Academy Teams Earn Draw and Win at The Home Depot Center

The LA Galaxy Youth Academy teams earned a win and a draw this afternoon at The Home Depot Center. The U-16's played to a 0-0 draw with Pateadores while the U-18's scored a goal on either side of halftime to earn a 2-1 win over Pateadores.

Both teams were playing their first competitive games since early December but managed to put on a show for the nearly 1,000 fans who came out to The Home Depot Center this afternoon.

Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena, associate head coach Dave Sarachan and assistant coach Trevor James, the Galaxy's Director of Player Development, were all in attendance at the games, closely watching the Galaxy stars of tomorrow.


The U-16's remained unbeaten in Divisional play with their 0-0 draw, but very nearly claimed all three points. Goalkeeper Joshua McNeely and the rest of coach Kenny Arena's defense limited the visitors chances throughout the match. However, the Galaxy were unable to find a breakthrough at the other end of the field and the game finished scoreless.

The U-16's are now 1-0-2 for five points in Divisional play and 4-4-3 overall on the season.

Later in the day, David Vaudreuil's Galaxy U-18's were able to go one better than their U-16 counterparts with a 2-1 win. Matthew Mardesich scored his first goal of the season to give the Galaxy a 1-0 lead with a header early in the first half before Ruben Valencia scored the game-winner midway through the second half. That goal was his third of the season and helped the 18's improve to 2-0-1 in the Division and 4-3-3 overall.

Be sure to check back to both this site and lagalaxy.com on Monday for complete photo galleries (courtesy of German Alegria) from both games.

Week One is in the Books

A little more than two months after falling on penalties in MLS Cup 2009, the Galaxy completed week one of their 2010 training camp at The Home Depot Center.

Fitness was the buzzword all week long as the players began the transition from the offseason to the preseason, all of which will get them ready for the regular season, which is just under two months away.

The shiny new MLS adidas Jubulani soccer balls that the team will be using this season saw just the slightest bit of action this week as the players went through a two hour gym session each morning. After lunch in the team lounge, the players would emerge each afternoon for another fitness session, this time featuring a series of runs as opposed to a gym workout.

In fact, if it wasn't for Ian Feuer putting the club's goalkeepers through afternoon drills each day, the new balls would never have seen the light of day (see below).

Here are some new photos from the opening week of training.


Finally, enjoy this photo of Birchy striking a pose, and holding it for about 10 steps while running. That's what we call skillz, people.

MLS and MLS Players Union To Continue To Negotiate Through February 12

After spending the first half of the week in New York attending the Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations between MLS Players Union and MLS officials, Galaxy players Chris Klein and Todd Dunivant were in attendance at training today for the first time this season.

Earlier today, Major League Soccer announced that it had reached a deal with the Players Union to continue to negotiate through February 12. The current CBA had been scheduled to expire on Sunday, January 31. Click here to read the full statement from MLS and the MLS Players Union.

Live Soccer at The Home Depot Center Sunday

Can't wait for the Galaxy's season opener against New England on March 27 for live Galaxy soccer at The Home Depot Center? Then come out to the stadium this Sunday to see the LA Galaxy Youth Academy will host Pateadores in a U.S. Soccer Development Academy league match.

The U-16 Academy team will kick-off at noon, followed by the U-18’s at 2:30 p.m. and admission is free.

Don't miss this chance to see the Galaxy stars of tomorrow, this weekend on the stadium field at The Home Depot Center.

Landon Speaks to Everton TV After 2-0 Win Over Sunderland

Landon scored his first goal for Everton yesterday and had the honor of chatting with Everton TV after the game.

Here is what he had to say about getting the win and scoring his first Premier League goal.

Catching Up With the Guys

The Moving Train that is the Galaxy's preseason continues to roll through its first week at The Home Depot Center and the guys are moving ever so closer to match fitness. We caught up with two of the club's new (but familiar) faces in Clint and Mike, as well as Bruce, after this afternoon's session to see what they had to say about the first week of camp.

On the Run

The players made their way outside this afternoon for a bit of running in the sun up on the training field here at The Home Depot Center.
We're now three full days into the preseason camp and there has not been a ball (medicine balls and stability balls not included) in sight. Everyone's focus is clearly set on fitness and getting back into game shape as quickly as possible.

Much to the delight of the coaches (and the chagrin of the players) the fence that runs between the Galaxy's two training fields has not been put up for this part of the preseason, creating a much larger running circuit for the guys during these afternoon sessions.

