Major League Soccer: October 2007 Archives

Brad Guzan, who could well be on his way to Arsenal next year, was today deservedly named MLS Goalkeeper of the Year.

"Winning the award reflects the hard work the guys have put in all year," Guzan said today after training. "The biggest thing for me throughout the year was to be able to keep my head straight, never getting too high and never getting too low."

Guzan beat out the New England Revolution's Matt Reis and the Houston Dynamo's Pat Onstad for the award and became the 10th different player to win.

From the MLS press release:

Guzan, 23, in only his third year as a professional, was awarded the League’s top honor for goalkeepers after leading his club to the best record in the Western Conference (15-7-8), ranking first among goalkeepers in shutouts (13), tied for second in wins (14) and second in goals against average (0.93). Guzan’s 13 shutouts rank as the second most all-time behind Tony Meola’s 16 in 2000. His goals-against average was the fourth best of all-time in MLS.

The native of Homer Glen, Ill., and former South Carolina Gamecock anchored a strong defense that allowed just 28 goals this season, the second-best mark in MLS this season.

Rumors over the last two weeks that Arsenal were scouting him were not dispelled by Guzan.

"I will wait for a later date to release that information," he said. "If it does happen, great.

"I think they're possibly one of the best teams in the world right now, if not the best," he added. "The amount of talent they have is unbelievable."

Except in the goalkeeping department, where the starter is the aging Jens Lehmann, who turns 38 next month.

Prediction: Guzan will join the English Premier League leaders when the international transfer window opens in January.

It will be a loss for MLS, but Guzan is already developing into a world class goalkeeper and U.S. Coach Bob Bradley will undoubtedly be happy if Guzan heads to England.

Goalkeepers typically peak much later than outfield players, so we can expect Guzan and Everton's Tim Howard to compete for the starting job in the U.S. net for years to come, much as Tottenham Hotspur's Kasey Keller and Blackburn Rovers' Brad Friedel did in their prime.

In other MLS awards announced today, New England Revolution defender Michael Parkhurst was named the winner of the individual Fair Play award.

In 25 regular season games, he committed just five fouls and received no yellow or red cards, a remarkable achievement for a defender and a testament to his skill, positioning and ability to read the game.

Parkhurst is also expected to pick up the Defender of the Year Award.

The Columbus Crew earned the MLS Team Fair Play award, recognizing the Major League Soccer club with the fewest disciplinary points during the 2007 regular season.

Preki Profiled

Former Kansas City Wizards star Preki is profiled by The Kansas City Star ahead of Saturday's decisive playoff clash between his old team and Chivas USA at Home Depot Center.

Preki reveals he was miffed the Wizards didn't come calling when he went into coaching. And like the Galaxy's Cobi Jones, Preki conceded he didn't initially know what he would do after his playing days ended.

The profile is here.

Meanwhile, the Wizards are auctioning off goalkeeper Kevin Hartman's pink game worn (and now signed) jersey with the proceeds going to breast cancer charities. (Fortunately pink doesn't clash with the black fingernails Hartman was sporting the last time I saw him).

Hartman, the former Galaxy, UCLA, Cal State Dominguez Hills and Peninsula High product, had a grandmother survive breast cancer.

He wore the jersey Oct. 5 in a 1-1 tie against D.C. United in observation of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

The auction ends Nov. 16. Those with more than $400 to spare (that's the most recent bid as of this post) may bid here.

By the way, Chivas USA hosts a fan rally Thursday ahead of this weekend's game from 7:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m. at Plaza Mexico, 3100 E. Imperial Highway, Lynwood.

Becks for England?

The Galaxy are set to return to training Thursday ahead of Sunday's charity game for victims of the recent wildfires, but David Beckham is reportedly resisting playing in another benefit match in Spain Nov. 19 in case he gets called up by England for their Nov. 21 European Championship qualifier against Croatia.

Long Beach State Must Go Long

Long Beach State made things tough on themselves by losing 1-0 to UC Irvine in a crucial Big West encounter Tuesday.

Complete conference standings are here.

A week is a long time in soccer.

In the last week Chivas USA have gone from Western Conference champions to looking like a team unlikely to survive the opening round of the MLS playoffs.

And Galaxy Coach Frank Yallop has gone from "dead man walking" to looking like he will be around next season after all.

I took a look at both stories in this week's column.

Meanwhile to no-one's surprise, Brazil today was awarded the 2014 World Cup, while Germany snagged the women's version in 2011.

Finally, the basement-dwelling Loyola Marymount men, without a West Coast Conference win this season, lost yet again Monday, succumbing 2-0 at San Diego for their second loss to the same team in four days.

The 2-11-1, 0-7-0 WCC Lions travel to Oregon Thursday to meet Oregon State and on Sunday play at Santa Clara.

Two Chivas USA players as well as Coach Preki and the Galaxy's Cobi Jones are among the local finalists for MLS' year-end awards, the league announced today.

Award winners, as voted by players, team officials and media members, will be named at regular intervals through Nov. 17.

First up Wednesday is the Goalkeeper of the Year Award, with Chivas USA's Brad Guzan (the regular season shutout leader) going up against seemingly ageless Canadian Pat Onstad (who had the best goals against average in MLS) of the Houston Dynamo and former Galaxy goalkeeper Matt Reis of the New England Revolution.

The same day the Galaxy's Cobi Jones will learn whether he won the Individual Fair Play Award. The other finalists are similarly retired defender Eddie Pope and the Revs' Michael Parkhurst.

Chivas USA's savvy veteran defender Claudio Suarez is up for the Defender of the Year Award, against Parkhurst and the Dynamo's Eddie Robinson.

Up against Preki for the Coach of the Year Award are Dominic Kinnear of the Houston Dynamo and Tom Soehn of D.C. United.

