Monday, August 31, 2009

Beckham Winner Nominated for Goal of the Week

It was quite a weekend for David Beckham.

On Saturday he scored his first-ever goal against Chivas USA, giving the Galaxy a 1-0 win over their rivals, then on Sunday he flew off to England to join his National Team ahead of their upcoming friendly against Slovenia on Saturday and World Cup Qualifier against Croatia at Wembley on the following Wednesday.

Finally, to make things better, his goal has now been nominated for the MLS Goal of the Week award.

Watch the goal below and click here to vote.



Now check out the same goal from a different angle...


Lastly, what are you more impressed by, David's goal from Saturday, or this?

Saturday, August 29, 2009

We Got the Cup


Bruce Arena's first piece of silverware arrived tonight with the 1-0 win over Chivas USA that gave the Galaxy the Honda SuperClasico crown.

Here's what the guys had to say after the win...

LA GALAXY HEAD COACH BRUCE ARENA…
Overall thoughts on the match…
That was a hard earned three points. Chivas played well. They came at us real hard. They were really aggressive the first half, but in the second half, we played better. It was a great goal by David Beckham, and a well earned victory. It’s nice to win at home, if you can call this a home game. Our opponent played well tonight. They deserve a lot of credit coming back from their game earlier in the week. Once again our team continues to make progress, we are getting better. We have to win games like this. This was a tough game. I think our concentration and discipline over 90 minutes was real good. I’m pleased with the win. Every point is critical.

On Landon Donovan playing in the midfield…
I think he likes being able to face opponents and not playing with his back to the goal. He gets more involved in the game when he is playing in the midfield than he does up top as a striker. Obviously, he’s work rate and pace are special, and in those positions you can take advantage of that. I thought in the first half [Jonathan] Borstein played him well. In the second half, we started him out on the left. We had success with that. Landon’s been great this year. He’s really grown as a player. The things he does in the locker room and off the field are special as well. He’s having a great season, and we hope it continues. And we wish him the very best for the next ten days with the U.S. National Team.

On David Beckham’s role…
He’s a very experienced and talented player. He has to find different places on the field to be effective. Tonight, [Jesse] Marsch and [Paulo] Nagamura did a good job trying to get around David when he was sitting in a central position. I prefer him going wide or going high instead of coming back to get the ball, and we saw a lot more of that in the second half.

On the improvement of the Galaxy’s defensive compared to last season…
It’s what we are trying to do with this team. To make it a real team you have to win games 1-0. This 4-3 stuff, this 5-4 stuff, I think its nice. I was a part of a 5-4 game when I was with the New York Red Bulls, was maybe one of the worse games I’ve ever been a part of. It was a horrible performance defensively by both teams. For some reason, I read it was one the best games in MLS history, but it was a horror show in terms of defending. We have to learn to play in games like this and we have.

LA GALAXY FORWARD LANDON DONOVAN
On the win…
It’s huge. The breathing from Chivas and the breathing room from the rest of the League is really important. We’ve played more games that everyone and we are off next weekend. Now they are going to start catching up, so it’s nice to have a little bit of cushion. It’s still going to be tight.

On the importance of that last few games…
The last three or four have been really crucial. Just because of whom we’ve been playing. Chicago is right with us, DC who is a team we are trying to keep away from the playoffs. Tonight was huge because Chivas has a few games in hand from us. We did a good job.

On switching to the left side during the second half…
Borstein’s a good player. He does a good job. He knows my strengthens and weaknesses, and did a good job not letting me go at him. And, it helped when I was able to switch sides. I like both sides with [Marcelo] Saragosa playing with a yellow card it was going to be hard for him. I wanted to put him under pressure. Eddie [Lewis] did a good job on the side controlling those two—a lot better than I did. I was able to make it a lot more difficult for Chivas.

LA GALAXY MIDFIELDER DAVID BECKHAM
On his scoring his first goal of the season.…
It’s always nice to score a goal, but it’s always nice to win a game, especially when it’s against your rivals.
I anticipated the ball bouncing and going through where it did. And obviously it did on a wet night and a wet pitch, I had to hit it down because it was bouncing awkwardly. Sometimes they can end up in the back row, luckily this time it ended it the back of the net. It wasn’t the prettiest thing, but three points is three points.

On the team’s performance…
They kind of controlled the game in the first half. Our passing was terrible. We just kept giving the ball away, but sometimes that happens and you just have to persist. In the second half, we picked it up a bit. We knew if we could get the ball to Landon and get the ball through midfield, we would be able to create chances. We started passing a little better and creating chances.

LA GALAXY GOALKEEPER DONOVAN RICKETTS
On achieving his third consecutive shutout:
It’s always good to keep a clean sheet, it gives the team confidence, and it gives us a foundation. So, it is always good.

LA GALAXY DEFENDER TODD DUNIVANT
On the game
The pressure was on us in this game, it was important to get the points today, and we did the job. The bigger picture is the important thing in this situation…winning the trophy, winning two out of three games, and not conceding any losses, is a great result. That’s good and it sets us up for the playoffs, and that’s really our goal at this point, and it really put us in a good position now.

On Donovan Ricketts’ third consecutive shutout:
The biggest key of our turnaround is the team focus on defense, and now we have three shutouts in a row. It’s always a working progress. And again, tonight, Donovan [Ricketts] made big saves whenever we need him, and for the most part we kept them out off our ending, and limited their chances, and I think that was the key of our success.

LA GALAXY MIDFIELDER CHRIS BIRCHALL
On David Beckham’s goal…
As soon as it dropped out, and you saw David step up to hit it, I think everyone thought he would at least get in on target and he did. I don’t think it was the cleanest connection, and he’llprobably admit it. But, I don’t think he is bothered by it at all. He’s got another goal, and especially at this time, when he is getting a hit of criticism. I think it’s good for him that he is playing and getting goals, and hopefully, the England Manager can see it.

LA GALAXY FORWARD JOVAN KIROVSKI
On the game…
It was a good game. There was a lot of passion in the game. You can see both teams wanted to win, but we were a little cautious because we didn’t want to give anything up. It was a typical derby game.

