Line Em Up

The Galaxy were back on the training field this morning as they continued preparations for next weekend's all-important game against the Houston Dynamo. The Galaxy and Dynamo are currently tied at the top of the Western Conference standings with 44 points with two games remaining each.

However, the standings may look decidedly different come next Sunday afternoon when the Galaxy and Dynamo face off at Robertson Stadium. Seattle and Chivas USA are each three points behind the Galaxy and Dynamo but could pull into a four-way tie for the conference top spot with wins. In fact, with Chivas USA playing this Saturday at home against Kansas City and next Saturday at home against San Jose, they could claim sole possession of first place in the West ahead of Sunday's game between LA and Houston.

With that in mind, Bruce Arena and the coaching staff put the players through a second straight full squad training session at The Home Depot Center today. A playoff spot has been sealed, but there is still a lot to play for in terms of playoff seeding and positioning.

Unlike most days, the finishing drills and other small group stuff happened at the start of the session as opposed to at the end like it normally does.After all the guys had done a bit of finishing, a bit of passing and some defending, the group got together for the day's main event, a series of small-sided games that lasted about 6-8 minutes each. Two of the three teams would play one another with the players that were not on the field doing fitness work on the side of the field with the training staff.
After 6-8 minutes, the whistle would blow to signal the end, with one team exiting the field and the team that was off, coming on. This went on until all teams had played six times, with a winner being declared in the winner.
But even if you won, you were still required to join the rest of the guys for a bit of running to round out the session, leaving everyone to head off at the end of the day significantly more tired than they were when they stepped onto the field.

Landon Wins Player of the Week Award [UPDATED]

For the first time this season, Galaxy captain Landon Donovan has been named the MLS Player of the Week. Donovan scored late in the first half of the 1-0 win over Chicago which helped LA book a spot in the postseason for the first time since the 2005 campaign. Click here to learn more about Landon's award. He joins Donovan Ricketts (Week 4 vs. Chivas USA) as the only Galaxy players to win the award this season.

Additionally, Landon's first half lob over Jon Busch (pictured above) has been nominated for the MLS Goal of the Week Award. Watch the goal below with Joe Tutino on the call and click here to vote for Landon as he aims for his second Goal of the Week award this season.



Special thanks to Robert Mora/Getty Images for the above photo.

Galaxy Clinch MLS Cup Playoff Berth

With their 1-0 victory on Friday night against the Chicago Fire and Chivas USA’s 2-0 victory over D.C. United on Saturday afternoon, the LA Galaxy secured their first MLS Cup Playoff berth since 2005. The Galaxy have now qualified for their eleventh MLS Cup Playoffs after reaching the playoffs in each of the first ten seasons of MLS.

The Galaxy, one of MLS’ most successful playoff teams, have registered a record of 26-15-4 since the league began, including five MLS Cup finals appearances. The Galaxy’s opponent in the Western Conference Semifinals will be determined at a later date.

The Galaxy have captured two MLS Cup Championships, winning the League title in 2002 and 2005 with both coming against the New England Revolution in 1-0 extra time wins. The Galaxy have also appeared in five of the League’s 13 MLS Cup finals matches, including the first championship match ever in 1996, against D.C. United. The club’s other appearances in the championship match were in 1999 and 2001.

The 2009 MLS Cup Playoffs will begin with the first legs of the conference semifinal series on Thursday, October 29 through Sunday, November 1. The conference semifinals resume the following week on Thursday, November 5 through Sunday, November 8, followed by the conference final matches being held on Thursday, November 11 through Sunday, November 15. MLS Cup 2009 will be held on Sunday, November 22, at Qwest Field in Seattle, Wash.

Fans wishing to purchase MLS Cup Playoff tickets can do so beginning on Monday, October 5 at 10 a.m. by visiting www.lagalaxy.com or by calling 1-877-3GALAXY (342-5299), as well as www.ticketmaster.com and through all Ticketmaster outlets. The first 10,000 fans to purchase a playoff ticket will receive a complimentary Galaxy “Go for Gold” Playoff t-shirt, courtesy of Pechanga Resort.

Relive Friday night's 1-0 victory over the Fire that helped clinch the playoff spot...

Players React to the 1-0 win over the Fire

We spoke to both coaches and a number of players from both sides to see what they had to say about tonight's game.

Here is what they had to say.

LA GALAXY HEAD COACH BRUCE ARENA
On the overall game:
Well it’s a win, and it’s good. I think it was an even game. Chicago certainly put us on our heels the last ten minutes of the game. I think we had a few opportunities in the second half to make life a little easy for ourselves and try to get that second goal and a little bit of a cushion, but that’s the way the ball bounces sometimes. We weren’t as sharp as we needed to be to finish them off, and Chicago, true to form, played 90 minutes every game. They sure did tonight, and they made us earn the three points, but I’m real pleased with the performance. I’m looking forward to closing out the season, and I think we put ourselves in a position where there is a great likelihood that we be a playoff team this year.

On the fouls at the end of the game:
“You got to keep your concentration. I think our wall did a great job on both plays. I think [Mike] Magee was incredibly alert on the free kick they had on back pass. We were fortunate to hang in there at the end, and keep the ball out of the net. I think that [Donovan] Ricketts made a pretty good play as well on that one corner kick. It wasn’t easy, and again, everything I’ve seen out of Chicago this year is that they are a team that plays for 90 plus minutes. To be able to walk off the field with three points is a real positive performance.”

