Galaxy: August 2008 Archives
Or at least they are tied with the 2006 team as the worst ever.
By running their winless streak to 10 games with a 2-2 tie Saturday against the New England Revolution, the Galaxy tied the mark for the longest winless stretch in club history, first set in 2006 when the Galaxy went 0-8-2 from May 6 until June 24.
This time around the Galaxy are 0-5-5 and have been outscored 24-14.
It's instructive to compare the relative talent levels of the two teams.
Here's the Galaxy team that originally set the record: Kevin Hartman, Chris Albright, Ugo Ihemelu, Tyronne Marshall, Nate Sturgis, Josh Gardner, Quavas Kirk, Paulo Nagamura, Marcelo Saragosa, Herculez Gomez, John Wolyniec. (Cobi Jones came on as a sub and Landon Donovan didn't play).
Here's Saturday's lineup: Steve Cronin (GK) (Josh Wicks 46), Ante Jazic, Sean Franklin, Troy Roberts, Chris Klein, Eddie Lewis (Eduardo Dominguez 81), Greg Vanney (Mike Randolph 65), Peter Vagenas, David Beckham ©, Landon Donovan, Edson Buddle.
Both teams were led by new coaches, the 2006 version by Frank Yallop (he had been appointed 18 days earlier) and the current edition by Bruce Arena, on the job 13 days.
Here's a recap of Saturday's game from a Boston perspective.
Notable:
*Saturday's attendance of 39,256 was the third largest of the season to see the Galaxy. The game in New York drew 46,754 and one in San Jose attracted 39,872. It was the largest crowd to see a regular season MLS game at Gillette Stadium. Becks was injured when the Galaxy played in Boston last year.
*Landon Donovan's two goals tonight extended his MLS goalscoring lead to 14.
*Eddie Lewis made his Galaxy debut in midfield and had an immediate effect, creating Donovan's second goal with a laser-like pass.
*Revolution officials (no word from the Galaxy as of this writing) said Galaxy goalkeeper Steve Cronin broke his finger in the collision on Taylor Twellman's first half goal. He was replaced at the half by rookie Josh Wicks, who made his MLS debut.
The Galaxy actually looked better than they had in weeks giving one of the best teams in MLS real problems at times. Is Arena having an effect already?
Finally, it's an apt time to point out that now Columbus Crew Coach Sigi Schmid can officially begin worrying about getting fired.
His Crew moved past the Revs into the MLS lead today; the former UCLA coach you'll recall was infamously fired from the Galaxy job in a Manhattan Beach bagel shop while L.A. sat atop the MLS standings.
How much do you think Sigi would like to be at this year's MLS Cup - to be held at Home Depot Center?
First off, the Galaxy has just drawn 2-2 with the New England Revolution, Landon Donovan getting both goals.
Sean Franklin and Troy Roberts started in the center of defense with Eddie Lewis on the left wing, by the way.
More on that game later, but for now....
Chivas USA has Zach Thornton in goal as usual, Lawson Vaughn is at right back, Jonathan Bornstein on the left and Bobby Burling and Jim Curtin in the middle. Claudio Suarez is out through injury.
Midfield: Atiba Harris, Sacha Kljestan, Paulo Nagamura and Francisco Mendoza.
Up front Alecko Eskandarian makes his first start ofn the season alongside Ante Razov.
Toronto starts a Southern California strike force (of a sort) with former Bruin Chad Barrett partnering ex-Galaxy striker Carlos Ruiz in his first appearance for the Canadian outfit.
Ex-Chivas USA midfielder Amado Guevara is in midfield, while former Galaxy defender Tyrone Marshall starts in the back.
I wote both the capsule previews for the Galaxy and Chivas USA games today. Read them here.
This is the view from Toronto.
I'll blog from the HDC tonight.
Carlos Ruiz, AWOL after his trade from the Galaxy to Toronto FC, (get used to it Canucks) has finally arrived in the Great White North.
This storymarks the first time I've ever heard a coach of Ruiz talk about cuddling him (!), but then if you were down to one healthy striker who is all of 16-years-old you'd probably have the same reaction.
More interesting to me is that we can add Ruiz to the list of Galaxy players who had major problems with the now departed Ruud Gullit.
Of course, considering his temperament that's not exactly a surprise.
But the more we learn about the Gullit era at the Galaxy, the more it sounds like a case of good riddance Ruud.
Too much soccer? Find it difficult to keep track? Me too.
Here's a cheat sheet:
Tuesday - The preliminary rounds of the CONCACAF Champions League, including Chivas USA playing in Panama, get under way in earnest. I'll have more in the morning both in my column and here. Four hours of live TV beckon for the hard-core.
Thursday - Cal State Dominguez Hills opens its season with a doubleheader, the women playing Grand Canyon at 4:30 p.m. and the men following at 7 p.m. at the Track & Field Stadium at Home Depot Center.
Friday - The women's college season got under way last weekend and now the men crank up again as well highlighted by a nationally televised (Fox Soccer Channel) No. 14 UCLA verses No. 8 Maryland encounter from Home Depot Center. (General admission tickets are $10 adults, $5 youth, while parking is free, BTW).
Palos Verdes Estates resident and Bruin playmaker Kyle Nakazawa has agreed to blog for 100 Percent Soccer again this year so hopefully we can coax a column out of him before the game. I plan to blog from the game.
