Recently in Major League Soccer Category

First off, why did Fox Soccer Channel inflict the overly chatty and not particularly insightful Nick Webster and Warren Barton on viewers from an L.A. studio rather than on-site English commentators during the England-Kazakhstan game this morning? (Which also has the effect of lowering the crowd noise from the almost 90,000 in attendance, further detracting from the game).

David Beckham came on for the last 10 minutes of the 5-1 England win, creating the fourth and final goal from (what else) a free kick. (An incredibly horrible Ashley Cole howler led to the Kazakhstan goal).

Sticking with World Cup qualifying for the moment, it seems the Cubans forgot to ensure they had a hall monitor and players are again making a dash for the exits ahead of the U.S. game today. A reported 18,000 tickets were sold for the game by Friday. Kickoff is at 4 p.m. on ESPN Classic.

Noted: Bob Bradley has started the defensive quartet of Steve Cherundolo, Oguchi Onyewu, Carlos Bocanegra and Heath Pearce six times, with England and Spain the only
teams to score against them. This group has recorded four of the USA's eight shutouts this year.

Classic comment on Goff's blog, BTW:

MLS really should hold an allocation each time the Cuban team plays here. It would streamline the process.
Posted by: Alejandro Ruiz | October 11, 2008 12:28 AM

Here's a breakdown of the playoff implications in MLS this weekend:
*Chivas USA can qualify for the playoffs with a win over the San Jose Earthquakes today if Colorado fails to win against the Galaxy Sunday and FC Dallas doesn't beat Toronto this afternoon. But as Chivas USA press types point out:

"At this stage (of the season), four points (a win and a draw) from (the club's) remaining three games will be enough to guarantee Chivas USA a third straight spot in the playoffs, regardless of other results."

Chivas USA-Earthquakes preview here. The game is on at 7 p.m. on KAZA and delayed at 10 p.m. on Prime.

Friday College scores:
No. 5 USC 3 (11-1) No. 16 Washington 2 (9-3)
USC came from behind twice to win the game in double overtime with Amy Rodriguez scoring twice including the winner. The Trojans have now won nine straight games.

LMU men 1 (3-3-4) Portland 0 (4-5-2)
Freshman Artur Jozkowicz got the winner to even the Lions' West Coast Conference record at 1-1.

UCLA 3 men (3-3-5) No. 6 California 2 (6-2-3)
Junior midfielder Michael Stephens scored the game-winning goal from a penalty pick in the 93rd minute.

No. 3 UCLA women 2 (10-0-2) No. 25 Washington State 1 (6-3-3)
UCLA wins in double overtime

UC Santa Barbara women 3 (9-5) Cal State Northridge 2 (5-6-1)
CSUN had just one shot on target as they lose their Big West Conference season opener.

I don't know about you, but the weekend can't quick enough for me after the less than cheery news this week about what one newsroom wit described as our 301.K plans.

And there's plenty of soccer on TV and live locally to distract us.

I'll be back with a Chivas USA preview Saturday and a Galaxy one Sunday, but the bottom line is although the 1-1 draw last night between Real Salt Lake and the Red Bulls did little to clarify the playoff picture Chivas USA can still qualify for the playoffs while the Galaxy can put themselves (and us) out of their misery and be eliminated from the post-season.

Oh, and the U.S. can make the next round of WCQ by defeating Cuba Saturday.

For now here's your basic list of games just so you don't forget to set up the TiVo.

World Cup qualifying games on TV Saturday include:
9 a.m. Fox Soccer Channel England-Kazakhstan
11:30 a.m. FSC Spain-Estonia
4 p.m. ESPN Classic Cuba-U.S.
5 p.m. KVEA Mexico-Jamaica

MLS games on TV this weekend include:
5:30 p.m. Saturday FSC Toronto FC-FC Dallas
7 p.m. Saturday KAZA Chivas USA-San Jose Earthquakes (or delayed at 9:30 p.m. on FSN)
Noon Sunday KFTR Columbus Crew-Chicago Fire
9 p.m. Sunday Prime (delayed) Galaxy-Colorado Rapids

Mexican league games on TV include:
3 p.m. Saturday KMEX CD Guadalajara-San Luis
5 p.m. Saturday KAZA Santos Laguna-Pachuca
2 p.m. Sunday KMEX Puebla-Club America

