December 2011 Archives

Landon Donovan was scheduled to link up with the flagging Liverpool club today - earlier than planned - and could find himself in the squad for the New Year's Day game against West Bromwich Albion, according to this report.

The game will air live in the U.S. at 4:30 a.m. Pacific on Fox Soccer Plus.

Silly Mario: Manchester City's Mario Balotelli, seen here laying down on the job in a Boxing Day game, provided Southern California soccer fans with one of the year's funnier moments (Photo Ian Kington/AFP Photo/Getty Images).

The year's final column riffs on those endless end of year lists sports writers with nothing better to do (ahem) quickly write to keep the boss happy.

I'm no different. But let's at least have a little fun, huh?

How about three stupid soccer tricks CoCal style: Worst message to send an American soccer player, Worst trade/player acquisition of the year and Dumbest play of the year.

Read the column here.

Thanks for reading and join me again next year.

*The Galaxy announced this morning that the club has re-signed starting defender/midfielder Sean Franklin as well as Bryan Jordan of Temple City and reserve striker Adam Cristman for the 2012 season.

The Galaxy also announced they have signed MLS veteran Pat Noonan and goalkeeper Nick Noble.

Here's more on the new acquisitions from the Galaxy press release:

Noble, who was originally drafted in 2007 by Galaxy Associate Head Coach Dave Sarachan, who was then the head coach of the Chicago Fire, has spent the last two seasons with Ljungskile SK of the Swedish Second Division.

Noonan, 31, joins the Galaxy after being selected by the club in the third round of Stage Two of the MLS Re-Entry Process earlier this month.

A nine-year MLS veteran, Noonan has scored 41 goals and added 33 assists in 173 career regular season games with the New England Revolution, Columbus Crew, Colorado Rapids and Seattle Sounders FC, who he played nine games for in the 2011 MLS season.

In his two years with LJungskile, Noble appeared in 59 league games, keeping 21 clean sheets; the former Big East Goalkeeper of the Year didn't play for the Fire.

Of the three returning players, Franklin, 27, a Palmdale native and 2008 first round pick, is the most important; he made a career-high 28 appearances for the club last year scoring four goals and notching another three assists.

An attacking right back or right half, Franklin played a big role in the almost impenetrable Galaxy defense that equaled an MLS record with 17 shutouts.

Jordan made five starts for the Galaxy last year, while Cristman made 20 apperances in all competitions.

*I neglected to note earlier this week that while there will be no January national team game in Carson in 2012, Home Depot Center will host the first ever "Doble Clásico Centroamericano" at 6 p.m. Jan. 28 featuring games between Guatemala's Comunicaciones and Municipal and El Salvador's FAS vs. Club Deportivo Águila. Tickets start at $25.

*Lastly, Cal State Northridge has set up a scholarship in the name of San Pedro's Ryan Rossi and re-named their annual Soccer invitational after him.

Rossi, 27, who died Dec. 11 of cancer, was a forward for the Matadors between 2002 and 2006 and later played in Spain, according to his father, Leo Rossi.

"Ryan was one of my favorite players and he had a way of making everyone feel special," said head coach Terry Davila. "His gift was how he affected people in a positive way through his soccer, music and love of people. He was a tremendous competitor and teammate and we will greatly miss him."

Rossi had 21 goals and had 10 assists for Cal State Northridge in 74 games, 21 of those starts. His high school, Mary Star of the Sea, also retired his number, his father said.

Rossi outlined his philosophy about life here.

Christmas wish granted: The Galaxy announced today that Inglewood's Jose Villarreal has signed a pro contract with the team (Photos courtesy Los Angeles Galaxy).

The South Bay has always churned out its share of top class pros - John O'Brien, David Vanole and Robbie Rogers spring to mind immediately - and now MLS is giving those players another option: signing with their hometown club.

Today that dream came true for Inglewood's Jose Villarreal, 18, a Galaxy Academy midfielder who has also appeared for the South Bay Force.

"It's been my dream ever since I was little to be a professional soccer player, so to be able to do that and stay close to home so that I can play in front of my family and friends is a dream come true," Villarreal said. "Growing up here in the area I've always watched the Galaxy and been a fan of the team so this will be a great experience for me."

100 Percent Soccer reported exclusively earlier this month that Villareal was pondering the Galaxy's offer, weighing it against interest from European clubs.

"Jose is a player that we have known and watched for a long time and it's been great to have him in our Academy this past year," Galaxy Academy Senior Director Chris Klein said. "He has a tremendous amount of promise and potential and we're excited that he'll be able to continue his development with the first team."

He is the third homegrown player to sign with the Galaxy, following in the footsteps of Van Nuys' Tristan Bowen (subsequently traded to Chivas USA, who in turn loaned him to a Belgian club for a year) in 2008 and Newport Beach's Jack McBean, who turned pro at age 16 earlier this year.

