Galaxy: July 2008 Archives
It will be an all MLS SuperLiga final with the New England Revolution, 2-0 winners over bad losers Atlante tonight, playing the Houston Dynamo Tuesday in Boston.
I only watched the last 10 minutes of the game (work intervened), but that was enough to see some ugly scenes at game's end for the second consecutive SuperLiga semifinal.
Five red cards (!) were brandished at Atlante players (several after the game) in what was a nasty conclusion.
And it was clear in the waning moments of the game Atlante were simply trying to get in some lumps with behind the legs two-footed tackles, late challenges and body checks.
(BTW, for those who don't know things got rambunctious at the end of Tuesday's Pachuca-Houston Dynamo game, too).
The silver lining for Chivas USA? They got knocked out by a team in the final of the tournament.
Well-moderated discussion of the game here.
Full disclosure: I'm Anglokixx in this thread.
Highlights
Also:
*USC striker Amy Rodriguez, essentially Abby Wambach's replacement, was profiled here.
*Galaxy rookie Bryan Jordan is going on loan to the USL Portland Timbers for the third time this season - until the end of the season. Will he be missed? From the Galaxy:
Jordan leads the Galaxy Reserve Team in goals this season, scoring four times in five games, including one in Monday's 2-2 draw with FC Dallas.
*And for those with nothing better to do at 8 p.m. Monday tune to Fox 11 to see whether the winner of the "Choice Male Athlete" award at the 2008 Teen Choice Awards is David Beckham, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Eli Manning or Tiger Woods.for the award. Woo hoo!
Well, let's hope there's no repeat of Tuesday's temblor, but it seemed an apt headline in more ways than one as you'll find out if you keep reading.
*The U.S. Men's Olympic Team drew 0-0 with the Ivory Coast in Hong Kong in what was the wee hours of the morning our time. Cameroon is up Saturday in the final tune-up before the games begin.
*The Galaxy have finally confirmed their interest in Nolberto Solano (noteworthy in that Galaxy officials usually never confirm that sort of thing).
*Meanwhile, ultimate Soccer Insider Steven Goff reports on "rumblings" (told ya) that Galaxy owner Uncle Phil Anschutz is "none too pleased" with the performance of his team.
One would think General Manager Alexi Lalas might be on the hot seat, so why has Coach Ruud Gullit put his home up for sale? Especially considering the crummy housing market right now and the fact he presumably hasn't owned it long. Take a peek.
*The winner of tonight's second SuperLiga semifinal between the New England Revolution and Atlante (live 5 p.m. on Telefutura) will face Houston in next week's final after the Dynamo Tuesday dispatched cup holders Pachuca, 2-0.
*Lastly, AYSO has come home.
The 5.4 magnitude earthquake this morning in Southern California provoked the giddy extremes of fear - and fun - from players and coaches with the Galaxy and Chivas USA.
Here's Galaxy Coach Ruud Gullit's reaction:
"It was the first time I have experienced this and I had my kids with me so I was worried sick. I didn't know what it was. People had told me to stand in a doorway so I went to my office and hid there. I have to say, it was a really scary experience. I hope it is the last one."
Hey, it wasn't as horrible as what Galaxy fans endured on the weekend, Ruud. And I bet it isn't the last one (on either count). Brace yourself.
In contrast, Chivas USA defender Lawson Vaughn was having way too much fun:
"When I first felt it, I thought something was wrong with my head - I thought maybe I was dizzy, or exhausted from heat. Then I looked around and everyone was saying 'Earthquake! Earthquake!' and I just enjoyed it. I could feel myself rocking back and forth, so I loved it!"
How's that head injury healing, Lawson? (Kidding, kidding. And to be fair, I heard more than one person use that F-word - different from the one you'd expect - in regard to the earthquake).
Complete and unedited earthquake coverage from the Galaxy and Chivas USA.
Mark your calendar. Set your TiVo. Here's your soccer week in Southern California.
Sunday:
*Real So Cal Boys Under-16 Team lost 2-0 to Dallas Texans Red at the U.S. Youth Soccer National Championships.
*Also, the Galaxy Reserves drew 2-2 with Dallas through goals by Alan Gordon and Bryan Jordan.
Today:
*Chivas USA midfielder Jorge "Sueno" Flores played 90 minutes in the U.S. Under-20 National Team loss to hosts Northern Ireland in the Milk Cup. Next on Wednesday: Wales.
Tuesday:
*SuperLiga resumes tonight with the Houston Dynamo and Pachuca clashing at 7 on Telefutura in the first semifinal; Wednesday it's Atlante-New England.
No LA teams involved now that Chivas USA is out so why am I mentioning this? See Tuesday's column.
Wednesday;
*Brad Guzan, Sacha Kljestan and the rest of the U.S. Under-23 Men's National Team plays at 2:30 a.m. our time against the Ivory Coast in the ING Cup, a warm-up for the Olympics.
Thursday:
*The W-League Pali Blues play at the Washington Freedom in the semifinals; in the other game the FC Indiana Lionesses play the Seattle Sounders. The final is Saturday.
Saturday:
*Chivas USA (6-6-4) visits Chicago (7-5-5) and Cuauhtémoc Blanco. Chivas USA is two points behind Real Salt Lake for the Western Conference lead.
*Rolling Hills Estates-based Ajax America Women play in the Women's Premier League Final Four as the Pacific champion against Arizona (Big Sky), New England (East) and the winner today of the match between Midwest champion MYSC Lady Blues and Sunshine Conference champion Brevard County Cocoa Expos for the final berth.
Ajax beat West Coast FC 2-0 Sunday to qualify.
Sunday:
The Galaxy plays at San Jose at noon on Telefutura.
Condolences to those of you, who, like me, just gave up two hours of a lovely summer afternoon to watch FC Dallas massacre the Galaxy 4-0.
Two goals inside 90 seconds just after 15 minutes sealed the result, but it could have been 6-0 (or more). The Galaxy ended the game with just two shots on goal (Dallas had 14).
Debutant Eduardo Dominguez looked like the second coming of Abel Xavier, Ante Jazic played as if he was allergic to attackers and David Beckham and Landon Donovan were largely invisible.
I have the Galaxy PR folks' cellphone, but I'll skip calling and avoid talking to players and coaches. What do I ask? How humiliated are you? Have you ever seen a team you were a part of play that badly? Do you know what a goal looks like?
And yes, I'm sharpening the knives for the mid-season Galaxy and Chivas USA review I am planning for Tuesday's column.
These stats don't lie.
And remember, this was a sixth-place team against one bidding for first in the Western Conference.
Updated:
Game story.
Kudos to Kenny Cooper for showing the officials at Cardiff City in Wales what he can do for them.
They're happy in Texas though.
The Galaxy (6-6-5) and winless in their last five games could nevertheless move into first place in the Western Conference this afternoon with a win over (4-6-7) Dallas.
As the Galaxy moves into the second half of their season, Coach Ruud Gullit was still fuming about Thursday's MLS All-Star Game, while Dallas striker Kenny Cooper may well be preoccupied by his impending transfer to Cardiff City.
A capacity crowd is expected at Pizza Hut Park for the 4 p.m. game (live on FSN) because of you-know-who.
New Dallas Coach Schellas Hyndman is still seeking his first win for the sixth-place team, by the way. Game basics are here.
There are three other games today as MLS action resumes after the All-Star Game including New York-San Jose at noon on Telefutura.
In the PDL Saturday, the San Fernando Valley Quakes lost in heartbreaking fashion to the Vancouver Whitecaps, the Canadians equalizing with 10 seconds or so left in regulation and then going on to win. More on the four-team PDL playoff tournament in Fresno is here.
A similar four-team tournament is going on in Anaheim where the Women's Premier Soccer League Pacific Conference playoffs saw Rolling Hills Estates-based Ajax America Women defeat the California Storm 2-0 Saturday to advance to today's final. They will face West Coast FC, which defeated the Sol 3-2.
The WPSL also named Ajax Coach Brian Boswell Coach of the Year Saturday as his team finished the season with five straight victories.
The Pacific Conference team First XI was also announced Saturday:
F Charity Weston (WEST COAST F.C.)
F Tessa Lennala (SAN DIEGO WFC SEALIONS)
MF Sissi (CALIFORNIA STORM)
MF Tracy Hamm (CALIFORNIA STORM)
MF Whitney Jones-Pridham (WEST COAST F.C.)
MF Crystal Howard (SONOMA COUNTY F.C. SOL)
D Kendal Billingsley (WEST COAST F.C.)
D Maureen Whitney (CALIFORNIA STORM)
D Amanda Harris (SONOMA COUNTY F.C. SOL)
D Dani Bosio (AJAX AMERICA)
GK Sophia Perez (SD UNITED)
Lastly, Real So Cal Blue's Under-16 boy's team plays for a national title today.
There isn't any.
Well, not much.
The closest top class local games today are in the Women's Premier Soccer League regional playoffs at Esperanza High in Anaheim.
Today's playoff schedule:
5:30 p.m. West Coast FC v Sonoma County FC Sol.
7:30 p.m. California Storm v Ajax America Women.
The Galaxy report rookie central defender Sean Franklin returned to training Friday with the full squad for the first time since injuring his knee July 10 against Chivas USA. His status for Sunday's clash against Dallas in Texas will be decided today.
And Aston Villa of the EPL now have two American goalkeepers named Brad, as expected. Chivas USA's Brad Guzan (who has his crucial work permit hearing Friday) is joined at the Birmingham club by Brad Friedel.
Highlights:
Also:
* The latest Galaxy trialist
*The Revolution announced Thursday that more than 25,000 tickets have been sold for the Aug. 30 game against the Galaxy.
*Former Galaxy defender Nate Sturgis pulled a hamstring and is out of the Olympic squad. Dax McCarty of FC Dallas replaces him,.
The MLS All-Star Game airs live at 4 p.m. on ESPN from Toronto where the inaugural visit of David Beckham is naturally the big story (the natives have missed out on seeing Golden Balls twice before).
Our own Scott Wolf though is singularly unimpressed with Becks' effect on the sport so far.
EPL team West Ham United provides the opposition with a roster that includes England striker Dean Ashton and former Arsenal midfielder Freddie Ljungberg.
How good is Ashton? Check out his goal against Manchester United last season.
Meanwhile, blog Soccer By Ives provides the rumor of the day with the word that Norwegian club Rosenberg have bid $1 million for Galaxy striker Edson Buddle (although Buddle knew nothing about it). Landon Donovan also reacted to those rumors that have him more interested than ever in a return to Europe by saying, well, exactly what he's always said: that he's open to the idea and no move is imminent.
And while we're talking trades it looks like soon-to-be former Chivas USA goalkeeper Brad Guzan will have a more experienced American in front of him in the pecking order as expected.
Lastly, blogger Dan Loney picks up on my criticism of the game Tuesday and provides his own view.
While speculation continues over the Galaxy's reported interest in former EPL star Nolberto Solano (see previous post), another rumor has resurfaced: the future of Landon Donovan.
The source of this one was two-fold.
Donovan was quoted by England's Sky Sports as saying:
"The older I get and the more I play, the more I'm yearning for that highest level I can play at. I think the Premiership would be the best place to play.''
The Web site Yanks Abroad further stirred the pot when it quoted Donovan's agent Richard Motzkin as saying "sure," Donovan would consider a move overseas by Aug. 31, providing an actual date that lends a sense of urgency to the story.
A couple of observations.
First that quote by Donovan is not new. I've heard him say pretty much the same thing annually since he returned from his aborted stint in Germany.
Donovan loves Southern California. Still, if any club outside Germany dangled a big enough contract at him (his MLS paycheck is relatively modest by EPL standards) you can bet he would consider it.
The second report is more notable for what it doesn't say than what it says. The Yanks Abroad report is technically correct, but they didn't need to run to Motzkin to get the Aug. 31 date.
Why?
That's when the European transfer window closes so Donovan would have to get traded by then or wait until the New Year.
So where does that leave us (and Donovan)?
Probably in exactly the same place as last week. Or last month. Or last year.
And remember, if MLS sold Jozy Altidore for $10 million as rumored, how much would they demand for Donovan?
That said Donovan will certainly be in the shop window at Thursday's MLS All-Star Game (live at 4 p.m. on ESPN).
ESPN observed today that:
"ESPN International will provide live coverage of the match in 87 countries and territories reaching more than 17 million television homes. Tape-delayed presentation of the 2008 Pepsi MLS All-Star Game will also be distributed in 19 countries and territories reaching over 22 million homes.
While we're talking numbers, the one-year anniversary of David Beckham's arrival in the U.S. has prompted a small tsunami of stories summing up his effect on the game here.
Perhaps the best though is one the fewest number of people have seen because it appeared in the subscription-only trade magazine the SportsBusiness Journal.
So for those of you who haven't (and can't) see the story here are the salient stats from it:
*"Television viewership on ESPN2 rose 17 percent to an average of 289,000 viewers over 15 matches in 2008, compared with 246,000 viewers over 13 matches in 2007. Ratings remained flat at a 0.2 cable rating."
*To put that in context the magazine observed "ESPN2 drew stronger ratings for its (midday) Euro 2008 coverage. ... Those games averaged a 0.6 cable rating and 673,000 viewers."
*"Average attendance for MLS over the first half of the season -- which will be Beckham's first complete season with the league -- increased 8.8 percent to reach a 12-year high of 16,378."
(To put that in perspective, those figures are skewed because of the massive 40,000-plus crowds Beckham draws in places like New York.
*"Beckham's Galaxy led the league in average attendance with 22,586 fans through 10 home games at midseason this year. Only three other teams -- Real Salt Lake, Toronto FC and D.C. United -- averaged more than 15,000 fans a game."
Returning to the subject of the MLS All-Star Game, after an altercation between West Ham United and Columbus Crew fans at a recent friendly between the two teams authorities will closely monitor the contingent of English fans arriving in Canada for Thursday's game.
If you read my rant Tuesday on the All-Star game (be sure and check out the comments at the end of the piece) you know how feel about it. I'm not the only one who questions its value.
Rolling Hills Estates' Robbie Rogers didn't sound too broken up about missing the game. But then, he's going to the Olympics.
Finally, former Los Angeles Times Chivas USA beat writer Jaime Cárdenas has bid an eloquent farewell to the newspaper (and possibly sports journalism).
Soccer writer Scott Wolf expanded on his earlier post on this blog about the possibility of the Galaxy signing Nolberto Solano (but frankly, I like saying Nobby) with a story today in the newspaper.
I've always admired Peuervian Solano, a player with panache and verve, but let's hope if the Galaxy do sign him they have more success than they did with Portuguese Abel Xavier (so inept he was dumped even with a guaranteed contract) and Nigerian Celestine Babayaro (last seen trying out with EPL team Portsmouth) who was cut before the season even began.
Ex-EPL foreign stars just haven't turned out so well, have they?
While we're at it, what's with the Galaxy's lack of disclosure about Solano?
If they're thinking about signing him, why don't they just say "we hope to reach an agreement on personal terms." If not, say so. A "no comment," (which is what the Galaxy have said so far) essentially means "we're talking to him, we just don't want to tell you."
Silly, considering (and correct me if I'm wrong) Solano is a free agent anyway.
Are the Galaxy worried other MLS teams will figure out who they're talking to? Too late.
The lack of disclosure until every "i" is dotted and every "t" crossed is counter productive. Let's face it Galaxy, most sports fans don't care about you anyway. Throw a bone to those who do.
Updated: this video shows what Ruud Gullit (a former Newcastle United coach) likely sees in Solano -
*The alleged MLS All-Star game is 4 p.m. Thursday on ESPN2. I'll have more on that in Tuesday's column.
*The Galaxy play at 4 p.m. Sunday in Dallas (live on Prime).
*Chivas USA plays next Aug. 2 in Chicago.
*From the Women's Premier Soccer League:
Saturday at Esperanza High (Anaheim):
5:30 p.m. - South champion West Coast F.C. (7-2-1) plays Sonoma County F.C. Sol (6-3-1).
7:30 p.m. - North Division winner California (10-0-0) plays second-place south side, 2007 U.S. Open Cup champion Ajax America (6-3-1).
The winners of the Pacific Semifinals face off the next day in the conference final at 6:30 p.m. for the final berth in the WPSL Championship.
*From the USL:
United Soccer Leagues announced Monday the Premier Development League and W-League playoff schedules set to begin midweek with the Divisional Rounds and continue with the Conference Championship tournaments on the weekend. The 19-team PDL playoff field begins play today with the W-League's 13-team postseason field starting Wednesday.
PDL:
Conference Semifinal Saturday - Vancouver vs San Fernando Valley Quakes - 4:30 p.m. Fresno.
The Pali Blues won the W-League regular season title and a berth in the league semifinals in Virginia Beach.
*Noted: The U.S. Under-23 Women's National Team beat Germany 3-0 today to win the Nordic Cup. Bruins Valerie Henderson and Tina DiMartino played the entire game.
*Also, from the Galaxy press release:
The Galaxy Rios U-20's clinched the USL Super-20 League Pacific Southern California League title Saturday with a 6-0 win over Riverside MGFM. The Rios finished the season with a league best 22 points from a 7-2-1 record, while outscoring opponents 41-7 en route to the title.
Neither Galaxy GM Alexi Lalas nor Coach Ruud Gullit would comment today on reports the Galaxy are close to signing former Newcastle and Aston Villa midfielder Nolberto Solano.
The final score: 2-2 (with the Galaxy just snatching the equalizer).
The aftermath from a New Yawk perspective.
Galaxy beat writer Scott Wolf gave a few tidbits of today's story in blog posts Friday and here we learn just how happy Coach Ruud Gullit is to punt Abel Xavier. So are we, Ruud, so are we.
A massive crowd is expected in New York for David Beckham, sorry, today's game (3:30 p.m. live on Fox Soccer Channel). Wonder how many of them will care about how he is deployed?
Oh, and you're aware Becks just loves L.A., right?.
Rumor of the Day: Has the Galaxy signed Newcastle United's former stylish midfielder Nolberto Solano? (Link swiped from the LA Riot Squad Web site).
In other soccer news:
*LAFC lost at Home Depot Center Friday night (and live on national TV) 4-2 to the Baltimore Bays in the final of the Under-17/18 U.S. Soccer Federation Development Academy.
*A reminder there are two SuperLiga games today on Telefutra: at 5 p.m. Houston plays D.C. United, while CD Guadalajara-Atlante follows at 7 p.m.
Galaxy central defender Abel Xavier did not mince words on the club that waived him today:
``There's a shift-the-wind philosophy (here). Many players feel the same way but because they are not secure in their contract, they are afraid to say what they think.''
The Galaxy waived defender Abel Xavier today, which is not surprising since he and Coach Ruud Gullit had a poor relationship.
``We don't have any kind of relationship, unfortunately,'' Xavier said. ``I don't accept any coach who thinks I pretend to be injured.''
Gullit questioned whether Xavier was actually injured last week when he sat out the game against Chivas USA.
Updated: By the way, Xavier being waived means Argentine Eduardo Dominguez, 29, was placed on the active roster and is likely to play Saturday against the Red Bulls.
The Galaxy released some Xavier stats:
Xavier joined the Galaxy in June 2007 and appeared in 20 games during his 13 months with the club, including 10 matches this season. He started 19 of the 20 matches in which he appeared, playing 1,754 minutes while collecting two assists, five yellow cards and one red.
No word on just how many goals he was guilty of allowing the Galaxy to concede over that time though.
-Nick Green
Another soccer-filled weekend is on tap, so let's get to it.
*The Galaxy are out of town in New York where Claudio Reyna retired this week and the Red Bulls signed two South American midfielders who could make their debuts Saturday.
The game airs live at 3:30 p.m. on Fox Soccer Channel and a crowd of more than 45,000 is expected to turn out largely to see David Beckham who continues to prove why he's nicknamed Golden Balls.
Need a reminder why so many people want to see the game? Check out the highlights from last year.
*Meanwhile, they're expecting a similarly large boost in attendance in Kansas City on Sept. 13 when Becks and the Galaxy visit so the Wizards announced Thursday they are moving the game from the 10,000-capacity CommunityAmerica Ballpark to vast Arrowhead Stadium.
*Chivas USA are at home at 5 p.m. Sunday playing at Cal State Fullerton's Titan Stadium in the third and final SuperLiga game (live on Telefutura) where three teams in Group B could finish tied with six points by the end of the weekend.
How complicated is the picture for qualification for the next round? Here it is broken down from a New England perspective courtesy of the Revolution, but it also tells you what Chivas USA need to do:
A win or a draw on Sunday would assure the Revolution first place in the group, while a Pachuca loss to Santos Laguna in the group's other game would also secure New England's passage to the next round. Even if the Revs lose to Chivas USA and Pachuca defeats Santos, the possibility still exists that the Revolution could advance to the competition's final four, because in that case, New England, Chivas USA and Pachuca would all be tied atop the group with six points. If that happens, the group would be decided on goal difference, and the Revs (+2) currently have a better goal difference than both Chivas USA (0) and Pachuca (0).
*Meanwhile, Chivas USA defender/midfielder/forward Jonathan Bornstein of Los Alamitos was named as a replacement for Olympics-bound players in the MLS All-Star Game even though he's missed plenty of games this season and has not quite found the form he did last year (yet).
Plenty of other players are more deserving of course, such as D.C. United's Luciano Emilio (third in the league in scoring) or the Crew's Guillermo Barros Schelotto (the MLS assist-leader who had another two plus a goal Thursday in Columbus' 3-3 draw with Kansas City). Yet another reason to question the game's credibility.
*Also, Chivas USA has had Amber Hernandez, a 15-year-old member of the South Valley Chivas Academy in Porterville called up to the Mexican Under-17 National Team for the CONCACAF U-17 Women's Championship that began Thursday in Trinidad & Tobago.
*In other youth soccer news, the Los Angeles FC Under-18 boys team (led by U-17/18 Coach of the Year Rafa Moran) plays for the U.S. Development Academy championship at Home Depot Center live at 8 on ESPN2 tonight. Full details here.
*Over in the PDL, the San Fernando Valley Earthquakes are still in with a chance of making the playoffs after defeating the Ventura County Fusion Thursday.
The Quakes need a win Sunday against the Fresno Fuego in a 7:05 p.m. game at Calabasas High to make the playoffs.
Here's why from the Quakes Web site:
The Fuego overwhelmed the Southern California Seahorses 5-2 Thursday to move into first place on 29 points; the San Francisco Seals, in second place, take on Bakersfield Brigade today, and will move to the top of the league on 30 points if they win. The Quakes now lie third, on 27 points, with Fusion in fourth, their playoff hopes virtually over.
*In the W-League tonight it's Pali Blues at Los Angeles Legends in a 6 p.m. game at Esperanza High.
*U.S. striker Abby Wambach had surgery Thursday on
her broken leg.
*Finally, at least one Mexican club apparently does not know what the new national team coach looks like (exactly).
And if you liked that, then return later today for some Friday Football Funnies, true and strange soccer stories from around the world in the last week or so.
Enjoy your weekend.
Edson Buddle's exemplary form this season has earned him his first MLS All-Star Game call-up in his eight-year career.
Buddle, whose start to the season was disrupted by yet another in his litany of injuries, - a broken collar bone sustained on the Galaxy's Australian tour - overcame that to record 11 goals in his last seven games, tying him for the MLS scoring lead.
I'm at a loss for words," Buddle said. "It's good when you put in the work and you are rewarded for it."
Also named to the July 24 game against West Ham United by MLS Commissioner Don Garber and Coach Steve Nicol: the Canadian trio of Jim Brennan (Toronto FC), Dwayne De Rosario (Houston Dynamo) and Pat Onstad (Houston Dynamo), as well as New York Red Bull striker Juan Pablo Angel and the Colorado Rapids duo of Christian Gomez and Pablo Mastroeni.
Meanwhile, in the least surprising news of the MLS season so far, Red Bulls injury prone midfielder Claudio Reyna is expected to announce his retirement Wednesday at a New York press conference.
Reyna has been a colossal bust for New York and their fans will unlikely be upset to see him go. The bigger question for Wednesday: can he hobble to the microphone?
It has been a pleasure watching Chivas USA goalkeeper Brad Guzan mature into a world-class goalkeeper during his MLS career.
And Edson Buddle has been a bright spot of the Galaxy's season, just can't seem to stop scoring goals and is enjoying every moment after a stuttering MLS career so far.
I focused on the two of them for today's column at a time when both are at a critical juncture of their careers.
Today:
Palos Verdes' John Thorrington was named MLS Player of the Week by the North American Soccer Reporters after his stoppage time winner against Toronto FC for the Chicago Fire.
Tuesday
As the MLS transfer window opens the Galaxy could announce who gets cut today to make room for new signing Eduardo Dominguez, the Argentine defender. Pete Vagenas? Abel Xavier? Or does he have a guranteed contract? Greg Vanney?
MLS All-Star coach Steve Nicol will announce his five All-Star picks while MLS Commissioner Don Garber will announce his two to complete the 18-player roster for the July 24 game against West Ham United.
Wednesday
Chivas USA plays the second SuperLiga group game against Mexican champions Santos Laguna at 7 p.m. live on Telefutura. The Mexicans lost 1-0 to the New England Revolution on the weekend, which plays Pachuca at 5 p.m.
On Tuesday it's D.C. United vs. Atlante in the early game followed by Houston Dynamo vs. CD Guadalajara.
Thursday
The 18-player U.S. Men's Olympic Team roster is announced.
Friday
The U.S. Under-17 Women's National Team plays the first game of World Cup qualifying against Costa Rica in Trinidad. Forward Samantha Johnson of Palmdale is on the roster.
Saturday
The 6-6-4 Galaxy, who haven't won in four games, plays at 3:30 p.m. on Fox Soccer Channel against the 5-6-5 Red Bulls in a rematch of last year's 5-4 New York win before more than 66,000.
Notes:
Galaxy goalkeeper Vito Higgins is out four to six weeks after suffering a fracture of his right foot that was discovered before Friday's reserve game against Chivas USA.
Results Sunday:
PDL
Lancaster Rattlers 2 San Francisco Seals 3
Orange County Blue Star 1 Ventura County Fusion 0
W-League
Real Colorado Cougars 2 Ventura County Fusion 0
Standings.
WPSL
Claremont Stars 1 Ajax America Women 4
SD United 4 Los Angeles Rampage 0
Briefly:
*As expected, Chivas USA goalkeeper Brad Guzan seems finally on his way to Aston Villa.
*The mighty Galaxy reserves got their first victory today of the season, beating Chivas USA 5-3 on a brace apiece from Carlos Ruiz and Alan Gordon, while young Izzy Sesay got the final goal. The Galaxy moved to 1-3-1 on the season.
*The U.S. Under-20 National Team (without injured Chivas USA sueno Jorge Flores) beat Mexico 3-0 tonight in Texas, with UCLA goalkeeper Brian Perk and midfielder Eder Arreola getting starts.
*Samantha Johnson of Palmdale made the 20-player roster for the U.S. Under-17 Women's National Team that will compete beginning Thursday in qualifying for the inaugural U-17 World Cup set for later this year in New Zealand.
