Galaxy locker room haunted?

Ante Razov scored 114 goals in MLS play and took more shots than anyone else (by more than 100) but he’s not done yet. Apparently, the former UCLA star — and Galaxy and Chivas USA forward — is still lurking around the hallways at Home Depot Center.
That’s the background. In Mike Magee’s Galaxy locker, there is tape with the word “GRETZKY” written on it. With Magee’s hat trick on Sunday, it was only natural to ask if someone had anointed, jokingly or otherwise, Magee as the next Great One.
Not quite.
“Ante Razov self-proclaimed himself Gretzky, so he came and stole my shoes one day and put that up there,” Magee said. “So don’t tag that one on me.”

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Galaxy: Welcome back, Leo

It would be easy to think the A.J. DeLaGarza-Omar Gonzalez pairing at central defense would be the rock of the Galaxy’s back line, and the former college roommates have certainly been a huge factor in two championship runs.
The duo was broken up by the return of Leonardo, who had not played an MLS game since tearing ligaments in his knee on April 17, 2011 in Chicago. Leonardo teamed with Gonzalez, pushing DeLaGarza to the flank, and went 90 minutes in the shutout.
“A lot of things were going through my head. Not just today but even yesterday I was thinking about today,” Leonardo said. “It was almost two years and this exact same team, Chicago, that I got injured. All the training sessions, training games and games leading up to this moment I was thinking about everything, and I leave with a good feeling that I’m ready not only for this game but this season and many more games.”
Why did it take so long? It wasn’t just the anterior cruciate ligament, it was the lateral collateral ligament. He thought he might be back in midseason last year, but was injured again in June during a reserve league match. He didn’t give up, even though when the Galaxy opened camp this year he was still struggling.
“At the beginning of preseason I wasn’t 100 percent but I had five games to get in shape and right now I’m hitting my stride and ready for the season,” the 25-year-old Leonardo said. “I don’t think about the knee, I think about the muscle mass on my knee and giving it enough rest.”
Even if Leonardo spent a substantial time of his rehab in Brazil, his work didn’t go unnoticed.
“It’s an incredible story, really,” fellow defender Todd Dunivant said. “He hasn’t played in two years, more or less Not only that, he’s hardly trained in those years. He’s had a great preseason, he’s built up slowly and he’s gotten the trust of our coach, of his teammates and he’s done fantastic. He was rock solid. He always is.”

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LA Galaxy: it’s a ring thing

Before they could start their season, the Galaxy were called upon to receive their MLS Cup championship rings. Many times, this emotional moment can get in the way of performance, but these guys have been there, done that.
“We were real eager to get out there, get that ceremony over with and play,” Galaxy coach Bruce Arena said. “That was good focus on behalf of the team and obviously they did well today.”
Arena was flashing his bling, semi-subtly, at the postgame press conference. None of the players chose to show them off in the locker room.
Their smiles spoke volumes as AEG president Tim Leiweke was there to oversee the proceedings.
“Tim Leiweke pulled me up close and he said. ‘It only gets better each time, and they only get bigger.’ He’s right,” veteran defender Todd Dunivant said. “This is a monster ring.”
It was pointed out to Dunivant that it couldn’t be better than the ring that was slipped on his finger in January, when he was married. He quickly agreed, but pointed out that a recent injury prevented him from wearing the wedding ring.
“A likely story,” someone said.
“I know, she’s not believing it,” Dunivant said, laughing. “I got a doctor’s note, so it’s true.”

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LA Galaxy Notebook: Riot Squad, New Signings & More

*Galaxy fan group LA Riot Squad is hosting a “Passback” event this Sunday the Galaxy opener in Carson collecting gently used soccer equipment for  “kids who have probably never seen a soccer cleat or shin guard in their life,” according to member Kevin FitzSimmons.

Donate from 10 a.m. to 1p.m. at the Riot Squad PreGame Tailgate before Sunday’s season opener on the grass in Lot 13 of the Home Depot Center under the scoreboard near the Northeast entrance.

*As expected the Galaxy announced today they had signed forward Charlie Rugg (Boston College) and midfielder Greg Cochrane (Louisville), both selected in the SuperDraft.

*New signing Chandler Hoffman spoke with reporters today for the first time since arriving from considerably cooler Philadelphia, which the former UCLA Bruin felt he needed to leave to jump start his career. Hoffman said coach Bruce Arena is looking at using him both out wide left — where he made his MLS debut against Vancouver last year — or up top.

