where they point the gun because it's clear it could go off at any time without any warning.

Contradictions everywhere.

Minimal creativity for much of the game, yet the Galaxy didn't let up to the bitter end either.

Here's Landon Donovan's analysis:

"We kind of put ourselves in a hole and we didn't have a lot of the ball, but we played pretty solidly and we felt pretty good about how we were doing ... I can't imagine many teams would have come back and got something out of that roller coaster ride from tying the game to going down the goal to just having the fortitude to come back and getting something out of the game. We keep saying this comment, but last year we would have lost that game and I'm proud of how we just came back.

"We haven't lost a game on the road and that's important not only for our psyche, but we've also played three (Western Conference) teams and kept them from getting two more points on the road from us. That's huge. And now we've got to a better job - and we started last week - of winning our games at home, but if we keep playing this way we're going to be in every game we play and we're going to have a chance to win them."

Coach Bruce Arena was more than a little defensive when I observed that generally speaking it was another less than auspicious performance by his team:

"You go on the road, you don't open yourself up. You keep yourself in the game. I don't know if you realize their last game they won 6-0 at home and you find the negatives in a 2-2 game."

Actually, Bruce, I'm trying to be realistic. The margin for error the Galaxy have carved so far is very small. So far, it's working. Barely.

Up next for the Galaxy: the Seattle Sounders and former Coach Sigi Schmid at noon on Sunday. I'll blog from the game as we continue our dash northward.

RSL 2 Galaxy 2

This game was just sort of petering out for both teams when it came alive in stoppage time with RSL's Will Johnson the focal point of all three late goals.

First, Johnson made a hash of a clearance in the box, the ball struck his arm, the ref pointed to the spot and Landon Donovan equalized with his second spot kick in as many games.

Moments later Bryan Jordan appeared to push Fabian Espindola (rather gently it must be said) from behind at the other end of the field. Johnson converted the subsequent PK.

Finally, in the 94th minute, Johnson kept Magee onside allowing the former Red Bull to score his first-ever Galaxy goal as he got in behind the defense.

Until that outburst the Galaxy especially had seemed to drift rather aimlessly along in this one, especially in the second half.

The Galaxy haven't won in Utah in three years, but on the other hand are now unbeaten in five games.

More later once I catch my breath.

Since it is a relatively quiet game, just time to give kudos to the Galaxy's newest supporters group, the Angel City Brigade, representing at a midweek event in Utah among the 16,155 in attendance. Small, but vocal group are in the upper deck right across from the press box.

It is the Galaxy's first-ever visit to Rio Tinto, of course, but impressive just the same.

Where are you Riot Squad? (I joke, I joke).

Alan Gordon just came in for Eddie Lewis in the 69th minute, BTW (and immediately heads over the bar from a free kick).

RSL 1 Galaxy 0

RSL gradually exerted pressure as the half wore on, Stefani Miglioranzi clearing a ball off the line from a Robbie Russell header in the 27th minute just before Robbie Findley scored five minutes later from a Clint Mathis corner.

Both sides had just one shot on target apiece, with the Galaxy working the offside trap effectively to keep RSL at bay again and again.

Most of the Galaxy's chances were speculative at best, among the most promising a Edson Buddle-Landon Donovan two verses two breakaway in first half stoppage time that ended prematurely when Donovan was dispossessed.

It was a relatively quiet half on a lovely evening here in the southern Salt Lake City suburb of Sandy, the moon hovering over the mountains making me regret forgetting my camera.

There's not much here in Sandy, but my Comfort Inn is within walking distance of the stadium and only a couple of miles away from the Bohemian Brewery, which has gastropub aspirations, a serviceable Pilsner and a quietly impressive Bock. Nice, too, for those of us coming from the south on the freeway not to battle the main thrust of Salt Lake City traffic before reaching the stadium.

An evening soccer game makes for a nice midweek treat after watching butterflies dash in and out of the weeping hanging gardens at the majestic, awe-inspiring damn impressive Zion National Park in Southern Utah earlier on Tuesday.

A little off the beaten path, but recommended and don't miss the almost invisible Zion Canyon Brewing Company in the aptly named Majestic View Inn. The Virgin Stout is a must.

Back to the game...

RSL 1 Galaxy 0

A sequence that began with an unnecessary Dema Kovalenko free kick just on the periphery of the penalty box on Yura Movsisyan, ended with a Clint Mathis corner kick on the other side of the field, Robbie Findley diving low to beat Todd Dunivant to ball and give RSL a 1-0 lead with just over a half hour gone.

Lovely evening for football at Rio Tinto Stadium where the temperature is a balmy 68 degrees, the field immaculate and the snow-capped Wasatch Mountains glistening in the background.

