FourFourTwo, on #usmnt: “Fears of a 0 points, 0 goals World Cup are very real. … This is 1 of the weakest USA squads for some time”
— Steven Goff (@SoccerInsider) May 21, 2014
The U.S. remain lightly-regarded by the rest of the world as the accompanying Tweet illustrates.
The FIFA profile is here.
Colleagues at sister newspaper the San Jose Mercury News profiled the Galaxy’s Landon Donovan at the USMNT training camp in the Bay Area.
(Image courtesy ESPN).
Galaxy 2 FC Dallas 1
Bottom line for the Galaxy: Lively. Dangerous. Minimal dumb errors.
The Galaxy dominated a Dallas team that never looked competitive Wednesday, moving off the Western Conference basement with a much needed win.
Better yet, it was an entertaining game in Carson after some tedious road moments in recent outings that tested the patience of the many fans.
And, the score shouldn’t have been that close, said Galaxy coach Bruce Arena:
“It was a little unfortunate that the linesman missed the offside, which resulted in the Dallas goal, but that’s all part of it. I give our backline credit. They did what they are supposed to do on a play like that. It’s unfortunate that the linesman missed it and we had to scramble over the last 15 minutes.”
Midfielder Kenny Walker, playing his second MLS game two years after playing his first, was solid and the central defensive combination of Tommy Meyers and Kofi Opare received better reviews from some than the error prone Leonardo and substandard Omar Gonzalez.
Stefan Ishizaki was subbed after two bad giveaways that are threatening to become a hallmark of the Galaxy season, but overall it was a more solid, livelier outing than we have seen in recent performances.
Beat writer Phil Collin has the game story.
The host nation may be having organizational problems with the tournament, but on the field is another matter.
The host nation is the prohibitive favorite to add yet another World Cup trophy to its impressive record, agrees the retired likes of greats like Luis Figo and many other observers.
Read more about Brazil here.
(Image courtesy ESPN).
We finally have a home game again! The #LAGalaxy take on @FCDallas tonight at 7:30: http://t.co/beElkjs4Kp #LAvFCD pic.twitter.com/ftW38H2lj8
— LA Galaxy (@LAGalaxy) May 21, 2014
The sluggish Galaxy meet a busy, but blunted Dallas tonight at StubHub Center with the home team seeking to jump start a campaign already in danger of tailing off as I wrote in this week’s column.
Notable: Only one Galaxy player — Robbie Keane — has scored more than two goals this season, which pretty much sums up the club’s problem.
All the facts and figures associated with the game are here.
Finding it difficult to get in the swing of the Galaxy season?
First it seems as if the club has barely played in Southern California this year at all.
Wednesday’s rare midweek home game is up against a Kings playoff game so many general sports fans will be preoccupied.
And Sunday’s home game takes place on the long Memorial Day weekend, when LA typically empties out (and the Galaxy has traditionally had trouble drawing crowds on holiday weekends).
Which all means, given that the Galaxy are now stuck at the wrong end of the Western Conference, there may well be no reason to watch when folks belatedly get around to seeing that MLS is under way.
Read more in today’s column.
Tuesday’s World Cup News and notes:
Sister newspaper the San Jose Mercury News caught up with longtime first choice goalkeeper Tim Howard at the U.S. Men’s National Team camp in the Bay Area.
Check out all the latest news from camp and beyond at the Mercury News’ new World Cup blog.
Portugal, the U.S. opponents in the second group game June 22, has named its World Cup squad.
Recap the opening week of the USMNT camp below:
Sister newspaper the San Jose Mercury News checked in with Southern Californian Maurice Edu at the U.S. Men’s National Team camp in the Bay Area.
In other World Cup related news:
Anther ghastly Galaxy defensive screw-up condemned LA to a road loss in Houston against the Dynamo and the bottom of the Western Conference, while plucky Chivas USA grabbed a point in their local television debut this season against Dallas, but really should have had a road win.
We’ll let the blunt Robbie Keane lay it on the line an explain what the sputtering Galaxy need to do to stop losing and start winning in a season threatening to go nowhere before it has really started:
“Just stop making mistakes, that’s how you lose games, you make mistakes and then you lose games. We just can’t make mistakes, the mistakes we’ve made are ones that can’t be made, and it’s fairly simple. If you we keep making mistakes like that we can forget about even making the playoffs.”
Galaxy II forward Chandler Hoffman, left, and the rest of LA’s young stars will find themselves playing before a packed house of more than 20,000 Saturday in Sacramento when they play the Preki-coached Republic.
It would be the second crowd over the 20,000 mark at Hughes Stadium this season. The Galaxy II (5-1-3) played before a crowd of around 400 in their last game, a midweek U.S. Open Cup encounter against an amateur team from Thousand Oaks.
Sacramento (3-3-1) handed the Galaxy II their only loss of the season so far by a score of 3-0 earlier this season after the two teams also drew 1-1 in Carson.
Hoffman was named the USL Pro Player of the week after scoring two goals in two games.
The game is live on YouTube and the Galaxy’s web site.
Incidentally, the Galaxy II learned today they will play Seattle Sounders FC at StubHub’s track and field stadium in the fourth round of the U.S. Open Cup if they defeat PSA Elite May 28 in the third round.
The senior Galaxy team, meanwhile, will play the winner of the Arizona United and Oklahoma City Energy FC cup tie.
Chivas USA announced today that KDOC will televise 10 of the club’s remaining MLS games this season beginning with the 5:30 p.m. Saturday game against FC Dallas.
Given how many spectators are showing up to Chivas USA’s sparsely attended home games in Carson this season, it will be interesting to see what the ratings are.
The club is hosting a viewing party in Long Beach, however:
For more on the game itself, check out the MLS preview: