Wednesday Kicks: MLS Cup trophy arrives in LA today & more

*With 12 days to go until MLS Cup 2011 in Carson, the trophy arrives in Southern California at 11 a.m. today at Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier with a police escort accompanied by former Galaxy players Alexi Lalas and Mauricio Cienfuegos in a VW convertible.

*Houston Dynamo fans have swiftly run through the club's allotment of tickets for a game the club insists it can win against the Galaxy without star player Brad Davis - just as it has won big games without big names in the past.

*Mexican officials confirmed Tuesday that New York Red Bull Rafa Marquez was indeed dropped by Mexico for discplinary reasons after all in the wake of the melee he sparked in the playoff series against the Galaxy.

"I think it's clear, discipline is always going to be a priority in the national team," Coach Jose De La Torre told the Associated Press. "We've tried to be fair to the facts and take the decisions about who to call up and who not."

*Your outlandish David Beckham rumor of the day. Four words: Not going to happen.

*Meanwhile, Ireland's Euro 2012 hopes rest squarely on the shoulders of Galaxy striker Robbie Keane.

*Lost in the war of words in Colorado between now former Coach Gary Smith and Technical Director Paul Bravo is a footnote Galaxy fans will likely recall. Bravo was formerly given the same role with the Galaxy in August 2007 until he left the club in January 2009 to join the Rapids. His tenure, of course, coincided with with the worst seasons in the club's history, notably that ghastly 8-13-9 record in 2008. So was Smith the problem in Colorado - or was Bravo?

*Santa Ana resident Michael Fults, vice president of the board of the South Bay-based American Youth Soccer Organization unexpectedly died Monday in his sleep, the day after spending Sunday in Bakersfield at a tournament for players with disabilities. The 24-year AYSO volunteer was 66.