Here's more on Villarreal, who attended Lawndale's Leuzinger High, from the Galaxy press release:

Villarreal is in his first season with the Galaxy Academy after joining the club from local club team Pateadores after helping them win the U.S. Soccer Development Academy U-18 championship in July, scoring 20 goals in 31 games for the club, including two in the U-18 Development Academy Final. This season, the skillful midfielder who began his club career with the South Bay Force, has scored three times in the six games that he has played in a Galaxy uniform as the team, which has a 7-0-2 record so this season.

In addition to his time on the field with the Galaxy, Villarreal has also represented his country, joining the U.S. Under-23 National Team for a camp in Germany last month and playing in a scrimmage against Azerbaijan. In addition to his time with the U-23's, Villarreal, who is eligible to play for the U.S. U-20's, has played for the U-18's in July 2011 at the Milk Cup in Northern Ireland, starting all three games that his team played in the competition, tallying one assist.

Home sweet Home Depot Center: New Galaxy signing Jose Villareal and the Galaxy's Senior Academy Director Chris Klein pose at the Carson home of his first pro team.

Incidentally, it's conceivable that the Villarreal family could soon find another pro in the family: Jose's 16-year-old brother Jaime plays for the Galaxy Academy U-16's and is their leading scorer with 12 goals in eight games.

Updated

Also, I was just reminded by South Bay Force Coach Todd Saldana about the pros that have played with the club in the past: Robbie Rogers, Kei Kamara, John Thorrington
and John O'Brien. Now, that's great company for Villarreal to be in.

Which I'm sure is a massive relief to the players from Southern California, not to mention the fans.

The 8 p.m. March 7 quarterfinal will be played at the Rogers Centre, which has a retractable roof.

The bad news: the game will be played on artificial turf, but at least the roof will be closed.

"A lot of thought went into selecting the home site for this very important match," said Toronto FC Senior Director of Business Operations, Paul Beirne. "While we would have loved to host our quarterfinal match at our home, BMO Field, ultimately the decision came down to our ability to deliver a safe and enjoyable event in a venue that could withstand the unpredictability of March's weather conditions.

"We felt that BMO Field's infrastructure in its present state combined with the exposure to the winter conditions would not deliver on this experience."

The average high in Toronto in March is just 37 degrees, while the average low is 23 degrees, by the way. Brrrr.

The return leg will be played a week later at Home Depot Center.

More than half the 20-players on the roster have two caps or less for the full national team, and five will be seeking their first appearance including A.J. DeLaGarza, whose fine 2011 season with the MLS Cup-winning Galaxy was fully deserving of a call-up.

The central defender was also part of last year's January camp, but didn't see action in a game.

Only two players on the roster feature for foreign clubs.

The camp opens Jan. 3 in Phoenix, switches to Home Depot Center for a week from Jan. 13-20, then heads back to Arizona for the Jan. 21st game against Venezuela before the team heads to Panama for a Jan. 25 encounter with that nation.

"This is a very important opportunity for these players," said Coach Jurgen Klinsmann. "They are the next in line behind the established players, and this is a chance to prove themselves. We will spend the next few weeks introducing them to our ideas on how we want to play and what it means to be a part of the national team. Ultimately, it will create more depth for us, which you need at this level. I'm very curious and excited to see this group."

The roster:
goalkeepers: Bill Hamid (D.C. United), Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)

defenders: Geoff Cameron (Houston Dynamo), A.J. DeLaGarza (Galaxy), Omar Gonzalez (Galaxy), George John (FC Dallas), Zach Loyd (FC Dallas), Michael Parkhurst (FC Nordsjaelland), Heath Pearce (Chivas USA)

midfielders: Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Ricardo Clark (Eintracht Frankfurt), Benny Feilhaber (New England Revolution), Jeff Larentowicz (Colorado Rapids), Brek Shea (FC Dallas), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)

forwards: Juan Agudelo (New York Red Bulls), Teal Bunbury (Sporting Kansas City), C.J. Sapong (Sporting Kansas City), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)

After weeks of speculation, Chivas USA this afternoon confirmed the signing of Oswaldo Minda, a 28-year-old midfielder with 13 caps for Ecuador.

Minda has played with newly-crowned Ecuadorian champions Deportivo Quito since 2008, scoring 11 goals in 85 games.

Chivas fans can check out this YouTube video to see the sort of player they're getting:

Bouncing Brazilian: The Galaxy will have two holes to fill in midfield next season if the dual reports of both David Beckham and Juninho, seen here playing in Indonesia in one of his last times in a LA jersey, moving on are accurate. Which begs the question, which is the bigger loss? (AP Photo).

And this time both reports seem to have a degree of finality to them and a distinct lack of rumors (*see update at bottom of post).

Here's the David Beckham piece from the Associated Press:

PARIS (AP) -- David Beckham is set to sign an 18-month deal with French club Paris Saint-Germain, according to the local news media.

After months of negotiations, Beckham will sign his contract with PSG in the beginning of
January according to French daily L'Equipe.

The 36-year-old former England captain would earn 800,000 euros ($1.05 million) per month, French daily Le Parisien claimed.

If agreed, the deal would end Beckham's time in Major League Soccer, having led the
Galaxy to the title in the season just past. He still has ambitions of playing for Britain in
the Olympics in London next year.

Backed by wealthy Qatari investors, PSG has spent more than 85 million euros ($111 million) this summer to sign nine players.

*Juninho, according to Brazilian reports, has agreed a three-year contract extension with Sao Paulo, who had loaned him to the Galaxy.

Here's the Google translation from Globo Esporte's original piece in Portuguese:

At just 22 years, the steering wheel worked two seasons in the United States, and in 2011, was one of the main parts of the team of David Beckham to win the Major League Soccer, the main soccer tournament in the country. He served as a starter 33 times and scored four goals.

This is not the first time the board of St. Paul lends a young athlete to gain experience at another club and then reuses the main cast. With Hernanes, now in Lazio-ITA, the policy adopted was the same.

Despite the new opportunity, Juninho will not have it easy in 2012. Currently, the Sao Paulo against with Carlinhos Paraiba, Denilson, Jean Casimir, Wellington and Caio Rodrigo in the position of the wheel. Not to mention the former Cruzeiro Fabricio, who hit with the club in 2012.

*Finally, former Galaxy midfielder Andreas Herzog has joined Jurgen Klinsmann's national team training staff.

*Update

Can't we get this over with already?

By the way, I thought this was a good piece by Soccer America that puts in context exactly why PSG is prepared to give Beckham so much money. Hint: it ain't for playing soccer.

Winner Wambach: The South Bay resident, seen here posing today at Home Depot Center where the U.S. Women's National Team is currently training, becomes the first soccer player - male or female - to win a national AP award. See the full story below (AP Photo).

*There was no column today; my editors opted to keep a end of year column I wrote for next Tuesday. And to answer a reader's question, blogging will indeed be light during the holidays. I'll Tweet when necessary at twitter.com@lasoccerblog.

*Chivas USA will play in a preseason tournament in Portland in late February and early March. Full details here.

*Thanks to all who participated in another successful Daily Breeze ball drive.

*Hermosa Beach resident Abby Wambach was named today by the Associated Press as its U.S. Female Athlete of the year.

AP National Writer Nancy Armour has the full story:

CHICAGO (AP) -- With the final seconds ticking down and the Americans on the verge of their earliest exit ever from the Women's World Cup, Abby Wambach kept waving her index finger at her teammates.

One chance, she screamed, all they needed was one chance.

When it came in the form of a left-footed cross from Megan Rapinoe, Wambach pounced. With one vicious whip of her head, she changed the course of this year's World Cup and sparked a frenzy rarely seen for women's sports in the United States.

Wambach's performance at the World Cup made her the clear choice for the 2011 Female Athlete of the Year in the United States, selected by members of The Associated Press. The U.S. forward received 65 of the 214 votes cast, while teammate Hope Solo (38) was a distant second and basketball player Maya Moore (35) was third.

Wambach is the first individual football player -- man or woman -- to win one of the AP's annual sports awards, which began in 1931. The U.S. women's team won in 1999, when their World Cup triumph at the Rose Bowl transfixed the nation.

"We, as a team, did something that no team since Mia Hamm was able to do," Wambach told the AP. "Even the team that won the (Olympic) gold medal in 2008 wasn't able to inspire and get people excited about women's soccer. It goes to show you the impact drama can bring."

Wambach's four goals in Germany give her 13 in three World Cup appearances. That's the most by an American, topping Michelle Akers by one, and puts her third on the all-time World Cup scoring list behind Brazil forward Marta and Germany striker Birgit Prinz. The 31-year-old American ranks third on the U.S. career scoring list with 125 goals, trailing only Mia Hamm (158) and Kristine Lilly (130).

"When she's on top of her game," United States coach Pia Sundhage said, "she's one of the best in the world."

Wambach was certainly at her best at the World Cup, leading the Americans to the final, where they lost to Japan on penalty kicks.

"I'm not a person who cares much about (individual) awards, but I really appreciate you guys recognizing this team," Wambach said. "It helps keep this sport alive, and it's really
important."

The Americans are the defending Olympic champions, and Wambach and her teammates are currently training in Carson for next month's regional qualifying tournament.

"I have to say, of all people, I think she is one of the best role models: interacting with
fans, saying good things about the game, saying good things about this country, saying good things about her teammates," Sundhage said. "I'm very proud of the fact I've had the chance to coach her for so many years. It will be a highlight of my career."

Liverpool bound: The Galaxy's Landon Donovan celebrates returning to Everton - well, OK winning the MLS Cup - but it sounds like he's happy to return to the cash-strapped club for a couple of months. Are you Galaxy fans? (AP Photo).

