Ante Is Going Green

We're proud to announce that Galaxy defender Ante Jazic has received his green card and will no longer occupy one of the Galaxy's international roster spots. The Canadian international has played for the Galaxy since August 2006 but has missed the entire 2008 season because of an ankle injury. However, Jazic has returned to training over the last two weeks and is closing in on a return to full fitness and will hope to be available for selection in the not so distant future.

The Galaxy now have four of their eight international spots open, with David Beckham, Alvaro Pires, Carlos Ruiz and Abel Xavier still designated as internationals. Could one of those four be Close to getting his green cARd as weLl? We'll just have tO wait and See.

Gavin Debuts a New Look

Michael Gavin debuted a new look at training today, chopping off the long locks that he had sported since first arriving in LA a couple of months ago.

He was also sporting the new sleeveless training tops that arrived the other day. They look similar to last year's but do have some slight differences.

What do you think?

The Great One Watches a Great Win

Wayne Gretzky was in attendance at this weekend's game and seemed to really enjoy himself watching the Galaxy dismantle Chivas USA. Always a fan of open, attacking hockey, Gretzky got to see that translate to soccer as Beckham, Donovan and Gordo put on a show for the capacity crowd.

Check out what Wayne had to say about his experience.

Landon Hits the Airwaves

Landon Donovan has again been named the MLS Player of the Week and to celebrate he's taking to the radio waves.

Landon will be a guest with Joe Tutino on XX Sports Radio 1090 in San Diego at 2:35 this afternoon. You can hear the interview live by clicking on the Listen Live link on this page.

He will then will join Glenn Davis on The Soccer Hour, which can be heard online here. If you have a question for Landon or Glenn, phone the call-in line at 713-212-5790.

Landon has also had his third goal from Saturday night nominated for the Sierra Mist MLS Goal of the Week award, which he also wom last week. Click here to vote.

Wrapping Up a SuperClasico Romp

LA Galaxy 5, Chivas USA 2
Saturday, April 26, 2008
The Home Depot Center – Carson, Calif.

Scoring Summary:
LAG – Landon Donovan 6 (Unassisted) 18’
CHV – Sacha Kljestan 3 (Jonathan Bornstein 2) 38’
LAG – Landon Donovan 7 (Unassisted) 59’
CHV – Ante Razov 1 (Unassisted) 62’
LAG – Alan Gordon 1 (Unassisted) 76’
LAG – Landon Donovan 8 (Alan Gordon) 77’
LAG – Alan Gordon 2 (Landon Donovan 2, David Beckham 4) 84’

Misconduct Summary:
LAG – Brandon McDonald (Yellow Card) 6’
LAG – Landon Donovan (Yellow Card) 8’
LAG – Joe Franchino (Yellow Card) 45’
CHV – Shavar Thomas (Yellow Card) 65’

Lineups: LA Galaxy: Steve Cronin, Greg Vanney, Sean Franklin, Abel Xavier, Chris Klein, Brandon McDonald, Joe Franchino, Mike Randolph, David Beckham©, Landon Donovan, Edson Buddle (Alan Gordon 71’).

Subs Not Used: Josh Wicks, Troy Roberts, Michael Gavin, Julian Valentin, Peter Vagenas, Bryan Jordan.

Chivas USA: Brad Guzan, Jonathan Bornstein, Claudio Suarez©, Shavar Thomas (Atiba Harris 79’), Lawson Vaughn, Paulo Nagamura (Raphael Wicky 82’), Jesse Marsch, Francisco Mendoza, Sacha Kljestan, Justin Braun, Maykel Galindo (Ante Razov 57’).

Subs Not Used: Dan Kennedy, Jim Curtin, Chris Pozniak, Keith Savage.

This Week Inside the Galaxy

Here is a new weekly video feature that we have put together that will give you some extra insight into the Galaxy. So check out the inaugural episode of This Week Inside the Galaxy.

Quick Hitters

Even with the team off today, we have three quick news items...

Landon's goal from Saturday has won the Sierra Mist Goal of the Week Award, narrowly edging out his U.S. National Team teammate Jozy Altidore who scored a great goal against New England. Click here to relive Landon's goal once again.

On Thursday, David will be a guest on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show". We're fans of the show and we're sure that whoever tunes in tomorrow will not be disappointed. The show airs at 4 p.m. on KNBC Channel 4 here in Los Angeles but check your local listings for show times in your area.

Lastly, we had a very special guest join us in the office today as former U.S. National Team head coach Bora Milutinovic stopped by to see Alexi, who of course played under Bora at the 1994 World Cup. We even managed to get Bora a new hat to wear and if you ask us, it looks great!

Galaxy-Dynamo Recap

Landon Donovan and David Beckham combined twice to give the Galaxy a 2-2 draw with the two-time defending MLS Cup champions on Saturday night. Donovan equalized twice to earn the draw, giving him an MLS best five goals on the season. Here is a recap with comments from the head coach and players.

Sierra Mist Goal of the Week...Nominee

Landon's first goal from Saturday night has been nominated for the Sierra Mist Goal of the Week. You can see the goal and vote for it here so vote early and often.

If you don't, we might get Landon to yell at you.

Reserves Fall

The Galaxy Reserves lost 2-1 on Sunday morning, with Bryan Jordan scoring the Galaxy's only goal.

You can read the game recap here.

Game Recap

LA Galaxy 2, Houston Dynamo 2
April 19, 2008
The Home Depot Center – Carson, Calif.

Scoring Summary:
HOU – Brad Davis 1 (Franco Caraccio 1, Brian Mullan 1) 36’
LAG – Landon Donovan 4 (David Beckham 2) 67’
HOU – Franco Caraccio 2 (Unassisted) 78’
LAG – Landon Donovan 5 (David Beckham 3, Chris Klein 2) 84’

Misconduct Summary:
LAG – Mike Randolph (Yellow Card) 25’
LAG – Greg Vanney (Yellow Card) 57’
HOU – Franco Caraccio (Yellow Card) 78’
HOU – Ricardo Clark (Yellow Card) 90+

Lineups:
LA Galaxy: Steve Cronin, Mike Randolph, Greg Vanney, Sean Franklin, Chris Klein, Josh Tudela (Abel Xavier 46’), Brandon McDonald, Alan Gordon (Joe Franchino 46’), David Beckham©, Landon Donovan, Edson Buddle.

Subs Not Used: Josh Wicks, Troy Roberts, Peter Vagenas, Israel Sesay, Bryan Jordan.

Houston Dynamo: Tony Caig, Wade Barrett©, Bobby Boswell, Patrick Ianni, Richard Mulrooney, Ricardo Clark, Brad Davis, Brian Mullan, Dwayne DeRosario, Franco Caraccio (Stuart Holden 81’), Brian Ching.

Subs Not Used: Corbin Waller, Craig Waibel, Corey Ashe, Kyle Brown, Geoff Cameron, Chris Wondolowski.

Notes:
· With the draw, the Galaxy’s record stands at 1-2-1 on the season, giving them four points and fifth place in the Western Conference standings.
· Landon Donovan’s two goals give him an MLS best five on the season, two more than Alejandro Moreno and Kenny Cooper.
· Donovan now has four goals in the last two games, after scoring twice last weekend against Toronto. The last time that Donovan had multiple goals in consecutive games was September 20 and 27, 2003 when he was a member of the San Jose Earthquakes. Donovan scored three times in a 4-1 win over Kansas City and then twice more in a 5-2 win over Dallas.
· David Beckham had two assists in the game, giving him three on the season and a tie for the most in MLS.
· This is the second time in his MLS career that Beckham has registered two assists in a game. The last time was on August 18, 2007 when he set up a pair of Carlos Pavon goals in a 5-4 loss to the New York Red Bulls at Giants Stadium.
· Midfielder Joe Franchino made his first appearance for the club this season after being acquired from the New England Revolution on Friday. Franchino, who played for the Galaxy from 1998-2000, last appeared for the club on May 6, 2000.
· Forward Edson Buddle and midfielder Josh Tudela each made their first start of the season for the Galaxy in tonight’s game.
· Goalkeeper Steve Cronin passed a late fitness test for the Galaxy and made his fourth start of the season for the Galaxy. Cronin had been listed on the injury report as questionable with a left groin injury.
· The attendance for tonight’s game was 23,401.
· The Galaxy are back in action on Saturday, April 26 when they host their in-stadium rivals Chivas USA in the first edition of the Honda SuperClasico at The Home Depot Center. The match will kick off at 7:30 p.m. and can be seen live on Fox Soccer Channel.

Linked In

Well, it's been another busy day here in Galaxy-land with players going, players coming and all sorts of other issues being sorted out today ahead of Saturday's match. With that said, here is a series of links from earlier today.

We acquired Joe Franchino.

The three Cubans completed their trial.

MLSnet.com had a look at midfielder Brandon McDonald, as well as a preview of Saturday's game. They also have the game guide available.

FSN West Analyst Mark Rogondino previewed the match as well in his new "Rollin' with Rogo" column.

For those who like video rather than words, here you go...



Lastly, congrats to Trevor James and the Galaxy Rios, who were accepted into the U.S. Soccer Development Academy starting this Fall. More on this to come, but click here to read the official announcement from U.S. Soccer.

News Wrap

The preparation for Houston began in earnest today as Ruud and Co. put the first team through a quick, but precise session at the HDC.

Prior to the session, the reserves and trialists took on local side LA Blues, winning 1-0 behind an Edson Buddle goal. LA started the match with a lineup of Wicks, Gavin, Bermudez, Valentin, Roberts, Tudela, Vagenas, Alvarez, Sesay, Jordan and Buddle.

Juan Manuel Miranda and Tristan Bowen, the first player ever signed to the Galaxy Rios program, and a member of the U.S. Under 18 and 20 National Teams, came on as second half substitutes in the win.

And fans will now get a chance to see more of Bowen as he and the rest of the LA Galaxy have been added to the 2008-09 U.S. Soccer Development Academy. The Galaxy Rios will join 11 other teams, including the academies of FC Dallas and New England Revolution , beginning this fall.

In addition to the 12 new clubs, all 63 clubs who have been involved in the inaugural year of the Development Academy program will be returning in 2008-09. As with the initial class of Academy admissions, each club, including the Galaxy Rios, will enter an Academy team into both the U-15/16 and U-17/18 mixed age groups. Academy conferences will be realigned for next year’s season to reduce travel and continue to provide a diversity of meaningful competition.

We'll have more on the Developmental Academy and this weekend's game tomorrow.

Hat Time!

Do you want to look just like Michael Gavin? Well if you have a grey t-shirt, long hair and are one of the first 5,000 fans at Saturday night's game against the Dynamo then you might just be in luck.

The hat Gavin is wearing above is the one that will be given out (that's right, they're FREE!) on Saturday night so be sure to get to the game early and get one for yourself. Only then can you really begin to practice the steely gaze that Gavin is showing off here.

So get your tickets now and be sure to ensure yourself a chance at getting your very own Galaxy hat.

More Postgame Coverage

Nobody wants to relive a a defeat, especially one as difficult as Sunday's loss was, but here are some more quotes from the locker room and video from the game.

Mike Randolph:
"Iʼm very disappointed. I thought that the game was well within our reach, we just didnʼt do the little things to stay upfront. We werenʼt positioned right. We werenʼt finishing. In the end, they came through and finished on our mistakes."

"We dominated most of the match. Unluckily it didn't work out that way. You get a couple of chances here and there and you end up on top, so we just have to do better next time."

Brandon McDonald:
"Itʼs a difficult loss. We should have won that game. The game should have been 4-0. You learn from it, and hope it doesnʼt happen again."

"There were a lot of good things, a lot of positives, but we didn't come out with the result, and at the end of the day that's what matters."

Steve Cronin:
"It was kind of a weird game. There were a lot of ups and downs. We definitely could have put the game out of reach in the first half. Unfortunately, we gave up a goal at the end of the first half. We were lucky to get it back right after but as it went on, I think that the heat played a factor in our focus and as a result I don't know if we really deserved to win the game."

"We know Houston. We know they are going to come in and be a good team. We just have to regroup and get ready for Saturday night."

Come and Go

The Galaxy signed two players today to their Developmental roster, inking deals with defenders Scott Bolkan and Vardan Adzemian. Both players will be sent out on loan to the Portland Timbers, who open their season in the USL First Division on Thursday night against the Puerto Rico Islanders.

Here is what Paul Bravo, who returned from a 10-day trip to South America this morning had to say about the signings, as well as some more info on Scott and Vardan.

"We have had a strong relationship with the Timbers for a number of years and I am glad that we can continue that relationship here by loaning them a pair of players who can benefit their team this season,” Galaxy Director of Soccer Paul Bravo said. “Both Vardan and Scott are good young players and we feel that their experience in Portland will serve them well in their professional careers.”

A veteran of the MLS Reserve Division where he has played with Chivas USA, the Chicago Fire and Kansas City Wizards, Adzemian played for PDL side Ventura County Fusion in 2007. Born in Armenia and raised in Los Angeles, Adzemian began his professional career in Greece in 2002 at the age of 18 with First Division team AEK Athens. The 24-year old later went on to play for fellow First Division club Panathinaikos, as well as FC Pavlos Melas of the Second Division and Third Division side FC Marko.

A big and physical central defender, Bolkan spent four years at Stanford where he was a three-time All-Pac 10 performer, including a first team selection as a senior in 2007 when he scored a career-high three goals. A native of Salem, Ore., Bolkan played 66 games during his time with the Cardinal, starting 60 of those contests before appearing at the MLS Player Combine in January.

For those of you who do not already know, that is Vardan at the top of the page and Scott there at the bottom.

Quote Time

Here's some post-match reaction from today's match.

LA GALAXY HEAD COACH RUUD GULLIT
On the result…
I would say disappointment. We played so well. You could bury this game in the first half. The chances we had in the first half were incredible. They had three possibilities and they scored three. Sometimes football is unfair but you have to deal with it if you don’t do the things you need to do. We made it so difficult by not burying those chances. I think we lost because of Toronto. They played better in the end. We wasted so many chances. We lost more of ourselves today.

On the defense…
You saw how the game developed. We aren’t going to talk about defense. We played well. We were in front of the goalkeeper three times and couldn’t bury it. They had one chance, and we made a mistake. It was immediately a goal. It’s frustrating. It was unnecessary goals. It makes it hard to accept, especially because we were so much better.

On Sean Franklin…
I think that Sean played well today also. He wasn’t involved in any of the balls that resulted in goals. He did his job. If we scored all the possibilities we had, we wouldn’t even be talking about this. The goals that we gave away were incredibly sloppy.

On Beckham taking down Cunningham…
I think we were lucky there. It was the only luck we had the whole game.


LA GALAXY FORWARD LANDON DONOVAN
Thoughts on the match…
We are obviously disappointed. I’m disappointed in myself. Having three chances like that could changed the game, would have changed the game. We did well to get back in it—twice. I think we were just a little naïve at the end. We probably should have just settled and taken that point.

On losing…
You always want to win at home, but given the circumstances. They were playing better and coming into the game, I think the mature thing to do was to have just said at worst we get a point of out the game. Instead of throwing caution to the wind and going for it, leaving ourselves exposed in the back.

On the heat…
It probably played a big role. They came back into the game late. They didn’t give much in the first half or the beginning of the second half, but it seemed that they found their energy in the end and it was visa versa for us. We put out a lot more in the beginning of the game and normally with better finishing the game is over by then. With the heat and trying for us to push forward was a combination of what happened at the end.

LA GALAXY MIDFIELDER DAVID BECKHAM
Overall thoughts on today’s match…
It was a tough game. It was hot out there. It’s not an excuse because it was hot for both teams. We are disappointed to lose the game, of course. The first half we had many chances. When it stays like it does, there is always a chance a team is going to score, and they did. Congratulations to them. But, we’re disappointed.

On the heat…
It was the same on the both teams. It was extremely hot out there. With the heat like this, it’s tough. But when you don’t keep the ball or pass the ball well, it brings all sorts of problems. We lost our shape in the second half. That’s where the problems started, and then they started passing the ball around us. They created chances.