Saturday - New Galaxy Coach Bruce Arena takes a second stab at moving the Galaxy toward the playoffs in a 4:30 p.m. game (live on Prime) in New England. Meanwhile, Toronto visits Chivas USA at 7:30 p.m. in Carson. I'll blog.
Headed out to Galaxy training today largely to see how new signing and former UCLA Bruin Eddie Lewis was doing after that ghastly looking head injury in Guatemala last week.
Turns out the 34-year-old Cerritos native was just fine - albeit with a chunk still noticeably missing from his head - and went through the entire 80-minute practice with no restrictions and no problems.
Highlights of the interview are below, but a couple of notes from training before I forget:
*Bruce Arena had pretty much his entire squad out on the field today including a presumably jet-lagged David Beckham fresh from his stint "driving" a double-decker bus in China at the closing ceremonies of the Olympics. As Becks ambled past after training he observed he had flown back into LAX at 8 a.m. today and then pretty much drove straight out to training at 10 a.m. in Carson. Brutal.
*Arena knows he has little margin for error if the Galaxy are to make the playoffs (they are just two points out of third and final guaranteed playoff spot in the Western Conference he reminded his troops today): "Everybody's brain has to be in the game every play," he said at the end of training.
*Two members of the Under-20 Gambian National Team - 17-year old defender Amadou Sanyang and 16-year old forward Ebrima Bojang - entered their third week of training with the Galaxy today. Under FIFA rules neither is permitted to sign with the Galaxy until they hit 18 years of age so this is really just an opportunity for Arena to take a longer term view of the pair, as well as see how they adjust to living away from home in a foreign country.
Now, here's what Eddie had to say:
Q: First off, how's your head?
A: Not too bad. To be honest my ribs are probably a more tender than my head. It was an open cut, but it's a tough part of your head. It was a split and a few stitches, but I'll be fine.
Q: Did you see video of the incident?
A: I actually did for the first time this morning. I hadn't seen it and my sister had it and she showed it to me. I was a little bit hesitant to watch. I probably don't need to see it again - that's enough for me. It was a good hit.
In a lot of ways it represented what the qualifiers are all about. If everything that was going on off the ball could be documented you'd think it was more of a wrestling match than a soccer game. It's how it goes, but certainly there were a lot of Guatemalans upset about Ruiz going in and me coming the other way so there was a lot going on that night. It was a tough hit and probably there was a little bit more going on behind it than just going for the ball.
Q: By the way, is that a slight bit of a Yorkshire accent I detect?
A: My accent is so mangled I can't tell you. I've been from London to Manchester to Yorkshire. Half the time people think I'm South African. I don't even know. I'm sure after a few weeks back home here I'll get the California slang back.
Q: Did playing in England (for four different teams) meet your expectations?
A: For me the whole point of going over there was that the sky's the limit. If you were the best of the best you'd be at the top of the top. If you were not good enough, you'd be sent home right away. I loved it, the whole eight years I was there. There were some great moments, I played in some great games against a lot of good teams. For me it was the memory of a lifetime. As a professional soccer player that's about as good as anywhere to play.
Q: What was your best on-field memory?
A: It's hard to say. I thought about that a few times. Certainly, the Premier League and playing at the big clubs is always exciting. Believe it or not probably both (Championship) playoff finals (at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium) probably had an atmosphere I'd never been a part of my entire life. They were better than the World Cups. Two teams split down the middle, 40,000 (fans supporting) on each side - it was an amazing, amazing atmosphere. And my last game in England was against England at Wembley. That's a memory I'll always have. ... I loved Leeds (United) as a club - I thought that was just an amazing time. Great people.
Q: What prompted the move back to Southern California?
A: I had one more year (on my contract) at Derby and I planned to see that out before making my way back. But they bought 13 players in the off-season and basically had a wage bill they said was out of control. They thought it would be easier to shift some of the players, so they sort of started from the top down. They started with Robbie Savage and started coming at everyone offering them deals to come home or to go saying 'we've got to get rid of this wage bill. It was just too much. We've got to cut down some of the earners.'
At that point I talked to (MLS), didn't really think much of it, but all of a sudden it just fell into place. Derby gave me a great opportunity to come back a year early. I wasn't going to miss that.
Q: I suppose of all the places in MLS this was the place you wanted to be?
A: Exactly - it was probably the only place. This is an amazing opportunity.
Q: After enduring the year Derby had (unsuccessfully struggling against relegation from the EPL), you come here and the Galaxy are struggling.
A: I should be quite comfortable (laughs). This league is entirely different. Someone said today we're two or three points off second place (actually third, but close enough). It's so tight that (if you go on) a small run you're right in the middle of the playoffs.
The last few games they've been having a bit of trouble getting results, but it won't take long before Bruce's influence on the whole team improves.
Q: Glad to hook up with Bruce again?
A: Yeah, he's a fantastic manager, his record speaks for itself. I'm just hoping to fill whatever role he wants to make the team a bit better.
Q: Would you rather play left back or left midfield?
A: We haven't had a chat. He said we'd sit down at some point during the week, but he probably knows the team a bit better than me at this point. I think really we'll just see what works best for everybody. For me it's about trying to help the team get back on track. I'm certainly far along in my career that I just want to do what's best for the team and enjoy the soccer. Wherever Bruce sees me (doing that), I'm happy to do it."
Q: How much longer do you want to play in MLS?
A: I'd like to play the rest of this (season) and a couple more. It's similar to the U.S. team - I've never really put any time lines on anything. ... As soon as someone tells me I'm not good enough any more or they're not happy with me, that will be the end. But at this moment I feel good and I'm having fun and playing well so that's really it.
