Happy New Year.
The Galaxy’s Landon Donovan (who was in Newton, Conn., Monday) and Omar Gonzalez are the major talking points as the U.S. Men’s National Team opens its annual camp in Carson, as I write in the return of the weekly soccer column today.
Media availability is limited this week and the players are mainly doing fitness work in the gym before hitting the fields at Home Depot Center next week.
There’s other Galaxy news not associated with the camp, too, with word over the weekend that striker Robbie Keane has signed a contract extension, but goalkeeper Josh Saunders apparently won’t put pen to paper for LA.
And Frank Lampard? Who knows?
Updated
The Galaxy also announced today it has agreed contract terms with backup goalkeeper Brian Perk and midfielders Mike Magee and Colin Clark, the former Houston and Colorado player picked up in the Re-Entry Process last month.
Do you need reminding how important Magee is to the club? From the Galaxy:
Since joining the Galaxy ahead of the start of the 2009 season, Magee has scored 13 goals and added 11 assists in 95 regular season games, but his impact has been felt that much more in the postseason. In 17 postseason games with the Galaxy, Magee has eight goals and an assist, helping LA reach MLS Cup in three of the last four years, winning a pair of championships. Now entering his 11th MLS season, the 28-year-old has appeared in 225 regular season games during his career, scoring 36 goals and adding 24 assists. He tied a career-high with 29 regular season appearances in 2012 and set a career-high by starting 24 games for LA. He finished the year with nine goals and five assists in 39 games in all competitions, including three goals and an assist in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
Meanwhile, transplanted Hermosa Beach resident Abby Wambach finally won FIFA’s top individual honor for women and former U.S. coach Pia Sundhage was recognized, too.
Wambach’s honor is overdue and probably comes as recognition of her play over the last few years because as she graciously pointed out Diamond Bar’s Alex Morgan may well have been more deserving based on her performance in 2012 alone:
“I think it was so overwhelming in the moment because I really had no idea that I would win. I really thought Alex was going to win. I’m not even kidding. She not only statistically but I think singlehandedly allowed us to win so many games and score so many goals. She probably assisted over half of my goals. The fact that I was sitting next to Alex and the fact that we were there together is the most important part. This is a direct reflection of my teammates, both present and past, my coaching staff, medical staff, press officer – it’s been a long time that I’ve been playing on this team, and I couldn’t appreciate all that everybody has done for me.