Much like all of Bruce's training sessions, today's run was short but intense, leaving all everyone a bit tired by the end, though Chris was able to flash a quick smile for the camera through it all.

We think however, that the real reason that the session wrapped so quickly was that everyone was excited to meet the awaiting press for the first time in 2010.

Clint Mathis seemed to be the most popular player amongst the media, though Edson, Gregg and Michael Stephens also stopped to answer some questions.

Bruce was the final person to address the press, answering questions on a number of different topics for about 10 minutes before heading inside.

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

Bruce...

Clint...

Gregg...

Michael...

Edson...

Finally, while Yohance did not have to answer any questions today, he was nice enough to pull up a chair and wait for Edson to finish up before the two headed into the stadium together. What a friend!

Landon on the Scoresheet in Everton Win

Landon Donovan scored the first goal of his Everton career this afternoon, scoring with his left foot in from the center of the box in the Toffees 2-0 win over Sunderland at Goodison Park. Donovan played 76 minutes in the match before being replaced by Mikel Arteta.

Tim Cahill, who set up Donovan's goal in the 19th minute, scored the first for Everton in the 6th minute, stretching their unbeaten run in the league to seven games.

You can see Landon's goal below, but also be sure to head over to lagalaxy.com for exclusive reaction from Landon himself courtesy of Everton TV.

One In, One Out

We're heading off to today's training session now, but in the interim, be sure to follow along as Everton host Sunderland in a Premier League contest at Goodison Park. Landon is back in the starting lineup for David Moyes' team which will jump up to ninth place with a win.

A bit further East in Milan, AC Milan host Udinese in a Coppa Italia quarterfinal. David is not in the squad for the game, which is Milan's first since their loss to rivals Inter on Sunday.

In the Gym

The skies opened up again here in Carson today, dropping even more rain on The Home Depot Center. However, that did not have any impact on the team's training two sessions as they remained in the gym for each.

In the morning the guys walked out to the outside gym at Athletes' Performance to get in an intense workout under the watchful eyes of Ben Yauss, Armando Rivas and the Galaxy coaches. They were back inside by 10 a.m. to enjoy a meal in the newly designed club lounge, before heading into the trainer's room to get treatments.

Around noon the rain began to fall, so rather than head back to the outdoor gym, the players stayed inside for the second half of their workout, using the facility that is connected to the trainer's room before heading outside for some running.

Chris, Todd and the Brazilians were again not in attendance and none of the five are expected to be in attendance tomorrow, though all are expected in the near future.

There was no media responsibilities for the guys today but there will be tomorrow so we should have our first interviews of the season here and at lagalaxy.com

But if you can't wait until then, be sure to read Nick Green's Tuesday Column, complete with an interview with Bruce during yesterday's first day of camp.

Photo Diary: First Day of Training Camp

Can you guess who's who in the photos?

20 Players in Attendance at the First Day of Training Camp

Where the first day of last year's training camp featured was more like a first day at school in that everyone was just getting to know one another, today's proceedings were a lot like a reunion.

Most of the players who helped the Galaxy win the Western Conference Championship in 2009 were back in the locker room today for the first day of preseason training. Even the club's new acquisitions, Clint Mathis, Michael Stephens and the Brazilian trio of Alex, Juninho and Leonardo, have all either played for the club or trained with the club in the past.

Bruce Arena and his staff open the preseason with 26 players on the club's roster, though seven of those players were excused from today's first day of camp. David Beckham and Landon Donovan remain on loan in Europe, while the three Brazilians are still awaiting clearance to enter the country. Additionally, Todd Dunivant and Chris Klein were not in attendance but rather in New York representing their fellow teammates as part of the MLS Players Union's collective bargaining agreement negotiations.

That left a group of 20 players at The Home Depot Center this afternoon, including Donovan Ricketts, who has fully recovered from the broken hand that he suffered in MLS Cup 2009, reigning MLS Rookie of the Year Omar Gonzalez, fresh off his time with the U.S. National Team and the rest of the squad.

Here is the complete list of players who are in camp with the Galaxy.

Goalkeepers - Kevin Guppy (MLS League Pool Goalkeeper), Donovan Ricketts, Josh Saunders

Defenders - Alex (not arrived yet), Gregg Berhalter, A.J. DeLaGarza, Todd Dunivant (not arrived yet), Sean Franklin, Omar Gonzalez, Yohance Marshall, Leonardo (not arrived yet).