LA GALAXY DEFENDER GREGG BERHALTER
On playing physical aspect of the game…
I think this game is always difficult because of all the emotions, and then add where we are in season and where both teams are on the table. It was a pretty physical game. As the game went on, we didn’t give up a lot. We were able to get a really, really big game win for us.

Finally, for those who did not see this in the pregame, check out Leo Griffin's video from last week's training in D.C. where David took a challenge from Alan Gordon and showed the same pinpoint accuracy that he did with tonight's goal, except this time it was putting a ball into the press box from field level.

Check it out.

Beckham Goal Gives LA 1-0 Win and SuperClasico Title

LA Galaxy 1, Chivas USA 0
Saturday, August 29, 2009
The Home Depot Center — Carson, Calif.

Scoring Summary:
LA – David Beckham 1 (Omar Gonzalez 1, Todd Dunivant 2) 80’

Misconduct Summary:
CHV – Marcelo Saragosa (Yellow Card) 26’
CHV – Maykel Galindo (Red Card) 82’
LA – Chris Klein (Yellow Card) 90’
CHV – Paulo Nagamura (Yellow Card) 92+

Lineups:
LA Galaxy: Donovan Ricketts, A.J. DeLaGarza, Gregg Berhalter, Omar Gonzalez, Todd Dunivant, Stefani Miglioranzi, Eddie Lewis (Chris Klein 68’), Landon Donovan©, David Beckham, Mike Magee (Chris Birchall 86’), Jovan Kirovski (Alan Gordon 75’).

Subs Not Used: Josh Saunders, Leonard Griffin, Tony Sanneh, Bryan Jordan.

Chivas USA: Lance Parker, Marcelo Saragosa, Yamith Cuesta, Carey Talley (Eduardo Lillingston 81’), Jonathan Bornstein, Jesse Marsch© (Bojan Stepanovic 84’), Paulo Nagamura, Jesus Padilla (Chukwudi Chijindu 88’), Sacha Kljestan, Maicon Santos, Maykel Galindo.

Subs Not Used: Kevin Guppy, Ante Jazic, Shavar Thomas, Michael Lahoud.

Notes:
• With the win, the Galaxy are now 9-4-11 on the season, giving them 38 points. LA remains in second place in the Western Conference, two points behind first place Houston and four points ahead of third place Seattle.
• Bruce Arena made no changes to the team that drew 0-0 at D.C. United last weekend. Arena used the same starting 11 and began the game with the same seven available substitutes as he did in that game.
• The Galaxy were without five players for tonight’s game, with Edson Buddle, Alecko Eskandarian, Sean Franklin, Dema Kovalenko and Julian Valentin all missing the game through injury.
• The win gives the Galaxy the Honda SuperClasico title with a 2-0-1 record on the season against Chivas USA. This is the fourth time in the five years of the competition that the Galaxy have won the title.
• Donovan Ricketts made three saves for his fifth shutout of the season and second straight. Ricketts was not credited with a clean sheet in the 2-0 win at Chicago on August 19 because he did not play the full 90 minutes.
• The shutout was the Galaxy’s third straight clean sheet this season, their longest stretch without giving up a goal since June 24-July 15, 2006 when they went five straight games without giving up a goal.
• LA has now gone 306 minutes without giving up a goal, dating back to the 54th minute of the 2-0 loss to Seattle on August 15.
• The Galaxy now have eight clean sheets on the season, three shy of the club record of 11 set in 1999.
• David Beckham’s goal in the 80th minute was his first of the season and first-ever against Chivas USA.
• The Galaxy did not allow a goal in any of the three games that they played against Chivas USA this season. It is the first time that the Galaxy did not allow a goal against a team in an entire season since 2001 when LA shutout Dallas and D.C. United in both games that they played against those clubs.
• Chris Klein entered the game in the 68th minute, replacing Eddie Lewis, stretching his MLS record consecutive games played streak to 139.
• Landon Donovan did not record a goal or an assist against Chivas USA this season for the first time in his MLS career.
• MLS League Pool Goalkeeper Kevin Guppy was the backup for Chivas USA on the night in place of the injured Zach Thornton. A former starter at Cal State-Northridge, Guppy typically trains with the Galaxy and was on the club’s backup goalkeeper for two games earlier this season, including LA’s 1-0 win over Chivas USA on July 11, while Donovan Ricketts was away on international duty at the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
• The attendance for today’s game was a sell out of 27,000. This was the Galaxy’s first home sellout this season.
• The Galaxy are off next weekend but return to action on Saturday, September 12 when they host FC Dallas at The Home Depot Center. The game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. and can be seen on tape delay on FS West starting at 10 p.m.
• For more about tonight’s game, please visit www.lagalaxy.com.

First Trophy of the Year is on the Line

The Honda SuperClasico trophy is up for grabs tonight at The Home Depot Center as the Galaxy host Chivas USA. A capacity crowd is expected in Carson where a Galaxy win or draw will give LA their fourth SuperClasico in five years, but a Chivas USA win will give them their second title in the last three years.

Here is how Bruce will line up his team, with no changes from the 0-0 draw at RFK Stadium last weekend.

--------------Magee--------Kirovski-------------

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

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

Dunivant-----Berhalter-----Gonzlaez-----DeLaGarza

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

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

And here is the team that Preki will put on the field.

--------------Santos--------Galindo--------------

Kljestan----------------------------------Padilla

--------------Marsch-------Nagamura--------------

Bornstein-----Cuesta-------Talley--------Saragosa

---------------------Parker----------------------

Subs: Guppy, Jazic, Thomas, Lahoud, Stepanovic, Chijindu, Lillingston.

Friday, August 28, 2009

Set for the SuperClasico

In what might be the biggest game of their season so far, the Galaxy host Chivas USA at The Home Depot Center on Saturday night in the finale of the Honda SuperClasico.

A win or draw sees LA retain the SuperClasico crown while a Chivas win sees the trophy move down the hall.

We caught up with a few of the guys to see what they had to say about this all important game.

Check it out.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Hot Hot Heat

The summer heat wave has officially hit The Home Depot Center. With temperatures reaching nearly triple figures the club continued their preparations for Saturday's SuperClasico against Chivas USA.

But this wasn't just your ordinary day of training. The work that Bruce and Co. put the guys through was standard for a Thursday afternoon, what went on before and after the session gave the day an added level of importance.

Everything started around 9:30 this morning when the team gathered on the stadium field in front of team photographer Robert Mora for the Galaxy's official 2009 team photo. The only one who was missing from the shot was Tristan Bowen, who remains on loan with Miami FC of the USL-1. But besides him, 25 players, along with 14 coaches and staff were on hand for the shot which will be available later this year.Once the shot was done, everyone was back inside to change into training gear before getting out onto the field for an intense session that featured an extended game of 6v6 to go along with the usual crossing and finishing drills, fitness work and everything else.The players then made their way over to a very special group of guests, as the newest members of the LA Galaxy Youth Academy were on hand to watch training and get an inside look into what they hope to become, members of the LA Galaxy.After the guys met with the Academy Players, Landon and Bruce stuck around to chat with them and welcome them to the program while also letting them know what they are in for as they begin the path toward hopefully becoming professional soccer players. After his welcome, Landon stuck around to take a photo with the kids for a memory that they will not soon forget.Finally, after all that was done, it was time for the guys to address the assembled media and look ahead to Saturday's Battle for Los Angeles.

David, Landon and Bruce were all popular with the press as they always are...

while Mike and Todd also stopped to answer a few questions.

Here is what they all had to say.
Bruce...

David...

Landon...

Todd...

Mike...

Landon Gets the Call

No surprises here, but Landon Donovan was called into the U.S. National Team for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers against El Salvador (Sept. 5 in Sandy, Utah) and Trinidad and Tobago (Sept. 9 in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad). Both games can be seen live on ESPN Classic and Univision.

Click here to see the full squad.

Landon has a National Team record 41 goals in 116 career appearances with the Red, White and Blue, including 11 goals in 31 career World Cup qualifiers.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Stadium Shots


With the final repairs being put on University Field #1, their standard training field, the Galaxy trained on the stadium field at The Home Depot Center this morning. This was the first time all season that the guys had practiced inside the stadium, but it did not change the intensity or speed of the session as the guys remain focused on Saturday's game.With Chivas USA in action tonight at Real Salt Lake, Bruce put the team though a series of short field possession games that were designed to get guys as many touches as possible in small spaces.

While that was going on on the field, Edson, Sean and Jules were all running along the endline, going through an extensive, hour-long workout that is part of their continued rehab.All three guys have had foot or leg injuries so they are just now starting to be able to get their fitness work up to where it needs to be in order to return to the field.

After the session, some of the guys worked did some additional fitness work on their own...while most of the guys joined Dave for some finishing drills, much to the delight of a group of Herbalife distributors who were in attendance and were sitting on the field behind the goal.After not training inside the stadium all season long, the full team will be back inside there tomorrow morning, but not for training. Instead, the club will take the official team photo before training. We'll have some background shots from that and more tomorrow as we move one step closer to the SuperClasico.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Tuesday Notebook

The Galaxy were back on the field this afternoon for the first time since the 0-0 draw at D.C. United on Saturday. The team was split into two groups with the starters and those who played significant minutes staying inside for a gym workout, while the reserves were out on the field playing some small-sided games.

Yesterday's off day was the first weekday, day off for the full team since the start of August. Between travel, international duty and training session, it has been a busy month for the guys. But with the SuperClasico on Saturday, everybody is focused squarely on the task at hand, which is getting three points and closing the gap on Houston.

Here are a few notes from the past couple of days and today...

  • Donovan Ricketts was outside this morning for the small-sided games despite playing 175 minutes last week without surrendering a goal. Ricketts was sporting a new Spongebob band aid over the stitches that he received last week.
  • Gregg Berhalter also made his way outside to get some fitness work in.
  • Edson Buddle, Sean Franklin and Julian Valentin were all outside today doing some work with the training staff. Franklin has been working his way back to fitness for the last month, while Buddle and Valentin, as well as Alecko Eskandarian, began some light work last week while the team was on the road.
  • With the college season back upon us, the numbers at training were smaller than they had been recently. Players from UCLA, UC-Irvine, UIC and more had spent time training with the Galaxy at various points this summer.
  • Tristan Bowen was also not in attendance. He spent the start of last week in training with Miami FC of the USL First Division and they elected to sign him on loan for the remainder of the USL season. Bowen made his Miami debut on Saturday, playing 90 minutes in a 3-1 loss to Portland, while also coming off the bench the following night in a 2-0 loss at Vancouver. The Blues have seven games left in their season and are currently six points out of the seventh and final playoff spot in the USL. Bowen will rejoin the Galaxy at the conclusion of the USL season.

Don't forget that if you want to have a chance to see the LA's next opponent, Chivas USA, they are in action on Wednesday night at Real Salt Lake. Jesse Marsch and Eduardo Lillingston are each one booking away from suspension, meaning that a yellow card for either of them at Rio Tinto Stadium would rule them out of Saturday's final leg of the SuperClasico.

The Galaxy enter that game with a 1-0-1 record in the series this year following a 0-0 draw on April 11 and a 1-0 win on July 11. That means that a Galaxy win or draw would see LA win the SuperClasico trophy for the fourth time in five years. Chivas USA can only win the crown with a victory.

Monday, August 24, 2009

The Narrow World of Sports

A few weeks ago, we told you about famed writer Peter Mehlman coming out to a Galaxy training session to catch up with Landon Donovan.

We were skint with the details at that time but now we are ready to give you more.

Mehlman, has partnered with Google, Youtube and Berman Braun productions to create Peter Mehlman's Narrow World of Sports. In the show, Mehlman meets with athletes from across the United States including Kobe Bryant, Tony Hawk, Kevin Youkilis, Danica Patrick and many more, to discuss some of the finer points of their chosen sports and give viewers a peek inside the mind of their favorite athletes.

