One Step Closer to Game Day

Much of these trips are spent on the bus and as you can see above, everyone finds different ways to pass the time.

Following this morning's press conference (which we will show you later), we were straight on to the bus for training at the stadium. Today's session was a bit more strenuous, but the guys still seemed to enjoy themselves with a series of good-natured ribbing going back and forth, especially between the goalkeepers and the attacking players.

After the opening runs and stretches, the team was split in two, with attacking players at one end and defenders at the other, working on functionality, tactics and movements. They spent about 30 minutes working on that before the two sides got together for a small game using half of the field. Julian Valentin scored the only goal of that game, a disputed strike from about 20 yards out that beat Josh Wicks.

Why was it disputed you ask. With Mt. Smart being a rugby stadium, there are no portable goals available to us, so our Equipment Manager of the Year Raul Vargas made a goal using two poles that we travel with. However, as good as Raul is, he was unable to create a crossbar, leaving the guys to question whether or not Julian's goal would have been under the bar. But at the end of the day, both Bruce and Dave signalled it a goal, so it stood.

Following the game, the session closed with more finishing drills, which included some great finishes might we add, and Dave Sarachan taking on Bryan Jordan, Leo Griffin and Josh Tudela in a short game of two-touch juggling... a game which the wily Sarachan pulled out in the end.

The team will be back here at the hotel tonight for a VIP Meet and Greet with many local luminaries, including the Prime Minister of New Zealand and the Mayor of Auckland. After that, it is off to a special event called adiCouture, which is an adidas inspired fashion show with local designers. All of the models will be local athletes and celebrities and all funds raised during the event will go to a charity called KidsCan Stand Tall, which helps underprivileged children achieve their full potential by giving them the means to succeed in all walks of life.

Suffice to say, it should be fun, and since it is for a good cause, it's even better.

Airport Arrival

A lot of you have been asking for it, so here you go, video of the team's arrival at Auckland Airport.

Here's what the guys had to say about the traditional kapa haka dance. Be sure to check back later today for another training update.

The Sun Rises on Day Two

The club's first day in New Zealand is in the books and day two is upon us.

Following a short training session last night, which primarily focused on letting the guys get some touches on the ball and stretching out their legs.

The highlight for those of us not participating in the session was a heading drill where teams of three and four had to move the ball from one 18-yard box to the other using only their heads. If the ball touched the ground, it was 10 pushups on the spot before collecting your ball and continuing the race.

There were a multitude of different tactics, from short headers that allowed the whole team to move together, or some guys look to spread their guys out and just hit it as high and far as possible so that the next guy could get under it... and then there was those who thought that their best chance of success was to run interference on the teams that were next to them.

Let's just say that some worked, some didn't and of the five teams that played in the two races, we had two different winners and two different losers, meaning that none of the tactics were that revolutionary.

After getting back to the hotel, the team was given the night off to get some dinner and explore the town as they saw fit.

As is customary on these kinds of trips, the staff did the exact same thing, with the entire staff, which is made up of 13 people including coaches, trainers, equipment staff, executives and support staff, grabbing a bit of Italian at a local restaurant right on the harbor. You could see the full travel day begin to take its toll on the faces of everyone as the night wore on and everyone was soon off to bed.

Other notes from yesterday included...

• Mike Randolph celebrating his birthday upon his arrival in New Zealand. As a result of the time change and yesterday's flight, he narrowly missed out on having his birthday bypassed all together but in the end he was able to celebrate the day properly.


• The traffic in Auckland is incredible. If you time things well then you're fine but a slight delay here or there can turn treacherous. The 20-minute drive from the airport to the hotel turned into a nearly hour-long commute, which is not the most pleasant experience when you've just gotten off a 13-hour plane ride.


• Lastly, yesterday's training session was the first chance all of the guys had to see Mt. Smart Stadium, where we'll play on Saturday night. All of our training sessions will be held here so you'll see plenty of photos throughout the trip, but here is a quick peek at the 30,000 seat venue, which you can read more about here.

One more note about the stadium, unlike at The Home Depot Center and most MLS stadiums, the goalposts here are not light, hollow and easily moveable. These things are rock solid. In a finishing drill at the end of practice, Chris Klein hit a shot off the crossbar so hard that it rebound nearly back to midfield in the air. It looked like a goal kick!

We'll be back with more today including some videos, a look back at today's press conference featuring Bruce, David and Eddie along with representatives of the Oceania All-Stars and a look at today's training session.

On the Ground and Ready to Go

The whole squad is now on the ground here in Auckland and tucked away at the hotel as we await training. Almost the entire squad arrived this morning right around 7 a.m. to a traditional kapa haka welcome.

The only player not to come in on that flight was Troy Roberts, who arrived about five hours later via Tokyo, where he had been for a personal engagement.

Most of the guys were pretty tired after getting back to the hotel, but most bypassed heading straight to bed, and rather grabbed a bite to eat and went for a walk around the harbor to get the blood flowing.

We're off to training in a little bit and we'll have our first interviews up tonight after the session.

But for now, check out this video that we put together to get you ready for this trip.

Galaxy To Kickoff 2009 Season At Home

The team just landed in Auckland and en route to the hotel. We'll recap the team's arrival to New Zealand soon enough.

But first, the league unveiled today the 2009 First Kick Schedule. The LA Galaxy will open the season with a day game against D.C. United on Sunday, March 22 at The Home Depot Center. The match, which will kick off at 12 p.m. (PT), will be broadcast nationally on TeleFutura.

Fans looking to attend the Galaxy's home opener against United can purchase the LA Galaxy Holiday pack starting as low as $80, which includes four tickets to the game, two Galaxy scarves and a holiday card from the Galaxy.

In their past 13 season openers, LA has a record of 6-5-2, including last seasons' 4-0 loss to the Colorado Rapids at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. However, the Galaxy boast an even better record in home openers, compiling an impressive 9-4 record, including a 2-0 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes on April 3, 2008.

Early Morning Call

It's just past 4am here in Auckland and we're already on the road. This morning we're off to the airport to greet the team, along with many of the city's dignitaries and media. There will be a traditional greeting similar to the one we received when we arrived in Wellington last year.

Back with more later today and keep the suggestions coming.

Advance Arrivals

The team does not arrive into New Zealand until tomorrow morning, but the blog team is already in place here in Auckland. We'll be out and about in the city all week long to give you an inside look into what life is like on the road with the Galaxy.

We'll have audio, video, photos and text all week long from the team's arrival on Wednesday morning (NZ time) all the way through Saturday's game (10:30 p.m. (PT) on 12/5, live on FSC) and our return the next day.

With that said, what do you want to see on here? We won't be able to get to everything, but we want to give you the fans what you want, so let us know and we'll get on it.