Local college games this weekend include:
3 p.m. today at McAlister Field No. 5 USC-No. 16 Washington
1 p.m. Sunday at McAlister Field No. 5 USC-No. 25 Washington State
7 tonight at Drake Stadium UCLA women-Washington State
1 p.m. Sunday at Drake Stadium UCLA women-Washington
4 p.m. today at Sullivan Field LMU men-Portland
2 p.m. Sunday at Sullivan Field LMU men-Gonzaga
1 p.m. Saturday at Sullivan Field LMU-Pepperdine

This is an excellent SI article that while not specifically about MLS (in fact the article doesn't even mention soccer) has resonance for Galaxy fans.

This season especially has seen many of these, um, symptoms appear in Carson.

Beatlemania like screams every time David Beckham touches the ball. Flash bulbs exploding around Home Depot Center like so many LSD flashbacks. And generally uneducated fans who don't appear to appreciate they are watching a godawful team.

Former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane once complained about the lack of atmosphere at Old Trafford caused by a surfeit of the prawn sandwich eating crowd - read ignorant corporate types - sitting on their hands rather than supporting their team.

I don't mind rich guys subsidizing the masses (thanks Uncle Phil). I just don't want them taking over to the extent a sporting event becomes like a night at the opera. (It's depressing when fans tell me the nitwits behind them complain about them standing up - after a Galaxy goal has been scored!).

Of course, the Galaxy has been so abysmal this season there's been precious little to shout about, although the likes of the Riot Squad are doing their utmost (thanks guys).

But in the main it's a stadium full of people so thrilled to watch a global superduper star like Becks they can't see beyond to the quality of football on display. Which has, generally speaking, been crap.

Nevertheless, the Galaxy have increased their ticket prices each year despite missing the playoffs three years in a row (there's a prediction in there).

Season ticket holders reportedly dropped 15 percent this season. And are likely to fall again in the coming one. I'm getting more and more anecdotal reports via e-mail, on this blog and in person of fans who say to me: "I can't bring myself to watch this lot anymore. It's a waste of money."

That's telling me the knowledgeable fans who understand the game know what product they are seeing: a bland corporate one unlikely to get the most ardent soccer fans to return. They'll sit home and watch Stoke City play Hull City (no disrespect to Hull, unexpectedly lighting up the EPL this season so far) rather than support MLS.

The game is being undermined by the suits.That's not what the sport is about. The casual fan - such as families - who understand the democracy of soccer are endangered.

And if that's the case, so is the authenticity of the game itself.

A light morning for news (unless you're one of the few people excited the U.S. has climbed seven places in the latest superfluous FIFA rankings released today).

But there are a couple of Chivas USA related items to pass along.

In its continuing efforts to cultivate a larger fan base the club has announced the creation of a "Coaches Connection" aimed at youth soccer coaches that offers "coaching tips and information on Chivas USA's innovative Youth Development System. Coaches can register online for a free monthly newsletter, which will provide training tools, soccer drills and player development insights used by Chivas USA to nurture and grow more complete players."

Also, Chivas USA Youth Team coaches will conduct a coaching seminar on Oct. 18-19 at Home Depot Center. For $75, which includes lunch, a ticket to Chivas USA's Oct. 19 game vs. the Colorado Rapids, as well as coaching materials and a certificate of completion, coaches receive insights on "game preparation, systems of play, tactical talks, as well as game analysis."

For more information contact Julio Cano at 310-630-4564 or jcano@cdchivasusa.com.

Meanwhile, Chivas USA fan group the Union Ultras is offering a bus trip to the Bay Area for Saturday's game at the Earthquakes. Cost is $70, which includes a match ticket. The bus leaves from the valley at 8 a.m. Saturday and returns to Southern California immediately after the game. Families are welcome.

More information at the Union Ultras Web site.

Finally, occasional Chivas USA fan Morrissey, seen in the past at the HDC in a club jersey, has apparently found a new allegiance.

Here's a shot from a Hollywood Palladium gig in 2007

Photo by Juan Miranda/ Chivas USA

A trivial item with only a peripheral relationship to Chivas USA, I understand, but one that gives me an excuse to embed a Morrissey video of a great song on a slow news day:

It's not often you get interviewed by National Public Radio. But Chivas USA midfielder Jorge Flores did (and so did I).