Also notable: the Revs' Adam Cristman, Toronto FC's Maurice Edu and New York's Dane Richards are finalists for Rookie of the Year; MVP finalists are Juan Pablo Angel of the Red Bulls, Cuauhtemoc Blanco of the Chicago Fire and MLS top scorer Luciano Emilio of D.C. United.

With no most over-hyped player award, David you know who didn't get a mention.

Two Chivas USA players as well as Coach Preki and the Galaxy's Cobi Jones are among the local finalists for MLS' year-end awards, the league announced today.

Award winners, as voted by players, team officials and media members, will be named at regular intervals through Nov. 17.

First up Wednesday is the Goalkeeper of the Year Award, with Chivas USA's Brad Guzan (the regular season shutout leader) going up against seemingly ageless Canadian Pat Onstad (who had the best goals against average in MLS) of the Houston Dynamo and former Galaxy goalkeeper Matt Reis of the New England Revolution.

The same day the Galaxy's Cobi Jones will learn whether he won the Individual Fair Play Award. The other finalists are similarly retired defender Eddie Pope and the Revs' Michael Parkhurst.

Chivas USA's savvy veteran defender Claudio Suarez is up for the Defender of the Year Award, against Parkhurst and the Dynamo's Eddie Robinson.

Up against Preki for the Coach of the Year Award are Dominic Kinnear of the Houston Dynamo and Tom Soehn of D.C. United.

Also notable: the Revs' Adam Cristman, Toronto FC's Maurice Edu and New York's Dane Richards are finalists for Rookie of the Year; MVP finalists are Juan Pablo Angel of the Red Bulls, Cuauhtemoc Blanco of the Chicago Fire and MLS top scorer Luciano Emilio of D.C. United.

With no most over-hyped player award, David you know who didn't get a mention.

A fire in a house across the street from mine delayed blogging this morning (no one was hurt), but at least the structure didn't get fully involved.

Much the same can be said of Chivas USA, which slumped to an impotent 1-0 loss Saturday in Kansas City and without their starting striking tandem of Maykel Galindo and Ante Razov never really looked like scoring.

"We have to find a way to get results," Chivas USA Coach Preki told The Kansas City Star with the team's lack of attacking depth dramatically exposed in the loss.

Former Long Beach Press Telegram Chivas USA beat writer Matt Zimmerman, who quit to go back to graduate school in Missouri, was on hand to provide the Southern California perspective.

Noteworthy:
* Should Chivas USA advance from its series against Kansas City, as the highest seed in the West the club would host MLS’s Western Conference Final the following Saturday at 7:30 p.m. (Nov. 10) against the winner of the Houston-Dallas series.

*Chivas USA midfielder Lawson Vaughn, red-carded in Chivas USA’s final regular-season game on Oct. 20 against the Houston Dynamo, served his one-game suspension and did not play in Kansas City, but is eligible to return for the second leg at home.

*On Thursday, a special Chivas USA Fan Rally will be held at 7 p.m. at Plaza Mexico in Lynwood.

*Former Galaxy goalkeeper Kevin Hartman (Peninsula High) set numerous marks Saturday including a 246-minute scoreless streak that enabled him to equal the all-time postseason shutout record of 13 with Zach Thornton.

Hartman also extended his all-time records in wins (22), minutes played in goal (3,682), saves (141), games played in goal (40) and games started in goal (40).

He now ranks second all-time in games started among all players, trailing only former teammate Cobi Jones of the Los Angeles Galaxy (43).

Despite the loss, Chivas USA midfielder Jesse Marsch remains bullish on the return game.

"We feel good about tonight's result. I thought we dominated the match. We were able to dictate the game the way we wanted. We didn't give them any chances tonight, and we were unfortunate that the free kick glanced off the wall."

CSUN Beached in Santa Barbara

The Matadors men lost 3-0 at UC Santa Barbara Saturday night, before a crowd of almost 2,000, which allowed the Gauchos to overtake Cal Poly at the top of the Big West conference.

Northridge returns to Big West action at 2 p.m. Wednesday against Cal Poly at Matador Soccer Field.

MLS Playoff and Awards Update

The Chicago Fire beat D.C.United 1-0 Thursday in the opening MLS playoff game, while Chivas USA left early for Kansas City because of the locally poor air quality to prepare for their Saturday playoff game against the Wizards.

Just as the NFL is making excursions into England, could we see the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United facing off at the Home Depot Center?

Meanwhile, the MLS awards season is cranking up with announcements of every stripe gradually dribbling out (I'm looking forward to that club PR department award).

You can check out why D.C. United's Luciano Emilio won the Golden Boot below:

And fan voting for the MLS Goal of the Year has just begun.

Fans are asked to choose the best 10 from 34 nominees in the first of the three-phase process, which lasts until Oct. 31.

Fans can vote here.

U.S. Nats Changes

U.S. Soccer is shuffling some coaches.

Under-17 Men's National Team Coach John Hackworth has been named an assistant coach to Bob Bradley at the full national team level.

From the U.S. Soccer press release:

In addition to joining Bob Bradley’s national team staff, Hackworth will also serve as the Development Academy Director in U.S. Soccer’s new player development initiative that launched earlier this year. The program which launched this fall is designed to improve the environment for elite players throughout the country, in many ways emulating the successful U.S. Soccer Under-17 Residency Program in Bradenton, Fla., which Hackworth has been a part of since 2002.

“Joining Bob Bradley’s staff as that team gets focused on World Cup qualifying in 2008 is a great next step as a coach,” said Hackworth. “I’ve known Bob for many years and we have a great connection in terms of how we see the game, both technically on the field and in the ways you can help prepare a team off the field. I’m greatly looking forward to being a part of his staff on the road to South Africa.”

(Am I alone in thinking that's an unfortunate name for an elite soccer coach?)

This morning U.S. Soccer introduced Hackworth's replacement, new U.S. Under-17 Men's National Team head coach Wilmer Cabrera to the media.