Midfielders - David Beckham (on loan), Chris Birchall, Juninho (not arrived yet), Jovan Kirovski, Chris Klein (not arrived yet), Dema Kovalenko, Eddie Lewis, Clint Mathis, Michael Stephens.

Forwards - Tristan Bowen, Edson Buddle, Landon Donovan (on loan), Alecko Eskandarian, Alan Gordon, Bryan Jordan, Mike Magee.

That means that only five players from the Galaxy's roster at the end of the 2009 season are no longer with the club. Stefani Miglioranzi was selected by Philadelphia in the Expansion Draft in November, Kyle Patterson and Julian Valentin were waived that month as well, while Leonard Griffin and Tony Sanneh were not invited to this year's camp.

We'll have a bunch of photos from today up in a bit, as well as perhaps some interviews with a few of the guys.

2010 Preseason Officially Underway

The players have arrived and are going through their first day of fitness testing.

We will have more from this later in the day.

Galaxy's Two Players Out on Loan Suffer First Defeats

It was a tough weekend for both David Beckham and Landon Donovan as they suffered their first losses with AC Milan and Everton respectively.

On Saturday morning, Donovan once again started on the right side of midfield in Everton's FA Cup Fourth Round match against Birmingham City at Goodison Park. Donovan's side found themselves behind 2-0 at the break and despite a 56th minute goal from Leon Osman, could not find an equalizer and were eliminated from the competition which they reached the final of last season.

Donovan played 76 minutes before being replaced by Spanish international Mikel Arteta, who was making his first appearance in nearly a year.

A day later, Milan saw their three-game winning streak snapped in a 2-0 loss to Serie A leaders Inter in the Milan derby at the San Siro. Beckham once again started on the right wing in Milan's 4-3-3 formation, but after helping the team to score 12 goals in his first three games in the lineup, the Rossoneri were unable to find a breakthrough against their rivals.

Inter scored and had a man sent off on either side of halftime, finishing the game with nine men, but still holding on for the win thanks to goals from Diego Milito and Goran Pandev.

Beckham played the full 90 minutes for Milan, who are now nine points behind Inter at the top of the Serie A standings.

Milan are back in action on Wednesday when they host Udinese in the Quarterfinals of the Coppa Italia, while Everton also return to action on Wednesday, when they host Sunderland in the Premier League.

Bruce Arena Named to the National Soccer Hall of Fame

Galaxy Head Coach and General Manager Bruce Arena has been elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame's Class of 2010.

“Bruce Arena’s passion for the game, ability to build exceptionally competitive teams at the collegiate and the professional level, and his outstanding work with the U.S. Men’s National Team are well known and highly regarded by his colleagues and opponents,” HOF President Jonathan Ullman stated. “His tremendous record of service in soccer and success in the game has earned him election to the Hall of Fame.”

Arena was named on 78 percent of the ballots, far more than the 50 percent that is needed for election. He will join Thomas Dooley and former Chivas USA head coach Preki in the Hall of Fame's Class of 2010, which is expected to be formal inducted to the Hall this summer.

Join us in congratulating Bruce on this tremendous achievement.

No Spot for Omar

Rookie of the Year Omar Gonzalez will not be making his National Team debut this evening at The Home Depot Center as he is not included in Bob Bradley's 18-man squad that will face Honduras. Gonzalez was one of 28 players to come through the month-long training camp at The Home Depot Center that opened on January 4, but only 18 players could be in tonight's squad and Gonzalez was one of the unlucky ten not to dress.

With Gonzalez not in the lineup, Jimmy Conrad and Chad Marshall get the start in central defense with Clarence Goodson as a center back option off the bench.

The only player to appear in all 34 regular season and postseason games for the Galaxy in 2009 Gonzalez will join the rest of his Galaxy teammates for the first day of preseason training on Monday at The Home Depot Center.

Preseason Camp to Open on January 25

The Galaxy's bid for an MLS record seventh trip to MLS Cup begins in earnest on Monday afternoon when the team opens their preseason camp at The Home Depot Center.

Just like last year, the club will spend a majority of its preseason at The Home Depot Center, with any other camps and a match schedule to be announced at a later date.

We'll be here when the players arrive on Monday and have a complete roster for the fans at that point. The first day, and most if not all of the opening week of camp will see the players working out inside with the trainers and the staff from Athlete's Performance.

If you cannot wait until Monday to get your soccer/Galaxy fix, be sure to check out any or all of the following links.