Hoffman said he saw the writing on the wall when Union coach John Hackworth brought in experienced forwards to lead the charge:

“This is his first full preseason so he brought in Conor Casey and Sebastien Le Toux, which are two big signings for them and that’s the direction he wanted to go in. And obviously with Jack (McInerney) having the year that he did last year and with Antoine (Hopenot) kind of being his supersub off the bench it was kind of hard to see where I fit in the picture. And so we felt this was a great opportunity for me to progress in my career and kind of get a fresh start.

 

“I had an honest conversation with Hackworth and kind of felt where I stood on the team and we both decided it would be in my best interests to move me. Obviously I knew (coach) Bruce (Arena)  from training here and at UCLA so I think it’s an incredible opportunity here with more matches in the (CONCACAF) Champions League, obviously learning from Robbie (Keane) and when Landon (Donovan) comes back just being in a great environment. I’m very excited about the opportunity.

 

I actually played with Brian Rowe, Brian Perk and Mikey Stephens (at UCLA) so there’s some familiarity here and I think that’s going to go along way.”

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MLS Opening Weekend: Columbus Crew at Chivas USA

7:30 p.m. Home Depot Center

Revamped Chivas USA and their short-timer of a coach open their season against the Columbus Crew in Carson tonight, the only meeting between the two teams this season. Preview.

Here’s more from the Crew on their overhauled roster: Midseason additions Frederico Higuain and Jairo Arrieta combined for 14 goals and 11 assists in just 18 games for the Crew in 2012. The two forwards – who accounted for 25 of the Crew’s 44 goals last year – return to a roster that saw significant overhaul in the offseason. Several new additions are set to bolster the Crew’s ranks, including Brazilian centerback Glauber, MLS veteran forward Dominic Oduro and central midfielders Matias Sanchez and Agustin Viana. After a breakout performance in his first season as the club’s primary ‘keeper, Gruenebaum returns to build off of his 2012 League-leading saves total (124), which earned him a finalist nod for Major League Soccer’s Allstate Goalkeeper of the Year.

And here’s a (Spanish-language) preview from the Goats:

There’s no local TV for the game, but the MLS Direct Kick cable package is offering a week-long preview so presummably it will show the Ohio feed.

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LA Galaxy Donates Carson School Sport Court

The Galaxy unveiled a new Sport Court Friday at the Boys and Girls Club of Carson. In December, with the team heading to MLS Cup, the LA Galaxy Foundation announced it would put in the court, donate equipment and host clinics. Players Colin Clark, A.J. DeLaGarza, and Todd Dunivant used the new court to shoot some hoops, with soccer balls, before the unveiling ceremony. (Photo by Staff Photographer Steve McCrank)
Photo gallery here.
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Goal-line Technology Coming Soon to a Soccer League — and Stadium TV Screen — Near You

Here at last:
EDINBURGH, Scotland (AP) — FIFA will allow goal-line technology decisions to be shown to fans on big screens in stadiums and television viewers.

In a document to be assessed by soccer’s rule-makers on Saturday, FIFA has reversed its previous stance that referees could be undermined
if the results from the high-tech aids were revealed.

FIFA will allow leagues, such as Major League Soccer to decide whether to use replays that are shown to fans. However, referees will have the power to ignore the goal-line decisions.

“The question of whether and how replays are shown on TV or on an LED screen in a stadium should be one of the first discussion points when starting the implementation of goal-line technology in a competition,” says a FIFA document on the implementation of goal-line technology.

English FA General Secretary Alex Horne said he would welcome television viewers being able to see how a device ruled on a disputed goal.

Goal-line technology had divided meetings of soccer’s rule-making panel for years until FIFA President Sepp Blatter reversed his opposition and it was officially sanctioned last July.

The big decisions will now center on which goal-line technology systems to use.

As FIFA’s leadership was arriving in Edinburgh, the organization announced on Friday that a fourth system had been licensed. GoalControl-4D, which uses seven high-speed cameras aimed at each goalmouth, joins another camera-based system, Hawk-Eye, and two other projects — GoalRef and Cairos — which use magnetic field technology to judge if the ball crossed the line.

All four systems meet FIFA’s requirement that a signal is transmitted to the referee’s watch within one second if a goal should be awarded.

Hawk-Eye and GoalRef were approved last year and used at the Club World Cup in Japan in December. FIFA has invited tenders for selection to be used at the Confederations Cup in Brazil in June and the 2014 World Cup.

Domestic competitions are also racing to introduce technology, with the English Premier League on course for systems to be installed by the new season in August.

Horne said the Community Shield, the season curtain raiser at Wembley in August between the FA Cup winners and Premier League champions, will be the first time technology is used officially in a match in England.

But FIFA also disclosed in its latest document that referees harboring doubts about the accuracy of technology in a particular stadium can decide up to 45 minutes before kickoff to switch it off.

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