From the U.S. Soccer press release:

Cabrera, who holds a USSF A Coaching License, is a veteran of two World Cups with Colombia (1990 & 1998) and joins the U-17 Residency Program after serving as an assistant with the U.S. Under-18 Men's National Team this year. Cabrera moved to the U.S. in 2003 to play with the Long Island Roughriders and most recently worked with the MLS Futbolito and Verano MLS grassroots programs of Major League Soccer.

A demographically smart move by Gulati given the numbers of emerging Latino players the U.S. needs to ensure don't fall through the cracks.

College Update

Local college action today includes:

*The No. 1-ranked UCLA women's soccer team (11-1-2; 4-0 Pac-10) hosting one of its biggest matches of the year as No. 9 USC (11-1-2; 3-0-1 Pac-10) visits at 7:30 p.m. at Drake Stadium. Tickets for the match are $7 for adults and $5 for youths and students. UCLA students are admitted free with a valid Bruin Card. Friday is a doubleheader with the UCLA men's team, which plays at 5 p.m. against Oregon State.

*The Cal State Northridge women’s soccer team (3-10-1, 1-4-0) returns home for the rest of the 2007 season after playing six of its past seven matches on the road and plays at 2:30 p.m. against Cal State Bakersfield (4-10-1).

*In a scheduling change, the wildfires have forced the kickoff of the UCLA-Washington men's soccer game at Drake Stadium to be moved from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. That's because San Diego State's game against Oregon State on Sunday has been moved to Los Angeles. The Aztecs and Beavers will play at 1 p.m. at UCLA's North Athletic Field.

Updated 3 p.m.: Long Beach State announced this afternoon that poor air quality from the wildfires has forced the postponement of tonight's game at UC Irvine. The game has been rescheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Imploding Galaxy

ESPN color analyst Eric Wynalda, holding court in the press box before the last Galaxy home game, joked that the initials of Galaxy owner AEG actually stood for Auditioning Executives Group rather than Anschutz Entertainment Group.

Wynalda's acronym makes even more sense when you learn that the suits at AEG apparently believe Coach Frank Yallop has more to do with the Galaxy's ghastly season than their greedy marketing decisions that sapped the team of any vitality.

Incidentally, Wynalda observed that after he made the AEG crack to GM Alexi Lalas, his former U.S. international teammate didn't talk to him for five days.

Lalas isn't talking to beat writer Billy Witz about Yallop either.

I wouldn't put it past the Auditioning Executives Group to fire Yallop though; after all this is the same company that fired Sigi schmid with the Galaxy in first place in MLS.

Chivas USA Flees Fires

It wasn't a mandatory evacuation, but with health concerns rising in Los Angeles because of the ash and smoke in the air Chivas USA decided to head to Kansas City a day early ahead of Saturday's playoff game.

Crummy air quality has physicians advising even elite athletes not to exercise.

Chivas USA will fly out this afternoon after a light training session.

“After training (Wednesday) morning at The Home Depot Center we decided that it is in the best interest of our players for us to depart a day early for Kansas City ahead our crucial playoff game on Saturday,” said Chivas USA Head Coach Preki. “At the same time, as residents of Southern California, I want to say that our hearts go out to the thousands of families who have lost their homes, as well as to the brave men and women who are fighting on the front lines to help contain the fires.”

Who's The Biggest Hunk

This is terribly tabloid, but try as I might I just can't resist.

Askmen.com readers have just voted David Beckham as their No. 1 choice in the Web site's annual survey of the year's 49 top men. Allegedly the voters were mostly male.

Meanwhile, trashy NBC celebrity gossip show Extra has pronounced Chivas USA's (injured) striker Ante Razov a "soccer hottie" "with gorgeous green eyes."

He also has a reputation as being a generally moody type (team officials recently tried to convince me Razov is just terribly shy, but on this video evidence I'm not buying that).

Oh, and because enquiring minds will want to know, Torrance's Jack Stewart (latterly of Real Salt Lake) did not win Cosmo's Bachelor of the Year contest.

College Shorts

A 51st minute goal by Rafael Garcia was enough to give Cal State Northridge (5-3-5) a 1-0 win and their first victory of the Big West Conference season Wednesday over visiting Cal State Fullerton (5-8-2).

Northridge returns to action at 7 p.m. Saturday when they travel to UC Santa Barbara, in what many consider the most heated rivalry in the Big West.

The NCAA Division II Men’s Soccer Committee has released its first soccer regional rankings of the season and Cal State Dominguez Hills, ranked No. 16 by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), finds itself 3rd in the NCAA Far West Region poll.

From the (edited) CSUDH press release:

The Toros, winners of five straight and seven of their last eight, boast a 14-3 overall and 10-2 CCAA record, and sit eight points ahead of Cal State L.A. in the CCAA’s south division.

CSUDH is led by a potent 1-2-3 offensive punch in seniors Sammy Rivas (Long Beach, CA/CS Fullerton) and Jose Serpas (Costa Mesa, CA/Orange Coast College), and sophomore Mario Guerrero (Riverside, CA/La Sierra HS), who have combined for 20 goals, 11 assists and 9 game-winning scores, a stellar defensive line in senior Devin Toohey (Santa Paula, CA/Ventura College) and sophomore Kevin Gallaugher (Walnut, CA/Rio Hondo JC) that has blanked opponents in eight contests and has allowed just 13 goals all season, and stellar play in net by sophomore Derby Carrillo (La Mirada, CA/St. John Bosco HS), who recently picked up his second Brine/CCAA Player of the Week Award and leads the conference in shutouts, save percentage and goals against average.

Seattle University, which the Toros bested 2-0 on September 2, sits atop the NCAA Far West poll with a No. 6 ranking in the NSCAA, and is followed by Sonoma State, ranked No. 11 by the NSCAA.

The Toros conclude their regular season with two home games this weekend, hosting Cal Poly Pomona at 7:00 pm on Friday, followed by a 5:00 pm match-up against Cal State San Bernardino two days later, which will also mark the final regular season home game for eight Toro seniors.

As many expected it would after the conclusion of the three-match post-World Cup series between the U.S. and Mexico, the ax fell Monday on Women's National Team Coach Greg Ryan.

On a personal and professional level, I enjoyed dealing with the soft-spoken Ryan.

He was always accommodating and happy to give reporters the time they needed.

That was the case again Monday when Ryan returned my phone calls so I could include comments from him in today's column, while Torrance's Shannon Boxx also took the time to give her reaction. Read it here.

And Daily Breeze columnist John Bogert received a flood of e-mails from readers happy to see him call out a boorish AYSO parent in his column last week.

Here's the reader reaction.

Finally this morning, after the Galaxy season ended Sunday, the team wasted no time in rescheduling exhibition games in Vancouver, B.C. Nov. 7 and Minneapolis Nov. 11.

That's two games in five days for Beck's. Hope the ankle holds up.

At the start of this season former Chadwick School star John Thorrington, waived by the Chicago Fire, failed to hook on with either the Galaxy or Chivas USA.

But he stayed fit playing with his brother's Palos Verdes Peninsula club team, Fram, and after re-signing with Chicago and playing just two minutes for the Fire before Sunday, delivered a dramatic goal in second half stoppage time with a calmly taken chip over Joe Cannon that killed off the Galaxy's season and sent the Fire into the playoffs.

The Fire's 1-0 win means Chivas USA begins the playoffs Thursday in Kansas City.

Updated: Game story is here.

And with the end of the Galaxy's season, this column was inevitable.

Chivas USA's Western Conference decider Saturday with the Houston Dynamo was so dull, the biggest talking point came after the final whistle when the opposing coaches exchanged words and shoves.

Still, Chivas USA got the point they needed to clinch the top seed in the West.

The Galaxy's playoff hopes are still alive too after Real Salt Lake remarkably actually won a game and L.A. will set up a pulsating first-round series with Chivas USA with a win over the Fire at noon today on FSN. Lose or tie and the Galaxy are out and Chivas USA plays Chicago instead.

Despite the fact we're unlikely to see much of Beckham Sunday, there was the inevitable Blanco-Beck's news conference Saturday in Chicago and the equally inevitable story on the "meeting" of the two superstars.

Meanwhile, Briana Scurry played in goal as the U.S. women tied Mexico 1-1 Saturday.

MLS Down To The Wire

In contrast to the Galaxy's muddled playoff picture, Chivas USA must simply avoid losing tonight to the Houston Dyanamo at Home Depot Center.

Chivas USA beat writer Ivan Orozco has more on Chivas USA's motivation.

I have another commitment tonight so Ivan will guest-blog from the HDC.

The game kicks off at 7:30 p.m.

Meanwhile, the Galaxy doesn't play today, but it's still the most important day of their season, too. Galaxy beat writer Billy Witz will spend the day following the Galaxy's playoff fate on MLSnet.com

He breaks down what needs to happen (and what doesn't) here.

Ryan's Hope

The U.S. plays the final game of its post-World Cup three-match series against Mexico today in Albuquerque, N.M.

Estranged former first-choice goalkeeper Hope Solo didn't dress for the first game (in a supposed gesture of reconciliation), and third-choice Nicole Barnhart got the start in the second, so it will be interesting to see what happens today.

Cynical observers might say Coach Greg Ryan will get fired after the final whistle no matter who plays in goal, but U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati isn't known for pulling the trigger quickly.

Still, the soap opera gives extra resonance to the accompanying magazine cover as well as the fact that before the tournament Ryan told me he thought Solo would be the most likely player on the U.S. team to emerge from the tournament as a star. I'm guessing he didn't mean like this.

The USA has outscored Mexico, 9-1, in the previous two games so there's unlikely to be much suspense about the outcome.

Still, since there's no TV, the curious can check out the MatchTracker at ussoccer.com

Kick off is at 3:30 p.m.

College Update

A summary of Friday's local college action is here.

In another college game, the Cal State Northridge women’s team (3-9-1) defeated UC Riverside (8-6-1), 3-1, Friday afternoon at the UCR Soccer Stadium in Riverside.

A frightening collision between Northridge goalkeeper Ivette Esqueda and Riverside’s Jill Del Rosario delayed the final 12 minutes of the game for nearly half an hour.

Esqueda, making her fourth start of the season for the Matadors, left the field under her own power; Del Rosario had to be carted off the field by ambulance.

The win snapped the Matadors’ five-game losing streak and was their first win in 2007 on the road and in the Big West Conference.

The Matadors wrap up the road portion of their 2007 schedule at 6 p.m. Sunday against Cal State Fullerton.

Get Your Playoff Tickets Today!

In a case of either very weird timing or chronic optimism, the day after the Galaxy put their playoff hopes in jeopardy by only managing a draw with New York the team announced that tickets to the post-season go on sale at 10 a.m. today to season ticket holders only.

They couldn't have waited until Monday when the season could be over?

For what it's worth, here's the release:

Current Galaxy season ticket holders will have the exclusive rights to purchase their seats until 5 p.m. on Monday, October 22 at which point all seats will become available to the general public.

The Galaxy will discover their post-season fate on Sunday after their game against the Chicago Fire (noon on FSN West and Telefutura) at Toyota Park. If the Galaxy qualify for the playoffs, individual tickets will go on sale immediately after the conclusion of the game. Regular season ticket pricing applies.

Additionally, fans can purchase a special Playoff 4-Pack, which includes four tickets to the Galaxy’s home playoff game and four Galaxy T-shirts for as little as $100.

If the Galaxy qualify for the post-season, they would play as the No. 4 seed in either the Eastern or Western Conference, meaning that they would host game one of their Conference Semifinal at Home Depot Center on either Saturday, October 27 or Sunday, October 28. The Galaxy’s opponent in that semifinal series is yet to be determined and could be Chivas USA, D.C. United or the Houston Dynamo.