Bruce Arena
Photos by Scott Varley
Watched and blogging my fourth game in 24 hours or so.
Stand back and no one will get hurt.
This was one of those nights when the press conference was more interesting than the actual game.
We had a local lad having a great night, a new famous coach at his first game and Brian McBride back in MLS.
Here's Galaxy Coach Bruce Arena on his first game in charge against the Fire:
"I think they're one of the better teams in the league and I thought they came out well and put us under a lot of pressure early. It took us about 20 minutes to get settled."
On the Galaxy and what the team needs:
"The effort for 90 minutes was good. The organization of the team was improved, but certainly not good enough. We're missing a few players at the attacking end of the field to help make us a little bit better and that was pretty obvious."
On the goal:
"We lost the ball in a bad spot on the field and did not react well as a group. Give Thorrington credit, It was a very good finish."
Arena on the Carlos Ruiz transfer:
"My preference would be to have Carlos here as well as Eddie Lewis. ... Some moves had to be made. We talked to a number of teams not only on Carlos, but some other players. But in order to to be able to sign Eddie Lewis - who is a player I think this teams needs and will help us make better - we had to make a roster move. And there were certain financial implications involved with it. The other part of that equation is you need to look at that as not only a short term move, but a move that allows you more flexibility in the off-season as you try to improve this roster."
On Eddie Lewis, who Arena had observed earlier was out indefinitely after the World Cup qualifying lunge he suffered in Guatemala until he had some tests:
"He'll need some tests to make sure there aren't any issues so we need to wait and see," he said. "We want to take the right precautions to make sure they're aren't any issues you can't tell by touching, feeling. I think he's got to have a scan."
Brian McBride on Bruce Arena: "He's a great coach. If you look at his record everywhere he's went he's made a team better. When given time he's done some amazing things. So I expect him to succeed greatly. I have the utmost respect for him as a coach, as a person and I wish him the best."
Goalkeeper Steve Cronin on the goal:
"Some goals are saveable, (Yes, he said that) some aren't. I felt I did everything I could on that one. I saw it fine and everything. It's disappointing to give up a goal that started with a bad pass in midfield and a guy comes 30 yards down the field and finishes it and nobody steps to him."
The Palos Verdes Peninsula's John Thorrington played a starring role in the game before South Bay family and friends.
Here's Thorrington on how his career has turned around after getting waived by the Fire and having tryouts with the Galaxy and Chivas USA:
"I had some time away from the game last year when I wanted to come back and play at home and it didn't work out," he said, adding Coach Dennis Hamlett gave him another chance toward the end of last season. "As soon as Dennis got the job he was very clear with me with what he expected and put some faith in me and I think we've got a team where I can play a role that suits me. ... It's a nice phase in my career right now."
On how the Fire play without Blanco: "We're obviously a bit younger when he's not on the field (laughter all around the press conference). We do miss his playmaking ability and his ability to make passes out of nowhere. We become so reliant on him because he is so good so I think it's a good exercise for us."
Highlights:
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
What's that noise? Ah, the final whistle thankfully is here. This was one of those nights to stay home and watch synchronized diving or dressage rather than endure a game of over hit crosses, flubbed back passes and inaccurate shots.
John Thorrington of the Palos Verdes Peninsula saved the game from complete non-event status with a swerving shot from 19 yards served to him on a platter by Brian McBride to give the Fire a 1-0 win.
It was his fifth goal of the season and some will recall it was the former Manchester United youth player who ensured the Galaxy didn't make the playoffs last year, scoring the winning goal for the Fire in the last game of the season.
Thorrington tried out for the Galaxy (and Chivas USA) after the Fire initially waived him before picking him up again so maybe he's motivated or it's all those friends and family in the crowd.
Take a bow, John (actually he did - two of them - in his goal celebration).
Apart from that there was little to recommend this game. It was one of those you want to keep Eurosnobs away from so they don't rail against MLS.
It was as if, said a press box joker dryly, both teams had a player of two missing.
Yes, quite.
If Bruce Arena had any illusions about the enormity of the task facing him he surely didn't after an ill-advised Sean Franklin back pass was missed by Greg Vanney in the 78th minute right in front of goal. Chris Rolfe pounced upon it, but didn't make the Galaxy pay. Goalkeeper Steve Cronin appeared so amazed as Vanney shuffled off I don't think he knew which defender to yell at.
For those keeping count at home, the Galaxy winless streak is now up to nine games.
Back with more later.
This is a game stunning in its mediocrity and as one press box wit pointed out if you change the names this could be Scunthorpe verses Grimsby. And that's probably being unkind to Grimsby.
The first half highlights consisted of a wide open Alan Gordon missing a header from all of five yards out (never seen that before have we?) and a great Steve Cronin fingertips save (how many times have I written that this season?) that pushed a Chris Rolfe shot onto the outside of the far post.
I'm off to get a coffee so I can stay awake.
Turns out Bruce Arena's first Galaxy team looks a lot like Ruud Gullit's last team - not that he's got many options of course.
David Beckham is on his way to China for the Olympics closing ceremonies, Landon Donovan is recovering from last night's Guatemalan hackfest, um, game, Carlos Ruiz is now a Toronto player, eh, and new signing Eddie Lewis has the evening off too, recovering from the nasty blow to the head he took, no doubt.
Arena's big change - moving Chris Klein off the back four and into midfield.