On the team’s chemistry…
It’s only three games into the season. That’s going to take time. We have a relationship with the forwards. In the last game, I scored one and had an assisted with Landon. There is always chances being created. Three games into the season, we can’t panic too much. We are disappointed about today.

On taking on Cunningham…
Maybe it was a foul, maybe it wasn’t. Sometimes they give them, sometimes they don’t. They didn’t for that one. Thankfully, we got away with that one.

On creating chances…
That’s what it’s all about. Creating chances and having the confidence of finishing them off. As long as I’m creating chances and Ely on the left is creating chances, at some point we are going to score. It’s about putting the goals away, and hopefully that will start soon. We still created a lot of chances today. Landon got two. It just wasn’t enough in the end.

Galaxy Fall 3-2

It was a tough one today and the Galaxy as they fell 3-2 to Toronto FC. Jeff Cunningham scored the game-winner in the 88th minute to send LA to their first home defeat of 2008 and leave them in fifth place in the Western Conference with a 1-2-0 record for 3 points.

Here's some more from today.

LA Galaxy 2, Toronto FC 3
April 13, 2008
The Home Depot Center – Carson, Calif.

Scoring Summary:
TFC – Danny Dichio (Amado Guevara) 42’
LAG – Landon Donovan (Chris Klein) 43’
TFC – Jarrod Smith (Unassisted) 53’
LAG – Landon Donovan (Penalty Kick) 58’
TFC – Jeff Cunningham (Unassisted) 88’

Misconduct Summary:
LAG – Greg Vanney (Yellow Card) 52’

Lineups:
LA Galaxy: Steve Cronin, Mike Randolph, Greg Vanney, Sean Franklin, Chris Klein, Alvaro Pires, Brandon McDonald (Peter Vagenas 77’), Ely Allen, David Beckham©, Landon Donovan, Alan Gordon (Edson Buddle 68’).

Subs Not Used: Josh Wicks, Abel Xavier, Michael Gavin, Troy Roberts, Josh Tudela.

Toronto FC: Greg Sutton, Marvel Wynne, Marco Velez, Tyrone Marshall, Jim Brennan©, Jarrod Smith (Todd Dunivant 73’), Carl Robinson, Maurice Edu, Laurent Robert (Tyler Roselund 91+), Amado Guevara, Danny Dichio (Jeff Cunningham 65’).

Subs Not Used: Brian Edwards, Julius James, Tyler Hemming.

Notes:
· With the loss, the Galaxy’s record falls to 1-2-0 on the season, giving them three points and in fifth place in the Western Conference standings.
· The loss to Toronto was the first in Galaxy history against the Canadian club. LA is now 1-1-1 against TFC, including 1-1-0 at The Home Depot Center.
· With his two goals today, Galaxy forward Landon Donovan is now tied with Kenny Cooper of FC Dallas for the MLS lead in goals with three.
· Donovan now has three goals in three career games against Toronto.
· Chris Klein, who made his 250th MLS start today, recorded his first assist of the season giving him 58 for his career.
· Replacing Alan Gordon in the 68th minute, Edson Buddle made his 2008 debut up front for the Galaxy. He had two shots in his 22 minutes on the field.
· Today’s match was played on the 12th anniversary of the Galaxy’s first ever game against the MetroStars (now New York Red Bulls) at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. A crowd of 69,255 was on hand that day to see the Galaxy win 2-1.
· Despite an on field temperature that reached 102 degrees, 20,426 fans braved the heat to attend the match.
· The Galaxy are back in action on Saturday, April 19 when they host the defending MLS Cup champion Houston Dynamo at The Home Depot Center. The match will kick off at 7:30 p.m. and can be seen live on FSN West, starting with ‘Galaxy Live’ at 7 p.m.

We're Underway

It's a scorcher at The Home Depot Center and I'm sure that the guys are glad to be wearing white.

Here are the teams and we'll have more in a bit.

Lineups:
LA Galaxy: Steve Cronin, Mike Randolph, Greg Vanney, Sean Franklin, Chris Klein, Alvaro Pires, Brandon McDonald, Ely Allen, David Beckham©, Landon Donovan, Alan Gordon.