Click here to see all of the past episodes (new ones premier every Sunday night) and be sure to check out Landon's episode below. As you'll see, Landon discusses everything that goes into being the best soccer player in the United States and the responsibilities that go with it, the differences between the game here and abroad and much more...albeit from a decidedly different angle.



Speaking of Landon, his goal from Wednesday night at Chicago has been nominated for the MLS Goal of the Week award. Click here to vote .

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Postgame Wrap-Up

In case you haven't seen them, here are the Galaxy's highlights from Saturday's 0-0 draw in D.C.



Watch the full-match highlights on MLSnet.com.

After the match, large groups of reporters gathered around Bruce, David and Landon. Here's what they said...

Bruce...

David...

Landon...

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Galaxy Get 0-0 Draw With D.C.; Finish Two-Game Road Trip With Four Of Six Possible Points

LA Galaxy 0, D.C. United 0
Saturday, August 22, 2009
RFK Stadium — Washington D.C.

Scoring Summary:
None

Misconduct Summary:
DC – Ben Olsen (Yellow Card) 10’
LA – Landon Donovan (Yellow Card) 31’
LA – Mike Magee (Yellow Card) 54’
DC – Rodney Wallace (Yellow Card) 68’

Lineups:
LA Galaxy: Donovan Ricketts, A.J. DeLaGarza, Gregg Berhalter, Omar Gonzalez, Todd Dunivant, Stefani Miglioranzi, Eddie Lewis (Bryan Jordan 85’), Landon Donovan©, David Beckham, Mike Magee (Alan Gordon 60’), Jovan Kirovski (Chris Klein 65’).

Subs Not Used: Josh Saunders, Leonard Griffin, Tony Sanneh, Chris Birchall.

D.C. United: Josh Wicks, Marc Burch, Dejan Jakovic, Bryan Namoff, Ben Olsen© (Chris Pontius 69’), Clyde Simms, Rodney Wallace, Fred (Andrew Jacobson 84’), Christian Gomez (Jaime Moreno 51’), Santino Quaranta, Luciano Emilio.

Subs Not Used: Milos Kocic, Julius James, Avery John, Devon McTavish.

Notes:
• With the draw, the Galaxy are now 8-4-11 on the season, giving them 35 points. LA remains in second place in the Western Conference, three points ahead of third place Seattle and four points behind first place Houston, who are tied for the MLS lead with 39 points on the season.
• Bruce Arena made two changes to the team that beat Chicago 2-0 at Toyota Park on Wednesday night. David Beckham and Eddie Lewis each returned to the team after missing the previous game through suspension. They replaced Chris Birchall and Dema Kovalenko.
• Kovalenko did not dress for the game because of a right heel injury.
• In addition to Kovalenko, the Galaxy were without four players, with Edson Buddle, Alecko Eskandarian, Sean Franklin, and Julian Valentin all missing the game through injury.
• Donovan Ricketts made three saves to record his second consecutive clean sheet. Fourth of the season.
• Chris Klein entered the game in the 65th minute, replacing Jovan Kirovski, stretching his MLS record consecutive games played streak to 138.
• The Galaxy are now 6-0-5 against Eastern Conference teams this season, including a 4-0-2 mark on the road.
• The attendance for today’s game was 22,134.
• The Galaxy are back in action on Saturday, August 29 when they return to The Home Depot Center for the final leg of the Honda SuperClasico against Chivas USA. That game can be seen live on ESPN2 starting at 8 p.m. (PT).
• For more about tonight’s game, please visit www.lagalaxy.com.

Wet and Wild

It's a warm and wet one here at RFK Stadium as the LA Galaxy prepare to take on D.C. United. LA has just one loss in their last eight league games, while United has won just once in their last seven in the league.

David Beckham and Eddie Lewis are back in the starting lineup following their suspensions, replacing Chris Birchall and Dema Kovalenko.

Here is how the full team looks...

--------------Magee--------Kirovski-------------

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

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

Dunivant-----Berhalter-----Gonzlaez-----DeLaGarza

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

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

The home side, is without their head coach, Tom Soehn, who misses the game with flu-like symptoms, leaving Chad Ashton in charge. And here is the team that he puts on the field.

--------------Emilio--------Quaranta---------------

---------------------Gomez-------------------------

Wallace----------------------------------------Fred

---------------Olsen-------Simms------------------

-----------Burch----Jakovic------Namoff----------

---------------------Wicks-------------------------

Subs: Kocic, James, John, Jacobson, McTavish, Moreno, Pontius

This Week Inside the Galaxy - Episode 14

Join This Week Inside the Galaxy as we look back at the loss to Seattle, the win over Chicago and ahead to the game with D.C. United.

We also catch up with a number of superstar fans such as DJ Spinderella, R&B legend Brian McKnight and World Heavyweight Champion Vitali Klitschko following the loss to Seattle to get their thoughts on the Galaxy and the Beautiful Game.

Enjoy all that and more, This Week Inside the Galaxy.

Friday, August 21, 2009

UPDATED: Bring on United

After two training sessions in the nation's capital, the Galaxy are in the right mindset to make it two wins in a row on Saturday night against D.C. United.

The team travelled to D.C. on Thursday afternoon, where they were joined by David and Eddie, who had flown in from LA earlier in the day. Shortly after arriving at the team hotel, it was back on the bus for everybody as we made our way over to RFK Stadium for a very light training session on a day that could best be described as oppressively muggy.

Cobi led the first team players from Wednesday on a jogwhile Dave got the rest of the guys together for some small-sided possession play between the young guys and the old guys (won convincingly by the old guys team of David, Eddie, Chris, Tony and Gordo) that featured a virtuoso performance as a neutral field player by Josh Saunders.
Following the possession game, Dave broke his group into two teams for a series of relay races that worked on fitness and also gave a few of the guys some bragging rights for the evening.

The players were given the rest of the night off and reconvened for a lunch and video session this afternoon, which was followed by the players meeting with the press.

As is typically the case, Bruce, Landon and David were all popular with the press, as were players with local ties, such as A.J. and Omar.

Below is a sampling of what they had to say...

Bruce...