The Galaxy have made just one change to the team that beat New York 1-0 last weekend with Stefani Miglioranzi playing in midfield in place of Josh Tudela who retreats to the bench.

The Galaxy XI: Ricketts, Franklin, Berhalter, Gonzalez, Dunivant, Klein, Kovalenko, Miglioranzi, Lewis, Buddle and Donovan.

RSL have Andy Williams making his first start of the season in place of the suspended Javier Morales, so we'll see how he does pulling the strings in midfield for the hosts.

Ex-Galaxy striker Robbie Findley and Pasadena City College's Yura Movsisyan are up front for RSL

It's early yet, but the sports book at The Palazzo (the newest Vegas luxury hotel is Venetian adjacent, has a Lamborghini dealership and a hip, comfy sports book) is offering odds on the World Cup.

The field is 100-1, but Brazil is the 5-1 favorite, England is 8-1, Croatia 45-1, Mexico 65-1 the U.S. 70-1 and Japan 200-1. Scotland is 300-1 (even Israel is lower at 200-1).

While the temptation to escape the 90-plus degree heat and watch the Manchester United-Arsenal UEFA Champions League Cup semifinal inside is great, Zion National Park beckons.

So we bid adieu to the inexpensive Triple 7 Brewpub, (the Blackchip porter is excellent) at Main Street Station, the impressive Hardway IPA at the branch of the Chicago Brewing Co.,. at the Four Queens (home to friendly craps tables) and head to Utah.

I'll rejoin you Wednesday from surburban Sandy to watch the Galaxy play Real Salt Lake.

The review is here.

Anecdote: I went to see a screening of "Goal" in Redondo Beach a few years ago when a whole bunch of Galaxy players were there including goalkeeper Kevin Hartman. After the movie was over I asked Hartman what he thought of it and he said it was good - but then admitted he didn't hold films in general to a very high standard. Well, I do. If I have two hours to spare I'd rather see a soccer game than a soccer related (or any) movie. But I made the trip to West Hollywood for this one. And it was, for the most part, worth it. The ending was not what I'd hoped for - but then after watching the Galaxy, you get used to it.

Game story.

Notable:
*It's six wins in eight games for the metronomic Chivas USA who continue to win despite their now trademark slew of injuries (tonight's magic number of absentees was seven).

*Chivas USA midfielder Sasha Victorine entered the match as a 74th minute sub for Eduardo Lillingston, making his 2009 debut, returning from microfracture surgery on his left knee on Nov. 12, 2008 to play the final 16 minutes of the match.

*The Earthquakes were without the injured Darren Huckerby.

Quotable:
"We scrambled in the first 20 minutes then were able to settle down and control the game," said Chivas USA Coach Preki. "We played the ball well and created many chances to score again, but we are happy with the win tonight."

Lineup
Zach Thornton, Mariano Trujillo, Carey Talley, Shavar Thomas, Jonathan Bornstein, Sacha Kljestan, Jesse Marsch, Paulo Nagamura, Bojan Stepanovic (Gerson Mayen 79), Justin Braun (Maykel Galindo 60), Eduardo Lillingston (Sasha Victorine 74).

Highlights:

AP Photo

Landon Donovan's attacks were the focal point of the Galaxy team and the center of attention by New York Red Bulls defender Kevin Goldthwaite.

A ho-hum, but welcome win for the Galaxy with a fortuitous call in their favor, as even most players realized; another night of futility for the Red Bulls when there was little to choose between the teams and New York could well have stolen a point.

Game story.

Highlights:

Predictably, Galaxy Coach Bruce Arena was pleased with the win, but realistic about the performance:

"It was a game when there weren't a whole lot of chances by either team. ... We're taking baby steps. We're rebuilding this team ... It takes time to get it better. You can only make so much progress."

Red Bulls Coach Juan Carlos Osorio was unhappy a suspect refereeing decision decided the game:

"I've been advised not to talk too much about the officials, so I will resist the temptation," he said. "We felt very, very hard done by, by the decision."

(Arena and Todd Dunivant agreed they wouldn't have been happy had the call gone against them; Donovan was only to pleased to take what he could get from what he said was a correct call stemming from an intended cross).

Among the pluses for the Galaxy: the return of Edson Buddle and steady Todd Dunivant. He sounded relieved to be done both with his 10-month injury layoff and his return to Southern California.

He had never wanted to leave in the first place, he observed. When I asked if the Galaxy's inability to fill the void at left back his departure caused had given him a degree of pleasure, he quickly replied: "no comment." That was his shortest comment of the night. From a reporter's perspective it's good to have another good quote back in the starting lineup. Whether I'll have time to blog the rest of our conversation this time around is another matter.