Numbers Game

A couple of statistical postscripts to Thursday night's Galaxy game.

After Thursday's game Cobi Jones moved into sole possession of fourth place on the all-time games played list for professional soccer players in the U.S. compiled by for National Soccer Hall of Fame.

The list includes all regular season and playoff games played in three major leagues, the American Soccer League (1921–1931), the North American Soccer League (1967–1984), and Major League Soccer since its first game in 1996.

New England Revolution midfielder Steve Ralston could eclipse the mark set by leader Bill McPherson, whose ASL career extended from the early 1920s into the mid 1930s, if the Revs go all the way to MLS Cup this season.

The top seven:
1. Bill McPherson ASL 370
2. Steve Ralston* MLS 366
3. Bart McGhee ASL 352
4. Cobi Jones* MLS 350
5. Jimmy Gallagher ASL 349
6. Chris Henderson MLS 348
7. Jason Kreis MLS 327
*Active player

In addition, the Galaxy left it (too) late Thursday to score, something they had grown accustomed to doing.

During the Galaxy's five-game winning streak, their winning goal came during the final 20 minutes of the game:
* Chris Klein in the 72nd minute on Sept. 23, giving LA a 2-1 win over FC Dallas.
* Gavin Glinton in the 80th minute on Sept. 27, giving LA a 1-0 win in Kansas City.
* Gavin Glinton in the 77th minute on Oct. 7, giving LA a 2-1 win in Houston.
* Edson Buddle in the 78th minute on Oct. 13, giving LA a 2-1 win over Toronto FC.

Not this time.

Now the Galaxy must win in Chicago Sunday to make the playoffs.

But even then they may not make it; if Kansas gets at least a point and Colorado wins Saturday the Galaxy are out.

The Galaxy failed to apply the finishing touch despite having a succession of (mainly poor) corners taken by Beckham in the second half.

Jozy Altidore could have ended the Galaxy's season in the 91st minute when he broke through and sent a 10-yard shot whistling past the far post.

Both teams picked up the attacking tempo in the second half as the game turned into a more wide open affair, but neither team - and in particular likely MLS MVP Juan Pablo Angel - could score the crucial goal.

Updated:

Tonight's capacity crowd meant the Galaxy averaged 24,252 at the HDC this year, the biggest per game turnout since the inaugural year of 1996.

Kyle Martino's yellow card means he misses Sunday's game because of an accumulation of disciplinary points.

It took the Galaxy 25 minutes to open the locker room to the media, despite the prominent sign outside that reads "Media access 10 minutes after game by order of Commissioner Don Garber."

"It's just a sign," said David Beltran, one of the Galaxy's three media relations types.

Beckham didn't deign to speak to reporters despite playing his first game for seven weeks.

Cobi Jones, however, was gracious and clearly emotional about playing for the last time with the Galaxy at the HDC.

"It was a pretty touching (pre-game) ceremony they put on," he said. "I don't have any torches or anything to pass. It's the nature of sports that players come and go and the team stays."

Jones said he didn't exactly know what he would do in retirement, but would like some sort of ambassador's role if possible.

"One of my goals is to give back to the game," he said.

"Cobi means a lot to this city, to this club and this league," Coach Frank Yallop said. "It was fitting he played 90 minutes. He's been one of the best American players to play the game."

Yallop conceded he'll be glued to the Internet Saturday looking for updates of other games, while Landon Donovan said he and Joe Cannon, who room together on the road, will probably do the same.

The game story is here.

Highlights are here.

Coach Frank Yallop has named an unchanged line-up for the second consecutive game as the Galaxy tonight seek their sixth consecutive win.

Joe Cannon is in goal as usual, Chris Klein and Mike Randolph are the full backs, with Chris Klein and Ante Jazic the central defenders.

Cobi Jones, playing the final regular season home game of his long career, starts in midfield with Josh Tudela, Pete Vagenas and Kyle Martino.

Up front is captain Landon Donovan and Carlos Pavon.

And yes, David Beckham is on the bench.

Bruce Arena makes two changes to the Red Bull team that beat Kansas City Saturday, their first win since Sept. 1.

Joe Vide comes in for the suspended Dema Kovalenko in midfield, while striker Francis Doe has a hip injury and did not travel with the team; former Galaxy forward John Wolyniec gets the start alongside Juan Pablo Angel, while Clint Mathis is on the bench.

Claudio Reyna is out with a sprained toe.

Cobi Jones will be honored before the game with what's likely to be a lengthy presentation.

Updated: After a video presentation that included Cobi Jones highlights and comments by the likes of Sigi Schmid, Kevin Hartman and Steve Sampson (who was roundly booed), MLS Commissioner Don Garber was hauled out and he called Cobi "a great corporate citizen."

Is that the biggest compliment the league's head honcho could give one of the greatest American soccer players ever?

Oh, and Cobi got a skiing vacation anywhere in the world as a gift. Apparently, he's not allowed to ski under the terms of his contract, but has always wanted to try it. Should do wonders for his chronically injured hip.

Of Cobi, Angel and Beck's

Galaxy great Cobi Jones plays his final home game tonight, likely MLS MVP Juan Pablo Angel plays his first MLS game against the Galaxy at Home Depot Center and there could be an appearance by David Beckham.

Beat writer Billy Witz has a Cobi profile and explains the substitution rule and how it relates to Beckham for soccer illiterates.

Kick off is at 8 p.m. on ESPN2 and I'll blog as usual.

Given the quality of the designated players on the field tonight, (and no, I'm not going to explain what that means) MLS has just released a timely YouTube clip of the pricey imports' season highlights:

U.S. Wins & Mexico Loses

Guatemala inflicted a rare defeat on Mexico at the Coliseum last night, while the U.S. men and women both won.

I don't even want to talk about England.