David...

Landon...

On the injury front, the two players who left Wednesday's game against the Fire look to be healthy, with Dema working to overcome his sore heel...

and Donovan (seen here resting before Thursday's practice) sporting 10 new stitches above his right eye following his collision late in the win over Chicago.

If you want some more notes about tomorrow's game betwen the two best teams in MLS history, be sure, to download the game guide and read this preview from MLSnet.com.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Bruce, Landon and Mike React to 2-0

The guys were on a high last night after the 2-0 win at Chicago, but they were also aware of the task that was still at hand with Saturday's game at D.C. United.

Here is what the guys had to say last night.

Los Angles Galaxy Head Coach Bruce Arena:

On the win:

Our guys have played well over the last seven or eight games, it’s put us right back in the thick of things. Coming here and playing solid defensively and getting the first goal of the game was critical. I think our guys, tactically, played a really good game.

We were solid for 90 minutes and really limited Chicago with their chances. Chicago is a very good team.

Both teams were coming off weekend games, and it’s never easy. I give our team a lot of credit for recovering after a disappointing loss on Saturday and ready to play in Chicago on Wednesday. That’s a great win for our team.

LOS ANGELES GALAXY FORWARD MIKE MAGEE

On his goal and assist

“It’s a great feeling, after a 2-0 loss at home. Being from the Chicago area to come home and play in front of friends and family on a nationally televised game is special, but to get a win is the most important thing.”


LOS ANGELES GALAXY CAPTAIN LANDON DONOVAN

On his goal:

“The ball was cleared and I jumped over Logan [Pause] and got a little touch to Jovan [ Kirovski] brought it down to Mike [Magee], I kept my run going and Mike played a great ball into me and I just wanted to get into a good spot, and hit it hard on goal.”

On scoring against the run of play

“At home the Fire does a good job of keeping possession, but they were never dangerous. They can have the ball if they want but if they are not threatening our goal, that’s fine.”

On his 200th game

“I’m very proud of it. At the end of day, it doesn’t mean a whole lot, I’d like to have 200 more but I am proud that I’ve been able to stick around that long.”


On bouncing back from the Seattle loss:

“We expect to win every time we play. We were fairly disappointed after the Seattle game so this was a big game for us and an important win for the team.”

On playing without Beckham:

“Not having David on the field hurts us for sure. The guys that played tonight did a great job, we kept them from having a shot on goal. It was a good day for us.”

And from the other locker room...

CHICAGO FIRE COACH DENIS HAMLETT

“We needed to shoot – we had zero shots on goal. So,that sort of sums up the night. You can’t win a game when you don’t have shots on goal.”

“Tonight was not our best night all around. For whatever reason, big game, big crowd, we weren’t sharp from the get go – there was no sense of urgency. There’s some credit to LA – they came in and were well organized and got behind the ball and waited for us to make some mistakes. The first goal was a classic - they caught us on the counter. We had a chance to make a play with Wilman [Conde] and Dasan [Robinson], and we didn’t. They get their first goal, once they got that, they sent in a wave to let us make a mistake.”

“We talked about coming in and being organized. I thought the back five did well tonight. We just needed to play with some urgency, use the flanks. We just didn’t play with urgency. Overall, it just wasn’t our night. We’re not going to feel sorry for ourselves – we have a game on Sunday and that’s going to be important.”

CHICAGO FIRE FORWARD PATRICK NYARKO

On the Galaxy Defense:

“They stopped us from playing our game and getting anything going. Unfortunately it wasn’t our day.”

On the loss:

“We just played right into their hands. They came up with a game plan and stuck to it; they pinched us and we couldn’t alter our game and played straight to their hands.”

CHICAGO FIRE MIDFIELDER JOHN THORRINGTON

On the team’s performance:

“It just wasn’t good enough. Front to back, I don’t think they created too many chances, but they waited for us to make mistakes. They took their chances well. 1-0 we’re still in the game, and you have Landon who can run from midfield and score a goal from nothing. Aside from the result, we’re all disappointed with the performance tonight.

CHICAGO FIRE GOALKEEPER JON BUSCH

On the match:

“We were all off tonight. Bottom line, it wasn’t good enough. Big players need to step up in games, and none of us did.”

On the team’s performance:

“We didn’t play effective soccer – that’s what wins games and what LA just did to us. That’s what got us 3 points in Kansas City. Tonight wasn’t effective soccer. It’s plain and simple. If you can’t get up for big games like this, I don’t know what the problem is. It doesn’t have to be fancy soccer; it has to be effective soccer.”

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Galaxy Win at Toyota Park; Beat The Fire 2-0

LA Galaxy 2, Chicago Fire 0
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Toyota Park — Bridgeview, Ill.

Scoring Summary:
LA – Mike Magee 2 (Jovan Kirovski 1) 23’
LA – Landon Donovan 10 (Mike Magee 6, Jovan Kirovski 2) 54’

Misconduct Summary:
LA – Stefani Miglioranzi (Yellow Card) 43’
CHI – John Thorrington (Yellow Card) 61’
LA – Donovan Ricketts (Yellow Card) 72’

Lineups:
LA Galaxy: Donovan Ricketts (Josh Saunders 85’), A.J. DeLaGarza, Gregg Berhalter, Omar Gonzalez, Todd Dunivant, Stefani Miglioranzi, Dema Kovalenko (Chris Klein 46’), Chris Birchall (Tony Sanneh 68’), Landon Donovan©, Mike Magee, Jovan Kirovski.

Subs Not Used: Leonard Griffin, Kyle Patterson, Alan Gordon, Bryan Jordan.

Chicago Fire: Jon Busch, Austin Washington, Dasan Robinson, Wilman Conde, Brandon Prideaux (Mike Banner 64’), Logan Pause (Justin Mapp 64’), John Thorrington, Chris Rolfe (Stefan Dimitrov 78’), Marco Pappa, Cuauhtemoc Blanco©, Patrick Nyarko

Subs Not Used: Andrew Dykstra, C.J. Brown, Peter Lowry, Calen Carr.