Still, after two road ties - and the Galaxy are now unbeaten in their last four games for those of you who believe I'm sometimes too negative - they will look to their first-ever visit to Rio Tinto Stadium in Salt Lake City Wednesday and Sunday's game in Seattle with a greater degree of confidence, said Landon Donovan and Bruce Arena.

I will blog from both games so please join me then; but for now now I must finish packing, so I'll cut this short.

Good night.

Galaxy 1 New York 0

The Galaxy prevailed for their first win of the season, not because they were better than New York, but because the Red Bulls were more inept than them.

Landon Donovan was again the difference for the Galaxy, having a hand (or at least a New York hand) in the winner from the penalty spot after Seth Stammler handled in the area. Donovan has now scored four and has three assists; the Galaxy has a total of seven goals on the year.

But on the whole this was disjointed stuff; it will be interesting to see how much encouragement the Galaxy derive from the positive result. They face Real Salt Lake Wednesday in Utah. I'll blog from the game.

But at least the Crew are now the only team in the league without a win. The Galaxy are now 1-1-4 and face Real Salt Lake in Utah Wednesday.

Chivas USA, BTW, have just beaten San Jose 1-0 to move to 6-1-1 and remain atop the league.

More later

Galaxy 1 New York 0

The Galaxy have only their second lead of the season - the first lasted all of 62 seconds against Colorado - and it came after a dubious penalty decision created by the quick-thinking Landon Donovan.

Donovan appeared to deliberately drill the ball against the arm of defender Seth Stammler to win the penalty kick he then promptly converted in the 39th minute. The linesman's flag shot up right away, but referee Abiodun Okulaja took longer to think about it before likely deciding that Stammler shouldn't have been holding his arm so high in the first place. But it still seemed a case of ball striking arm and not vice versa.

Any other views of it out there?

The direct play - neither team seemed to possess a defensive midfield - led to the Galaxy having the better of the attacking opportunities, but they couldn't convert from the run of play.

A cross from a corner kick that pinged off Kevin Goldthwaite's foot at speed provoked a spectacular save from Donovan Rickets - a little too flashy I can almost hear fans of his former club, Bradford City, saying - and was New York's best chance of the opening 45 minutes.

So far, the run of play is a pretty fair representation of these two clubs' records.

All of a sudden that "guaranteed" win May 10 against the Boston Breakers at Home Depot Center (fans get a free ticket to the June 3 Chicago Red Stars contest if the Sol triumph) isn't looking quite so certain.

In a battle of perhaps the two best strikers in the league, Kelly Smith scored the fastest goal in WPS history for Boston in the second minute to lead the Breakers to their 2-1 win over the Sol today; Marta did not find the target.

It's the first loss for the Sol so far this season.

Game story.

WPS standings.

Good evening from the Home Depot Center where the Galaxy are seeking their first win of the season and New York just their second.

Both teams undoubtedly sense the opportunity the game provides, but it remains to be seen whether the antagonists will react to their respective plights with fear or seize the occasion.

There are just two changes to the Galaxy team that drew 1-1 with Colorado last weekend.

A fit again Edson Buddle, after making his first appearance of the season last week as a substitute, starts in place of Alan Gordon (who is on the bench) while Josh Tudela comes in for Stefani Miglioranzi in midfield. Todd Dunivant, also recovered from injury, makes his second consecutive starting appearance at left back.

The Galaxy XI: Ricketts, Franklin, Berhalter, Gonzalez, Dunivant, Klein, Kovalenko, Tudela, Lewis, Buddle and Donovan.

Red Bulls Coach Juan Carlos Osorio made seven changes to his lineup in the gut-wrenching 3-2 loss last time out to D.C. United (who scored twice in second half stoppage time to claim victory) and continues to shuffle his deck tonight.

Dane Richards moves from midfield to partner Juan Pablo Angel in attack, Carlos Johnson returns from suspension in the defense, while defenders Andrew Boyens and Jeremy Hall are dropped. And again, it's a rebuilt midfield with only Sinisa Ubiparipovic the lone holdover in the four-man unit.

The game is on FSN.

Galaxy-New York Red Bulls preview. Live 7:30 p.m. FSN.

I plan to blog from Home Depot Center.

San Jose Earthquakes-Chivas USA preview. Delayed 10 p.m. FSN.

Boston Breakers-Sol preview. No TV.

Nomar Garciaparra and wife Mia Hamm attend the NCAA college basketball game between Louisiana Tech and UCLA in Los Angeles recently; Hamm, the reluctant celebrity who became the most prolific goal-scorer of all-time in international soccer, will be inducted into the 'Hall of Freedom' at half time of Sunday's Washington Freedom WPS game against Saint Louis Athletica.