The Galaxy lineup: Cronin, Franklin, Roberts, Vanney, jazic, Klein, Pires, vagenas, Allen, Buddle and Gordon.
Chicago is without Blanco, too, Rolling Hills Estates John Thorrington (Chadwick School) starts in midfield and Brian McBride leads the attack.
Back later with more.
Ruiz is on the run; we won't be seeing him in a Galaxy jersey again.
The short second stint of striker Carlos Ruiz with the Galaxy is officially over, paving the way for the team to sign U.S. international Eddie Lewis.
Presumably Lewis could play tonight against the Fire.
Ruiz had just one goal in 10 appearances for the Galaxy this season and missed almost two months of the season after undergoing knee surgery.
The two official press releases are below, but for me the most interesting thing about the Ruiz move is that it's an essentially an admission by the Galaxy that their "risky" move of signing a handful of expensive, big-name players this season was a failure. Did they make a similar mistake to Real Madrid in signing their version of the Galacticos?"
I asked David Beckham about that on Monday and he stiffened, looked peeved, folded his arms and said:
"I don't see the mistake, personally - We're good players. ... It's up to other people to make their comments about whether it's a mistake or not."
Here's the Toronto press release on Ruiz' signing:
Toronto FC announced Thursday that they have acquired forward Carlos Ruiz from the L.A. Galaxy in exchange for a first-round pick and a second-round pick in the 2009 MLS Supplemental Draft and salary budget considerations. As per team regulations contract details were not disclosed."We're looking forward to bringing in another quality striker," said manager, director of soccer Mo Johnston. "We've now got Barrett and Dichio who is on the road to getting healthier and this will also help bring young Ibee (Ibrahim) along properly. We're very excited to get Ruiz in here - he holds the ball up well and is a clinical finisher."
Ruiz, 28, is known as the best pure goalscorer in MLS history. He leaves L.A. as the second leading scorer in Galaxy history with 50 regular season goals for the club, and helped the team to victory in the MLS Cup in 2002. The forward is the all-time leader in postseason goals in MLS, and is currently 8th on the All-time goals list with 82.
Ruiz began his professional career with his local club CSD Municipal in Guatemala City in 1995. In 2000 he went to Europe and signed with PAS Giannina of Greece on loan but returned to Guatemala the following year. In 2002 he joined Major League Soccer signing with the Galaxy, and in his first season he scored 24 goals and adding one assist in 26 games. That year he was named to the MLS Best XI and named league MVP. Ruiz set a new MLS record that season for game winning goals with nine. He registered seven multi-goal games that year.
In 2005 Ruiz was traded to FC Dallas for a 2nd round draft pick and an undisclosed amount of money. After spending three seasons in Texas, Ruiz returned to the Galaxy, and in exchange, FC Dallas received allocation money and L.A.'s natural second round draft pick in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft. The forward injured his knee in the season opener in 2008 keeping him out of the lineup for the better part of a month. His first goal of the season came July 19 in a 2-2 draw against the New York Red Bulls.
Internationally, Ruiz has been a member of the Guatemalan National Team since 1998 and is their current leading goal scorer. He has over 70 caps for his country and was a member of the squad during World Cup qualification campaigns in 2002, 2006, and is presently involved in 2010 qualification. In 2002 he scored eight goals in nine matches during qualification and again led the team in scoring in 2006, helping Guatemala reach the final phase of qualification but narrowly missing out on a chance to travel to Germany for the 2006 World Cup. However, Ruiz did make history in 2008 when on June 14; he broke Juan Carlos Plata's all-time individual goalscoring record for Guatemala, by scoring four goals against Saint Lucia in their 2010 World Cup qualifying opening match. That feat made him the first Guatemalan player to score four times in a match as he surpassed the old mark of 39 goals set by Plata.
And here's the (edited) Galaxy press release on Lewis:
The LA Galaxy today signed U.S. National Team midfielder Eddie Lewis. The Galaxy held the top spot in the MLS Allocation Table and have used that position to acquire Lewis, a Cerritos, Calif. native who played for the U.S. National Team in their 1-0 road win over Guatemala last night in a World Cup Qualifier. Per club and league policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed."I strongly believe that Eddie Lewis will be an outstanding addition to the Galaxy," Galaxy General Manager and Head Coach Bruce Arena said. "He brings great experience to the club and will be a wonderful addition to our locker room and is a player that the fans are sure to support. I have known Eddie for a number of years, I rate him as a first class player and person and I'm honored to welcome him to the Galaxy family."
"Unfortunately, the sport of soccer is also a business and in order to bring Eddie to the Galaxy we were required to make salary budget space available and our only available option was to move Carlos," Arena added. "Carlos is proven to be one of the great goalscorers in the history of this league and I have the highest regard for him. We wish him the very best in the future."
A veteran left-sided player with both MLS and European playing experience, Lewis comes to the Galaxy following a one-year stay with Derby County of the English Premier League. Prior to joining Derby, the 34-year old had stints with fellow English sides, Fulham, Preston North End and Leeds United, as well as a four-year stay with San Jose of Major League Soccer, with who he began his professional career in 1996.
After playing four years at UCLA and helping the Bruins to a 67-14-4 record during his time in Westwood, Lewis was selected by the San Jose Clash (now Earthquakes) in the Third Round of the 1996 MLS College Draft. In four years with San Jose, Lewis became an integral member of that club, appearing in 115 of the club's 128 games, scoring nine goals and adding 35 assists. He set a career-high with 14 assists in 1997 and matched that figure in 1999 when his four goals and 14 assists in 29 games earned him a spot on the MLS Best XI.
Following the 1999 MLS season, Lewis signed with Fulham of the English First Division (now English Championship). He appeared in a handful of games in his two and a half seasons at Craven Cottage before signing with fellow First Division side Preston North End in the summer of 2002. He appeared in more than 100 games for Preston, during his three seasons with the club and narrowly missed out on promotion to the Premier League in 2004-05, when his side were knocked off by West Ham United in the Championship Playoff Final. After that season, Lewis joined Leeds United of the League Championship and helped that club reach the Playoff Final, only to fall one step short of qualifying for the Premier League.
After two seasons at Leeds, Lewis signed with Derby County, who had just been promoted to the Premier League. He played 27 games in all competitions for Derby last season, and left the club by mutual consent earlier this month in order to sign with the Galaxy. He will join up with the rest of his new teammates in Los Angeles today after retuning from National Team duty.
A true left-sided player who is capable of playing both in midfield and at left back, Lewis has also made his mark with the U.S. National Team, with who he appeared in both the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups. In 81 career appearances with the Red, White and Blue, Lewis has 10 goals and 16 assists, including an assist on Landon Donovan's goal in the 2-0 win over Mexico in the Round of 16 at the 2002 World Cup. He scored his 10th National Team goal in July when he captained the U.S. to a 1-0 win in Barbados.
Claudio Reyna and Bruce Arena in happier times when first reunited as player and coach with the Red Bulls.
Photo by Bruce Hazleton
The one thing players stress about new Galaxy Coach Bruce Arena is his man management skills:
"His best quality is as a man manager and as a team manager," said defender Chris Klein, who has had stints under Arena with the national team. "He's always gotten the most out of players and if you ask guys who played for him many more times than I have, they'll say the same thing - when you play under Bruce, he's going to get the most out of you."
Still, it was notable that a widely reported player revolt in New York likely played a role in his firing from the Red Bulls.
So it will be interesting to hear what former Arena favorite Claudio Reyna - one of the chief revolters, who publicly fell out with his former coach - has to say about him in the ESPN2 booth before tonight's game (live at 7 on ESPN2) against the Chicago Fire.
The former U.S. National Team captain will make his ESPN studio debut as a guest analyst during the pregame show.
It's a game notably short on star power, but Galaxy fans will be more concerned whether Arena can break the team's eight game winless streak.
I will blog from Carson as usual.
A David Beckham corner kick was headed home by former Manchester United teammate Wes Brown, but it took a stoppage time goal by substitute Joe Cole to assure a tepid England of a 2-2 draw today against The Czech Republic at Wembley.
Neither Beckham or England looked particularly impressive in game where the Brits were constantly chasing the game.
Becks went almost the full 90 minutes, virtually ensuring he will take no part in Thursday's Galaxy-Fire game, but at least appeared to emerge from the match unscathed.
Bruce Arena gets down to work at his first Galaxy coaching session.
Photo by Sean Hiller.
The former U.S. National Team coach was officially introduced as the Galaxy's coach Monday.
It's a move that suggests more than a few parallels with Arena's last MLS coaching job in New York, an angle I explored in Tuesday's column.
Fellow columnist Steve Dilbeck, meanwhile, articulates what many of us are thinking: Is this the prescient Bruce Arena of World Cup 2002 or the questionable coach from World Cup 2006?
One thing that struck me Monday about Arena (as well as other members of the press corps who know him) was the absence of the antagonistic Arena of the past.
He may have been on his best behavior on his first day on the job, but Associate Head Coach Dave Sarachan, who has worked with Arena for more than two decades said he is a changed - if not more mellow - coach.
"I think he's a little more patient with things, he's in a better place now," Sarachan said. "He has perspective."
Yes, this a more giving Arena after his months relaxing at a home as a self-described "couch potato."
"This game has been more than fair to me and I'm at the point now where I want to give back because this game has been so good to me."
Here's Sarachan on what the new coaching staff needs to change about the Galaxy:
"You change a mentality. If you have the right mentality as a collective you can defend better than what we've seen. ... It's unfair to say (the Galaxy's poor defensive record) is a product of bad goalkeeping or bad defending. It's a mentality of the whole group."
So what did the Galaxy work on at the first practice directed by Arena and Sarachan? Thankfully, defense.
I reminded Arena that he once derided Home Depot Center as a "glorified amusement park" because of all the activities held there. He took the question in stride:
"This is one of the reasons I'm here - because we have an outstanding (practice) facility."
At the Red Bulls, the team didn't have one, he observed.
Finally, Galaxy midfielder Chris Klein said the Galaxy's most inexperienced players will benefit the most from Arena:
"His best quality is as a man manager and as a team manager - he's always got the most from his players," he said. "We have some special players, but it's the younger guys who have to carry the day."
*While I've been columnizing much of the day, plenty of other stuff is going on in the soccer world with one highlight being former Galaxy defender Chris Albright slamming departed Galaxy Coach Ruud Gullit at SI.com:
"My thought was that he'd be gone by midway through this year - I thought that two days after meeting him," said the 29-year-old defender, who was part of the Galaxy squad that made preseason trips to Australia and New Zealand.What was the problem? "Lack of respect for the players. No real concern about wanting to know MLS or caring to know MLS. You wouldn't believe some of the stuff [he did]."
I would. Dish, Chris, dish.
*Talking about knifing, (how's that for a segue) David Beckham is spending part of his time in England where he is ostensibly on national duty Wednesday playing in his nation's friendly against the Czech Republic (live noon on Fox Soccer Channel) taking part in an anti-knifing campaign.
Handguns are banned in England so they're stabbing each other instead. Nice.
By the way, Becks will fly to China after the game where he will take part in the Olympics closing ceremonies (London has the games in 2012).
*Fontana's Maurice Edu has apparently completed his $5 million move from Toronto FC to Glasgow Rangers.
*Meanwhile, former UCLA and Chivas USA striker Matt Taylor has surfaced in the Bundesliga second division. From the U.S. Soccer Players newsletter:
Surprise signing Matt Taylor started and went 62 minutes for new club TuS Koblenz. Taylor, who only signed three days before the game, scored the second Koblenz goal in their 3-0 win over RW Oberhausen in 2Bundesliga action.
He didn't score, naturally.
*You really got a sense of the extent of the injuries Chivas USA is grappling with when the club released its injury list on Monday.
The latest to go down is defensive midfielder Jesse Marsch with a broken jaw suffered in Thursday's game against the Galaxy. His jaw was wired shut on Friday (which may be the only way to shut Marsch up) and will remain so for the first four weeks of his recovery. Reminder to self: send Jesse an e-mail and ask if he wants to blog. Give the man a voice!
Here's a telling stat from Chivas USA:
Through the first 19 games of the season, the Red-and-White have missed a total of 91 man-matches - or an average of to 4.79 players missing per game due to injury (not counting international absences).
And here's their (lengthy) injury report:
INJURIES (11):
Justin Braun Right ankle sprain Out
Jesse Marsch Fractured jaw Out
Lawson Vaughn Right knee sprain Out
Raphaël Wicky Right ankle surgery Out
Alex Zotinca Right knee surgery Out
Maykel Galindo Sports hernia surgery Questionable
Jonathan Bornstein Right hip strain Probable
Alecko Eskandarian Sports hernia surgery Probable
Jorge Flores Right ankle tendonitis Probable
Ante Razov Left knee sprain Probable
Claudio Suárez Concussion Probable
Oh, and Sacha Kljestan is on international duty with the U.S. National Team.
*On Saturday, Hayley Bolt scored two second half goals to lead Long Beach State to a 2-1 exhibition win over San Diego State. The 49ers open the regular season Friday against Gonzaga.
*The U.S. Under-15 Girls' National Team will play three matches at the 2008 Women's Nike Friendlies Wednesday through Sunday at Home Depot Center against Under-17 FC DELCO Thursday, Under-17 Irvine Strikers Friday and Under-17 Real Colorado Sunday.
The U.S. squad includes: defender Loeau LaBonta (Rancho Cucamonga), midfielders Haley Rosen (Palos Verdes), Marie MacKenzie (Palmdale) and Christina Murillo (Ojai).
Check back in the morning for more on Bruce Arena's appointment to the Galaxy coaching job.
Here's Bruce.
Photo by Sean Hiller
It was a more relaxed-looking and less intense-sounding Bruce Arena who was introduced as the Galaxy's new general manager and coach this morning at Home Depot Center.
The former U.S. National Team coach and two-time MLS Cup winner with D.C. United was under no illusions about the scale of the task facing him to get the Galaxy into the playoffs.
"There's a lot of issues we've got to deal with on the personnel side," he said.
"We're not in a great position right now," he added. "We can turn this around. (Galaxy owner AEG) realizes it's not going to happen overnight."
"I told the team the team is not about Landon Donovan or David Beckham," he said. "It's all of us."
Also:
*Cobi Jones will stay with the team as assistant coach.
*Former Chicago Fire coach Dave Sarachan has joined the team as "associate head coach."
*Arena said he is looking at bringing in Eddie Lewis.
The new Galaxy coaching regime: Sarachan, Arena and Jones.
Photo by Sean Hiller
No prizes for guessing my column topic Tuesday.
Back with more later.
Just got a call from the Galaxy's PR folks: the team's new coach will lead practice Monday morning.
Photo by Sean Hiller
Other media outlets are confirming this afternoon what Phil Collin wrote in his Galaxy-Chivas USA game story last night that many of you read here: "Sources said the Galaxy are expected to have a press conference next week to announce the hiring of Arena."
I'm betting the press conference is Monday.
Confirming the story are blogs like Soccer Insider and Soccer By Ives.
The latter notes former Chicago Coach Dave Sarachan will be Arena's assistant, leading one to wonder whether the Galaxy will retain Cobi Jones as well, if only for the sake of much-needed continuity.
Galaxy midfielder Peter Vagenas pulled quite a stunt after last night's game, when he took the SuperClasico Trophy and walked directly to the Chivas fans and held the trophy aloft.
Vagenas was asked if he meant to ``stick it'' to the fans?
``Yeah, I did,'' he said. ``The bravado needs to get back on this team.''
After speaking with the Galaxy's Landon Donovan and Greg Vanney about Bruce Arena tonight it's clear Arena is perceived very differently by the players he coaches than the public face fans and the media see.
Here's what the pair, who have both played extensively for Arena as members of the national team, had to say about him taking the Galaxy helm. (Rumors were swirling in the Home Depot Center corridors Thursday night that Arena has already signed a contract with the Galaxy).