Anaheim's Flores is one of the first of a new generation of U.S. Mexican-American soccer stars. He's not yet a regular starter, but NPR noticed.

Listen to the podcast of "It's Only A Game" here.

Two teams, two games, same broadcast time.

MLS' two highest-scoring teams clash when L.A. play in Columbus at 4:30 p.m. live on Prime where the crowd are encouraged to wear black and "black out the Galaxy," (who are quite capable of doing that themselves, thank you) while at the same time on Fox Soccer Channel Chivas USA take on D.C. United before what will be the one of the home team's largest crowds of the season. Of course, the Crew's defense is just a tad better than the Galaxy's. Columbus is unbeaten in their last seven games.

The basics on both games are here.

Excellent update on Rolling Hills Estates' Robbie Rogers - increasingly impressive for the Crew this season - is here, while David Beckham gets the contrary treatment from an English newspaper that eloquently makes a brutal point - Becks is playing like crap.

How much does Crew Coach Sigi Schmid want to deliver the knockout blow to the Galaxy's season? Can you say Supporter's Shield?

You've got to figure Chivas USA has much more of a chance against United who are without Jaime Moreno and Luciano Emilio.

Saturday's college scores:
No. 4 UCLA 1 (8-0-2) Pepperdine 0 (4-6-2).
It was the Bruins' ninth straight shutout; Lauren Cheney got the goal.

Loyola Marymount women 1 Cal State Northridge 0 (5-4-1).
Lily Sorentino scored the winner in the 90trh minute.

Cal State Dominguez Hills women 2 (7-5) Humboldt State 0
CSUDH wins its third consecutive game to move atop the CCAA South standings.

Cal State Dominguez Hills men 2 (10-1-1) Humboldt State 0
No. 14 CSUDH outshot Humboldt 29-6

Finally, LMU junior goalkeeper Patrick Sampson (Lake Oswego, Ore.) became just the second player from the program to win the West Coast Conference's Player of the Month award. His accomplishments included a pair of shutouts against ranked opponents and a conference-low goals-against-average of 0.45 while allowing just two goals and making 24 saves over 400 minutes.

A few soccer nuggets to get your day started:
*There's a crucial game in the tight Western Conference tonight when MLS Player of the Month Darren Huckerby and the San Jose Earthquakes face Kenny Cooper (second in scoring in MLS) and Dallas at 6 tonight on ESPN2 in a game both the Galaxy and Chivas USA will watch closely.

The suddenly hot Earthquakes (one loss in their last 10 games) are tied with the Galaxy for last place with 29 points; Dallas (which has two consecutive wins) has 33 points, three behind Chivas USA.

Both Carson-based teams are on the road Saturday: the Galaxy are in Columbus facing Sigi Schmid and the MLS-leading Crew; Chivas USA are in D.C. playing United, which lost yet again in the CONCACAF Champions League Wednesday 1-0 against Cruz Azul while resting most of their regulars.

Chivas USA defender Shavar Thomas, goalkeeper Dan Kennedy and former DC United forward Alecko Eskandarian preview Saturday's game below:

David Beckham blogs here.

*The third (!) Women's Professional Soccer draft is set for Monday.

L.A. picks fifth, 10th, 12th and 19th in the four-round draft.

*Finally, in college games Wednesday night it was:
UCLA men 2 (2-3-4) UCSB 2 (5-3-1)
No. 5 Creighton 1 (7-1-0) Cal State Northridge men 0 (4-4-1)

Here are the results that mattered Saturday for Chivas USA:
Chivas USA 2 Kansas City Wizards 1
Houston Dynamo 1 Toronto FC 1
Colorado Rapids 5 Red Bull New York 4
Real Salt Lake 3 San Jose Earthquakes 2
Dallas plays D.C. United at noon Sunday
(Just for the sake of completeness, Sigi Schmid's Columbus Crew beat the New England Revolution, 1-0, and lead the league. Let's hope he doesn't get fired)

Here's how the Western Conference shakes out so far in the 30-game season:

Team GP PTS
Houston Dynamo 25 40
Chivas USA 26 36
Colorado Rapids 26 34
Real Salt Lake 26 34
FC Dallas 25 30
Los Angeles Galaxy 26 29
San Jose Earthquakes 25 29

Of the last four regular season Chivas USA games left, the next two are on the road (Saturday at D.C. United, Oct. 11 at the San Jose Earthquakes) and the last two at home (Oct. 19 vs. the Colorado Rapids, Oct. 25 vs. the Houston Dynamo).

Game story.

Just to expand on what eagle-eyed beat reporter Phil Collin noted in his gamer: Victorine spells his first name "Sasha," while Kljestan spells his "Sacha;" for some reason both were spelled the way Mr. Klejstan spells his name over both players' lockers. (I empathize with the locker room staff, BTW; you just know this reporter and others are likely to make the same mistake).

Quotable:
Peki on the team effort:

"I give my guys an incredible amount of credit. Because they fought and they're fighting the whole year. They deserve what they're getting. They put themselves in a good position. Hopefully we'll take care of the business in the rest of the season.

On Sasha Victorine:

"He fits good in our system. He plays the ball on the ground. He sees things around him. He's a smart soccer player. He can score goals. He's good on set pieces. You could see in the 72nd minute he starts cramping, but he stuck to it. He has a good mentality that fits our group."

Notable:
*Striker Maykel Galindo was pleased to get his first minutes since mid-July when he came on as a 77th minute sub for Alecko Eskandarian.

"Little by little I'll keep improving and hopefully I'll be fine for the end of the season," he said. "I feel a little bit of pain, but I think it's (from) the surgery I had."

*Striker Alecko Eskandarian, who now has two goals in two straight games ("a streak," insisted the scribe seeking an angle next to me in the press box) sounded relieved he's continuing to work his way back into match fitness:

"I'm just very happy to be back playing. At the end of the day it was very, very frustrating to go through what I went through: six months of not knowing what was wrong with me and then doctors couldn't find what was wrong with me and me questioning myself. And then finally with the exploratory surgery finding that my groin was torn. When they fixed that it was a huge weight off my shoulders. I put it all behind me and focused on salvaging the season and really trying to help my teammates. A lot of the guys, since I'm new here, didn't know what I could bring to the team or if I could contribute so every day I've just been fighting for the respect of my teammates and seeing if I can help this team.

"I feel better every day. Obviously I'm not 100 percent and my fitness still needs work, my touches, my sharpness. When you're out for so long you take for granted the little good habits you need to get into."

Highlights:

Finally, the Chivas USA reserves play a make-up game 10 a.m. today (Sunday) against the Galaxy reserves on Field 4 at Home Depot Center. Originally scheduled for Aug. 15, the game was postponed due to injuries and international call-ups. The Chivas USA reserves are coming off a 3-1 loss against Real Salt Lake on Sunday, which gave them a 1-3-3 record.

I had a pretty good conversation with Sasha Victorine after the game, too, and I'll post that Sunday.

It's the Sasha and Sacha show at Home Depot Center where Chivas USA is leading the Wizards 2-0.

Sacha Kljestan has an assist, while Sasha Victorine has an assist and added the soaring second goal on his first start for Chivas USA that comes against his old club.

Ante Razov created the first in the 26th minutes, sending a telling pass that pierced a flat Wizards defense allowing Victorine to get behind it on the left wing and cutting a ball back that was met by Alecko Eskandarian from about seven yards out. It was his second goal in two games.

The second came in second half stoppage time, Kljestan passing to Atiba Harris, who made a deft touch to set up Victorine's handsome effort from 19 yards out.

But Chivas USA's injury woes continue, Razov coming out with a likely calf problem after just half an hour. Justin Braun replaced him.

The lone striker left on the bench, Maykel Galindo, who is struggling to recover from sports hernia surgery, is warming up. Incidentally, Roberto Nurse, largely ineffective since signing from a Mexican team, isn't even on the bench.

Chivas USA finished the half with eight shots to the Wizards' two, who haven't managed to hit the target.

NPR is in the building this evening preparing a story on Jorge Flores and tabbed your truly for a quick interview, so I'm a little late with the lineups.

The night's important numbers: the Wizards have won just once on the road this season and and Colorado's 5-4 win over the Red Bulls earlier today means Chivas USA is third in the table and seven points behind Western Conference leaders Houston, which drew 1-1 with Toronto.

Dan Kennedy continues in goal for Chivas USA, while there are two changes in the back line with Carey Talley and Jonathan Bornstein both out with concussions. Alex Zotinca returns for his first game of the season after suffering a long-term knee injury and Panchito Mendoza moves from midfield to defense alongside regulars Claudio Suarez and Shavar Thomas.