Notes:
• With the win, the Galaxy are now 8-4-10 on the season, giving them 34 points. LA is now alone in second place in the Western Conference, two points ahead of third place Seattle and five points behind first place Houston, who are tied for the MLS lead with 39 points on the season.
• The win is the first at Toyota Park in four tries for the Galaxy, who had previously lost three MLS games and the 2006 U.S. Open Cup here at the Bridgeview, Ill. stadium.
• Bruce Arena made four changes to the team that lost 2-0 to Seattle on Saturday at The Home Depot Center. Chris Birchall, Landon Donovan, Dema Kovalenko and Mike Magee were all drafted into the lineup in place of David Beckham, Alan Gordon, Chris Klein and Eddie Lewis. Beckham and Lewis each missed the game while serving one-game suspensions for red cards that they picked up against the Sounders while Gordon and Klein began tonight’s game on the bench.
• In addition to Beckham and Lewis, the Galaxy were without four players, with Edson Buddle, Alecko Eskandarian, Sean Franklin, and Julian Valentin all missing the game through injury.
• Chris Birchall made the first start of his MLS career in tonight’s game. His first two league appearances had come as a second half substitute.
• Landon Donovan was also back in the starting lineup as the Galaxy captain after starting Saturday’s game on the bench. He made the 200th regular season appearance of his MLS career in the game.
• Dema Kovalenko made his first appearance in a regular season game since the 2-0 loss to Real Salt Lake on June 13. He has missed the last eight league games while recovering from a left calf injury.
• Kovalenko left the game at half time with a right heel injury.
• Mike Magee’s goal in the 22nd minute was his second of the season, with both coming on the road. A native of Chicago, Magee has four career assists against the Fire, but this was his first goal.
• Jovan Kirovski assisted on the goal for his first assist in an MLS game since August 26, 2007 when he set up a Conor Casey goal for the Colorado Rapids in a 3-0 win over the Galaxy at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.
• Kirovski also assisted on Landon Donovan’s goal in the 54th minute for his second assist of the game. This is the second time in his MLS career that Kirovski has collected two assists in a game and the first since May 28, 2005 in a 2-0 Galaxy win over Chivas USA.
• Donovan’s goal in the 54th minute was the 10th of the season, placing him in a three-way tie with Guillermo Barros Schleotto and Fredy Montero for second place in the league in goals this season, one behind the MLS leader, Conor Casey of Colorado who has 11.
• The goal was the 94th of Donovan’s MLS career and he now has 10 or more goals in five of his nine seasons in the league.
• Mike Magee also assisted on Donovan’s goal for his team-leading sixth assist of the season, setting a new career-high.
• Donovan Ricketts, who played 85 minutes, recorded his first clean sheet since June 28, when the Galaxy shutout the Houston Dynamo at The Home Depot Center 1-0. Ricketts did not face a shot on goal. Saunders came in off the bench to replace Ricketts. Saunders did not face a shot on goal either in his five minutes on the field.
• Stefani Miglioranzi was booked in the 43rd minute for a foul on Cuauhtemoc Blanco. It was Miglioranzi’s fourth yellow card of the season, placing him on official warning. If Miglioranzi gets a yellow card in any of the Galaxy’s next three games he will be forced to serve a one-game suspension.
• Chris Klein entered the game at halftime, replacing Dema Kovalenko, stretching his MLS record consecutive games played streak to 137.
• The Galaxy are now 6-0-4 against Eastern Conference teams this season, including a 4-0-1 mark on the road.
• The attendance for today’s game was 20,000.
• The Galaxy are back in action on Saturday, August 22 when they continue their road trip with a visit to RFK Stadium to take on D.C. United. That game can be seen live on Fox Soccer Channel starting at 4:30 p.m. (PT).
• For more about tonight’s game, please visit www.lagalaxy.com.

Game Time in Chicago

With midfielders David Beckham and Eddie Lewis serving their one-game suspension due to the red card they received in last week's game, the midfield has two new components to it: One of them is making his return to the starting XI while the other is getting his first ever start in MLS.
Here are tonight's lineup.

-------------Kirovski------------Magee------------------

----------------------Donovan---------------------------

---------Kovalenko---------------Birchall----------------

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

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

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

Subs: Saunders, Sanneh, Griffin, Patterson, Klein Jordan, Gordon

And here's how the Fire's starting lineup looks:

--------------------Rolfe---------Nyarko---------------------

Pappa---------------------Blanco-----------------Thorrington

--------------------------Pause---------------------------------

Prideaux----------Conde--------Robinson-----------Washington

-------------------------Busch----------------------------------

Subs: Dykstra, Brown, Banner, Dimitrov, Lowry, Mapp, Carr.

And if you have a few minutes before the game, check out some scenes from the club's training sessions at The HDC earlier this week.

Training Day at Toyota Park and a Special Visit

We showed you yesterday how a few of the Galaxy players and coaches met with the media at our team hotel ahead of today's game against the Fire.

After speaking with the media, the team made its way to Toyota Park for a final training session prior to the game. The session was closed to the public, but our photographer was there to snap all of these shots of the guys in action.

Finally, we looked a bit closer at the last photo of Mike and discovered something incredible that you can see below.


Yes, the wildly famous photo squirrel made his way down from Canada to Galaxy practice yesterday to get a closer look at the guys. If you'd like to add the little scamp (the squirrel, not Mike) to any of your photos, click here.

That's it for now, but we'll be back prior to kickoff with complete lineups for both sides.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

UPDATED: Talking Fuego

Bruce Arena and Landon Donovan talked to members of the Chicago media earlier today ahead of Wednesday's game against the Fire.

After the media avail, the guys jumped on the bus and made their way to Toyota Park for training. We'll be sure to post a recap about tonight's training session either tonight or tomorrow morning.


Bruce...


Landon...

A.J. Gets a Nomination

Donovan Ricketts has won it twice, Josh Saunders claimed the prize once, and now A.J. DeLaGarza has been nominated for the MLS Save of the Week award.

Take a look at A.J.'s save below and click here to vote for him.

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Galaxy React to 2-0 Defeat

Here is what the players had to say following Saturday night's defeat.