Landon Donovan missed several games through injury at the tail end of last season because he needed the rest after he was hobbled by injuries and missed several U.S. games for similar reasons as well, but that hasn't stopped him accepting a two-month loan back to England's Everton, the Galaxy announced today.

It's the second time in three years he will have played for the club after passing up the opportunity in the 2010-2011 MLS offseason to rest following the World Cup.

"The opportunity to return to Everton and play for such a well-respected club and a manager that I hold in such high regard was something that was simply too good to pass up. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Everton in 2010 and I'm hopeful that we can experience similar success this time around," Donovan said. "I want to thank David Moyes and Bruce Arena, as well as executives from both clubs and Major League Soccer for allowing me this unique and special opportunity."

Donovan will be eligible to make his season debut for Everton on Jan. 4 when the club hosts Bolton Wanderers at Goodison Park. He will remain with the club through the Merseyside derby against Liverpool at Anfield on Feb. 25. Here's the club's schedule.

"This is a great opportunity for Landon," Galaxy General Manager and Head Coach Bruce Arena was quoted by the club as saying. "During the final months of the 2011 season he was limited because of an ongoing injury and he just started to get his legs back during the playoffs. Therefore, I think that this opportunity with Everton comes at a perfect time as he is rested and ready to go."

Everton are scheduled to lose this weekend against resurgent Norwich City (says the biased City fan).

What do you think? Shouldn't he be resting given the early Galaxy start to the season? Or should he just stay match fit at this stage of his career so he is ready to go right away in the early CONCACAF Champions League games.

Take the poll:

What better way to get psyched for the 2012 season opener in Carson...:

Than to watch the best Chivas USA goals from 2011:

In other Chivas USA-related news:

*Wonder if it's three MLS clubs and out for former Chivas USA striker Maicon Santos?

*Chivas USA has announced a new partnership with Orange County youth club United FC. Read the press release here.

*CHICAGO (AP) -- Borussia Dortmund forward Terrence Boyd and UCLA midfielder Kelyn Rowe have been added to the U.S. under-23 roster for a training camp ahead of men's Olympic soccer qualifying.

Thirty players will gather for the camp with new coach Caleb Porter. It will be held from
Thursday through Dec. 23 at Lakewood Ranch, Fla.

The U.S. opens qualifying against Cuba on March 22, then plays Canada two days later and El Salvador on March 26, with all three games at Nashville, Tenn. The top two teams in the group advance to the semifinals of the North and Central American and Caribbean region, and the two semifinal winners qualify for the London Olympics.

The updated roster -

Goalkeepers: David Bingham (San Jose), Bill Hamid (D.C.), Sean Johnson (Chicago), Zac MacMath (Philadelphia)

Defenders: Gale Agbossoumonde (Eintracht Frankfurt, Germany), Royal-Dominique Fennell (Stuttgarter Kickers), Sebastien Ibeagha (Duke), Kofi Sarkodie (Houston), Zarek Valentin (Montreal), Jorge Villafana (Chivas USA), Andrew Wenger (Duke), Sheanon Williams (Philadelphia)

Midfielders: Freddy Adu (Philadelphia), Bryan Arguez (Montreal), Joe Corona (Tijuana, Mexico), Danny Cruz (Houston, Mixx Diskerud (Stabaek, Norway), Dilly Duka (Columbus), Jared Jeffrey (Mainz, Germany), Sebastian Lletget (West Ham, England), Amobi Okugo (Philadelphia), Kelyn Rowe (UCLA), Michael Stephens (Los Angeles)

Forwards: Terrence Boyd (Borussia Dortmund, Germany), Will Bruin (Houston), Teal Bunbury (Kansas City, Jann George (Nuremberg, Germany), Joe Gyau (Hoffenheim, Germany), Jack McInerney (Philadelphia), Andrew Wooten (Kaiserslautern, Germany)

*The team from Torrance's Japanese sister city, Kashiwa, was bounced from the Club World Cup today.

The lovely Neymar goal is worth watching:

Lastly, here's a video update from the USWNT camp going on out at Carson's Home Depot Center right now:

Big guns: Aging stars like, from left, Robert Pires, retired Brazilian striker Ronaldo (well, OK maybe it's a little late for him) and Chelsea's Didier Drogba, seen here at a charity game in Hamburg, Germany today, may have less motivation to take MLS money now that China's newly rich have jumped in the game (AP Photo).

I thought the following column was worth running, given how it sorta dovetails with my weekly piece that ran today.

Who knew a bunch of Commies would flaunt their cash like this anyway?

Here's AP Sports Columnist John Leicester with more:

PARIS (AP) -- With more than 100 billionaires and counting, it was only a matter of time before China's financial muscle started making dents on world soccer, following in the designer-clad footsteps of moguls from the Middle East and Russia.