In midfield, Sasha Victorine gets his first start against the club that just traded him to Chivas USA, Jesse Marsch gets his first start after returning from a jaw fracture, while Atiba Harris and Sacha Kljestan complete the midfield.

Up front it's Alecko Eskandarian and Ante Razov.

Maykel Galindo is on the bench.

The Wizards start former Galaxy goalkeeper Kevin Hartman, while Herculez Gomez resurfaces in Kansas City, too, after his recent trade from the Rapids and starts in midfield.

In attack for the Wizards - Abe Thompson and Josh Wolff.

The game is on Fox Soccer Channel.

In their quest for a fan base, Chivas USA has never met a promotion club officials didn't like (the Mexican-oriented club even had an Armenian night earlier this season) and tonight is Manhattan Beach Night.

Given the city's connections with soccer this makes a modicum of sense (former Galaxy coach Sigi Schmid, Galaxy playmaker Landon Donovan, U.S. National Team Coach - and former Chivas USA Coach - Bob Bradley all live there, while new Galaxy Coach Bruce Arena has said he intends to move there).

While most Chivas USA fans simply hope the team beats the Kansas City Wizards tonight (7:30 Fox Soccer Channel) and continues its playoff push, it's bonus night for residents of Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach and Redondo Beach.

Residents of those communities qualify for $4 off a prime seat at midfield ($32) and $3 off one behind the goals ($15) and get a free Chivas USA hat to boot. The first 200 fans who buy a ticket will attend a meet and greet with Chivas USA holding midfielder (and Manhattan Beach resident) Jesse Marsch as well as defender Jim Curtin who lives on the border of Manhattan and Hermosa. Call Chivas USA ticket rep Mike Gratten at 310-630-4599 to get in on the action.

MB Mayor Richard Montgomery (a nice guy and soccer fan as it turns out) will conduct the pre-game coin toss and a five-minute film about the city will air on the stadium's big screen. About 1,300 MB kids play soccer, according to the mayor, and they are invited to parade across the field before the game.

The Daily Breeze wrote about Marsch (one of the game's nice guys as long as you don't have to play against him) when the brat-eating Wisconsin boy moved to MB a couple of years ago. Here's writer Bob Holtzman's October 2006 story on his change of lifestyle:

Jesse Marsch carried his surfboard away from the water and through the sands of Manhattan Beach and gazed up at the homes of the beachside town.

It was more than 10 years ago and Marsch dreamed about watching the sun set every night across the Pacific Ocean.

The Chivas USA midfielder retold this story last week from his home on The Strand, sitting on his patio, looking down at the water and beach.

The native Midwesterner has adjusted well to the South Bay lifestyle, welcoming visitors into his home while drinking a cup of coffee while wearing black sunglasses, dark plaid skater shorts and a pink designer T-shirt. His hair is a little shaggy and he bragged about how Emerson, his 5-year-old daughter, proudly wears flip-flops everywhere she goes.

Marsch has scored two goals and had three assists for Chivas in 30 matches and will try to help Chivas advance to the Western Conference championship today at 5 p.m. in Houston.

Marsch and his wife, Kim, grew up in Racine, Wis. So far, they have no complaints about the ocean view from their house or the moderate weather that enabled them to take Emerson and their son, Maddux, who turned 3 last Monday, to Disneyland with Marsch's parents on Tuesday.

"It makes things a lot easier when you don't have to help the kids get on their snow pants and boots," Kim Marsch said.

The family almost never made it to California.

They were living in Wrigleyville, the Chicago neighborhood surrounding the Cubs' Wrigley Field, while Marsch played for the Chicago Fire. But the Fire told Marsch he wasn't part of their plan for the future. Marsch, who will turn 34 on Nov. 8, considered retirement.

Instead of making a snap decision, Marsch consulted with an old friend and coach, Bob Bradley, who recruited Marsch to Princeton University and coached him as a rookie at D.C. United and then from 1998 to 2002 in Chicago.

Marsch liked the idea of playing for Bradley again and couldn't turn down the chance to live in Southern California again. This time, it would be in one of those houses overlooking the ocean.

"I came out here a little early and researched it, looking at Westside Rentals and on Craigslist," Marsch said, retracing the steps so many people do to find a rental home by the beach. "And the woman we rent from is actually from Kenosha, Wis., which isn't far from Racine. And she took a liking to me."