Donovan:
"In my opinion Bruce is a great coach. I have a lot of respect for Bruce. I always hold a place in my heart for Bruce because he gave me my first chance with the national team at a time when he didn't really have to. So I think there's always been mutual respect there."He manages games, he manages situations, he manages teams, he manages administration, he's always ahead of the curve, he always knows what's coming next, what to expect, so you never worry about that from a preparation standpoint - you're always prepared. Bruce is as hard-working and dedicated to what he does as anybody I've ever met and he takes pride in it. ... He has everyone's respect always. ... You didn't always have to like his decisions, but you respected them and that's not always the case with coaches.
"You guys probably see a different Bruce than I've always seen. He's always been very respectful of me and vice versa. If he's been critical at times (of me), he's usually right."
Vanney:
He's going to bring experience and experience in this league. He knows the players, he knows the league. He's managed at the highest level so hopefully he'll bring some expectations, some experience, everything he's learned from the day this league started to now. And we need a little bit of that. Maybe the previous coach didn't know a lot about this league. .. I think he'll be stepping into a job where his skill sets, his knowledge and his coaching ability should probably be felt pretty quickly."Potentially he's a stabilizing figure and again given his experience and stature he comes in and he immediately garners a certain amount of respect.
"He was a player's manager. He would stick up for his players. And he would work with his players. ... He was just a guy people genuinely liked to play for. He was a good manager. I don't know if that's something he slipped away from in some of those latter stages with the Red Bulls and in the (2006) World Cup.
"He likes to play with the media. I think it's a mind game with him. ... He doesn't necessarily enjoy the media game, it's fun for him to do that kind of thing. He doesn't bring that sarcasm and that approach to the training field. He's very straight forward and cut and dried, very respectful of the players and the players' position and the work they're doing. ... His (training) sessions are usually short, sharp and to the point, very competitive. He's a good defensive coach, which will be good for us in terms of working our back four and getting our team defending on the same page and that was one of the highlights, I think, of the early D.C. teams. People obviously recognized the Etcheverry's and Moreno's, but they were a great defensive team in terms of team pressure and being on the same page and I think that's something we desperately could use.
"He's respectful and he's fair. Bruce does not have a problem telling you like it is and he's not going to tell you just what you want to hear, but that's all we ask as players that you're 100 percent honest with us.
"Bruce in the past hasn't been a West Coast guy. He's always tried to keep the national team away from the West Coast. ... This isn't really his lifestyle. I don't even know if he knows what guacamole is."
Photo by Scott Varley
Cobi Jones' MLS coaching debut sadly became a footnote on a night when former U.S. National Team coach Bruce Arena emerged as the next likely Galaxy coach.
So largely did the game, which included an 89th minute Mike Randolph shot that crashed off the bar after a long David Beckham pass, a dramatic stoppage time equalizer from Alan Gordon and a fractured jaw from a Sean Franklin elbow to veteran Chivas USA midfielder Jesse Marsch that Preki was understandably not at all happy about:
"Sean Franklin elbows Jess Marsch. The refereee stands three yards away he doesn't do anything. ... That's very disappointing instead of playing 15 minutes with them a man down we play the last 15 minutes with a man down."
"I inadvertantly hit him in the face," Franklin said. "I just came up with my arm. Hopefully there's no hard feelings."
Noted: there was also a brutal Atiba Harris thigh high challenge on David Beckham late in the game (that Preki claimed he didn't know anything about) that was likely an effort to settle a score.
Chivas USA was without 10 players - said Preki:
"At the end of the day, I'm really, really proud of my group. We played like 10 lions, or like 10 hurt lions, and I've got to tip my hat to them. I'm really, really happy for them, just unhappy that at the end we didn't take three points."
A full game report is here.
Cobi had the quote of the night when he walked in the Galaxy locker room and exclaimed to no-one in particular: "Where's that (Superclasico) trophy? I'm taking it home with me."
Highlights:
More photos here.
The game ended in a 2-2 tie, Chivas USA falling behind to a first half Landon Donovan goal, then clawing back with two goals from Atiba Harris and Paulo Nagamura inside 13 minutes early in the second half.
The Galaxy equalized through an Alan Gordon header in stoppage time.
That prolongs the Galaxy winless streak to eight, by the way.
I'll be back with more later from the locker rooms.
The Superclasico has taken on secondary importance tonight with word that Galaxy owner Anschutz Entertainment Group wants Bruce Arena as the team's next coach.
AEG President Leiweke said as much to journalists in the press box after also appearing on ESPN2 during the first half of the game.
Leiweke said is not looking at Arena as president/general manager, but as coach; now all AEG has to do is throw enough money at him and assure him of complete control on the soccer side, presumably.
But Leiweke wouldn't be drawn on what Arena would want to take the job
"I personally think he's the best coach in the history of the league and we'd be damn lucky if we could get him in here," Lieweke said. "You don't interview Bruce Arena."
When yours truly pointed out Arena hadn't done so well in New York (or at the 2006 World Cup for that matter) Leiweke glossed over the point.
"You've got to look at the environment he was put in," Lieweke said, apparently referring to the chaotic Red Bull organization. "The last time I looked he had a couple of (MLS) championships."
Yes, in the early years of the league when it was no where as strong as it is now.
Arena has been fired from his last two coaching jobs.
And you've got to wonder whether the team needs an abrasive, sarcastic, egotistical, stubborn coach in charge after what it is going through.
"It was obvious to us we had a division," Lieweke said of the relationship between Ruud Gullit and Alexi Lalas. "We wanted to get rid of the friction."