This, after all, is a sport happy to be a play thing for those with money to burn, with players who don't give two hoots who signs their paycheck -- just so long as it has lots of zeros on it.

But becoming wealthy enough to buy the twilight years of a fading star like Nicolas Anelka, who is moving from Chelsea in the English Premier League to Shanghai Shenhua in the Chinese Super League, is not the same thing as spending wisely on Chinese stars of tomorrow. Anelka will deliver to Shanghai that thing craved by many rich owners in sports -- attention.

Yet such glamor buys, alone, aren't going to help China unearth an Anelka of its own in decades to come or stop it from being, on a per capita basis, arguably the most underachieving soccer nation on the planet. The next World Cup in 2014 will take place without China, which again failed to qualify.

Anelka is making Chinese soccer noticed outside China. But, if being talked about is all that comes of this, then China won't be much closer to becoming a respected soccer nation or fielding a homegrown 11 of top-notch players in the foreseeable future.

"This is just the beginning. Every transfer window from now on you will expect to see more 30-plus world stars, or previous world stars, starting to take big salary payments for a couple of years in China," said Rowan Simons, a Beijing-based expert on soccer in China and author of "Bamboo Goalposts," which recounts his efforts to help grass roots soccer take hold there.

"It's egos, isn't it? Egos of very rich men. And soccer is a very obvious -- you see this all
over the world -- place to splash cash. It's toys for very rich boys," Simons said in a phone interview. It's "massive games going on with huge amounts of money that are linked into politics and the egos of oligarchs while having absolutely zero effect on the health of the game of football in China."

Forget the $300,000 Anelka will reportedly pocket each week. Don't dwell on the $10 million that another club, Guangzhou Evergrande, splurged in July to sign Dario Conca from Fluminense, smashing China's transfer record and making the Argentine reportedly the third-highest paid player in the world. Such sums are like a garage of expensive sports cars -- nice to look at but not, ultimately, terribly useful in getting you from A to B when faced with challenging, steep and bumpy terrain.

No, the most eye-grabbing figure from China these days is 7,000. That, says the China Daily, is the number of players aged under 18 that the Chinese Football Association had on its books at the end of last year. Just 7,000, from among 1.3 billion people. In the early 1990s, the total used to be 650,000, the newspaper says. Furthermore, it notes that Japan, with a population one-tenth that of China's, now has 70 times more registered youth players.

Anelka hasn't played for France since he was sent home from the 2010 World Cup, in disgrace for telling coach Raymond Domenech in no uncertain terms what he could do with his tactics.

At Chelsea, new manager Andre Villas-Boas didn't appear to have much further use for the 32-year-old striker.

But Anelka will be the biggest name Chinese soccer has ever seen -- which, in itself, is a measure of how far behind the sport is there. His renown should lure the curious to Shanghai's Hongkou Stadium, where Shenhua plays with one-third or two-thirds of the 30,000-odd seats often empty.

Which is all very nice for Anelka and for Zhu Jun, the 45-year-old businessman who bought Shenhua in 2007 having made his fortune in computing and online gaming. But where are the hordes of soccer-mad youngsters that China will need if it is to become something more than merely the next Klondike for soon-to-be retirees from overseas?

Well, when I was based in China a decade ago and, most recently, traveled there for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, they either seemed to prefer basketball, to watch broadcasts of the English Premier League and other foreign leagues, or were too focused on cramming for exams to play soccer. Corruption and match-fixing were so rampant that bribed referees even had their own nickname -- "black whistles" -- something that also turned fans away.

"It's kind of one of those love affairs where the partner kept on cheating on you and cheating on you and you kept on forgiving them and they kept on cheating on you," Terry Rhoads, a former Nike executive who runs Zou Marketing, a Shanghai-based sports consultancy focused on the China market, said in a phone interview. "It got to the point where the Chinese soccer fan ... is very jaded. They have just been abused in the relationship for 15 years."

Anelka's move is another signal that Chinese soccer is bouncing back, having hit bottom. Rhoads likened money coming from Chinese tycoons as "the beginnings of an arms race" and said he's advising clients "that Chinese soccer now is a buy." The government coaxed Wang Jianlin, a real estate tycoon who turned his back on Chinese soccer a decade ago, to help out this July with a $77 million, 3-year-investment, some of it to sponsor youth leagues and to send young players overseas.

One of Wang's goals, a yardstick by which he says he will measure whether his company's money has been well spent, is to get more teenagers playing.

"If China's soccer population increases to 700,000 or 800,000 in three years, then our
cooperation will be successful," the China Daily quoted him as saying.

Now that, not throwing money at must-have trophy players from overseas, sounds like a goal really worth having.

John Leicester is an international sports columnist for The Associated Press.

*The Galaxy have formally announced the signing of Brazilian midfielder Marcelo Sarvas from Costa Rican club Alajuelense, the day after Coach Bruce Arena told reporters about the acquisition during a conference call.

Sarvas, 30, received his work visa today, although judging by his career path so far fans shouldn't get too attached to him, apparently. From the Galaxy press release:

Sarvas is capable of playing in the center of midfield or on either wing. A product of the successful Corinthians youth system in Brazil, Sarvas appeared in 15 games in all competitions last season for Alajuelense, playing in nine league games during the Invierno and all six of his club's CONCACAF Champions League matches, including both games against the Galaxy.

After beginning his career in his native Brazil, Sarvas went to Europe in 2004 at the age of 23, signing with Karlskrona AIF of the Swedish Sodra Gotaland. A year later he moved to fellow Swedish club Mjallby AIF and then to IF Limhamm Brunkeflo. Ahead of the start of the 2009/10 European season, Sarvas was on the move again, joining KSP Warszawa in Poland. After one and a half seasons in Poland in which he scored two league goals, Sarvas moved to Costa Rica, signing with Alajuelense on Jan. 17, 2011.

In one year with the Costa Rican champions, Sarvas helped lead Alajuelense to the 2011 Verano title and a berth in the 2011 Invierno championship. He appeared in 21 of the club's 30 league games in that time, scoring three times, including twice during the recent Invierno.

*Another player who has had a nomadic career is Los Angeles native Herculez Gomez, so it should be no surprise the former Galaxy player is on the move again, especially since he asked fans for input on his possible destination on his Facebook page recently:

MEXICO CITY (AP) -- American forward Herculez Gomez has signed with Santos Laguna, his fourth club in the Mexican League.

Club president Alejandro Irarragorri said Monday that Gomez, who played for the United States in last year's World Cup, will join the northern Mexican team for the upcoming Clausura season.

Gomez scored seven goals in the Apertura season for Estudiantes Tecos of Guadalajara. He previously played for Puebla and Pachuca after spending time with the Galaxy, Colorado Rapids and Kansas City in MLS.

Santos Laguna reached the final of the Mexican Apertura playoff, losing 3-1 to UANL Tigres on Sunday for a 4-1 aggregate defeat in the two-leg series.

*Finally, Mexican futbol fans have a chance to see a top tier team for free Wednesday in Ventura County - but the time isn't convenient for many fans.

The Ventura County Fusion PDL team will play an exhibition match against Club Tijuana at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Oxnard College Stadium, 4000 S. Rose Ave., Oxnard.

Admission is free.

This is the Fusion's second international exhibition match within a week. Last Friday they beat Chivas Guadalajara's U-20 team, 3-0.

Pujols presented: Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno introduces Albert Pujols during a news conference Saturday in Anaheim (AP Photo).

Say, haven't we seen this before?

I thought so, too. Read today's column here.

Lots of news out of a just-concluded Galaxy teleconference call with GM and Coach Bruce Arena that included:

*Confirmation the Galaxy will formally announce the signing of Brazilian midfielder Marcelo Sarvas, 30, in the next few days. Arena saw the Alajuelense player twice this year in person when the Costa Ricans played the Galaxy in the CONCACAF Champions League and was impressed by the "experienced two-way player."

*David Beckham going to French club Paris Saint-Germain is not yet a "done deal" despite reports from the French press today that a lucrative contract with the team is almost finalized. Arena said the Galaxy remain "keenly interested in keeping the player here."

*The Galaxy extending contract offers to a pair of Academy players. My sources tell me that one of them is Inglewood's Jose Villarreal who has been a busy lad this year playing with the U.S. Under-23 team, while also training in Europe with Belgium's KV Westerlo (who eventually took a pass at this time), Denmark's Brondby and Germany's Bayer Leverkusen, Bochum and Kaiserslautern.

Brondby and a couple of Belgium clubs remain interested and I'm told the midfielder is "weighing his options."

*No decision has yet been made on whether out of contract veteran Jovan Kirovski will return to the club.

*Word the Galaxy have extended contract offers to Sean Franklin and Juninho; the players are mulling their options and Franklin could decide this week.

*That the Galaxy picked the players they did in the Re-Entry Draft because, "we were able to select some players for some positions we needed cover for," Arena said. The Galaxy have seven days to reach an agreement with the players on a new contract before they can look elsewhere.

"If we get some of them or all of them (signed) they all will be a positive asset for our team," Arena added.

*Confirmation reserve striker Adam Cristman remains on the Galaxy roster.

And they were the busiest MLS team in the draft period.

Two are their own players they hope to re-sign: recently acquired defender Dasan Robinson and seldom used veteran Frankie Hejduk.

The Galaxy also picked four veterans: Chivas USA defender Andrew Boyens, defender Chris Leitch, utility man Pat Noonan and goalkeeper Jon Conway.

This is all subject to agreeing terms with these players, of course.

I'm guessing the suddenly budget-conscious Galaxy will ask Hejduk ($96,000 salary in 2011), Boyens ($60,000), Leitch ($106,00) and Conway ($80,000) to take salary cuts to stay in the league. Noonan only made $48,000 this year with the Sounders.