Landon Donovan checks in from Liverpool to talk about the start of his loan spell with Everton. (Special thanks to the staff over at Everton TV for the video, click here to see other similar pieces.)

Clint Mathis is excited to be back wearing Galaxy white.

Tony Sanneh has stayed busy during the offseason, running a soccer clinic in St. Croix.

Finally, don't forget that tickets are still available for tomorrow evening's game between the U.S. National Team and Honduras. Omar Gonzalez is in line to make his National Team debut in the game after having participated in the three-week training camp here at The Home Depot Center and he could find himself going up against former Galaxy forward Carlos Pavon who was named in the Honduran squad. The game kicks off at 6 p.m. with Fox Soccer Channel and Telefutura broadcasting the game live.

Galaxy Night with the LA Kings

We want to start off this post by giving a big thank you to the LA Kings and their staff for hosting Galaxy Night at last night's Kings game. Everyone in attendance had a lot of fun, despite the final score. (You'll get them in the playoffs, Kings. When it counts!!)

As soon as the first period came to an end, fans quickly began to make their way to Sec. 109 on the main concourse for the meet-and-greet. While Bruce and Cobi were making their way over, fans kept themselves entertained by starting chants of "Cobi Jones" and "Bruce Almighty."

Eventhough they were only scheduled to sign autographs during the first intermission, Bruce and Cobi stayed a little bit longer in order to accomodate every single person that waited in line.

In case you weren't able to make it this time, below are some photos to give you an idea of how the night went. Enjoy...

Beckham and Donovan Help Lead Their Clubs to Impressive Wins

David Beckham and Landon Donovan were each back in the starting lineup for AC Milan and Everton respectively this weekend, with each playing a key role in impressive wins for their teams.

On Saturday afternoon, Donovan started on the right side of the Everton midfield and helped his team claim a 2-0 home win over Manchester City. Donovan was making his home debut for the Toffees and had a pair of chances in the first half to score his first goal for the team. Though he did not get on the scoresheet, Donovan did receive a rousing ovation from the home fans when he was replaced early in second half stoppage time.

It was an equally emphatic win for Beckham and Milan as they won 4-0 at home over Siena. Ronaldinho scored three for the Rossoneri, who have now won all three games that they have played with the Galaxy midfielder in the lineup. They will look to continue that strong form and move to within three points of Serie A leaders Inter, when the two sides meet next weekend.

Come Join Us!

Join Bruce Arena and Cobi Jones at STAPLES Center as the LA Kings face the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday. Bruce and Cobi will sign autographs pregame. Tickets start at just $19. Offer code: Galaxy
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE

2010 MLS SuperDraft is Now Complete

The Galaxy made just one pick in today's SuperDraft, though they were able to turn that pick into two players in Michael Stephens and Clint Mathis.

Here is a quick video of Arena talking about Stephens, who was one of five UCLA players taken in today's draft, four of whom played with the Galaxy's U-20 team.



And here are the complete interviews with Bruce and Michael

Bruce...

Michael...

Galaxy Make Another Trade with RSL

The two MLS Cup Finalists just pulled off another trade, with LA sending the 39th pick of this year's draft to RSL in exchange for a Third Round pick in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft.

LA had sent that same Third Round pick in 2011 to Real earlier in the day as part of the trade that brought Clint Mathis back to LA.

A Closer Look at Mathis and Stephens

Both players that the club just acquired have strong ties to the club, with Stephens (pictured above) playing for the inaugural Galaxy U-20 team (along with Tristan Bowen) that won the USL Super-20 League Pacific Southern California Division in 2008, as well as last year's team. He also trained with the club a number of times in both the 2008 and 2009 seasons and Mathis having played for the club from (1998-2000 and briefly at the end of 2007).

We even went back to find the first photo that we ever took of Clint (along with Edson and Quavas) for this blog when he met the team at LAX on our way to Australia in November 2007.
We are going to be speaking with Stephens over the phone soon and will get his reaction to being able to remain in LA as a member of the Galaxy.

The Pick Is In...

And it's a trade!

The Galaxy have traded the 15th pick to Real Salt Lake, along with a third round pick in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft, in exchange for Clint Mathis and the 16th pick in today's draft.

RSL then took Collen Warner with the 15th pick and LA took Michael Stephens from UCLA with the 16th pick.