Galaxy striker Landon Donovan admitted last night was one of his worst performances of the season.
``I had a bad night,'' he said. ``I couldn't get myself going and they did a good job putting a lot of guys around me.''`
Photo by Sean Hiller
David Beckham tries an unsuccessful free kick.
Post-Game Quotes:
Chivas USA Coach Preki on the reason he was given for getting sent off: "Absolutely none."
A press box colleague later observed a Chivas assistant coach told him Preki was sent off for giving a dismissive gesture related to what he thought was an erroneous offside call against Justin Braun just before Chivas USA conceded the equalizer. Oh.
I thought Sacha Kljesten was the player of the game. Preki is tougher to impress apparently:
"Sacha was OK. He started the game pretty good. He played disciplined. I thought he could have done even more and be more dangerous towards the goal."
Galaxy Coach Ruud Gullit said changes are in the works:
"We are not where we want to be. But we are working very hard on it. We try to buy some players also for this team so we can add a little bit of football."
On the contributions of Edson Buddle:
"What I like about Edson is he's an example also. His work rate is unbelievable. He works hard chasing people, holding the ball, sharp and scoring goals. I think we are all very proud of him. And I think he's ready to be selected by the national team."
On the flow of the game:
"It was a crazy game. For coaches a terrible game. ... The game went up and down and it's not supposed to do that."
On the alleged injuries to Abel Xavier (inflammation), Alvaro Pires, Sean Franklin (he really was injured) and Joe Franchino (thigh):
"All of a sudden I had people getting injured so therefore we had to improvise. ... Maybe we have to go to Lourdes because suddenly everybody was falling like flies."
On the loss of Cal State Northridge product Sean Franklin: "That was a huge loss for us because I think he's been our best defender on the season."
On the return of Pete Vagenas:
"We needed to have a little bit of football with someone who can hold the ball."
David Beckham on why he makes erratic challenges on players (as he did on Atiba Harris in the first half) that could expose him to injury and whether coaches have ever told him that's not his role:
"Coaches have probably given up with telling me not to make those kinds of challenges. ... That red mist has been there throughout my career and it will be till I stop playing because I hate losing. It's as simple as that. It's not a malicious thing against any player. I never want to go into a challenge and hurt any player. It's because I want to win the ball."
Chivas USA Coach Preki on why Claudio Suarez didn't play:
"It was a mutual agreement we play Claudio Sunday (in SuperLiga) because there is no way he can play tonight and Sunday. At this stage of his life and career we don't want to kill him. We want to protect him as much as we can."
The game, played in front of a noisy, involved crowd, ended 1-1, a fair result on the night.
The Galaxy equalized after 72 minutes, Edson Buddle latching onto a Pete Vagenas through ball and scoring from an acute angle from about seven yards out for his 11th goal in nine games.
Somehow Chivas USA Coach Preki managed to get himself sent off in the aftermath, apparently for something he said to one of the officials.
Both Chivas USA and the Galaxy came close to finding the winner as the final whistle drew near.
First, a long Jonathan Bornstein pass found Sacha Kljestan lurking at the far post in the 88th minute, but his header connected with the woodwork.
A long Landon Donovan run from inside the Galaxy's own half in stoppage time ended with a pass to substitute Carlos Ruiz, who had only the goalkeeper to beat, but was foiled by Brad Guzan, who may have played his final game for Chivas USA.
He told ESPN2 after the game that "some talks are going on right now" and although he didn't mention Aston Villa specifically he came close to joining the EPL team last summer.
The difference in this game is again the easily flustered Galaxy defense, who froze as Sacha Kljestan, proving why he was a deserving pick in today's announced MLS All-Star XI, ran menacingly at them to lay the ball back to Ante Razov, who sent an assured, perfectly-placed strike out of the reach of Cronin for the 113th goal of his career.
Of course, Kljestan ran through the Galaxy midfield as well, almost single handedly creating the goal.
Chivas USA had the upper hand early on, but the Galaxy slowly clawed their way back into the game, the half finishing with Chris Klein lashing a vicious shot off the post that had Brad Guzan beaten.
In between, Panchito Mendoza cleared a Troy Roberts header off the line, while Ely Allen should have done better than just firing the ball straight at Guzan, when a lovely David Beckham dummy of a direct Chris Klein through ball deserved better.
The worst moment of the first half came when Ante Jazic went down with what looked a serious injury while battling for the ball with Atiba Harris. The early diagnosis was back spasms, but he was stretchered off and it looked much worse than that.
Jazic, a Canadian international, was starting just his fourth game after a long lay-off with an ankle injury.
Five changes for the Galaxy this evening after last week's loss to New England and no wins in the last three games.