LA GALAXY HEAD COACH BRUCE ARENA
On the team’s performance:
“Simply, it is not a good performance for our team tonight. Obviously, the initial red card put us behind the eight ball, and we had to battle for seventy-something minutes with 10, and then eventually nine, and all of that. Disappointing was our start of the second half, and conceding the second goal was highly disappointing; a bunch of guys standing around, watching the Seattle guy making the play. Not a good night tonight, didn’t deserve more than what we got.”

On Landon Donovan’s performance:
“It is certainly wasn’t easy for any attacking player, at that point when you are down with a player, he drew a number of fouls and the second yellow on [Tyrone] Marshall. There were spurts that he played really well, not an easy game for the attacking players with this circumstances that they had to deal with.”

LA GALAXY FORWARD LANDON DONOVAN
On his availability for the game:
“I actually felt really good. In hindsight, I wish I could’ve started the game because I had a lot of energy, but it’s frustrating that I couldn’t play more. He [Bruce Arena] asked me how I was feeling, and I said I thought I could play 45 minutes. Maybe in hindsight, I would’ve tried to start the game and see how I felt at halftime, but in an ideal world, maybe we are winning and I don’t have to come in until even later, but that is how it went tonight.”

On him getting the H1N1 flu:
“Having experience it, it just like any other flu like I ever had, there is obviously a lot of serious cases, but I did a lot of research, and learned a lot about it and the majority of the cases are just like any other flu. The realities and the perceptions are very different, that being said, from what I understand, there is not a lot they know about it. From my experience, it was just a normal flu.”

On David Beckham’s red card:
“In games like that, you rely on the ref to do a good job of keeping things under control, and when the first bad tackle is given a red card then the rest of the game follows. And that is the unfortunate part; it is too bad it has to go that way.”

LA GALAXY MIDFIELDER DAVID BECKHAM
On his red card:
“Pete [Vagenas] is one of my best friends. I think it was a hard tackle but by no means is it a red card. I’ve never gone into a tackle wanting to hurt someone, but the referee saw it different. It was a hard tackle, but not malicious.”

On the game:
“I think the guys battled. It’s always hard when you go down to 10 men and lose a man. It was a tough night for us. We went into the game in such a good position and in such good form, but you can’t win every game.”
LA GALAXY DEFENDER GREGG BERHALTER
On tonight’s game:
“I never want to blame a game on the referee I never want to do that I think that we thought with our attitude and our effort from the beginning and normally we are a team that react conceptive we are disappointed with our effort tonight.”

LA GALAXY MIDFIELDER MIKE MAGEE
On tonight’s game:
“It is pretty disappointing I thought we prepared well. We have gone on a pretty good streak some pretty unfortunate events, some calls didn’t go our way and we didn’t regroup after well enough or as we would like.”

On trying to bounce back into the game:
“We over came a lot of adversity and played without a lot of different guys we are not to worried at this point. Well obviously we would like to get a home win before we go to Chicago and DC but I am sure we will be alright.”

On the two upcoming road games:
“This is a tough stretch of the season. I think we are going to see what we are made of and this will be a good test for us.”

LA GALAXY DEFENDER TODD DUNIVANT:
On playing without Beckham and Lewis in the next game:
“We are going to have to deal with it. It is the reality of the situation we are in, we played early in the year with guys missing and we are going to have to do it again it is always going to happen. Guys are going to have to step up and that is why we have a deep squad it is not easy but we cannot make excuses.”

On the two upcoming road games:
It is going to be a tough week, those are two tough places to play but we have proven that we are really tough on the road. It is time that we grind our teeth again and get out there and hopefully get refocused on this game. We put ourselves in a hole early on and we didn’t respond well and when you do that it makes it real tough to get any points out of the game I think all of us could have done a better job tonight and hopefully we could refocus for next week.

On the how tight the Western Conference is:
“It is tight, it is really one big table at this point if you look at the top nine teams they are all really tight it is going to be a tight run through but we put ourselves in a good position now and we are going to keep playing games and keep getting results. This week will be big we have done well up till now but one game is not going to throw us out of it. We will pick up and be ready for Wednesday.”

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Unbeaten Streak Snapped at Six; Fall to Seattle 2-0

LA Galaxy 0, Seattle Sounders FC 2
Saturday, August 15, 2009
The Home Depot Center—Carson, Calif.

Scoring Summary:
SEA – Steve Zakuani 3 (Brad Evans 2) 22’
SEA – Fredy Montero 10 (Nate Jaqua 7, Peter Vagenas 1) 54’

Misconduct Summary:
LA – A.J. DeLaGarza (Yellow Card) 14’
LA – David Beckham (Red Card) 17’
SEA – Tyrone Marshall (Yellow Card) 65’
SEA – Tyrone Marshall (Yellow Card/Red Card) 76’
LA – Eddie Lewis (Red Card) 79’
SEA – Fredy Montero (Yellow Card) 81’
LA – Jovan Kirovski (Yellow Card) 94+

Lineups:
LA Galaxy: Donovan Ricketts, A.J. DeLaGarza, Gregg Berhalter, Omar Gonzalez, Todd Dunivant, Chris Klein (Bryan Jordan 58’), David Beckham, Stefani Miglioranzi (Landon Donovan 46’), Eddie Lewis©, Alan Gordon (Mike Magee 61’), Jovan Kirovski.

Subs Not Used: Josh Saunders, Tony Sanneh, Chris Birchall, Dema Kovalenko.

Seattle Sounders FC: Kasey Keller©, James Riley, Patrick Ianni, Tyrone Marshall, Leo Gonzalez, Brad Evans, Osvaldo Alonso, Peter Vagenas, Steve Zakuani (Sebastien LeToux 74’), Fredy Montero (Zach Scott 81’), Nate Jaqua (Sanna Nyassi 88’).

Subs Not Used: Terry Boss, Nathan Sturgis, Tyson Wahl, Freddie Ljungberg.

