Landon Named MLS Player of the Month

We told you that we'd have more news about the Galaxy captain today.

In a month that saw him return from the Confederations Cup, win an individual ESPY and part of a team honor and help the Galaxy extend their unbeaten streak to five games, Landon Donovan has been named the MLS Player of the Month.

Donovan had two goals and an assist in three games this month, helping LA to a 2-0-1 record in those three games. Click here to read the entire MLS release.

And don't forget to catch him on The Dan LeBatard Show on ESPN Radio 790 AM in Miami at 1:30 p.m. (PT) this afternoon. You can click here to listen to that interview.

Toomorrow We're Gonna Party Like it's 1996

Is this picture worth more than one thousand words?

That was a rhetorical question, the answer is an obvious, Max Bretos-like, Yeeeeees!!!!

With an LA Galaxy Soccer banner now prominently displyed underneath the iconic Rose Bowl sign, the stage is set for the LA Galaxy's international friendly against FC Barcelona Saturday at the Rose Bowl, presented by Farmers Insurance Group.

Both Barcelona and Galaxy will hold their final training sessions ahead of Saturday's game (8 p.m., FSC and FSE) tonight.

This is the Galaxy' first game back at the Rose Bowl since winning the MLS Cup title in 2002 and moving to The Home Depot Center.

The scene will be much different than that of the Galaxy's inaugural game in 1996, but the lessons from that match (and last week's Chelsea-Inter Milan match) should be the following: Arrive to the stadium early.

If you are unfamiliar with the Rose Bowl, here are some helpful tips to aid you with your travels.

Tune in to KROQ

Even with more than 85,000 tickets sold for Saturday's game against Barcelona, the guys are still out there spreading the word and getting people out to the game.

Landon made the drive over to the KROQ studios this morning to talk with Kevin and Bean.

Click here to listen live and we'll try to get a clip later on today when we return with more news about the Galaxy captain.

Landon will also make an appearance on the Dan LeBatard Show on ESPN 790 AM ESPN Radio in Miami at about 1:30 p.m. (PT) this afternoon. You can click here to listen to that interview.

Galaxy-Barcelona Media Day

Players and coaches from both the LA Galaxy and FC Barcelona met with the media today ahead of Saturday's match at the Rose Bowl.

Bruce and David talked this afternoon's after the Galaxy's training session while Barcelona held a press conference at their hotel. We'll start with audio from Bruce and David and see what we can do about having audio and photos from Barca's press conference.

Bruce...

David...

Back At It

After receiving almost three days off, the Galaxy were back in training this evening for a short evening session at The Home Depot Center.

The numbers were a bit small with Landon and Chris Klein in Salt Lake City for tonight's All-Star Game. Landon came on in the second half of that game after flying to Utah earlier today, while Klein was in his former stomping grounds helping MLS WORKS, the charitable arm of MLS. Additionally, Donovan, Alecko, Edson, Sean and Julian all working out inside with the training staff.

That left Bruce and Co. just 18 field players to work with, but it was more than enough to train as the guys went through an extensive warmup before moving to some simple passing drills that got everyone moving freely and ready to go.

The majority of the session focused on possession games, with the guys going 9v9 and 10v8 before wrapping up with even more fitness drills.

On the other side of town, Barcelona was going through their first training session since arriving in LA earlier in the day while Galaxy fans gathered en masse in Pasadena for the club's Block Party that was helping to get everyone into the mood for Saturday's game back at the Rose Bowl.

We'll be back with more tomorrow with the guys saying how fired up they are to play Barcelona, and based on the response that we've gotten from the fans, it seems like you guys are to which is sure to make Saturday and unbelievable experience that you won't want to miss.

Video Vault

With the players receiving the day off today, there's no real news coming out on the Galaxy front, other than the fact that Donovan Ricketts was named an MLS All-Star. He is on the inactive list for the game and therefore does not have to travel to Salt Lake City, but he is the first LA goalkeeper to be named to the All-Star Team since Kevin Hartman was in 2005.

With the All-Star Game upon us, join us as we clear out the video vault and take a look back at a hectic last two weeks with the Galaxy.

Starting with an extended look at the trip to New York with This Week Inside the Galaxy...

Then highlights from the draw with AC Milan...

And postgame reaction to that game...

As well as a short interview with Ian Sarachan about playing against Inter Milan on Thursday...

Finally, listen to Joe Tutino's call of the highlights from Saturday's 1-1 draw with Kansas City...

Landon Up for Award Again

The game's other goal may have gotten the most attention in the last couple of days, but we think that Landon Donovan had a pretty nice goal himself in Saturday's 1-1 draw at Kansas City.

The folks at MLSnet.com shared our sentiment and have named it as one of the five Goal of the Week nominees. Maybe this has a little to do with Landon (and Alecko for that matter) being robbed of the award last week, but he's nominated none the less and hopefully he can become the Galaxy's first winner of the award this season.

Check out the goal below and be sure to click here to vote.

Reaction from the Locker Rooms

Here is what the guys from both side had to say about last night's game.

LOS ANGELES GALAXY HEAD COACH BRUCE ARENA

On the game

“I think you have to give Kevin Hartman a lot of credit. He made some big saves in that first half. I thought overall our team played well. We didn't take care of our opportunities. I give Hartman a lot of credit, and I give [Claudio] Lopez a lot of credit for a fabulous goal. That's one of those goal of the year things and Hartman had a few saves of the year. They got some good performances out of their key players tonight. You know, for long periods of time I thought we did alright on creating chances. And at the end of the day, if you don't finish those chances, you're not going to win. And that was the case tonight.”

On Saunders coming in for the injured Ricketts

“Saunders had a great save on that free kick early in the second half. Again, I think the keepers made some timely saves tonight for both teams.”

On Beckham and Donovan playing together

“They're playing well. Landon [Donovan] had another good game. David [Beckham] played well. He had a little bit of a knock. And his fitness isn't where he wants it to be right now. But certainly we'll get better each and every week. But I'm pleased with the work b both of those players. Both teams are missing some players tonight. Certainly Conrad and Arnaud are big losses for Kansas City and our injuries in our friendly [with AC Milan] to our starting forwards and [Donovan] Ricketts (to back spasms) didn't help us tonight.”

LOS ANGELES GALAXY MIDFIELDER LANDON DONOVAN

On his goal and the play that set him up

“David did a really good job putting pressure on Santiago [Hirsig]. He knicked the ball away and took a touch and a couple guys made really good runs to open the defense, and I put it in a good spot.”

On coming back

“Even before that goal, we were all over them and we should have scored a couple goals. It's a night we'll want to have played again because I think it’s a game we deserved to win. In the end, it's okay. We were playing well up to that point and we played well after that point. They had a short spell in the second half where they came back into it but other than that, we dominated the game.”

On the tie

“Earlier in the year, we would have been happy with tying like this. There was a sense of disappointment coming in (the locker room) tonight. We don't want to give away any points now. That's a good sign. At the end of the day if their goalie has that kind of game, we can live with it.”

LOS ANGELES GALAXY MIDFIELDER DAVID BECKHAM

On the game

“Overall, I don't think it was our best night of soccer. We've moved on from a few months ago. We're trying to win games that we probably would have settled for the draw. But it’s a good bunch of guys and I do think we deserved at least a draw tonight.”

On his assist

“It was nice to get my first assist back in the league. It's good to be out there at the moment. It's a good bunch of guys like I said and working hard for each other. We enjoyed it tonight.”

If Claudio Lopez' goal outdid his shot from last year against Kansas City

“It was a great goal. It doesn't matter what league it's in or where it is in the world. It was a great goal. All credit to him, he's a great player and good goal tonight.”

On hitting the bulls eye Friday during training

“The first time...We kind of finished training and three of us: me, Gordo (Alan Gordon) and Eddie Lewis walked over and said first one to get it close. It’s the worst shot, you have to go collect the balls after. I went third and yeah, hit it straight through. It was surprising, about 100 yards out so it was nice. No cameras there to prove it. So that was a shame.”

On the atmosphere and standing-room-only crowd

“There was a great reaction tonight from the fans. When you go to the away stadiums, you don't expect to have anybody on your side. Tonight it was a great atmosphere: Lots of families, lots of kids, and a lot of people who seemed to enjoy the game. So I hope they went home happy, and it was nice to have their support because it was a really nice atmosphere to play in.”
KANSAS CITY WIZARDS HEAD COACH CURT ONALFO

On Kevin Hartman’s performance

“I thought he was outstanding. He did what he’s done most of the year, which is make saves when he’s called upon. We had some missed clearances in the first half that led to chances for them and he made some real good saves.”

On Claudio Lopez’s half-field goal

“I was thinking ‘what is he doing?’ And he hit it perfectly, the only spot he could possibly have put it in. It was a world-class goal. Unfortunately, we conceded not too long afterwards on a mistake in the midfield that we can’t make.”

On Adam Cristman’s debut

“He was solid. He gives us something different that we don’t really have, and that’s a physical presence up top. He’s a guy that can turn bad balls into good balls and help you gain some good territory. It was good to see him out there, and I thought he did a good job for his first time out.”

On the standing-room-only crowd and atmosphere

“The energy was unbelievable. I thought the crowd was amazing. They have been all year, and I think tonight topped it. I’m just disappointing we couldn’t get another goal to get the three points and give them a little more joy when they went home, but at the end of the day, I think they saw a real good soccer game.”

KANSAS CITY WIZARDS FORWARD CLAUDIO LOPEZ

On his goal

“I saw the keeper out of position, and I just decided to shoot. That goal is on the list for the best goal in my career. The most important thing is the three points though. I’m happy about the goal, but I would have settled for the three points instead.”

KANSAS CITY WIZARDS MIDFIELDER HERCULEZ GOMEZ

On the game

“It’s always disappointing when we can’t come away with three points at home. I’m even more disappointed when it’s against my ex-team. I circle games like this on my calendar. I was excited to play this game…I was revved up. It was just a shame we couldn’t pull it off. We’ve got a great fan base, and I thought they deserved more.”

On Claudio Lopez’s goal

“I’ve always been told that goals lift a team and deflate a team, and that goal helped us. It’s just so frustrating that five minutes after that goal we gave one up. I think if we came in 1-0 at halftime it’s a whole different ballgame as the game wears on. They would have had to throw bodies forward, and we’re very good on the counter.”

KANSAS CITY WIZARDS FORWARD ADAM CRISTMAN

On his debut in a Wizards uniform

“It was good to finally be out there and get some minutes in. There were a lot of slow weeks of slow going, waiting to heal and building up fitness. I’m looking forward to building on that and making more of an impact.”

Winning Streak Snapped, But the Galaxy Earn 1-1 Draw at K.C.

LA Galaxy 1, Kansas City Wizards 1
Saturday, July 25, 2009
CommunityAmerica Ballpark– Kansas City, Kan.

Scoring Summary:
KC – Claudio Lopez 5 (Unassisted) 26’
LA – Landon Donovan 8 (David Beckham 1) 33’

Misconduct Summary:
LA – Omar Gonzalez (Yellow Card) 51’

Lineups:
LA Galaxy: Donovan Ricketts (Josh Saunders 29’), A.J. DeLaGarza, Gregg Berhalter, Omar Gonzalez, Todd Dunivant, Stefani Miglioranzi, Eddie Lewis, Landon Donovan© , David Beckham, Mike Magee (Chris Klein 69’), Alan Gordon (Bryan Jordan 81’).

Subs Not Used: Tony Sanneh, Leonard Griffin, Chris Birchall, Jovan Kirovski.

Kansas City Wizards: Kevin Hartman, Jonathan Leathers, Aaron Hohlbein, Rauwshan McKenzie, Matt Besler, Santiago Hirsig, Jack Jewsbury, Herculez Gomez (Adam Cristman 63’), Roger Espinoza (Abe Thompson 85’), Josh Wolff©, Claudio Lopez.

Subs Not Used: Boris Pardo, Michael Harrington, Kurt Morsink, Graham Zusi, Michael Kraus.

Notes:
• With the draw, the Galaxy are now 6-3-10 on the season, giving them 28 points. LA is now alone in third place in the Western Conference, one point behind second place Seattle, who drew Chicago 0-0 earlier in the day and four points behind first place Houston, who lost at home to New England 1-0.
• Bruce Arena made two changes to the team that defeated the New York Red Bulls 3-1 last week. Edson Buddle and Alecko Eskandarian each missed the game after being injured in Sunday’s friendly against AC Milan. They were replaced in the lineup by Alan Gordon and Mike Magee.
• The Galaxy were also without Sean Franklin, Dema Kovalenko and Julian Valentin who all missed the game through injury.
• Donovan Ricketts had to leave the game in the 29th minute after suffering back spasms from hitting the post while trying to save Claudio Lopez’s goal.
• With Lopez’s goal, the Wizards have now led 1-0 in each of their last four games against the Galaxy. However, the Galaxy are 1-1-2 in those four games.
• This was the first time since the 2-1 loss at San Jose on June 20 that the Galaxy had allowed the first goal of the game.
• Prior to today’s game, the last time the Galaxy had to change goalkeepers in the middle of a game was on August 30, 2008 when Steve Cronin had to leave a 2-2 draw with New England at halftime after suffering a broken hand.
• Landon Donovan tied the score for the Galaxy with his team-leading eighth goal of the season in the 33rd minute.
• Donovan is now tied for third place in MLS, with Colorado’s Conor Casey, in goals scored. Only Guillermo Barros Schelotto (10 goals) and Fredy Montero (nine goals) have more goals this season than Donovan.
• Donovan’s goal was scored from outside the box. They have now scored three goals from outside the box in the last two games after scoring just once from outside the area in the first 17 games of the season.
• David Beckham assisted on the goal for his first assist of the season.
• Omar Gonzalez was shown a yellow card in the 51st minute for a foul on Josh Wolff. It was Gonzalez’s fourth yellow card of the season, meaning that he is now on warning. If Gonzalez gets a yellow card in an of his next three MLS games, he will earn a one game suspension.
• Chris Klein entered the game in the 69th minute, replacing Mike Magee and stretching his MLS record consecutive games played streak to 134.
• The draw was the Galaxy’s 10th of the season, tying a team record that was set in 2004.
• The draw snapped the Galaxy’s four-game winning streak, which was their longest since late in the 2007 season when they won five straight.
• The attendance for today’s game was sell-out of 11,906. It was the biggest home crowd for the Wizards at CommunityAmerica Ballpark. They began playing at the venue last season.
• The Galaxy are back in action on Saturday, August 1 when they host defending Champions League winners FC Barcelona in an international friendly at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. This game can be seen live on Fox Soccer Channel at 8 p.m.
• They return to action in MLS play on Saturday, August 8 when they travel East to take on the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium at 3 p.m. (PT) in a game that can be seen live on Fox Soccer Channel.
• For more about this afternoon’s game, please visit www.lagalaxy.com.

Gametime is Here

We're about 30 minutes from kickoff here at CommunityAmerica Ballpark in Kansas City and the team's are on the field warming up ahead of tonight's game between the Galaxy and Wizards.
With Alecko Eskandarian and Edson Buddle both unavailable, here is the team that Bruce Arena will put out on the field tonight...

---------------Magee---------Gordon------------

Lewis----------------Beckham----------Donovan

---------------------Miglioranzi---------------

Dunivant----Berhalter-----Gonzalez-----DeLaGarza

-----------------------Ricketts-----------------

Subs: Saunders, Sanneh, Griffin, Birchall, Klein, Kirovski, Jordan.

And here is how Bruce's former assistant Curt Onalfo will lineup his squad...

-----------------Lopez-----------Wolff---------------

Espinoza---------------------------------------Gomez

-----------------Hirsig-----------Jewsbury-----------

Besler---------Hohlbein--------McKenzie-----Leathers

-------------------------Hartman----------------------

Subs: Pardo, Harrington, Zusi, Morsink, Kraus, Cristman, Thompson.

Hit the Bull, Win a Steak

Straight after landing in Kansas City on Friday afternoon, the team boarded the bus and went straight to the stadium for a quick training session, allowing the guys to get their legs moving after the flight, while also getting adjusted to a field that not many of the guys have played on before.

Bruce, Dave and Cobi put the guys through an extended warmup before going through some set pieces and functional work.

As is always the case, Bruce gave the guys a few free minutes at the end of training to mess around and do what they saw fit. A number of the guys played a quick game of 5v2, the goalkeepers worked out on their own and some decided to have some fun given that we were inside a baseball stadium.

Just beyond the left field stands at CommunityAmerica Ballpark sits this metal bull with a hole in one of the eyes. By the looks of it, if a player hits a home run through it, someone wins $100,000. Well, if yesterday's training session was a baseball game, someone somewhere would be a bit richer.
Tony, David, Gordo and Eddie Lewis all took aim at the bulls eye and after two near misses from Gordo and Eddie, David stepped up for his first try and put it straight through, leading to a chorus of screams and cheers from his teammates that were looking on.

There was no media inside training at that point so no video exists of this moment, but for all of us who saw (at least part of it) live, it will live on in lore forever. In fact, Gordo was already re-telling the story just minutes after it happened.
Finally, while a few of the players spoke to the media after the conclusion of training, Chris Birchall jumped in goal to face shots from a few of the guys...let's just say that we better hope that Ricketts and Saunders don't both go down, because based on Chris' goalkeeping abilities, he should stick to the midfield.
Speaking of Birchall, Larry Morgan caught up with him earlier this week to talk about what he brings to the club. Larry also spoke to Alan Gordon who, fresh off his goal against AC Milan, could see significant playing time this evening.

Mark Rogondino also looked at tonight's matchup in his latest View from the Booth column, while MLSnet.com breaks down all the numbers and trends heading into the game.

See you all again before kickoff.

What We Think of the Wizards

The team just finished up a training session at CommunityAmerica Ballpark in Kansas City after touching down here earlier this afternoon.

We'll be back with more from that later on, but for now, here is what Bruce, Landon, David and Gordo have to say about tomorrow's game.

Media Day

A number of the players spoke to the media after today's training session, with Landon, David, Alan and Bruce all stopping to answer questions about Saturday's game in Kansas City. Even Ian Sarachan got it on the action speaking with Troy Bardy about his appearance with UCLA against Inter Milan last week.

After the session, and the team's daily video breakdown, Landon called into Petros and Money on Fox Sports Radio (AM 570, our official radio partner, here in LA), which can be heard here.

As we told you yesterday, this will be the Galaxy's first-ever game at CommunityAmerica Ballpark, making it the third new stadium that LA has played in this season. The Galaxy made their first trips to Rio Tinto Stadium and Qwest Field earlier this year, tying Real Salt Lake 2-2 on May 6 and then tying Seattle 1-1 on May 10. All time the Galaxy are 13-13-4 the first time they play in a stadium.

Neither Edson Buddle or Alecko Eskandarian trained today, though they did have their injuries clarified, with Alecko suffering a broken nose and Edson being diagnosed with a sprained right foot. Both players are listed as probable on the Galaxy injury report. They're joined by Dema Kovalenko, who trained once again today, Sean Franklin, who was out running with the trainers for the first time and Julian Valentin, who continues to come back from his broken foot.
Taking a look at the visitors, they will be without their captain Jimmy Conrad and Davy Arnaud, who has three goals and an assist in his last five games against the Galaxy, including the Wizards only goal in their 1-1 draw against the Galaxy in May. Both players remain with the U.S. National Team at the Gold Cup. Curt Onalfo's squad is also scheduled to be without Honduran midfielder Roger Espinoza, who was also at the Gold Cup.

We travel to Kansas City tomorrow before going through a closed training session at CommunityAmerica Ballpark following our arrival. We'll have photos and audio from there.

Back to Business

After two days off following the friendly against AC Milan, the Galaxy returned to the training field this afternoon to begin their preparations for Saturday's trip to Kansas City.

This will be the Galaxy's first-ever trip to the Wizards' current home, CommunityAmerica Ballpark, but they will look to continue their recent success in KC, having lost just once in their last four trips there.

It was a light training session for the most part, focusing primarily conditioning after the team was given Monday and Tuesday off. There wwas also plenty of small sided games to end the day with the goal of getting as many players as possible plenty of touches on the ball.As a result of the team having a sponsor appearance this evening, the players trained under the warm Southern California sun, as opposed to the early morning hours.Edson and Alecko remained inside after picking up knocks against Milan on Sunday, though Dema Kovalenko (seen in the photo below) was back on the field as he continues to get closer to a return from his nagging calf injury.

Galaxy Issue Statement

Bruce Arena issued the following statement regarding the incident that occurred at halftime of the Galaxy’s 2-2 draw with AC Milan on Sunday night at The Home Depot Center.

“We regret the incident that happened at the end of the first half of last night’s friendly at The Home Depot Center. While it is important that our fans remain free to voice their opinions, they must do so in an appropriate manner. We appreciate our players and fans passion for the team and the game, but we all must aim to hold ourselves to higher standards.

We have a very good relationship with the LA Riot Squad and have already reached out to them to set up a meeting to discuss moving forward together in a positive direction. In addition, the LA Riot Squad has informed us that they have issued a lifetime ban to the fan that went onto the field of play.

We want to move in a positive direction as an organization, and ask our fans to support our players and our club as we look to return to the playoffs for the first time in three years. We need the support of our fans to continue providing an amazing home environment at The Home Depot Center as we look to reach our shared goal of qualifying for the playoffs.”

With that said, enjoy a look back at all the goals from the game and let us know which one you think stood out as the pick of the litter.

Esky And Landon's Blasts Up For Goal of the Week

This was a no brainer.

Alecko Eskandarian's third minute blast and Landon Donovan 30th minute strike in last week's 3-1 win in New York have been nominated for Goal of the Week.

To vote for either goal, click here.

Here are the goals complete with the call from Joe Tutino at lagalaxy.com



Here's another look at Esky's left-footed blast...



and Landon's game-winner from distance...

Postmatch Reaction

The guys from both sides were in good spirits following the game with plaudits goinng to a number of players both expected (David and Ronaldinho) and unexpected (BJ and Milan newcomer Thiago Silva) and everyone in between.

Here is what some of the guys had to say...

LA GALAXY QUOTE SHEET
SUNDAY, JULY 19, 2009 – LA GALAXY 2, AC MILAN 2

LA GALAXY HEAD COACH BRUCE ARENA
On the level of the friendly game:
It was worthwhile game. We got something out of it. It is another game against an opponent that is in a number of positions of higher quality than us. It was a great experience for players like Omar Gonzalez and A.J. DeLaGarza. These types of the games are highlights in their young careers. For those players, this game was a positive living.

On David Beckham’s performance:
He certainly needs to continue to work on terms of his fitness. But, he is a guy with a big heart; he gives us a great effort. And the game was good for David to get him into the team, to reintroduce him to our plans.

On playing Barcelona in the near future:
I surely expect the same performance against Barcelona. Barcelona is going to be difficult; we are going to have a little bit of more rest. The game will happen when we are more advanced in our season, so it will be a tough match-up.

LA GALAXY FORWARD LANDON DONOVAN
On the team’s performance:
We are happy with how we played. We’re happy with the performance of the guys that normally don’t get to play a lot. I think this was good for everyone.

LA GALAXY MIDFIELDER DAVID BECKHAM
On the match:
The instructions the manager gave was simple to enjoy ourselves, but to compete because when teams like Milan and other teams at that level come over, you know you want to compete with them and not look silly. And we didn’t look silly. We played some great soccer at times, and so did they. It was a good workout for them.

On the fans reaction:
I’m not disappointed because it doesn’t affect me. At the end of the day, you can’t be liked by everybody, and a lot of people were wondering what the reaction would be here, and they were right. At the end of the day, it didn’t affect me as a player. I think the majority of fans were incredible. There was only one or two that weren’t. The cheers in the end silenced the boos—that was nice.

LA GALAXY FORWARD ALAN GORDON
On his goal:
It’s always good to score goals. It doesn’t matter who against. This one just happens to be AC Milan. It’s something I can take to the grave. I’m going to enjoy this one.

LA GALAXY DEFENDER TODD DUNIVANT
On the match:
I thought it was a good game for the fans. Four goals is always good. That’s what you want with a friendly. A lot of guys got minutes. It was a good showing for us.

On the team’s performance:
I think the team’s gotten confidence. We’ve gotten four wins in a row in league play. We are getting better and better as the season goes on. That’s been the plan. We will continue to build and move forward. It’s not going to be easy. I think you are seeing a better Galaxy team. A tougher team to play against. Slowly the momentum is building and the fans are starting to sense that. We thought that for quite a while when we were getting all those draws. A lot of people were scratching their head. It could have gone either way. We knew we were going in the right direction. We still have a long way to go, but so far so good.

AC MILAN HEAD COACH LEONARDO
On the game:
I think it was a very exciting match. It was a game between different teams; Galaxy is in the middle of the season and their players are in a different physical condition than us. We are in the beginning of our season; we are still in the preparation phase.

On David Beckham’s performance:
[David] did really well. His long passes are incredible; the precision he has is something very special that not many players can do like him. The way he plays is very important for Galaxy. Every ball begins with him, he makes his teammates play.

AC MILAN MIDFIELDER RONALDINHO
On the game:
It was a good game. It was a great opportunity for us to work on our physical condition. I am very happy for this game, and at the same time was really joyful. And, I am thankful for the fans’ kindness.

About his physical condition:
I feel really good. I am a little tired because we haven’t played much in the preseason. But as I said before, I feel good because of the fans’ support.

About Major League Soccer’s level:
Soccer has been growing in the United States. And, I certainly believe that many players will come to this league, so the league will definitely continue to grow.

Galaxy and Milan Thrill Capacity Crowd in 2-2 Draw

LA Galaxy 2, AC Milan 2
Sunday, July 19, 2009
The Home Depot Center – Carson, Calif.

Scoring Summary:
ACM – Thiago Silva (Davide Di Gennaro) 16’
LA – Alan Gordon (Landon Donovan, David Beckham) 30’
ACM – Filippo Inzaghi (Mathieu Flamini, Ronaldinho) 61’
LA – Bryan Jordan (David Beckham) 64’

Misconduct Summary:
None

Lineups:
LA Galaxy: Donovan Ricketts (Josh Saunders 46’), A.J. DeLaGarza, Gregg Berhalter (Tony Sanneh 46’), Omar Gonzalez, Todd Dunivant (Leonard Griffin 46’), Stefani Miglioranzi (Chris Birchall 46’), Eddie Lewis (Chris Klein 65’), Landon Donovan© (Jovan Kirovski 46’), David Beckham (Mike Magee 75’), Edson Buddle (Alan Gordon 23’, Kyle Patterson 83’), Alecko Eskandarian (Bryan Jordan 50’).

Subs Not Used: Yohance Marshall, Tristan Bowen.

AC Milan: Zaljco Kalac (Marco Storari 46’), Massimo Oddo (Michaelangelo Albertazzi 78’), Alessandro Nesta (Giuseppe Favali 46’), Thiago Silva (Harmony Ikande 82’), Marek Jankulovski (Luca Antonini 46’), Mathieu Flamini, Massimo Ambrosini© (Rodney Strasser 78’), Clarence Seedorf (Ignazio Abate 72’), David Di Gennaro (Filippo Inzaghi 46’), Marco Boriello (Gianmarco Zigoni 71’), Ronaldinho.

Subs Not Used: Nnamdi Oduamadi.

Notes:
• With the draw the Galaxy are now 1-0-1 in international friendlies this season. They defeated CS Herediano of Costa Rica 1-0on June 9.
• Bruce Arena used the same starting lineup from the 3-1 win at New York on Thursday.
• The Galaxy were without Sean Franklin, Dema Kovalenko and Julian Valentin who all missed the game through injury. They were the only players who did not dress for LA in this match.
• David Beckham and Chris Birchall each made their 2009 home debuts after officially being added to the club’s roster last week.
• Edson Buddle left the game in the 23rd minute with a hyperextended big toe on his right foot. He was replaced by Alan Gordon.
• Milan took a 1-0 lead in the 16th minute when Thiago Silva flicked a Davide Di Gennaro freekick past Donovan Ricketts to make the score 1-0 Milan.
• Gordon scored the Galaxy’s first goal in the 30th minute, finishing off a move that began with a long cross field pass from David Beckham that found Landon Donovan, who squared the ball across the box for Gordon to hit first time past Zeljko Kalac, making the score 1-1.
• With the goal, Gordon has now scored five goals in international friendlies since the start of the 2008 preseason. He scored in Seoul and Hong Kong during the 2008 preseason, in Vancouver in May 2008 and in Auckland during the 2008 postseason.
• Bryan Jordan also scored for the Galaxy, tying the score at 2-2 in the 64th minute, heading home a David Beckham corner kick.
• Milan had gone ahead in the 61st minute when second half substitute Filippo Inzaghi finished off a pass from Mathieu Flamini, who had received a long ball from Ronaldinho.
• Four different players wore the captain’s armband for the Galaxy, starting with Landon Donovan, who gave it to Eddie Lewis at halftime. When Lewis left the game, he gave the armband to David Beckham who then passed it on to Chris Klein who wore it for the final 15 minutes after Beckham was replaced by Mike Magee.
• David Beckham finished the game with two assists. The only Galaxy player to record two assists in a game this season is Landon Donovan, who had two in the 3-2 loss to Colorado on April 4.
• Only Yohance Marshall and Tristan Bowen dressed but did not play for the Galaxy.
• Omar Gonzalez and A.J. DeLaGarza each played the full 90 minutes.
• The attendance for today’s game was 27,000.
• The Galaxy are back in action on Saturday, July 25 against the Kansas City Wizards at Community America Ballpark. That game begins at 5:30 p.m. (PT) and can be seen live on ESPN2.
• For more about this afternoon’s game, please visit www.lagalaxy.com.

Let's Play a Friendly

Today's lineup...

----------Eskandarian-----Buddle--------------

Lewis----------------Beckham----------Donovan

---------------------Miglioranzi------------------

Dunivant----Berhalter-----Gonzalez-----DeLaGarza

-----------------------Ricketts--------------------

Subs: Saunders, Bowen, Gordon, Griffin, Jordan, Kirovski, Klein, Magee, Marshall, Patterson, Sanneh, Birchall

Here is how AC Milan comes out...

-------------------------Borriello-------------------

Ronaldinho----------------------------------------Di Gennaro

Ambrosini----------------Seedorf--------------Flamini

Jankulvski---------Silva--------Nesta---------------Oddo

-------------------------Kalac---------------------------

Subs: Stori, Favalli, Antonini, Albertazzi, Strasser, Abate, Ikande, Oduamadi, Inzaghi, Zigoni

Bring on the Rossoneri

AC Milan arrived in Los Angeles this evening and made their way straight to UCLA for a training session ahead of Sunday's game against the Galaxy.

Having just returned from a long flight themselves, the Galaxy went through a very short session this morning at The HDC. All 26 players on the Galaxy roster were in attendance, including the injured Julian Valentin in Sean Franklin, who made their way outside to get some sun on a gorgeous Southern California Saturday, as well as Yohance Marshall who returned from his loan spell in Austin to get some playing time tomorrow against Milan.

There were a number of interested observers at the session as well, as the participants in the Galaxy's Youth Camps were there, Yohance had five members of his family in attendance and Edson's father brought his entire club team from back in New York, meeting the team and getting some photos and autographs ahead of the game.
I don't think that it's a stretch to say that all the kids went home happy and will likely be Galaxy fans for life. An Edson goal tomorrow might just seal the deal.

Speaking of Milan clubs, while the team was in New York, Dave Sarachan's son Ian, who has trained with the Galaxy for much of the year, had a day that he'll never forget, playing for UCLA in their 2-2 draw with Inter Milan.

Not a bad way to stay fit I'd say.

Lastly, it's concert time at The HDC with Coldplay in town tonight. The band are big soccer fans so they'll be glad to add a new jersey to their collection as you can see below.


That's it for now, off to the show!

Heading Home

After last night's win, the Galaxy are now heading back to Los Angeles to prepare for Sunday's friendly against AC Milan at a sold out Home Depot Center.

With the team travelling most of the day, the guys were in the gym early this morning to get a solid workout in and keep their bodies on pace for Sunday's game.

That's it from the Garden State and we'll be back with more this weekend.

Galaxy Win 3-1; Postgame Reaction

Re-live tonight's 3-1 win by watching the highlights from the game here or read the match recap from MLS. Pay particular attention to Alecko's opening strike, which was selected as SportsCenter's top play of the night.

They other goals weren't that bad as well we think.

Also, it looks like Landon and David were right when they said this after training on Monday...



Also, be sure to check out the reactions from all the guys on the postgame quote sheet.

Los Angeles Galaxy 3; New York Red Bulls 1
MLS Post-Game Quotes Sheet
Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
July 16, 2009


NEW YORK RED BULLS HEAD COACH JUAN CARLOS OSORIO

On the game:
“A difficult game to describe. In the first half, quite an even game, except for the long shots that they took and they were very effective in doing that. We had two chances to score and we didn’t do it. The scoreline was a little too much. The second half, we competed a little better. We got a goal and we could have scored the second one. We probably concentrated too much forward. Planning, avoiding crosses, from different players. But, we weren’t really prepared for the shots from long distance.”

On being embarrassed being down 3-0 at halftime:
“Yes I do. Yes. I feel sorry. I apologize to the fans. Certainly the scoreline says that. Three-nil. We could at least have scored a goal. At that particular time, my responsibilities are more than that. Its just not feeling embarrassed. It’s trying to get back in the game and compete. And see if we can score and we did. And, we could have scored a second and it would have looked better that it was.”

On frustrating it was to have a full team and be down 3-0:
“Very frustrating. Elaborating on that, Mac (Kandji) looked rusty because of his injuries. Albert (Celedes), we have to take out with 25 minutes to go because we think that his hamstring can go out at any time. I don’t think we are fully fit. We have to take it. That’s the only way. Now, we have to move forward and prepare for the next game.”

On the morale:
“Difficult. I didn’t think that was going to happen today. That we were going to start turning things around and winning some matches. Again, we have to put this behind us. Watch the video and analyze what happened. And, then try to improve win the next game.”

NEW YORK RED BULLS FORWARD JUAN PABLO ANGEL

On the match:
“It was extremely hard to take. They scored three unbelievable goals. Then, it was hard for us to get back. The situation now is not the best. As Juan Carlos said, ‘We have to stick together and try to turn things around sooner rather than later.’”

On second penalty kick, what were you thinking approaching the ball:
“I was just trying to make it at that time. I was just trying to score.”

On whether the goalkeeper guessed the right way:
“He guessed the right way. On the first one I went to the goalkeeper’s right. Then on the second one I went to the goalkeepers left.”

On the team’s morale:
“It is low right now. Understandably, we haven’t been able to win a match in a number of matches. We are professionals. We have to stick together on the field. Not make mistakes right now and try win a football match. When we win one, things will change, but we haven’t been able to.”

NEW YORK RED BULLS MIDFIELDER ALBERT CELADES

On the team’s morale after the second goal:
“After a fantastic goal by (Landon) Donovan, it was difficult to control the game after being down two goals. After you receive another goal, it is very difficult to win.”

On his overall assessment of the first half:
“In my opinion, in the first half, 3-0 does not reflect how the game was going. Los Angeles was not playing much different than New York. There were three fantastic goals for them, but we tried to score and do good things and I think we did some good things. The goalkeeper made two or three great saves and that was too much for us.”

NEW YORK RED BULLS FORWARD MACOUMBA KANDJI

On the Red Bulls’ first half performance:
“Sometimes, there’s nothing to say about that. I think we are cursed this season. In the beginning, after they get the first goal, you think ‘We can get that back,’ and then they get the second goal, and then the third goal made it very tough for us. We dug ourselves a big hole in the first and that’s what killed us.”

On the Red Bulls’ attack:
“We created a lot of chances up top. We have to finish them just like we did in the couple games we won, we have to finish our chances. I don’t know what’s going on nowadays. It’s kind of tough and it’s kind of depressing.”

LOS ANGELES GALAXY HEAD COACH BRUCE ARENA

On the game:
“I thought our team played well. Certainly, the first goal coming as early as it did was a big play in the game. I thought we played a real good first half, both halves, we lost our concentration a little bit; at the end of the first half (Donovan) Ricketts had to make a big save, which in my view, is a big play in the game because it could’ve been 2-1 going into halftime. Instead, it’s 3-0.”

“And then, that mess at the end of the game – it’s something I’m not happy with. A victory well earned. As I said on the television interview a few minutes ago, I became a better coach with the addition of David Beckham and I thought Landon Donovan was fabulous tonight. Our goalkeeper, I think has simply been outstanding this year, so we’re hopeful we can keep building this team and get it better. We have a long way to go, we know it’s not going to be easy but it’s fun working with this group. Our young players are receptive to teaching and it’s fun to see these kids develop and now with the addition of some of our veteran players, who do a great job everyday with this team on the field and in the locker room, it’s been good. Again, we’re hopeful we can keep getting this group better.”

On David Beckham’s performance:
“I thought he was good. David is a competitive guy and at halftime, I told him we’re going to go to 60 minutes and he’s telling me 65, 70. If he had his way, he’d keep going like any player. He’s kept himself reasonably fit from his break with AC Milan and the national team. However, you have to get back in training, he needs some games and I didn’t think we’d get as much from him as we did tonight. I think he certainly brings confidence to the team. We’re a team where we were very suspect in the midfield and all of a sudden, it got real good when you have David Beckham and Landon Donovan in the midfield. And I thought (Eddie) Lewis and (Stefani) Miglioranzi played well and certainly, we took our goals well. I thought we took our goals well. I thought we got three great goals tonight and as I said, got that timely save by Donovan Ricketts. But I thought David was good. He’s got a great attitude, he’s right in and he’s fit right in the group, brought a healthy spirit. It’s not easy for him with the scrutiny and I thought that performance was pretty impressive considering the factors that led him into this game to come back into MLS.”

On Beckham being booed:
“I would think he’s been booed before. I think this is almost a pleasant environment for him tonight. I think it was OK for him – he’s used to that. I think he’s been in bigger venues and bigger games in more difficult conditions and he can deal with a little booing here.”

On Beckham and Landon Donovan winning together:
“There was never any doubt in our minds that these guys would work together, but it was certainly a great moment with all of the build-up with the so-called questionable relationship, it was great. They’re going to be good together. They’re good professionals and certainly, it was a nice moment and hopefully, there’s going to be more of those.”

On Alecko Eskandarian:
“Certainly, he took his opportunity well. I think he’s dangerous, he gives us a little bit of quickness up top running off the ball. It allows us to utilize (Landon) Donovan in the midfield. We technically get quicker and physically get quicker so he’s been a positive addition for sure.”

On if he said anything to Beckham before the game:
“I didn’t have to tell him anything. He knew it. First of all, he’s played here before and obviously on the field, it’s a learning experience for him to get to learn his teammates a little bit more. Obviously, last Saturday – we talked about some of the players. He’s really a great pro and very observant and really understood how to fit in and make the group better. The experience of stepping on the field in a game like this is something that Dave has been through literally hundreds of times so he certainly didn’t need my coaching in that aspect.”

LOS ANGELES GALAXY MIDFIELDER DAVID BECKHAM

On tonight’s game:
“It’s great to be back personally and great to be back on a team that is confident as we showed tonight. When you have this quality, we both enjoy the game; those two goals could be goal of the season easily. That’s great that we put in a performance like this. It’s great to be playing on a confident team. We have quality in this team. I’ve been talking to Landon [Donovan] and the manager and other players as well while I was in Milan and they said we have a good group of players here that will improve and move to a different level. And that showed tonight. I’m more than happy to be back here playing, especially when we play like this tonight. I enjoyed it a lot.”

On tonight’s crowd:
“We were happy with the crowd tonight, a lot of people turned up and we put in a good performance. It’s nice to have thousands of people watching us, but the most important thing is to get three points and we did that tonight – in style, as well. I’ve had a lot more boos before in games, a few tonight, but it’s to be expected. It’s sometimes nice to get the boos. It gives you some inspiration, especially when we play like we did and win like we did. Then the boos start to go away after a while.

On the Galaxy’s chance of winning a championship:
“From what I’ve seen tonight and from what I’ve seen in some other games I’ve watched, without a doubt. We have to push forward still. There’s still a lot of hard work to be done. But we came together as a team. Also, I think not saying too much about the players in the past but we are playing with players who have a lot of confidence and don’t feel as if they aren’t scared to just do stuff on their own. They don’t feel as if they have to give the ball to certain players in attacking positions because they can do it themselves. So I feel that’s the biggest thing. We are playing with players who have a lot of confidence, a lot of ability. And when you play together as team, you see the standard of it tonight and you see players working hard for each other. And when players work hard for each other, it works.”

LOS ANGELES GALAXY MIDFIELDER LANDON DONOVAN

On tonight’s win:
“We played very well. It was nice to have a confident team coming in and a confident team that got a lot better with a world-class player joining us. And we were very good tonight and deserved to win.”

On the Galaxy’s success in his absence:
“They were fantastic. What I think we have done now is built a solid defensive foundation which is hard to breakdown when you have that. And then you add pieces like myself and Alecko [Eskandarian] and Edson [Buddle] playing well and Alan Gordon, who didn’t play tonight who would start on most teams in this league, and then you bring in David, you’re going to have a pretty good team and that’s where we are at right now.”

On the chemistry with David Beckham on the field:
“It was fantastic. The first day he got back in training - with players like that you don’t worry about chemistry because he sees the game the same way. I think even with a little time to practice and get back on the same page, we’ll figure things out a little bit more. He understands how to play the game, he knows how to play and he can make all the plays that I need to get the ball in a good spot.”

On taking the red eye flight to the game tonight:
“We felt collectively that being at the ESPYs was a big opportunity. It’s not often that soccer is on the front of people’s minds in this country and right now, it seems to be. Not necessarily for the right reasons the past two weeks, but people are talking about it and that’s good. I felt it was important. Bruce (Arena) thought it was important. Tim Leiweke thought it was important. And I’m at a place now where it doesn’t matter when I arrive, the preparation is ideal. I know how I’m going to perform and I promised Bruce that and I think it worked out.”

On the New York Red Bulls’ struggles:
“New York actually has a pretty good team. They aren’t as bad as their record is. When I look at their players, they have some good talented players. Sometimes things don’t work out.”

LOS ANGELES GALAXY GOALKEEPER DONOVAN RICKETTS

On the game:
“It’s always nice to get the win. I don’t care if it’s a clean sheet or not. Once you win, I’m happy with that.”

On saving Juan Pablo Angel’s second penalty kick:
“Any save makes me feel good but especially on a penalty, it’s even better.”

LOS ANGELES GALAXY DEFENDER OMAR GONZALEZ

On the team’s form:
“This is our fourth win in a row now and I think the team has been in high sprits with David (Beckham) and Landon (Donovan) and Birch (Chris Birchall) just doing great. I think that we’ve hit a point where we are all playing better together and just have this kind of chemistry that’s hard to beat right now. We just need to keep it going.”

On the significance of the win:
“I think this puts us third in the League and that’s just an awesome job - coming from one of the bottom teams to the top is just amazing. I’m very proud and can’t wait to get home.”

LOS ANGELES GALAXY FORWARD ALECKO ESKANDARIAN

On his start with the team:
“It’s been great - definitely a tribute to my teammates and our coaches to making me feel welcome right away and having the confidence in me to play. It’s been a great start, I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

On his goal:
“I don’t know played the ball into me, but as a team, you want to set the tone early. I took a touch and saw my defender kind of over-committing on the side and just popped it over his head. Once that ball dropped, I lit up because I know those are balls I dream about hitting everyday. It felt great coming off my foot and it was a great goal in my last game here at Giants Stadium.”

Galaxy Win Fourth Straight - Beat New York 3-1

LA Galaxy 3, New York Red Bulls 1
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Giants Stadium – East Rutherford, N.J.

Scoring Summary:
LA – Alecko Eskandarian 3 (Unassisted) 3’
LA – Landon Donovan 7 (Eddie Lewis 3) 31’
LA – Eddie Lewis 2 (Landon Donovan 5) 45’
NY – Juan Pablo Angel (Penalty Kick) 87’

Misconduct Summary:
LA – Gregg Berhalter (Yellow Card) 10’
LA – Alecko Eskandarian (Yellow Card) 27’
NY – Jorge Rojas (Yellow Card) 92+

Lineups:
LA Galaxy: Donovan Ricketts, A.J. DeLaGarza, Gregg Berhalter, Omar Gonzalez, Todd Dunivant, Stefani Miglioranzi, Eddie Lewis (Chris Klein 85’), Landon Donovan©, David Beckham (Chris Birchall 70’), Edson Buddle, Alecko Eskandarian (Mike Magee 72’).

Subs Not Used: Josh Saunders, Tony Sanneh, Jovan Kirovski, Alan Gordon.

New York Red Bulls: Danny Cepero, Jeremy Hall, Luke Sassano, Mike Petke, Jeremy Hall, Seth Stammler, Albert Celades (Dane Richards 62’), Nick Zimmerman (Sinisa Ubiparipovic 70’), Jorge Rojas, Macoumba Kandji (John Wolyniec 79’), Juan Pablo Angel©.

Subs Not Used: Bouna Coundoul, Leo Krupnick, Danleigh Borman, Khano Smith.

Notes:
• With the win the Galaxy are now 6-3-9 on the season, giving them 27 points. LA is now tied for third place in the Western Conference, even on points with Chivas USA, who play at New England on Sunday.
• Bruce Arena made three changes to the team that defeated Chivas USA 1-0 on Saturday. Donovan Ricketts returned in goal after missing the last two games whil on international duty, replacing Josh Saunders who had kept a clean sheet in each of the last two games. Additionally, Eddie Lewis returned on the left side of midfield and David Beckham started in central midfield. Beckham and Lewis replaced Jovan Kirovski and Mike Magee, each of who started the game on the bench.
• The Galaxy were without Sean Franklin, Dema Kovalenko and Julian Valentin who all missed the game through injury.
• David Beckham made his 2009 MLS debut, starting and playing 70 minutes in central midfield. He was replaced by Chris Birchall, who made his MLS debut in the game. Both players received their ITC’s on Wednesday, making them officially eligible to play.
• Alecko Eskandarian gave the Galaxy a 1-0 lead in just the 3rd minute of play. It was his second goal in three games with the Galaxy.
• Eskandarian’s goal tied Landon Donovan’s mark for the fastest goal of the season for LA. Donovan scored in the 3rd minute of the 1-1 draw at FC Dallas on May 23.
• The goal gave the Galaxy a 1-0 for the fourth straight game. The last time the Galaxy scored the first goal in four straight games was from April 30-May 21, 2005. That stretch actually dated back to April 9 of that year with the Galaxy scoring the first goal in six straight games.
• Landon Donovan scored his team leading seventh goal of the year in the 31st minute, hitting a right-footed volley past Danny Cepero from 25 yards out.
• The goal was Donovan’s first in MLS play since May 23 at FC Dallas, a span of seven games. Donovan missed five of those games while away on international duty with the U.S. National Team.
• Eddie Lewis assisted on that goal for his third assist of the season, two of which have come on goals scored by Donovan.
• Both Eskandarian and Donovan’s goals came from outside the box. Prior to today’s game, the Galaxy had scored from outside the box just once all season.
• Lewis then added his second goal of the season in the 45th minute to give LA a 3-0 halftime lead. The last time the Galaxy scored three goals in a half was on September 20, 2008 when they scored three times in the opening 45 minutes of a 5-2 win over D.C. United.
• This was the first time this season that the Galaxy had scored three or more goals in a game. They did so eight times last year.
• Donovan provided the cross for Lewis’ goal, giving him five assists on the season, tying him with Mike Magee for the team lead.
• The Galaxy have now scored a first half goal in each of the last four games. The last time they accomplished that was June 7-28 when they scored in the first half of four straight games, going 2-1-1 in those matches.
• This was the first time the Galaxy had won a game by anything other than a single goal.
• Juan Pablo Angel’s goal in the 87th minute was the first goal allowed by the Galaxy since the 54th minute of the 2-1 loss at San Jose on June 20.The goal snapped a string of 393 consecutive minutes without allowing a goal.
• Donovan Ricketts then saved an Angel penalty kick in the first minute of stoppage time. It was the first penalty kick save of the game since June 23, 2007 when Joe Cannon stopped a Ned Grabavoy penalty in a 3-2 home loss to Columbus.
• The Galaxy have now won four straight games for the first time since September 27-October 13, 2007. Those four wins were part of a five-game winning streak for LA.
• Chris Klein entered the game in the 85th minute, replacing Eddie Lewis and stretching his MLS record consecutive games played streak to 133.
• The attendance for today’s game was 23,238.
• The Galaxy are back in action on Sunday, July 19 when they host AC Milan in an international friendly at The Home Depot Center that can be seen live on FS West at 7 p.m.
• They return to action in MLS play on Saturday, July 25 against the Kansas City Wizards at Community America Ballpark at 5:30 p.m. in a game that can be seen live on ESPN2.
• For more about this afternoon’s game, please visit www.lagalaxy.com.

Ready to Run with the Red Bulls

The lineups are in, the players have completed their warmup and kickoff is imminent at Giants Stadium.

Bruce Arena makes three changes to the team that beat Chivas USA with David Beckham making his debut in central midfield and Eddie Lewis and Donovan Ricketts returning to the starting lineup.

Here is how the team will look tonight.

----------Eskandarian-----Buddle--------------

Lewis----------------Beckham----------Donovan

---------------------Miglioranzi------------------

Dunivant----Berhalter-----Gonzalez-----DeLaGarza

-----------------------Ricketts--------------------

Subs: Saunders, Sanneh, Birchall, Klein, Kirovski, Magee, Gordon

Here is how the Red Bulls look...

-----------------Angel--------Kandji-------------------

Rojas----------------------------------------Zimmerman

-----------------Celades-------Stammler----------------

Pacheco---------Sassano--------Petke---------------Hall

-------------------------Cepero---------------------------

Subs: Coundoul, Krupnik, Borman, Ubiparipovic, Richards, Smith, Wolyniec

Remembering the Celebration

In the nearly 14 years of Major League Soccer, few goal scoring celebrations are as remembered as Alecko Eskandarian's against the New York Red Bulls early in the 2006 season at Giants Stadium.

If you don't remember it, take a look and join Alecko as he looks back on it and be sure to catch Mike Magee's deadpan reaction near the end.

Enjoy.

Our First Look at Giants Stadium for the Last Time

As we told you yesterday, the team held what will likely be their final training session ever at Giants Stadium on Wednesday afternoon. The Red Bulls move into their new home, Red Bull Arena, next year and then following the 2010 NFL stadium, the current Giants Stadium will be demolished with the Jets and Giants moving to a new venue located a few hundred feet from the current one.

With that said, and the team enjoying a quiet day with the game just a few hours away, we thought we'd look back at yesterday's practice.

Also, we hope to be able to get you video of a rather funny interaction between Alecko and Mike Magee whose paths have crossed here in New Jersey a time or two before.

The session opened with some 7v2 possession games with both Cobi and Dave jumping in to fill out the numbers.
The team then worked on some shadow play and full field work on what they expect from the Red Bulls and how they plan to attack them. During this run of play, both goalkeepers spent some time working with the first team. The players then ended training, as usual, with some crossing and finishing drills that left Gordo celebrating at the end.

Locals Ready for the Red Bulls

Tomorrow night against the Red Bulls, the Galaxy will likely take the field with four players who were raised in the shadows of Giants Stadium in the New York Metro area.

Gregg Berhalter, Edson Buddle, Alecko Eskandarian and Stefani Miglioranzi were all raised in either New York or New Jersey so we caught up with them after today's training to see what they think about coming home.

Take a look...



And for those who don't already know, Berhalter was raised in Tenafly, N.J., Buddle in New Rochelle, N.Y., Alecko in Montvale N.J. (and as a bonus, his father Andranik used to call Giants Stadium home, playing for the NASL's New York Cosmos) and Miglioranzi moved to Port Chester N.Y., from Brazil at the age of 12.

Meet the Press

As we told you earlier today, Bruce and David spoke to the media here in New Jersey this afternoon ahead of the team's practice at Giants Stadium this afternoon.

Take a listen to what they had to say...

New York, New York

It's so close but we're just across the river in New Jersey, getting ready for Thursday night's game against the Red Bulls.

The team will have a training session tonight at Giants Stadium, giving all the players a chance to get used to the surface. Having had only one session so far this week, the players all expect to go a little harder than they usually do the day before a game, without over-doing anything.

All fans will be glad to know that a familiar face met us at the hotel when we arrived as Donovan Ricketts had flown up on Monday from Miami, where he played on Friday with Jamaica. The Reggae Boyz weren't knocked out of the Gold Cup officially until Sunday afternoon, so rather than fly to LA on Monday, just to fly back to the East Coast on Tuesday, Bruce and the rest of the coaching staff gave Donovan the day off on Monday and let him fly directly to the Garden State.

We'll be back later on today with notes and photos from practice as well as some video from this afternoon's press conference with Bruce Arena, David Beckham and Juan Carlos Osorio.

Becks on Today Show

Today Show's Matt Lauer sat down with David Beckham to discuss his return to the club.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Afterward, David gave his suit to Matt. (NBC Today Show Blog)

Breaking sports news video. MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL highlights and more.

Galaxy Youth Named To Academy Starting XI

Riley Wolfe, a midfielder on the LA Galaxy's U-16 playoff squad, has been named to the US Soccer Development Academy Starting XI. Wolfe was the only Galaxy Academy player included on the squad.

Wolfe has been on quite a streak. After participating in a match between USSDA select team and U.S. Under-17 Men's National Team in may, Wolfe was invited to take part in the USMNT U-17 camp last month. A huge get as he was one of four not in the team's Residency Program in Bradenton, Fla. to be invited.

He obviously impressed Head Coach Wilmer Cabrera and his staff. Tomorrow, Wolfe will travel to Brazil with the USMNT U-17 Team to take part in a Pre-2009 U-17 World Cup tournament.

As if that weren't, earlier this week, Wolfe and teammate Eric Gonzalez were named to the West Conference Starting XI.

Inside Today's Training - With Three New Faces

The media was out in full force this afternoon as the Galaxy went through their training session at The Home Depot Center. David Beckham trained with the club for the first time while Chris Birchall was also out on the field, going full speed through the 90 minute session.

This is the Galaxy's only session here in the Southland before they travel to New York tomorrow ahead of Thursday's game. So enjoy this look inside a Galaxy practice as we look at the three newest members of the club; Alecko, Becks and Birchall.
The two new B's in the Galaxy midfield, Beckham and Birchall, were on the field together for the first time today.
Birchall has trained with the club on numerous occasions, but this was his first full session after agreeing to terms with the club.
Beckham did not miss a beat on the field today, getting involved straight away in all the drills.
He's been with the team for about 10 days, Alecko is still a new face to us.
The Galaxy midfield gets together for a chat.
Becks and Omar begin to get acquainted.
Alecko and others worked on some finishing...
...while these guys looked on.
Veteran midfielder Chris Klein was a popular interview...
...as of course was David.

Now we're off to New York.