Pan-Pacific Championship: February 2009 Archives

I'd never really spoken to Mike Magee before when he was with New York, but after he converted two penalty kicks Saturday in the Pan-Pacific alleged Championship and appears likely to make the roster I figured I should get acquainted:

Question: What did you think of the team's performance tonight compared to Wednesday?
Answer: I thought it was a little more inconsistent today. Last game we were pretty solid across the board and I think today our legs kind of showed a little bit. Some guys were a little bit heavy. They started maybe five or six new guys and I think we only started three, so that kind of showed. I thought we were a little bit inconsistent and that has a lot to do with Wednesday's game. I thought in the second half we picked it up a little bit and we gave ourselves the chance to win the game.

I thought Wednesday we were a little bit better. I think maybe in the final third today and Wednesday we were a little bit off. Our crossing, our finishing, our through balls were a little bit off.

Q: How is your comfort level?
A: It's getting there. Fitness has been a little bit of a problem for me the last couple of years, but I'm finally getting fit, y'know. ... The guys are great. Bruce is an incredible coach. I've been welcomed with open arms. I couldn't think of a better place to be.

Q: Was Arena a big reason for you coming here?
A: Bruce is great. I'm not sure why New York didn't work out for him. But he's a great manager, a great coach. He's a great man and he's definitely righting the ship here in L.A., I believe.

My contract had expired in New York and things weren't going as well as I would have liked there. And I needed a fresh change and Bruce expressed some interest in me and I told him if he could get me here I'd love to be here.

Q: How does Bruce seeing you contributing to the team?
A: He saw me as a kind of versatile player. He knows I like being by the goal - I'm not too defensive-minded. Obviously, I'll put in the work like anybody else, but he said he was going to try me at forward, or play me in midfield, wherever the team needs me at the time or wherever he feels I am at the time. Last year I was healthy on and off and he didn't really have too much to judge from last year. He was, more or less, taking it from the couple of weeks we had in New York.

Q: How did you guys view the Galaxy last year?
A: Whenever you guys came to us there were about 65,000 people in the stands cheering for you guys so, we didn't like you guys too much.

The Galaxy lost the oh so prestigious Pan-Pacific Championship final 4-2 on penalty kicks tonight, Edson Buddle responsible for a horrendous opening kick that narrowly missed entering orbit and draft pick Kyle Patterson sealing the defeat by fluffing the fourth PK.

A 10-man Galaxy - defender Sean Franklin was issued a straight red for a foolish studs up tackle right in front of the referee in the 79th minute - forced penalty kicks by converting a spot kick 10 minutes after the ejection. Buddle was held from behind at the near post by a defender and Mike Magee scored.

In the end justice was done; the Bluewings out shot the Galaxy 17-9 despite what was a far better performance for the home side than Wednesday, which is what Bruce Arena will be most concerned about.

Attendance: 9,160.

More after the press conference.

Updated: This is why I dislike mixed zones, which means reporters wait in the tunnel and hope a player wanders by. But tonight most chose to slip out by another door, save for a personable Mike Magee who chatted for quite a while. I'm short on time tonight, so I'll post that Q&A later.

For now, here are some quotes from Coach Bruce Arena, who observed that the Bluewings were more experienced than a young Galaxy team and it showed.

"The first half we struggled with the speed of play," he said. "The Suwon team put us under a lot of pressure, they did a great job stepping to the ball. We weren't quick enough technically or mentally to deal with it. I thought they really had the better of us in the first half. In the second half I thought our team played much better and obviously the game had slowed down and it benefited us.

"Today we had an opportunity to play a lot of young kids - I thought Omar Gonzalez had a great game. Yohance Marshall did well and A.J. DeLaGarza. And these are young kids who have just played their first couple of games professionally, so I was impressed by that.

"We still haven't passed the ball very well. Our passing was not good - that needs improvement. We need a little bit more speed in attack; (Landon) Donovan will give us that when he gets back.

"Defensively we were actually pretty solid compared to last year."

BTW, Eddie Lewis, projected as the starting left back, has a strained hamstring and "will be out a few weeks," Arena said. It's the first time in his career the 34-year-old has had a hamstring injury.

Galaxy trivia question (and I'll not take credit for recalling this) suggested by the resident stats guru on the Galaxy PR staff who remarked as the club chased a one-goal deficit in the game: when was the last time the Galaxy were down by an own goal late in a "championship" match played at Home Depot Center and what happened? I had to think for a moment about this one - and it was an unforgettable ending to a great game.

First to answer in the comment section gets a copy of oh, how about the Official Pan-Pacific Championship Program so you can truly experience the tournament in all its glory.

Highlights:

Galaxy 0 Bluewings 1

The Galaxy went behind on a freak goal in the 39th minute when Bluewings captain Kim Dae-Eui made a long pass from inside his own half that connected with the top of Sean Franklin's head from 20 yards out, the ball looping over goalkeeper Josh Saunders who was well off his line. Franklin was under pressure from midfielder Choi Sung-Hyeon at the time, but didn't look like he knew a whole lot about the own goal.

Left back Eddie Lewis left the game in the 32nd minute with a left hamstring issue. He's being evaluated by medical staff.

A sharper looking Galaxy tonight had several looks at goal, but it's Suwon Samsung that leads at the break both on the scoreboard and on the shot tally; the Galaxy had three shots, but didn't force the opposing goalkeeper into a save, while the Bluewings responded with eight.

First, a little news: 24-year-old Honduran central defender Osman Chavez confirmed Friday to media in the Central American country he is considering an offer from the Galaxy. Chavez said he had other offers, including one from China, but wanted to play in MLS so he could continue his national team career and play with David Beckham (assuming I suppose, he returns). I'll ask Galaxy Coach Bruce Arena to comment after the game.

Arena has made three changes to the lineup from Wednesday's team that defeated Japan's Oita Trinita: Josh Saunders comes in for Josh Weeks in goal, while Stefani Miglioranzi and Ely Allen move into midfield in place of Josh Tudela and Jovan Kirovski. Edson Buddle is on the bench tonight though and Kirovski will play as a striker.

No sign of the still apparently injured goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts.

The 4-4-2 lineup then is: Saunders, Sean Franklin, Omar Gonzalez, Tony Sanneh, Eddie Lewis, Chris Klein, Dema Kovalenko, Miglioranzi, Allen, Alan Kirovski (at least that's how he's listed on the lineup just handed out in the press box) and Alan Gordon.

Oita Trinita just beat China's Shandong Luneng Taishan 2-1 in the first game of the doubleheader, with both teams ending the game with 10 men.

The Galaxy play for a trophy tonight in Carson.

The opponent is Korea's Suwon Samsung Bluewings FC. Kickoff is 8 p.m. Lots of tickets available (I'm hearing rumors the Galaxy are allowing all season ticket holders in for free in a bid to boost the microscopic attendance of 5,000 or so of Wednesday - and presumably they'll recoup cash with their gouging $15 parking fee). The game is also live on Fox Soccer Channel - and on this blog.

An unimpressive Galaxy beat a bad opponent Wednesday to reach the final, but at least they won.

Still, the game illustrated how badly the Galaxy miss playmaker Landon Donovan.

Presumably, that won't be for long; Donovan came on at half time today for Bayern Munich, but was unable to prevent them slumping to a shock defeat at home to lowly Cologne. Donovan's most significant contribution: clearing a ball off Bayern's goal line.

Meanwhile, that other Galaxy player in Europe may also be returning sooner rather than later - at least until the end of the MLS season.

Updated: Galaxy officials tell me all season ticket holders are receiving tonight's doubleheader as part of their season ticket package. It's bonus game No. 1.

OK, I know we all have serious David Beckham fatigure, but Anschutz Entertainment Group head honcho Tim Lieweke has finally erupted, telling an Italian newspaper no talks between AC Milan and the Galaxy are scheduled and that the club wants between $10 and $15 million for Becks and not the "ridiculous" offer of $3 million received so far.

"With that figure, Galaxy don't even cover the damages deriving from the shortfalls of not selling his shirts," Leiweke is (tellingly) quoted as saying.

Which, of course, is what Beckham is all about, rather than what he does on the field. (Hey, Tim, why don't you just do a swap for Ronaldinho?).

More here.

Meanwhile, the Galaxy-less Beckham play for the Pan-Pacific Championship trophy Saturday at 8 p.m. against Korea's Suwon Samsung Bluewings. China's Shandong Luneng Taishan FC faces Japan's Oita Trinita in the first game at 5:30 p.m. Tickets to the Home Depot Center doubleheader start at $15 (that's the same price it was Wednesday to park your car - and it doesn't get to see the game). A cheaper alternative: watch for free on Fox Soccer Channel or drop by and read this blog.

In non-Beckham related news:
*Chivas USA returned home from its Mexican trip to practice Thursday at the HDC with two new trialists: Mexican midfielder Rafael Rodríguez, whose prior clubs include Chivas and Tecos, and 38-year-old Argentine defender Leonel Gancedo, who has played for the likes of Spain's Osasuna and Argentina's River Plate.

*Chivas USA has put its single game tickets on sale for the season (see schedule at top right of the blog) starting at $15 a seat. It also has a five-game pack that works out to just $10 a game. Call 1-877-CHIVAS-1 for more info.

*Chivas USA plays two scrimmages Saturday at the HDC on university field No. 2 against Sweden's Hammerby (11 a.m.) and UCLA (1 p.m.).

*Also this weekend is the annual Cal South Soccer Expo at the convention center in downtown L.A. Lots of exhibitors, giveaways and Chivas USA, Galaxy, Sol and other players on hand. Best of all - admission is free.

*For those not wanting to leave the comfort of their living room, games on TV this weekend include Bayern Munich-Cologne (8:30 a.m. Saturday GOLTV); Manchester United-Blackburn Rovers (9:30 a.m. Saturday Fox Soccer Channel); Monarcas-CD Guadalajara (5 p.m. Saturday KAZA); Tigres-Club America (5 p.m. Saturday KVEA); Manchester City-Liverpool (7 a.m. Sunday FSC); and AC Milan-Cagliari (9 a.m. FSC).

*L.A. WPS entry the Sol has announced the club will open training camp March 2 and has scheduled preseason games against USC March 10, FC Gold Pride March 14 and 17 and an opponent to be determined March 21. The Sol opens its season March 29 at the HDC. The club also announced Thursday the signing of French midfielder Camile Abily (46 caps/eight goals), Chinese forward Han Duan and Swedish defender Johanna Frisk.

*Oh, and tickets for next year's World Cup went on sale today. It will be interesting to see how sales go with a crummy economy and the event in far-off South Africa.

Reaction to tonight's 2-0 Pan-Pacific Championship victory - yes, victory, even if it is only preseason - over Japan's Oita Trinita AKA the "Terrible Turtles," comes from Galaxy Coach Bruce Arena, veteran midfielder Chris Klein and top draft pick Omar Gonzalez.

Here's Arena on tonight's performance compared to last season:

"I saw more of a team tonight than I saw in a number of games last year. ... We have a lot of new faces and there's always a lot of unknowns at this time of year. To have a start like this in February with a positive result is good."

On Edson Buddle's first half goal:

"Really an alert play to strip the defender; the finish was incredible."

On Gonzalez' professional debut:

"Omar did well for his first game. A couple of mistakes he made on the ball and his positioning could have been better on a couple of plays, but overall I was very pleased with his performance. I think he's a good young player with a lot of potential so hopefully he can continue to move forward. .. Omar's a talented kid, he's going to have his ups and downs, but he's a player whose certainly going to contribute to make our back line a little bit better than it was last year."

On not dressing the likes of Ely Allen, Brandon McDonald, Mike Randolph, etc., for the game:

"Most of the players I introduced tonight were new faces. ... We've seen those other players in the past and have a pretty good feel for them, not that we know them completely. We wanted to look at some new faces at a time you can do that. Tonight was the occasion and we took advantage of it."

On goalkeeper Josh Wicks:

"He was solid tonight and the group in front of him did a real good job. I liked the fact that Josh was pretty steady tonight. At times last year we saw an inexperienced guy out of the goal, (who) at times ran himself out of position or his decision-making wasn't good. Tonight I thought he was pretty solid in the goal."

On what the team will look like Saturday:

"I don't know yet. ... This is the first time any of our players played over 60 minutes so we know they're going to be feeling it come Friday. We'll have to make some smart decisions to have a fresh team on the field come Saturday."

Here's Klein on the game:

"I'll tell you one thing - it's good to win. It's good to walk off the field and win. No matter who we're playing or where we are or what group of guys we have in the locker room, we have to create a winning mentality here in this locker room and it's a decent start."

On the feeling in the locker room:

"It feels like a group now and a lot of that comes from the themes Bruce is trying to instill within our locker room. He's demanding (of) the older guys (that) not only are they inclusive of the younger guys, but (they) take responsibility for the locker room and if something is not right it's up to us to fix it.

Here's Gonzalez' assessment of his performance:

"In the very beginning of both halves I gave two bad balls away, but I got over that hump and I thought I did well after that."

On the difference between the college and pro games:

"It's a lot harder, the players close down the space a lot faster and it's harder to get the ball at your feet and I think I've just got to get used to the overall speed of the game. I think if I do that I can come into my own."

On the foul on him that led to the penalty kick decision:

"I just had to sell it y'know."

On playing with a former national team player like Tony Sanneh in the center of defense:

It was just amazing. He's just so calm back there and I obviously have a lot to learn from him. I think he's going to teach me a lot and I hope to be one day as good as he is and go to the places he's been."

Not a terribly (ahem) compelling game:

Galaxy 2 Oita Trinita 0

Jovan Kirovski converted a 53rd minute penalty after defender Omar Gonzalez was allegedly brought down on a corner kick that frankly looked like a dubious call with minimal contact.

Notable individual performers included:
*Hard-working Chris Klein, the best Galaxy player on the night, and Mike Magee who sparked a couple of scoring chances after coming on as a second half substitute.

*Goalkeeper Josh Wicks, who did well to get a hand to a 35-yard blast from Shingo Suzuki that appeared to be heading for the corner of the net in the 71st minute. Have we seen the last of Steve Cronin, who was uninjured?

*Omar Gonzalez and Tony Sanneh were quietly competent in central defense, although to be fair their opponents offered little in the way of dangerous scoring threats; right back Sean Franklin, however, was dispossessed in midfield at one point, bringing a concerned Bruce Arena to his feet.

The attendance: just 5,624.

The Galaxy win means they will face Korea's Suwon Samsung Bluewings, which dispatched China's Shandong Luneng Taishan 1-0 in the earlier game, in the final at 8 p.m. Saturday.

More later, but there's no locker room access, which usually means players take their time getting to the mixed zone, so don't hold your breath.

Edson Buddle, the Galaxy's second highest scorer last season with 13 goals, showed he hadn't lost his opportunistic touch just before half time, picking off an errant pass between defenders to break free and blast a left-footed shot inside the post to put the Galaxy 1-0 up against Oita Trinita.

That was largely it for goalscoring opportunities in a choppy first half, with both teams struggling to find their feet as one might expect at this stage of the year; Galaxy goalkeeper Josh Wicks made just one save, while Oita's keeper made none.

The Galaxy had a goal disallowed in the 10th minute for offside.

Updated: Buddle came off at the half and was replaced with draft pick Kyle Patterson, who dropped into midfield, with Jovan Kirovski moving forward to partner Alan Gordon up front.

The Terrible Turtles is (are?) the weird nickname of Japan's Oita Trinita.

And it's almost as weird as Bruce Arena's lineup:

In goal: Josh Wicks (where's Donovan Ricketts)?

In defense, Cal State Northridge product Sean Franklin is at right back as expected (he played one game there last year), top draft pick Omar Gonzalez partners geriatric Tony Sanneh in central defense (no wonder the Galaxy are still looking for a central defender), while Eddie Lewis, captain for the night, is on the left.

In midfield, Josh Tudela and Dema Kovalenko clog up the middle of the park (which Kovalenko might well do literally given his reputation, but I suppose he's the playmaker), Chris Klein is on the right in Beckham's spot and Jovan Kirovski will wander around on the left.

Up front: Edson Buddle and Alan Gordon.

On the bench: draft picks A.J. DeLagarza and Kyle Patterson are joined by Stefani Miglioranzi, Bryan Jordan and Mike Magee. Goalkeeper Josh Saunders (where's Steve Cronin exactly?) is back for another go around with the Galaxy, while there's also a new face - defender Yohance Marshall out of South Florida. Press box colleague Scott French observed some had projected Marshall as a first round draft pick, but played himself out of the draft altogether with a terrible combine, so that's comforting.

As for Oita Trinita: you're on your own.

Updated: Ricketts has a tight left hamstring and the medical staff advised rest. But how to explain the absence of the likes of Ely Allen, Brandon McDonald, Julian Valentin and Mike Randolph? Those guys are under contract, of course, so one Galaxy official suggested Arena perhaps wants to take a look at those who aren't. We'll ask after the game.

The Galaxy (pre-) season begins tonight with the first of two doubleheaders at Home Depot Center in four days.

Up first at 5:30 p.m. are Suwon Samsung Bluewings (Korea) vs. Shandong Luneng Taishan FC (China) followed at 8 p.m. by the Galaxy against Oita Trinita (Japan). Plenty of tickets starting at $15 are available, although both games will also be shown live on Fox Soccer Channel.

Fortunately for the Galaxy, considering last season's results and the absence of David Beckham and Landon Donovan, the team also apparently known as the "Terrible Turtles" (!) are in fact fairly damn terrible according to this Web site that has more information than you ever wanted to know about the franchise.

Not much time today to add more, but I plan to blog from the game so join me this evening for updates and quotes from coaches and players

We'll soon find out.

A correction to the column: there is television coverage. It's on Fox Soccer Channel. But the fact I wasn't immediately aware of it (even if I have just returned from a week off) is yet another indication of how little promotion the tournament is receiving from organizers.

Also, Scott Wolf has the latest on Milan's machinations.

Salutations from the soggy South Bay, where the winter's biggest storm is drenching us.

Thanks to Scott Wolf and others who contributed to the blog during my week-long absence.

I'm off to a press conference at Home Depot Center shortly where the Galaxy and representatives of the other three teams in the Pan-Pacific Championship will attempt to explain the import of this preseason tournament.

At least for Galaxy fans the Wednesday and Saturday doubleheaders will provide an opportunity to see what sort of job Coach Bruce Arena has done rebuilding the team so far. More on the tournament in Tuesday's column.

But just have time to note that:

*David Beckham, reportedly the subject of a rejected $3 million bid Friday by AC Milan, limped out of the derby against Inter Sunday after an undistinguished hour or so. More here.

*Landon Donovan meanwhile, came on as a first half substitute for an injured Luca Toni, but couldn't prevent Bayern Munich from sliding to a 2-1 defeat to Hertha Berlin on Valentine's Day. With the loss, Bayern relinquished the top spot in the Bundesliga to Hertha.

*And Women's Professional Soccer announced this morning it has reached a contractual agreement with members of the U.S. Women's National Team so expect a flurry of signings soon. From the (edited) WPS press release:

"The contract may extend over three seasons and provides for players in the U.S. Women's National Team pool to be compensated by the teams for on-field play and for off-field commercial and marketing appearances.

The average league salary: about $32,000.