These are all classic Bruce Arena picks, known quantities he has either worked with before or has seen a lot of over the years.

I thought Hejduk should have retired based on what little we saw of him, Boyens was often a defensive liability for Chivas USA, while virtually all the picks merely add depth in reserve to a Galaxy squad especially thin in the back, aside from possibly Robinson.

Does this mean out of contract defender Sean Franklin and the club expect him to head to Europe? And one has to wonder whether you can't say the same about the increasingly impressive Omar Gonzalez.

What do you think?

Full draft details are here.

Updated:

Tweeted a noncommittal sounding Robinson this morning: "Interesting day thus far..."

Update II

Bruce Arena will share his thoughts with Galaxy reporters in a 1 p.m. conference call: Stand by for more.

Galaxy owner Anschutz Entertainment Group is a part-owner of Swedish club Hammarby, so the news isn't as strange as it first appears.

Still, Gregg Berhalter has been an assistant coach at the Galaxy for less than a year, so it's still a big step up.

And it's a sign of how highly the former central defender is regarded by Galaxy Coach Bruce Arena and clubs in Europe, where Americans generally don't get much respect, but where Berhalter spent the bulk of his career.

Congratulations to Berhalter, a class act in the locker room and as a person, but as a journalist I bemoan the loss of a great quote. Wonder if he'll be just as quotable in Swedish?

And here is a quote from Berhalter, supplied by the Galaxy:

"I am excited for the challenge that lies ahead and could not be more thankful to AEG and everyone at Hammarby for giving me the opportunity," Berhalter said. "While I am saddened to leave a club that means so much to me, I feel that my experiences with the Galaxy both on and off the field have helped prepare me for the journey that lies ahead."

Full details here.

Who Knew Department: current Galaxy Academy Senior Director Chris Klein is on the Swedish club's board, the Galaxy said today (now the move makes even more sense).

Blushing Rose: UCLA midfielder Andy Rose missed UCLA's first penalty kick in a shootout Friday and North Carolina marched into the College Cup final Sunday (AP Photo).

*It was a noble effort, but after twice taking the lead against top-ranked North Carolina Friday UCLA lost their nerve and the semifinal, yielding to the Tar Heels in the crap shoot of penalty kicks and denying them the chance to meet similar underdogs Charlotte Sunday in the championship game.

UCLA never really gave themselves a chance in the shootout, missing their first two PK's and sealing their fate.

I watched the game in my local watering hole with a couple of fellow soccer fans (there's something to be said for sitting there watching a game with an excellent porter in your hand rather than a laptop in a press box) and I'll say this much: I agree with UCLA Coach Jorge Salcedo that it was an fun game to see, even if the result wasn't what he wanted.

And I very much doubt we've seen the last of UCLA goalkeeper Brian Rowe who kept the Bruins in the game on several occasions with supurb stops. He was credited with nine saves.

*The other must-see game this weekend is the biggest one of the European season so far: Real Madrid-Barcelona at 1 p.m. on ESPND, ESPN Deportes and GolTV. There's a nasty subtext to this game.

A preview of the final four is here.

UCLA-North Carolina airs at 5:30 p.m. live on ESPNU; the Creighton-Charlotte semi is on at 3 p.m.

If its winter, it must be time for soccer camps.

Here's a run-down:

*The Galaxy's Michael Stephens and Chivas USA's Jorge FloresVillafaña was called into the week-long U.S. Under-23 camp scheduled to begin a week from today in Florida. The 2010 first round draft pick is one of 28 players participating. The full roster is here (and look at all those German-based players again).

An update on Jorge's name change courtesy of Chivas USA:

"He has legally changed his last name to Villafaña. The Anaheim native made the decision to change his last name in honor of his mother who raised him as a single parent. This camp will mark the debut of Villafaña with the U-23's as well as his new last name on his jersey."

Which is a sweet gift at this time of year: Feliz Navidad to Senor Flores' Villafaña's madre. (Thanks to a reader for the correction).

*Looking for a little vacation in February? You could head to Arizona where the Galaxy will play in the four-team FC Tucson Desert Diamond Cup that begins in late February against the New England Revolution, New York Red Bulls and Real Salt Lake.

A press conference announcing the tournament details was held this morning. Details will be found here (once the website is updated).

Updated 1:20 p.m.: The Galaxy provided a few details via a news release -

The Galaxy will take on the Revolution in the opening game of Desert Diamond Cup on February 22 at 5 p.m. (PT). Three days later, the club will return to action against Real Salt Lake on February 25, again at 5 p.m. (PT) before facing the New York Red Bulls on February 29 at 7 p.m. (PT). A championship match and a third place match will be held on March 3 at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. (PT), respectively.

All games will be played at the Kino Sports Complex, a 155-acre multipurpose venue that includes the 11,000 seat main stadium, as well as 12 additional fields, clubhouses, and other amenities.

