Ex-LA Galaxy Players Magee and Ricketts Win MLS Awards underscoring importance of their loss to club

mageeapGalaxy guy: Mike Magee, named MLS MVL today, in his days with the LA Galaxy (AP Photo).

With former Galaxy striker Mike Magee winning the MLS MVP award today and former Galaxy goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts being named the league’s best in his position, the twin announcements beg the question: how much did the absence of these two players affect the team’s chances of winning a third MLS Cup?

Pretty significant you have to say.

The Galaxy had problems not only finding the back of the net, but penetrating opposing back lines period after Magee left for the Chicago Fire last season in the trade that brought Robbie Rogers to the Galaxy.

Magee scored a half dozen goals for the Galaxy before the trade and still ended up as the team’s third highest scorer. He added another 15 with the Fire to end the year with 21 goals, triple his previous career high.

Meanwhile, the absence of the Galaxy’s goal tight defense this season was in large measure attributed to a lack of consistency between the posts since Donovan Ricketts’ 2011 departure to Montreal. Replacement Carlo Cudicini was a failure despite sterling EPL credentials and things were only belatedly shored up by the late-season arrival of Panamanian Jame Penedo.

Now granted the Galaxy won consecutive MLS Cups without Ricketts between the posts, but you could argue that was in spite of not having an outstanding goalkeeper rather than having one and in 2013 things caught up with the Galaxy not only with its loose defense, but because of the loss of Magee up front.

So, does the fact they both won MLS awards grate on Galaxy fans?

Discuss.

 

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