Marsch has seemed to have a bit of a blessed time during his time in Southern California. When he spent the summer working on his senior thesis, friends helped him get a job bartending for a catering company, serving drinks to "Hollywood-type people," and living in Westwood.

He actually had a chance to work the Emmy Awards, but it didn't work out.

"I bartended the L.A. (PGA event) Open and if I had been here another week, I would have worked the Emmys but that meant calling Bob (Bradley) and telling him I'm going to be late for preseason camp. I didn't have the (guts) to do that."

Decision-making like that is why Bradley has such deep trust in Marsch. Bradley said that he could tell from the first time he saw Marsch play he knew Marsch "had a soccer brain and an idea of how to play."

Marsch has shown that knack all season for the Goats.

"My soccer career is rejuvenated," Marsch said. "Playing for Bob again feels right. On the field, I know what he wants and expects. He's done a fantastic job with this team. Before I got here, I thought, maybe I'll retire. Now, I'm thinking about one or two more years, maybe a little bit longer. Of course, you've got to look at it year-by-year at this point."

Kim said it took some adjusting, and was a little confused when people would ask where she was from.

"I thought do I look that different?" Kim said. "People would tell me they know I'm not from here because I'm too talkative, too nice."

Marsch is doing his best to fit in, though. He's got a surfboard in his bedroom and the ocean is just steps away.

Not that everyone is completely buying this transition from the Midwest to West Coast. Fellow midfielder Sacha Kljestan grew up in Huntington Beach and he's not convinced that Marsch has fit right in just yet, either.

"He tries to think he's SoCal with his shaggy hair," Kljestan said. "He's still got no style, but we love him anyway."

Chivas midfielder Jesse Marsch enjoys walking with his wife, Kim, along The Strand behind their home in Manhattan Beach. The winters are more enjoyable in the South Bay than in Chicago, where he used to play.

Photo by Scott Varley

Here's more on the game from a Kansas City point of view.

I'll blog from the game as usual.

There was plenty of local college action Friday:
*No. 5 USC 3 LMU 0 (The sixth consecutive home win for the Trojans (8-1-0), which also set a program record with what's now a 15-game home unbeaten stretch. LMU is now 4-4-2).
*Pepperdine 6 Idaho State 0 (Amanda Rupp of Encinitas, a La Costa Canyon High grad, had two goals and three assists as Pepperdine moved to 4-4-2).
*Long Beach State 2 Arizona 0 (Lindsay Bullock scored two goals as Long Beach State improved to 6-2-2).
*Cal State Dominguez Hills women 1 Cal State San Bernadino 0 (Sophomore Kristan Boyle of Long Beach's Wilson High headed home a cross from Jessica Murphy of Torrance's West High with just two seconds left in regulation for the win. The Toros evened their record at 5-5).
*No. 9 Cal State Dominguez Hills men 1 Cal State San Bernadino 0 (CSUDH moves to 8-1-1 on the season).

Just not good enough is the verdict.

An unspectacular David Beckham. A sublime Blanco move. A goalkeeper and others - Sean Franklin is not the MLS MVP folks - that are just not good enough. Did I say that already?

At this stage of the season it's not worth doing tactical analysis. The season (again) has pretty much passed the Galaxy by.

Game story.

Box score basics.

YouTube highlights:

Apologies: the blogging software has been down for hours, only just came back up and I have other things to do.

So very briefly:
*The Galaxy play another must-win game against Chicago at 6 tonight on ESPN2.

*Former Chivas USA goalkeeper Brad Guzan played - and lost - his first game with Aston Villa Wednesday night.

*The Cal State Dominguez Hills men are eyeing another championship.

Toros midfielder Scott Mariano started 14 games last year.

Photo by Scott Varley

A smattering of Galaxy related reads for your perusal:

*Soccer America's Ridge Mahoney looks at Landon Donovan's MLS MVP chances. (On track for a career-best season, Donovan is doing his best to impress so he can jump ship to Bayern Munich, Europe in general or really anywhere as long as he flees the increasingly erratic Galaxy).

*Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl checks in with the latest scheme being concocted by Galaxy power broker Tim Leiweke. (Leiweke's latest contention that the Galaxy are actually being harmed because of the designated player rule has a kernel of truth, but good luck selling this to the rest of MLS long since convinced L.A. receive preferential treatment).