No fear of friction from Arena apparently
Coincidentally, Chivas USA midfielder Sacha Kljestan came up to the press box fresh off an airplane from China and was asked what he thought of Olympic Coach Peter Nowak, generally seen as the other top candidate for the Galaxy job.
"I really enjoyed playing for Peter, he's a real player's coach. He always knows how to have a mixture of having a good time with the guys to being serious and making sure we got the work done. He did a tremendous job of bringing the players together, really forming a real team. I think our team unity was great and I think the way we fought together on the field was something that you really can't put together in a couple of days and I thought he really did a good job of doing that so it was an honor playing for him."
Sounds like what the Galaxy needs doesn't it?
Finally, how out of touch is Leiweke?
"I don't think this franchise has ever gotten over losing Doug Hamilton," he said.
No, Leiweke this organization has never gotten over losing Sigi Schmid.
You can tell where I stand on Arena's hiring. What do you think?
Blogging could be problematic tonight because of problems with the tubes and wires of the Internet thingie here at the Home Depot Center so bear with me (hey, it's only a $150 million stadium).
But former U.S. Coach Bruce Arena is in the building this evening so you know what that means. He didn't come all the way out from the East Coast just to watch. And the rumor is former Galaxy midfielder Mauricio Cienfuegos quit his coaching job in El Salvador today. I haven't been able to confirm that yet so if anyone knows, chime in.
Here's the Galaxy lineup: Cronin, Klein, Franklin, Jazic, Vanney, Beckham, Pires, Vagenas, Allen, Buddle, Donovan.
Carlos Ruiz is on the bench.
It appears Vanney has been moved to full back and Jazic is in the middle.
The lineup for Chivas USA: Thornton, Talley, Burling, Thomas, Mendoza, Savage, Marsch, Nagamua, Paladini, Braun, Harris.
Lawson Vaughn is out injured, although Maykel Galindo is on the bench.
Back later, the HDC Internet connection willing.
Steve Cronin has come in for his fair share of criticism from fans and media alike for some of the perceived soft goals he's given up behind an awful defense so far this season.
I asked him about that earlier this week and this is what he had to say:
"In terms of some of the goals I have given up you've got to look at what happens in front of me before you look at me."Maybe one or two I've given up I could have done more on, but for the majority I think I've done everything I can. Ian Feur and myself review every goal I let in. We talk about it and we talk about my decision-making process and things like that. I don't feel like I'm making a whole lot of mistakes on the goals that go in.
As far as the defense goes every game has been an adjustment. I don't think we've played more than two of three games in a row with the same lineup or the same formation and I think that's where our problems started."
What do you think? Where does the blame lie? The Galaxy have given up 40 goals in 19 games so far this season, by the way.
As expected, the Galaxy today dealt the rights to former striker and noted head case Clint Mathis to Real Salt Lake.
In return, they got a conditional fourth round pick in the 2010 draft.
From the (edited) Galaxy press release:
Mathis, who began his career with the Galaxy in 1998, was re-acquired by the club in November 2007. He accompanied the club on its tour of Australia and New Zealand, scoring in the 4-1 win over the Wellington Phoenix, but did not sign a new contract, electing to join Greek SuperLeague side Ergotelis. Mathis returned to the U.S. after the completion of the Greek season and trained with the Galaxy for a month, but did not sign with the club.
Oh, and if you were planning on heading out to the 10 a.m. Friday Galaxy-Chivas USA reserve team game - don't. Its been postponed.
Two former opposing players are now opposing coaches.
Photo by Juan Miranda
The still stunned LA Galaxy (6-8-5, 23 pts.) faces still injury-ravaged Chivas USA (6-8-4, 22 pts.) live at 8 p.m. (pre-game show starts at 7:30 p.m.) on ESPN2 with, um, fourth place in the Western Conference on the line.
This is the 15th time the two intra-stadium rivals have met. The Galaxy won the first five meetings between the teams; since then (June 2006) the series has been even at 3-3-3.
Landon Donovan believes the Galaxy can win despite the events of the past few days:
"They're not exactly flying right now," he said of Chivas USA. "Maybe playing a game (for us) would be a little therapeutic."
Given the tight race in the West - just six points separates the top six teams - Donovan said he was looking forward to the remainder of the season with optimism, despite the turmoil:
"We could be top of the league in three weeks, so there's no reason to be pessimistic. A little reality check is good though."
Phil Collin provides the game preview.
Incidentally, thanks to all of you who voted in our on-going poll regarding who should replace Ruud Gullit as coach.
You can still vote here, but it's pretty clear the people have spoken.
Cobi Jones received more than twice the votes of the next nearest candidate (wonder if that will change depending on the outcome of tonight's game?), Olympic Coach Peter Nowak.
I'm guessing that represents a desire for stability from fans (you can tell me if I'm right by leaving a comment below) who respect a figure who has been the face of the Galaxy for so long.
He may be inexperienced, but Cobi has always been a class act and that seems to be something missing from the organization in general right now.
Wonder how Donovan would have voted?
Here's Donovan on whether he would like to see Cobi take over for the rest of the season:
"I don't know, I haven't thought about it. But if we do well and he leads us the way we need to be led, then I don't see why not. But I'm not worried about that. I'm worried about trying to win a game."
I'll blog from Home Depot Center as usual.
If you're going to the game get there as soon as you can; the game is expected to be a sellout or close to it so traffic could get nasty as kickoff nears.
Almost forgot to mention: Your pregame entertainment at the HDC is famed Mexican folk band Banda el Recodo.
Have a good day.