Draft Day is Upon Us

The start of the draft is still a couple of hours away, but all of the teams and their staffs are all beginning to roll into the Philadelphia Convention Center. There is a lot of buzz in the room as coaches continue to work on deals to improve their teams and put the final touches on their draft plans.

As soon as there is any news from the Galaxy side of things we will let you know first across all of our social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, lagalaxy.com and of course, right here.

In case you have forgotten, the club currently has two picks in today's draft, the 15th pick of the first round (which will be shown live on ESPN2) and the seventh pick of the third round, a pick that was acquired from D.C. United last year, which is the 39th overall pick of the draft.

But a lot can happen between then and now so be sure to stayed tuned!

On the Ground in Philly

The entire Galaxy delegation has now arrived in Philadelphia ahead of tomorrow's SuperDraft.

The blog staff has been here since late on Monday night for a series of meetings with contemporaries from around the league (hence the lack of posts, our apologies) while the coaching staff arrived this evening directly from Fort Lauderdale, where they had been for the MLS College Combine. Additionally, there are a number of other club executives in town, from the Galaxy and throughout the league for additional meetings, including the annual NSCAA Convention.

The draft, and the convention are being held across the street from us at the Philadelphia Convention Center and we'll be there all the way through the draft to bring you all the latest soundbites from the Galaxy coaches and any players that we draft...as long as they're in attendance. Just remember, we pick 15th in the first round, so there are a lot of things that can happen from the time that the draft begins and the time that we make our first pick.

So with that said, who do you want to see the Galaxy select? Are there any areas on the field that you want to see the club attempt to upgrade?

Galaxy Hold Two Picks in Thursday's MLS SuperDraft

The LA Galaxy have two picks in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft, which will be held at the Philadelphia Convention Center in Philadelphia on Thursday, January 14. The four round, 64-pick draft will begin at 11 a.m. (PT) on Thursday, with ESPN2 televising the first round of the proceedings live. In addition to ESPN2’s live coverage, fans will also be able follow all of the proceedings live as they happen at www.mlsnet.com.

As a result of reaching MLS Cup 2009, the Galaxy hold the 15th overall pick in the first round of the SuperDraft. The club also has the 39th pick of the SuperDraft, a selection that they acquired from D.C. United in March in a trade that sent Josh Wicks to United. The complete list of Galaxy picks in Thursday’s SuperDraft is…

First Round

#15 - Galaxy's Natural First Round Selection

Second Round

No Selections

Third Round

# 39 – Conditional Pick acquired from D.C. United as part of the Josh Wicks trade on March 10, 2009

Fourth Round

No Selections

The Galaxy traded their natural second round pick to the New York Red Bulls last January in exchange for Mike Magee, their natural third round pick to Chivas USA last July in exchange for Alecko Eskandarian and their natural fourth round pick to the Columbus Crew last January in exchange for midfielder Stefani Miglioranzi, who was selected by the expansion Philadelphia Union in November’s MLS Expansion Draft.

At the 2009 MLS SuperDraft, the Galaxy made four selections, including the eventual MLS Rookie of the Year Omar Gonzalez with the third overall pick of the first round. The club also selected Gonzalez’s University of Maryland teammate, A.J. DeLaGarza, in the second round of last year’s SuperDraft, with the pair combining to make 58 appearances in the regular season and playoffs, including 56 starts. Gonzalez was the second consecutive Galaxy player to be named the MLS Rookie of the Year, following Sean Franklin who won the award in 2008.

Beckham Helps Milan Hold On to Second Place in Serie A

David Beckham made his second consecutive start on the right wing for AC Milan as they defeated Juventus 3-0 this afternoon. Juventus would have moved up to second place in the league with a win, but a first half goal from Alessandro Nesta and two by Ronaldinho after halftime, the second of which was set up by Beckham, allowed Milan to take the full three points in a heavy Turin fog.

Milan have now won both games that they have played since Beckham re-joined the club late last month, defeating Genoa 5-2 at the San Siro on Wednesday, a game that saw Beckham play the opening 76 minutes before being replaced by Marek Jankulovski. Beckham played the full 90 minutes for Milan today, pairing with Ronaldinho and Marco Boriello in a three-man frontline that has combined to score five goals in the last two games.

Milan are back in action next Sunday when they host Siena before the all important Milan derby against Serie A leaders Inter on January 24. Inter are currently eight points ahead of AC Milan at the midway point of the Italian season.