El Tri Time

European Championship qualifiers are under way as I write this, the U.S. Men's National Team plays at 11:30 a.m. in a friendly against Switzerland that airs live on Fox Soccer Channel and Galavision, but here in Southern California the big game is the Mexico-Guatemala contest tonight at the Coliseum.

Ivan Orozco has a preview.

Former Galaxy striker Carlos Ruiz is on the Guatemala roster, by the way.

No Time For Beckham Thursday?

With the Galaxy mounting a late season surge, Coach Frank Yallop must decide how much and, indeed, whether to play David Beckham in Thursday's crucial game against the New York Red Bulls.

Beck's (still) isn't talking to local soccer writers, but Galaxy beat writer Billy Witz takes a look at the pros and cons of that decision.

Prediction: Expect Beck's to come off the bench if needed.

Meanwhile, columnist Paul Oberjuerge has more on the Galaxy's resurrection.

Finally, Barefootballer.com, a site run by D.C. United's Jamil Walker that focuses on training methods and soccer drills posted this video interview with the Galaxy's Kyle Martino.

Swiss Time

Expect U.S.Coach Bob Bradley to field a young squad against the Swiss with an eye toward next year's Olympics.

• A total of 11 players on the roster, which has an average age of 24, are age-eligible for the 2008 Olympic Games : Freddy Adu, Michael Bradley, Maurice Edu, Benny Feilhaber, Robbie Findley, Tally Hall, Steve Purdy, Chris Seitz, Danny Szetela, Preston Zimmerman and Sal Zizzo.

The U.S. has never beaten the Swiss in seven attempts. The Swiss warmed up for the game with a 3-1 victory Oct. 13 against fellow 2008 European Championship hosts Austria.

Up to the minute info, including the starting line-up, will be posted just before kick off here.

Hope Time?

Meanwhile, the U.S. Women's National Team plays the second of three post-World Cup games against Mexico tonight largely sight unseen (there's no TV coverage) in Portland, Ore.

Striker Abby Wambach will be recognized before the game for reaching 100 caps (which actually occurred in the World Cup quarterfinal against England).

Naturally, there's no mention of goalkeeper Hope Solo's status on the U.S. Soccer Web site.

Will she be on the bench this time, get a start or just not worry about the whole thing since Coach Greg Ryan could be fired after the third Mexico game anyway?

College Time

Lastly, a brief update on the top-ranked UCLA women's team is here.

MLS Playoff Update

Four teams – the Chicago Fire, Kansas City Wizards, Colorado Rapids and Los Angeles Galaxy – are vying for the two remaining playoff spots as the regular season enters its final week, while Chivas USA still has a shot at the top seed in the Western Conference.

Over the weekend D.C. United clinched the Supporters’ Shield, given to the team with the best regular season record, becoming the first team to earn the honor two years in a row.

For Chivas USA and the Galaxy the permutations come down to this:

Chivas USA will clinch first place in the Western Conference if Houston loses to Real Salt Lake today or the Goats tie or defeat the Dynamo Saturday.

A Houston draw against Real Salt Lake tonight will set up a showdown with Chivas USA Saturday night for the top seed in the Western Conference.

Wins over New York Thursday and Chicago Sunday will see the Galaxy qualify for the playoffs. The Galaxy are eliminated if they tie New York and fail to win in Chicago.

For the rest: A Kansas City win against host FC Dallas Saturday sends the Wizards to the postseason regardless of other results.

Colorado must win against Real Salt Lake Saturday and get help from other results.

Chicago are in with a win over the Galaxy. A tie against the Galaxy means Chicago will also be looking at the scoreboard seeking help from other teams.

The playoff standings are here.

Sigi Safe

Despite beating the New England Revolution 3-2 Saturday, the Columbus Crew exited the playoff race.

But the job of coach and longtime South Bay resident Sigi Schmid is apparently safe, with the 8-11-10 Crew opting to pick up his one-year option.

Schmid told the Columbus Dispatch:

"If they decide to come back and say they want to go another direction, that's fine. I think the club right now is in a much better position than it was when I came."

College Update

Maxwell Griffin's fifth goal of the year in the 88th minute was enough for the UCLA men (5-5-2) to see off 16th-ranked California Sunday.

Palos Verdes Estates' Kyle Nakazawa got the assist.

Sophomore Lauren Cheney got two goals and junior Caitlyn Mac Kechnie added another as the top-ranked UCLA women beat Oregon 3-0 Sunday at Drake Stadium. The Bruins, who have won six in a row, improved to 9-1-2 overall.

The Loyola Marymount men (2-7-1) took the lead twice Sunday, but Portland scored four times in a 16-minute second half span to win 5-2 in Oregon.

Next: San Francisco at Sullivan Field 4 p.m. Friday.

The LMU women (9-3-1) won their West Coast Conference opener 1-0 over Pepperdine (3-5-5) Sunday afternoon. The Lions extended their school-record winning streak to nine games, while halting the Waves' seven-match unbeaten run.

The Cal State Northridge women (2-9-1) lost to 3-1 Long Beach State Sunday afternoon at Matador Soccer Field, despite taking a second minute lead. The Matadors have lost five straight games, while Long Beach remained in first place in the Big West Conference with three straight road wins.

Senior Julio Madrigal scored the game-winner with 11 minutes left to propel 18th-ranked Cal State Dominguez Hills (12-3) to a 2-1 win at Cal State L.A. Sunday giving the Toros their third-straight win and the Golden Eagles their third straight loss.

Cal State Dominguez Hills lead Cal State L.A. by three points in the South Division.

Next: CSUDH plays 4:30 p.m. against Cal State Stanislaus at Toro Stadium.

The CSUDH women (11-2-3) lost 1-0 to Cal State L.A. in only their second conference defeat.

With the victory Cal State L.A. pulled to within four points of Cal State Dominguez Hills for the fourth and final spot in the CCAA Championship Tournament.

Guzan's Reward

Updated: Chivas USA goalkeeper Brad Guzan and New England Revolution forward Taylor Twellman were added to the U.S. Men's National Team roster for the Wednesday game against Euro 2008 co-Host Switzerland in Basel. The game kicks off at 11:30 a.m. live on Fox Soccer Channel and Galavision.

The 10-man Rapids ruined Chivas USA's home unbeaten record in the dying moments of the game when Conor Casey ran on to a through ball and slotted a pass across the face of the goal for Omar Cummings to score his second career MLS goal with a simple tap-in.

Chivas USA now has just one win its last four games.

Veteran defender Orlando Perez had raised Chivas USA's hopes of coming away with a point from their penultimate home game of the season when he scored the first goal of his career in Carson - and only his third MLS goal in seven seasons - on a 79th minute equalizer.

It was a lovely goal, with Sacha Kljesten intelligently chipping a static Colorado back line and Perez timing his run to perfection to score from inside the box.

Chivas USA scored what they thought was a winner in the 86th minute, but striker Laurent Merlin was clearly offside.

The counter-attacking Rapids team took the lead in the 64th minute after former Galaxy defender Ugo Ihemelu scored his first-ever MLS goal, slotting home a ball that was deflected from a Conor Casey shot.

Chivas USA has never come from behind to win an MLS game.

The Rapids played virtually the entire second half down a man, after defender Brandon Prideaux earned a straight red in the 46th minute for bringing down Maykel Galindo as the last man back.

Updated: After throwing away the chance to sew up the top spot in the Western Conference, it was an uncharacteristically quiet Chivas USA locker room after the game; even the usually voluble and quotable Jesse Marsch (who was unhappy about being subbed) wasn't talking.

Preki tried to put the best face on it, saying he had a "funny feeling" coming into the game it wasn't going to be his team's day.

"We had an incredible amount of opportunities we couldn't put in," he said. "It was one of those days."

As one of four original Chivas USA players from the first season still with the club, Orlando Perez, who was wearing a blue Smiths T-shirt in the locker room, (he didn't know Morrissey was on the side lines in a Chivas USA shirt for the Galaxy game) got a kick (ahem) out of scoring his first goal for the club.

"It did feel pretty good," he said. "I would much rather have had the victory.

"We've got to put this game behind us," Perez added. "We should have taken care of business."

Game story is here.

Chivas USA had eight shots to Colorado's two during the opening 45 minutes, but failed to capitalize on several scoring opportunities.

A wide open Jonathan Bornstein should have done better when the ball fell to him in the box on the 25th minute mark, but his shot from 10 yards was blocked by a defender.

And Sacha Kljestan sent a shot whistling by the far post after nice approach work by Chivas USA about five minutes before half time.

Colorado's best chance was halted in the 31st minute after Claudio Suarez brought down Kosuke Kimura just outside the box with a professional foul when the Rapids defender had burst through the back four courtesy of a fortunate deflection off a Chivas USA player. Suarez was booked, but the free kick came to nothing.

With Mexico playing Nigeria at noon on Telemundo, it looks like Chivas USA fans stayed home in even greater numbers than usual this morning. Lots of elbow room here at the HDC.

Captain Claudio Suarez returns to the center of the Chivas USA defense after being rested for Thursday's scoreless draw against Dallas, so Jason Hernandez drops to the bench.

Orlando Perez also gets a run out in place of usual full back Jonathan Bornstein, moved into midfield in place of the benched Panchito Mendoza, who has a slight groin twinge, but is available.

With striker Ante Razov out injured, up front is top scorer Maykel Galindo and John Cunliffe, scorer of two goals in the Oct. 6 win over Real Salt Lake.

Mehdi Ballouchy and Pablo Mastroeni are both suspended, so ex-Galaxy defender Ugo Ihemelu moves into central defense and Facundo Erpen moves into midfield.

Signaling the urgency of the game for the Rapids, Terry Cooke is named as a forward, although he will likely play a withdrawn role.

The game is on Prime and Telefutura.

Chivas USA just circulated a press release in the press box saying that Razov is out six weeks with a sprained MCL in his left knee, the first serious knee injury for the veteran in his career.

Updated: Mendoza was a late scratch from the game completely due to a mild groin strain; Erasmo Solorzano takes his place on the bench.

Razov Crocked

Chivas USA can eliminate the Colorado Rapids from playoff contention, keep their season-long home unbeaten streak intact and nail down the top seed in the Western Conference with a win at noon today at Home Depot Center.

The Rapids must win to stay alive in then playoff race, but even then the post-season is a long shot.

But Chivas USA will have to do it all without veteran striker Ante Razov.

The game is on Prime.

I'll be blogging as usual from Home Depot Center.

Hope Springs in St. Louis

U.S. Women's National Team goalkeeper Hope Solo's public flagellation over her World Cup comments continued Saturday before the team's game against Mexico as she continued to back track in a bid to rescue her career.

The U.S. crushed Mexico 5-1, by the way, with Abby Wambach getting two goals and Kristine Lilly another after the Americans had fallen behind to an early goal.

U.S. Coach Greg Ryan, who many observers believe will be fired as soon as this three-game series with Mexico is over, made nice, too:

“I think Hope has shown tremendous courage by coming in and initiating reconciliation with the team. I’m proud of her and she’s shown a lot of courage. I think she has done the right thing, and that’s hard to do. All athletes, it’s passionate, it’s emotional, but I think she’s making the right decisions and I’m proud of her.”

The next game against Mexico is Wednesday.

Matador Singh remembered

Finally, former Loyola Marymount player Jay Singh was recognized Saturday at the Cal State Northridge game.

It wasn't particularly pretty, but the Galaxy undoubtedly care much less about the performance than they do the result.

Donovan had a chance to seal the win in stoppage time, when he was sent through one on one against Toronto goalkeeper Kenny Stamatopoulos. But the goalkeeper just turned the shot around the post with his foot.

It was the sort of game that was hard to watch - even Galaxy goalkeeper Joe Cannon turned his back when Donovan scored from the spot.

But the Galaxy have now won five straight for the first time in almost a decade - 1998 to be precise - and remain very much alive for the eighth and final playoff spot with two games left to play.

More after the press conference.

"Not the greatest of games," said Coach Frank Yallop. "But we knew we needed three points and we got three points and that's all that matters."

Donovan agreed.

"This was the worst we've played in the last five games," he said. "But we did the right things to win the game."

There's a little bit of vindication in this for Yallop.

"I told you all along I didn't think this team was that bad," he said. "A few had given up on us and me. ... We haven't played particularly well in this spell, but we've found a way to win. We're believing in ourselves now."

Chris Klein looked like he couldn't believe that on a team with the likes of Landon Donovan and David Beckham, it was him taking home the MVP trophy.

"If we'd been out of this thing I'd probably have left it in my locker, but now we're in this thing it means something," he said.

Donovan won the LA Riot Squad's Player of the Year trophy, by the way.

New York is up next on Thursday, but no-one is getting carried away.

"We still haven't done anything," said Pete Vagenas. "If the season were to end today it would be a devastating season."

And, no, Yallop doesn't know whether Beckham will play Thursday.

Galaxy beat writer Billy Witz has the game details and breaks down the playoff picture here.

Watch the highlights here.

Disaster for the Galaxy in the 68th minute, as Cobi Jones loses the ball, and Toronto FC midfielder Chris Pozniak sends a long ball up to Collin Samuel , who overpowers young Mike Randolph to equalize.

But the Galaxy pull ahead again 10 minutes later, when Chris Klein runs on to a searching Donovan through ball that splits the Toronto back line. Klein sends a pin point cross to wide open sub Edson Buddle who easily scores, less than one minute after entering the game.

It took precisely one minute for substitute Gavin Glinton to do what the Galaxy had failed to do in the previous 54 - break down the Toronto defense.

After coming on in the 53rd minute for midfielder Kyle Martino, a breaking Glinton latched on to a Donovan through ball and immediately drew a foul in the box - and a red card for Toronto defender Marco Reda, who was the last man back. Landon Donovan converted the subsequent spot kick with ease.

Nothing interesting happened; Toronto had one shot on goal, the Galaxy none.

I'm off to get a coffee.

See you at the end of the game.

Toronto Coach Mo Johnston makes three changes from the team that lost 1-0 Sunday to the Colorado Rapids.

With Maurice Edu on international duty and Todd Dunivant moved up to midfield, Marco Reda and 17-year-old Gabe Gala come in on defense.

Tyler Hemming makes his third MLS appearance in midfield, replacing Carl Robinson, who is playing for Wales this weekend.

Up front as usual are Jeff Cunningham and Collin Samuel.

The only change for the Galaxy is on defense where Mike Randolph replaces the injured Ty Harden.

Otherwise the Galaxy is unchanged from the team that is seeking a fifth straight win and making a late playoff charge.

Landon Donovan and Carlos Pavon are up front, while Abel Xavier is on the bench.

Chicago got a point today, which means a Galaxy loss would eliminate LA from the playoffs.

The game is on Fox Soccer Channel.

Updated: Before the game, the Galaxy handed out their awards for the season.

Landon Donovan, the Galaxy's top scorer with 12 goals in all competitions, won the Golden Boot for the third consecutive year.

Chris Klein, who has played every minute of every MLS game since his June trade from Real Salt Lake, - and scored a couple of spectacular and crucial goals - was named MVP.

Rookie Ty Harden, the former University of Washington star, was Defender of the Year. He missed only four games all season on an ever-changing back four.

The Galaxy are set to feast on Canadian cutlets shaped like Toronto FC soccer players at Home Depot Center tonight with LA seeking a five-game winning streak against the worst team in MLS.

(The last time the Galaxy won five regular season games in succession: the magical 1998 season when a free-scoring front line with such strikers as Welton, Carlos Hermosillo and Clint Mathis were racking up 5-1 and 8-1 victories).

Toronto are weakened yet further by the loss of Carl Robinson (Wales); Andrew Boyens (New Zealand); and potential Rookie of the Year candidate Maurice Edu (USA), who are all on international duty this weekend.

At least Toronto may feel slightly at home on what will likely be a cool night in Carson.

Beat writer Billy Witz has a preview that focuses on the Galaxy's maturing (and inexpensive) youngsters.

Kick off is at 7:30 p.m. and I'll blog from the game as usual.

Meanwhile, the suspicion is Chivas USA's Ante Razov is gone for the rest of the season (although the club is awaiting the results of an MRI) and there's more soap opera out of the U.S. Women's National Team camp ahead of today's (non-televised) game against Mexico. More details here.

In college soccer, the UCLA men and Stanford tied 0-0 Friday. With the tie, UCLA moves to 4-5-2 on the year and 0-1-1 in the Pac-10. Stanford moves to 4-2-5 overall and 1-0-2 in the Pac-10. The Bruins play at 2:30 p.m. Sunday against California.

In the other game of the doubleheader, a goal in the 82nd minute by Bruin midfielder Christina DiMartino helped the top-ranked UCLA women’s team to a 1-0 victory over Oregon State before 1,492 fans at Drake Stadium. With the win, the Bruins move to 8-1-2 overall and 1-0 in the Pac-10. UCLA also extended its home winning streak to 33 matches, the longest streak in the nation. The Beavers fell to 7-4-1 and 0-1 in conference action.

Notable: Bruin goalkeeper Valerie Henderson broke the school record for career shutouts. She now has 32.

UCLA hosts Oregon at noon Sunday at Drake Stadium.

Also, Gonzaga struck twice in the second half to win 3-1 over the Loyola Marymount men in a West Coast Conference match Friday in Spokane, Wash.

Next for the the 2-6-1 Lions is a game Sunday in Portland.