*Variety reveals the television empire building plans of Galaxy owner Anschutz Entertainment Group. (Televised reserve team games anyone?).

*Finally, I keep forgetting to blog this, but if you've always wanted to know whether Alan Gordon can hit a really little hole better than a yawning big one (and you have $500 you didn't put in WaMu stock burning a hole in your pocket) you might want to sign up for the annual Galaxy Day on the Links.

From the (edited) Galaxy press release:

The LA Galaxy Foundation will host their annual Day on the Links golf tournament on Monday, October 20 at Industry Hills Golf Club at Pacific Palms Resort in Industry Hills, Calif. LA Galaxy players, coaching staff and TV personalities will tee off at 11 a.m. on the Eisenhower Course, with on-course contests and prizes, a post-tournament awards dinner, raffle and silent auction adding to the festivities. Foursomes and individual spots start at just $500.

The event's proceeds will benefit the LA Galaxy Foundation's outreach programs, including Kicks for Kids, Camps for Kids, a new Reading Garden built with the Home Depot Charitable Foundation, the annual Foundations' Feast and the Holiday Assist Program.

To register for "Day on the Links," go here, call Gloria King at 310-630-2222 or e-mail gking@lagalaxy.com.

Spent the day columnizing for Tuesday's newspaper about the most popular national team in Southern California - Mexico - which plays an 8 p.m. Wednesday exhibition at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum against Chile.

Fans who want to get an autograph or two from Mexican National Team stars should show up at the adidas Sports Performance store Tuesday on Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica. Tecos goalkeeper Jesús Corona, Pachuca's Fausto Pinto and Jaime Correa, Toluca's Antonio Naelson and Monterrey's Luis Pérez will be on hand for the hour-long autograph session that begins at 11 a.m. Fans can win match tickets and gift cards.

In other news, Landon Donovan was named MLS Player of the Week Monday (surprise!) after his dominating three-goal performance in the 5-2 win over on the weekend over D.C. United. The award is the ninth of Donovan's MLS career, tying him with Jeff Cunningham, retired Galaxy great Cobi Jones and Chivas USA's Ante Razov for the most in MLS history.

Donovan, who leads the league in goal scoring, now has 19 goals and will inevitably become the third player in Galaxy history to score 20 or more goals in a season. Carlos Ruiz got 24 goals in 2002 and Eduardo Hurtado slammed home 21 goals in 1996. The Galaxy have reached the MLS Cup in each of the previous seasons in which they had a 20 goal scorer. Oh great, helluva time to break the string, huh?

How prolific is Donovan? This from MLS:

"For just the second time in MLS history, a player has reached the 19-goal mark in 20 games. Landon Donovan did it Saturday with his hat trick against D.C. United. The only other player to score at that pace through 20 games was Trinidadian Stern John, who did it with the Columbus Crew in 1998 en route to 26 goals in 27 games.

John's 1998 campaign is still the best scoring rate during a single season at 0.96 goals per game. Donovan could break that record this season."

The chart:
Highest Single-Season Scoring Rates in MLS History:

Yr. Player Team GP Goals AVG
1998 Stern John CLB 27 26 0.96
2008 Landon Donovan LA 20 19 0.95
2000 Mamadou Diallo TB 28 26 0.93
2002 Carlos Ruiz LA 26 24 0.92
1996 Roy Lassiter TB 30 27 0.90

Oh, and Donovan was saying all the right things over the weekend in encouraging Juergen Klinsmann's Bayern Munich to come in for him after the season. Contrary to at least one report, however, the German giants have not tendered any sort of offer for Donovan.

BTW, David Beckham and Alan Gordon have joined Landon Donovan and Greg Vanney on official warning from MLS, meaning that they will receive a mandatory one-game suspension if they receive one more yellow card. Next for the Galaxy: the Fire Thursday in Chicago on ESPN2.

In college soccer, Loyola Marymount University junior goalkeeper Patrick Simpson was named West Coast Conference Player of the week for the second time this season. That's the first time an LMU player has won the honor in a season since former Chivas USA player Arturo Torres did it three times in 2000. Simpson came within seven minutes of pitching two shutouts against #9 Northwestern and #11 Illinois-Chicago over the weekend.