"The LA Galaxy are excited to participate in the 2nd annual FC Tucson Desert Diamond Cup," LA Galaxy Head Coach and General Manager Bruce Arena said. "Tucson is an outstanding venue for our preseason as we prepare for the CONCACAF Champions League and the MLS regular season. We look forward to the outstanding weather, facilities and hospitality that Tucson has to offer and look forward a challenging competition."

About time, in my book, but then I'm an embittered Englishman (you'll recall the robbery that happened to the nation at the last World Cup):

BERLIN (MCT) -- World soccer chief Sepp Blatter expects goal-line technology to be introduced next season, and it also should be featured at the next World Cup in 2014, along with professional referees.

Speaking in various newspaper interviews published on Tuesday, Blatter said that FIFA is finally ready to make use of goal-line technology, pending approval next year.

"You must allow at least one of those aids, and that is goal-line technology. There are systems that combine accuracy, speed and are straightforward. We are ready to use this technique," Blatter told Germany's Bild.

Blatter, 75, reiterated that the International Football Association Board is to reach a decision on the technology in March and that it can be used from the 2012-13 season onward if approved.

FIFA long opposed modern technology gaining entry into the game, but enhanced technology and high-profile incidents -- such as Frank Lampard's shot at the 2010 World Cup against Germany, which went over the line off the bar but went unseen by the referee -- have led to a new approach.

"FIFA cannot accept again what happened in South Africa: a ball that was 70 centimeters in goal was called out," Blatter told Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport.

If approved and successful, the technology will also be used at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, for which Blatter also announced professional referees.

Still in catch-up mode as the blog returns:

*Mexico will play their Olympic qualifiers in March in Carson at Home Depot Center. I bet they will draw better than the U.S. would have done. Full details here.

*Four UCLA players - Eder Arreola, Andy Rose, Brian Rowe and Shawn Singh - were invited today to the MLS Combine set to begin Jan. 6 in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Also among the 52 invited players (so far): Cal State Northridge midfielder Rafael Garcia.

*Thirteenth-seeded UCLA (18-4-1), the Pac-12 champions, will make a 13th NCAA College Cup appearance at 5:30 p.m. Friday live on ESPNU in Birmingham, Ala., against top-seeded North Carolina (20-2-2). The other semifinal between Creighton-Charlotte will precede the game at 3 p.m.

*Former Galaxy midfielder Santino Quaranta has announced his retirement at the tender age of just 29 27 after D.C. United declined to pick up his option. Quaranta, who was the youngest player ever to sign with MLS in 2001 at age 16, played 18 times and scored three goals with the Galaxy in 2006, a period of his life that he later admitted was consumed with an addiction to prescription drugs.

The former U.S. international - he collected 15 caps and played for the USMNT as recently as 2009 - said he intends to help recovering addicts in retirement and coach youth soccer. It must be a bittersweet ending to a career that never quite lived up to its youthful potential.

*Palos Verdes Peninsula's John Thorrington (Chadwick School) has re-signed with the Vancouver Whitecaps, extending what has largely been an injury-prone MLS career.

Will keep the Galaxy and Chivas USA very busy. Read the column here.

As if to confirm that, Chivas USA announced this afternoon that last season's MVP, goalkeeper Dan Kennedy, has signed a new contract with the club. For my money Kennedy is easily one of the best goalkeepers in the league.

"His consistency and leadership both on and off the field were exemplary last season, and now moving towards the club's objectives for 2012 of building a championship caliber team, securing Kennedy to a new contract was one of our priorities this offseason," said Jose Domene, Chivas USA General Manager.

Kennedy managed seven shutouts last season for Chivas USA, a remarkable achievement given the defense he was playing behind.

BTW: Chivas USA learned its opponent in its home opener today; it will be the Houston Dynamo in a game shown nationally on Galavision at 1 p.m. Sunday, March 11 from Carson.

Also, the Galaxy played its final game of the season in the wee hours of this morning.

Watch:

We're back!

Regular readers will have noticed this blog has essentially been on hiatus since Nov. 29.

But it was more than that.

Due to a technical issue (I'll leave it at that) I was unable to post updates and readers were unable to leave comments. Those issues have now been resolved.

The blog is not yet completely whole.

Readers will notice we are missing any posts published since March 2010 (that's right, almost the last two years worth of posts).

I'm told the entries are still on our server and can still be found via search (assuming that's working, which wasn't always the case even before this recent issue) and direct links. They're just not in the blog index pages, but the 100 Percent Soccer minions (OK, so it's one overworked online editor) is/are working to manually restore them and will gradually do so. (The good news about that is my very last post before the blog went down contained a major factual error, which I was unable to correct and that has disappeared, for now).

Apologies to those of you who missed their regular Southern California soccer fix and thank you for your patience.

Regular blogging will now resume.