Subs Not Used: Josh Wicks, Abel Xavier, Michael Gavin, Troy Roberts, Peter Vagenas, Josh Tudela, Edson Buddle.

Toronto FC: Greg Sutton, Marvel Wynne, Marco Velez, Tyrone Marshall, Jim Brennan©, Jarrod Smith, Carl Robinson, Maurice Edu, Laurent Robert, Amado Guevara, Danny Dichio.

Subs Not Used: Brian Edwards, Julius James, Tyler Hemming, Tyler Roselund, Todd Dunivant, Jeff Cunningham.

Celebrity Visits

Following last Thursday's visit of Kobe Bryant to the Galaxy locker room...

We had another celebrity visitor drop in on us this week as Wesley Snipes popped by for a training session. Even better, he came in his "Simon Phoenix" costume for his 1993 film, Demolition Man...

Unfortunately, we've just been informed that the above picture is in fact not Wesley Snipes, but rather Izzy sporting a "bright" new haircut.

What do you think?

New Faces at Training

Three new faces joined the Galaxy in training this week as goalkeeper Jose Manual Miranda (center), midfielder Yordany Alvarez (right) and defender Yenier Bermundez (left) made the trek from Florida to Southern California. All three players come to the Galaxy after defecting from the Cuban U-23 team during the Olympics qualifiers a month ago.

All three had vital roles in the game against the U.S., a game which finished 1-1 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. Miranda, the starting keeper that night, made eight saves during the game, helping the Cubans walk away with their only point in qualifying competition. Alvarez assisted on the lone Cuban goal of the tournament, and Bermundez captained the U-23s before fleeing the team hotel that night.

All three will train with the Galaxy for at least the remainder of this week and potentially next week as well in the run up to the game against Houston.

Here is a short story that appeared in today's issue of La Opinion about the trio.

Not The... Goal of the Week

If David looks like this after scoring a goal, imagine his reaction if he wins the Sierra Mist Goal of the Week!

Unfortunately, we'll never know, or at least we won't this week, as the Galaxy's first goal of the season finished a close second in the voting behind Houston's Geoff Cameron.

There's always next week.

Weekend Roundup

It's a weekend off for everyone (including us!) after a 2-0 win over San Jose on Thursday night.

Here's some highlights from that one...


The reserves were not so lucky on Friday afternoon however, falling 2-1 with Edson Buddle scoring the only goal for the home side.

You can read all about these games at lagalaxy.com and check back here as we will have some photos from Thursday night and more on our star right back in Friday's reserve game.

Reserve Game Update

Great job by the boys tonight winning 2-0 over the Quakes, but also a great job by you the fans. The Home Depot Center was rocking all night long.

Hopefully tomorrow we'll have a good atmosphere at the reserve game which is being played on University Field #1. Please note that the kickoff time for this game has been moved forward one hour to 11 a.m.!!

See you out there tomorrow and we'll have more for you about tonight's win and the week to come.

Preview: LA vs. SJ

As we look to bounce back with a strong performance tonight against NoCal rivals the San Jose Earthquakes, here are two videos to get you up-to-date with the latest info. The first video is from training on April 1 with a look at what the team needs to do following Saturday's defeat, then the second looks ahead to tonight's match against San Jose.

Thursday Preview - April 2:


Training Recap - April 1:

Fan Fest Recap

For those of you who missed the third annual Fan Fest on March 22, here is a quick recap of GM Alexi Lalas, Head Coach Ruud Gullit, Midfielder and Captain David Beckham, and Assistant Coach Cobi Jones addressing the fans.

Landon Speaks to the Fans

On Tuesday afternoon at 1:30, Landon will be taking questions from fans at this site. This chat will give fans across the country and around the world the chance to pose their questions to the Galaxy star in Spanish as ESPN works to promote Thursday night's game against the Earthquakes, a match that can be seen everywhere on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes, in addition to being available on the radio on KWKW 1330 AM here in LA and on ESPN Deportes radio nationally.

For those who would rather hear what Landon has to say rather than read it, he will be a guest on the Jeff and Dave Show on XTRA Sports Radio 1360 out of San Diego on Tuesday morning around 9:35 a.m. Click here to listen live to XTRA Sports Radio 1360.