Most fans will undoubtedly be pleased to know that even with an ankle injury to central defender Sean Franklin that was announced Wednesday the hapless Abel Xavier is nowhere to be seen.
Not even on the bench. And with the signing of Argentine Eduardo Dominguez perhaps we've seen the last of him. Ever. One can hope.
Steve Cronin is in goal as usual, with Chris Klein and Ante Jazic flanking the new (and probably temporary) central defensive pairing of Troy Roberts and Greg Vanney.
In midfield Alvaro Pires and Joe Franchino are both benched, so in come rookie Ely Allen and veteran Pete Vagenas, making only his third start of the season.
Up front it's Landon Donovan (hopefully largely recovered from his lengthy bout with the flu) returning in place of Alan Gordon alongside Edson Buddle.
Chivas, undefeated in the last three games, makes far fewer changes - just one in fact.
Veteran Mexican defender Claudio Suarez is dropped in central defense for Shavar Thomas.
That means Carey Talley, Bobby Burling and Jonathan Bornstein, along with Thomas, provide the defensive protection for goalkeeper Brad Guzan.
Atiba Harris, who played just behind striker Ante Razov against the Earthquakes, moves to right midfield, with first time MLS all-star Sacha Kljesten taking that slot.
The other midfielders are Jesse Marsch and Paulo Nagamura as usual, with Razov up top.
So it's a 4-5-1 or 4-4-2 for Chivas USA, take your pick.
Updated: Xavier is apparently out with left knee inflammation. And I thought it was just Galaxy fans who were inflamed with his performances of late.
Galaxy striker Landon Donovan did not seem to think Chivas would score too many goals in tonight's match at Home Depot Center.
``They don't present too many challenges for us defensively,'' he said.
The Galaxy and Chivas USA lead the Western Conference with identical 6-6-3 records and will square off at 8 tonight live on ESPN2 at Home Depot Center to determine the sole leader.
For Chivas USA it's the first in a run of four games in 11 days as they embark on their SuperLiga campaign, while the Galaxy don't play again until July 19 against the Red Bulls in New York.
In truth, neither Chivas USA or the Galaxy have been particularly impressive of late as reporter Phil Collin observes in his game preview.
Scott Wolf does his best to stoke the rivalry here.
Fans who can't get enough of the rivalry can check out the Galaxy-Chivas USA reserve game slated for 10 a.m. Friday on University Field #1.
Given the standings though, it doesn't appear to be much of a contest.
Meanwhile, MLS just announced that the Galaxy's David Beckham and Landon Donovan as well as Chivas USA's Sacha Kljestan were named to the first XI for the July 24 All-Star Game against West Ham United. The Columbus Crew's Robbie Rogers, who grew up on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, was also voted in as were former Bruins Matt Reis, Jimmy Conrad and Frankie Hejduk. It's the first All-Star appearances for Kljestan and Rogers.
GK - Matt Reis, New England Revolution
D - Jimmy Conrad, Kansas City Wizards
D - Frankie Hejduk, Columbus Crew
D - Michael Parkhurst, New England Revolution
MF - David Beckham, Los Angeles Galaxy
MF - Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Chicago Fire
MF - Shalrie Joseph, New England Revolution
MF - Sacha Kljestan, Chivas USA
MF - Robbie Rogers, Columbus Crew
F - Kenny Cooper, FC Dallas
F - Landon Donovan, Los Angeles Galaxy
Just in time for today's announcement, the Fire's resident bad boy Senor Blanco is in hot water for his conduct after Chicago's 2-1 loss to D.C. United in the U.S. Open Cup the other night that apparently included eye-gouging and head-butting. Classy. (And MLS has taken down the video citing copyright infringement. Hmmm).
Galaxy defender Sean Franklin will be out 2-3 weeks with a sprained right medial-collateral ligament.
The Galaxy's new Argentine defender, Eduardo Dominguez, was at the Home Depot Center on Wednesday. He is not expected to be available until next week's game at New York because of paperwork issues.
``This is an experience that will help my game,'' Dominguez said. ``I think I will grow and I decided to do it because I need a good challenge and I wanted to come to a big city like Los Angeles.''
Galaxy midfielder David Beckham said his hamstring is ``still a little bit tight,'' but that it should not be a problem for the Chivas USA game.
Meanwhile, striker Landon Donovan said he remains a little bothered by the flu.
``I thought I was over it but it's taken a dip the last couple of days,'' Donovan said. ``I'll get through tomorrow.''
Scott Wolf looks at the adjustments overseas players have to make in MLS from the perspective of the Galaxy's foreign contingent.
Dunno about you, but Abel Xavier's criticism of the tactical awareness of U.S. players might hold more water if he could still, y'know, play defense