AP Photo

By JOSEPH WHITE
AP Sports Writer

WASHINGTON -- Although she's been retired for five years, Manhattan Beach resident Mia Hamm still has those self-conscious moments when she runs into fans at the grocery store.

"Yeah, now it's a different way," she said with a big laugh. "It's, like, I want to make sure I'm putting healthy things in there for my kids, so they're not sitting there going, 'Wow, she feeds that stuff to her kids?' 'What is she thinking?'"

The reluctant celebrity who became the most prolific goal-scorer of all time in international soccer, Hamm will be back in the spotlight, at least for a little while, this weekend. She's returning to the nation's capital to be inducted into the "Hall of Freedom" at half time of the Washington Freedom's WPS game against the Saint Louis Athletica on Sunday.

Hamm played for the original version of the Freedom in the WUSA for three seasons, winning a championship in 2003 in the final game before the league folded. Although there have been far greater honors -- a pair of Olympic gold medals, two World Cup titles, induction into the National Soccer Hall of Fame -- Hamm counts her years in Washington as the one time she was a real professional athlete playing in a topflight league.

"I was a professional, and a lot of us talked about that," Hamm said. "It was a dream for us. We had compensation for being on the national team, but for us this was about being a professional. It was 24/7, that's what we trained for. We were learning the game each and every day in a structured environment. It was a proud, defining moment for all of us involved."

Hamm scored 158 goals in international play before retiring at the end of 2004, when the U.S. team won gold at the Athens Olympics. She has settled down in California with her husband, Oakland A's infielder Nomar Garciaparra, and has 2-year-old twins, Ava and Grace.

"Grace probably gets more entertainment from the soccer balls than Ava does," Hamm said. "The other day I came home and they were saying 'Mommy plays soccer' and I was laughing. I was like, 'Ah, not so much any more, but thank you.'"

Although she arguably still remains the biggest name in women's soccer, Hamm always preferred the stuff of normal life to the trappings of fame.

She once said she felt as if she were letting the fans down when they saw her doing her own shopping or riding public transportation. She took the Metro every day when Garciaparra's team played a series in Washington last year.

"They would assume that I had all these personal assistants at home," Hamm said. "No, I do my own laundry. When we were in Chicago, it's like 'What are you doing riding the train?' Well, it's nifty and it drops me off right at the stadium."

"I've been given a lot of great opportunities," she said. "But just because of these experiences, it didn't make me better than anyone else. ... That's more so what I want to make sure they understand, that 'please' and 'thank you' to them goes the exact same distance as it does for me. I don't take those things for granted."

This year's launch of the WPS means a lot to Hamm.

It ends a five-year gap without a women's major soccer league in the United States, but, at age 37, it has come too late for her to contemplate coming out of retirement.

"I've been out to a couple of national team practices, bring the girls out there and say hi to some old friends," Hamm said. "And I saw those girls, especially the younger players, sprint by me, and I'm like 'There is no way I could do this.' It was a great run, but I really enjoy watching the games on TV."

Regular readers will have noticed I've cut back on the blogging this week with the beginning of a two-week-long driving vacation looming Sunday that is little more than an excuse to tour West Coast microbreweries to visit some friends (ahem).

That will include blogging trips to Salt Lake City and Seattle for the Galaxy games in those cities this Wednesday and the following Sunday. Before and after are quick visits to the likes of Vegas, Eugene, Ore., and Yosemite National Park.

So with another busy day ahead at work as I get ready for the trip I'll keep this weekend preview short.

But frankly, I'm more concerned Sunday with events in England where my hometown Norwich City faces relegation to the third tier of English football for the first time in more than 50 years. For those two of you wondering what I'm blathering about: City must win at Charlton on Sunday and Barnsley must lose at Plymouth.

More on the unfolding disaster.

MLS-leading Chivas USA (5-1-1), who play in the Bay Area Saturday against the Earthquakes (1-3-2), will no doubt be hoping former Norwich (and current San Jose) striker Darren Huckerby is similarly distracted. The undefeated Sol are also on the road this weekend, facing the Breakers in Boston.

The winless Galaxy (0-1-4) take on the (1-4-2) Red Bulls Saturday at Home Depot Center. Against my better judgment (considering the records of these two teams so far) I will blog from the game. At least there will be fish and chips.

Also this weekend the fourth division of U.S. soccer - the Premier Development League - cranks up with the Hollywood United Hitmen replacing the now defunct San Fernando Valley Quakes locally.

BTW, fans in Ventura can see this Everton prospect in action.

And here's an update on former Chivas USA and Hollywood United player Matt Taylor.

Lastly, did you know Norwich City's anthem is the oldest football song in the world? You do now.