Donovan Earns Assist in Everton Debut

LA Galaxy captain Landon Donovan started his 10-week loan with Everton FC of the EPL today, starting and playing 68 minutes in a 2-2 draw against Arsenal. Donovan wasted no time earning his first assist off of a cornerkick that was headed in by Leon Osman for an early 1-0 advantage. For the complete game recap click here and for a more detailed assessment from ESPN click here.

Click here to see what Landon had to say to the BBC after today's game.

Courtesy of the MLS Insider from the MLS Combine in Florida, we are able to provide you with this first half evaluation from Associate Head Coach Dave Sarachan.

Landon to Appear on ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on Sunday

Landon may be in England right now, but that does not stop him from having a positive influence on the lives of some of his fans right here in the United States.

A few months ago, the Galaxy captain helped take part in an episode of the hit ABC show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition featuring the Cowan family of Indiana. One of the family's children is a big fan of Donovan so he was sure to send some special Galaxy-related items over to the family, including a signed jersey, while also taping a special message for them.

You can watch a clip of the show, which also features American Idol David Cook here, but if you want to see the entire episode, you will need to tune in to ABC on Sunday night at 8 p.m. (PT).

Landon Given #9 Jersey

Landon Donovan will wear "the famous number nine shirt" during his 10-week loan at Everton, the Enlgish club announced today in a press conference.

Said Donovan: "I am aware of the history of the number nine here in the Premier League and also the history of it at Everton."

"I am proud that Everton would give it to me and I intend to do the jersey proud as well. It did come as a shock when I was told I would be number nine."

Fans can check out pictures of the press conference, and even order an Everton number nine jersey with Donovan's name on it, on Everton's Web site.

The Lighter Side of Sports

In honor of Landon's first day with Everton, we bring you this very humorous commercial starting our very own Landon Donovan.

Enjoy!



For those of you that may not undertand Spanish, the premise of the commercial is that Landon is attempting to cross in to Mexico to play "Gana Gol" but is caught by the Mexican Border Secutiry.

Gana Gol is a sort of pick 'em game for Mexican Soccer League matches in which people play for money. The border agent confiscates Landon's play card and tells Landon to go back to the U.S. Not before, of course, Landon gets in one last line in the direction of the referee, we mean, border agent.

Back to Work

After a long and relaxing holiday break, the staff of The LA Galaxy is back and looking forward to an exciting 2010 season as the Galaxy embark upon their 15th season of play in Major League Soccer.

It has been a quiet couple of weeks here at The Home Depot Center, but with the start of the preseason just around the corner, the activity levels are sure to pick up significantly.

And while the team does not return to training until later in the month, a few of the players are staying busy and getting in shape for the start of the new season.

Over in Italy, David Beckham is preparing for the start of his second loan spell with AC Milan. Beckham arrived in Milan in late December and has been training with the club ahead of Wednesday's home game against Genoa in which he is expected to make his 2010 Serie A debut. To stay current with all the latest news on Beckham, who will again wear the #32 shirt for the Rossoneri, and his loan spell at Milan, be sure to follow this site and visit AC Milan's official website.

Beckham's Galaxy captain Landon Donovan is in Europe as well, having arrived in England on Saturday. He watched from the stands as his new club, Everton, defeated Carlisle United 3-1 in the Third Round of the FA Cup and was scheduled to train for the first time today, only for snow to cancel those plans. He is eligible to make his debut with the club this Saturday when Everton travel to London to play Arsenal. Be sure to visit Everton's official website and follow along here for all the latest on Landon's time in with Everton.

And closer to home, Omar Gonzalez, pictured above, has begun his first-ever camp with the U.S. National Team, right here at The Home Depot Center. The 21-year old center back was named in Bob Bradley's 30-man squad for the nearly month-long camp late last month and took part in his first official activities with the team on Monday. Training began on Tuesday, with the team preparing for a game against Honduras at The Home Depot Center on January 23, a game that could see Gonzalez make his international debut. You can follow all the latest news from the camp here and be sure to head over to lagalaxy.com in a few days time to see what Gonzalez has to say about his time with the full National Team.

Finally, the MLS SuperDraft is just over a week away and the coaching staff is doing their final prep work here in LA before heading to the MLS Player Combine, which will be held in Florida from January 8-12. There they will watch a collection of the nation's top pro prospects and make their final evaluations of players before the SuperDraft, which will be held in Philadelphia on Thursday, January 14.

* Special thank you to German Alegria for sharing with us the photo of Omar with the USMNT from today's training session.