Notes:
• With the loss, the Galaxy are now 7-4-10 on the season, leaving them with 31 points. LA is now alone in third place in the Western Conference, one point behind second place Seattle, who jumps to 32 points and one point ahead of fourth place Chivas USA and Colorado, who each have 30 points.
• Bruce Arena made one change to the team that beat New England 2-1 in their last weekend. Chris Klein returned to the lineup in place of Landon Donovan who entered the game at the half despite suffering from the flu.
• The Galaxy were without four players, with Edson Buddle, Alecko Eskandarian, Sean Franklin, and Julian Valentin all missing the game through injury.
• David Beckham’s red card in the 17th minute was his first red card in his MLS career. He will now miss Wednesday night’s game in Chicago through suspension.
• Seattle’s goal in the 22nd minute is only the 10th goal the Galaxy defense has allowed in the first half. The last time they allowed a first half goal was on July 25 when the Galaxy came back to tie Kansas City, 1-1, at CommunityAmerica Ballpark.
• Donovan entered the game at halftime for Stefani Miglioranzi. It was just the 15th time in his MLS career that he entered the game as a substitute and sixth as a member of the Galaxy.
• The loss snaps the Galaxy’s six game unbeaten streak. It is their first loss since a 2-1 loss at San Jose on June 20.
• The Galaxy were shutout for the first time since a 2-0 loss at home to Real Salt Lake on June 13.
• Eddie Lewis was sent off in the 79th minute. It was his second red card of the season. He will now miss Wednesday night’s game at Chicago.
• The Galaxy have now had two players sent off in a game twice this season. Gregg Berhalter and Alan Gordon were both sent off in the 0-0 draw with Chivas USA on April 11.
• Beckham and Lewis’ red cards were the sixth and seventh red cards against the Galaxy this season.
• Former Galaxy defender Tyrone Marshall was sent off for Seattle in the 76th minute after picking up two yellow cards.
• Chris Klein started the game on the right side of midfield, stretching his MLS record consecutive games played streak to 136.
• The attendance for today’s game was 20,162.
• The Galaxy are back in action on Wednesday, August 19 when they travel to play the Chicago Fire at Toyota Park at 6 p.m. (PT) in a game that can be seen live on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes.
• For more about tonight’s game, please visit www.lagalaxy.com.

Bring on the Sounders

The teams are in and kickoff is on the horizon at The Home Depot Center as the Galaxy prepare to take on the Seattle Sounders.

The big story of the week has been the health of Landon Donovan and he starts the game on the bench for LA. Chris Klein starts in his place on the right side of midfield.

Here is how the rest of the team looks.

-------------Gordon------------Kirovski------------

Lewis----------------Beckham------------------Klein

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

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

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

Subs: Saunders, Sanneh, Birchall, Kovalenko, Donovan, Jordan, Magee

Former Galaxy head coach Sigi Schmid sends his Sounders, who are without their designated player Freddie Ljungberg, through illness, will lineup.

----------------Montero---------Jaqua--------------------

Zakuani--------Vagenas---------Alonso--------------Evans

Gonzalez-------Marshall---------Ianni---------------Riley

-------------------------Keller----------------------------

Subs: Boss, Scott, Sturgis, Wahl, Nyassi, Ljungberg, LeToux.

This Week Inside the Galaxy - Episode 13

Relive the Galaxy's 2-1 win at New England, highlighted by Landon Donovan's wonder goal, and look ahead to the all important Western Conference showdown between LA and Seattle.

All that and more, This Week Inside the Galaxy!


Also, don't forget to check out Mark Rogondino's View from the Booth.

Friday, August 14, 2009

Welcome to the Newbies

The newest MLS team is in town for tomorrow night's game and Bruce Arena and Co. have the Galaxy ready. LA is unbeaten in their last six games and will look to make that seven straight against the Sounders.

These same two teams met on May 10 in Seattle, with Alan Gordon scoring in a 1-1 draw. But this time, the Galaxy will be looking to go one better and earn the full three points.

Landon Donovan played the full 90 minutes on that day in Seattle, but he may not be available this time out after being diagnosed with the H1N1 flu virus. Landon is listed as questionable on the official injury report and is status will be re-evaluated before the game on Saturday, with Bruce hopeful that his captain will be cleared and ready to go.

Here is what Bruce had to say this afternoon...


Todd Dunivant also discussed Saturday's all important Western Conference clash...


To go more in depth with this game, be sure to check out the game preview at lagalaxy.com and be sure to download the game guide.

We'll be back tomorrow with This Week Inside the Galaxy, the View from the Booth and all of the action from The HDC.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Let There Be Grass

Full plaudits to the HDC grounds crew and everyone else that has helped to get the new playing surface down and ready to go for Saturday's game.

The maintenance and grooming of the field has already begun and will continue all the way up until gametime on Saturday, ensuring that the field is in optimal condition for the game against Seattle and straight through to the end of the season.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Win Some, Lose Some

While it was not the best day for the Galaxy captain, he did get a bit of good news as his goal against New England was voted the MLS Goal of the Week. He is the first Galaxy player to win the award this season.

The Galaxy will be looking to make it a perfect sweep of awards with the Save of the Week Award still up for grabs. Donovan Ricketts, the only two-time winner of the award, has been nominated for this save from the win over New England.


Click here to vote and don't forget that voting ends at 11 a.m. (PT) on Thursday.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Transformation Back to Field of Dreams

Since the X Games ended on Sunday, August 2, the personnel at HDC have been working extremely hard to get the stadium field back to normal. In five days, the HDC removed 17,000 yards of dirt from the facility, including the northwest and northeast stands. Overall, it took more than 750 truck loads to remove all of the dirt.
In addition this feat was completed in between and during the seven-day LA Women's Tennis Championships tennis tournament that ran here from August 3-9.
Beginning on Wednesday morning, the stadium grounds crew will oversee 601 rolls of beautiful and plush Bermuda sod being brought in to the stadium via 30 semi-truck loads. Each roll is approx. 150-175 sq. ft. of sod.
The field will be completely sodded by late Thursday afternoon. Our hats go off to the grounds crew, who will transform the stadium back to the cathedral of soccer that we all know and love.