On the performances of David Beckham and Landon Donovan:
“Great. I think David played a bunched of balls tonight where our guys needed to be a little bit sharper to read where the ball was going. There were a bunch quality balls that we were a little late getting there. David’s second half was better than his first. David’s a winner. I don’t know what more to say. I thought he played very well tonight. I thought the effort Landon showed at times in the second half was spectacular. I think those guys are key players for us, there is no question about it, and they are focused and concentrated and working—without a doubt it makes our team better. My hat is off to those two. They had a very good again tonight.

LA Galaxy Forward Landon Donovan
On the win:
“It’s a nice feeling, but more importantly we’re pretty close to the playoffs now. It’s been a long time for me personally and for this team so it feels good.”

On his goal:
“In those moments I’m trying to set up the defender and figure out where his mind is, and at that point Logan (Pause) I think was a little casual in recognizing the space behind him so I took off and Chris hit a great ball. [Pause] tried to slow me down and I was able to get the better of that and Busch was caught in between so I put it over him.”

On the difference between this year’s team and last year’s team:
“First it’s competing. I think most games this year we’ve competed in the right way throughout 90 minutes. Second is having some sort of structure and identity. The teams that are successful around the world have that, they know what they’re good at and what they’re not. And now we’ve got almost everyone healthy and playing well.

On breaking his five-game goalless streak:
“It’s been a while since I scored so it feels good, but more importantly the relief at the end to know that we’ve put in so much this year and now we’re really close to the playoffs.”

LA Galaxy Midfielder David Beckham
On the result:
“To battle the way they did in the last few minutes shows the character of the team and shows the fitness of the team. We know that Chicago are good at scoring at the end of games and never give up so full credit to them. They had chances but we held strong. Donovan in goal saved us a few times, but that’s what he’s there for. We have a lot of confidence in him.”

On the Galaxy attack:
“We’ve done well and Edson has done well as well. He holds the ball up well and the players that came into the game tonight were strong and that’s what we need. We attacked well and we defended well, especially with McBride up front, he’s always going to cause problems and win balls in the air, but our two center backs did well tonight.”

On being in first place:
“It’s great that we’re in that position at the minute, whether it changes over the weekend we’ll see but it’s nice to go into this two week break in a good position. It’s what we need to do. We need to win our home games, then we’ll be alright I think.”

On the play of Landon Donovan:
“Landon’s performance wasn’t just about his goal tonight. His workrate was second to none, he was chasing balls back and closing people down. It’s not all about his goal tonight, which obviously won us the game. It was important, but his workrate was exceptional tonight so we’re all happy.

On the difference between this year’s team and last year’s team:
“I said when I first came back that this team has players that are not afraid to pass the ball and to make plays on their own and maybe we haven’t had that over the last couple of years. And we’ve got strength in depth as well with the players that we’ve got coming in. We’ve got a stronger squad of players more than anything. Of course having Bruce know the league and know the players and know the way he wants us to play, it’s working out well so far.

Galaxy Midfielder Chris Klein
On the win:
“It meant a lot. It means a lot to be in the lineup. I’ve always said I’ll help the team wherever I can and my number was called tonight and the coach put me in. It was a graet win for our team, especially not only on the verge of a playoff berth, but also with the two weeks off I think it’s important for us to take some momentum into that so we can build on this game heading into the last couple of games of the season.

LOS ANGELES GALAXY DEFENDER SEAN FRANKLIN

On his thoughts about the game:

This is the most tired I’ve been since I’ve been back. It was tough game. It was a good team effort, everyone gave everything out there. Now we put ourselves in a spot for the playoffs. I am tired but we’ve got a couple of days off now to recover.

LOS ANGELES GALAXY DEFENDER GREGG BERHALTER

On defending against Chicago:

It was a little tough, especially late in the game when they start throwing people forward that makes it more difficult. Part of that is hanging in there, keep battling. It is a team effort, so I am happy with the result.

On reaching the verge of the postseason:

I think it is good and we are happy with that but there is still work to do. We are not satisfied and we are not finished. There still two games to play and then hopefully we’ll do well in the playoffs.

On Bruce Arena praising his leadership:

Obviously, when you have someone who is 36 years old, who has been around for a while I am not on the field for my speed and for running by people obviously I am there to keep people organized, to be helping out and to show leadership qualities and that is a great compliment coming from the coach.

CHICAGO FIRE HEAD COACH DENIS HAMLETT
On the result:
“Disappointed. Our guys put a lot into in tonight. Took some chances in the second half, trying to get the equalizer, and we left ourselves open in the back. Jon Busch made some big saves. We are just disappointed to lose the game on a play like that. We had some chances at the end, but we didn’t do anything with them. We never really tested Ricketts. We had some chances in front of the goal, but we just didn’t do well with them. We have to regroup and get ready for a big game against New England.”

On the game:
“That’s the way they play. We tried to keep things tight. You’ve got to give them credit because they are good at it. Obviously with Landon, he played real well tonight just playing those loose seams underneath and just threatening to get behind, and I thought David was able to serve a few good balls to them, so they got going on that part of it, so it was real hard for us to deal with that in the first half. We made some adjustments the second half. Obviously, them getting that goal right before half was big for them. But, the second half, you’re down a goal so you got to take some chances and we took some chances. We left ourselves open in the back. Our defenders made some big plays and Jon Busch made some big saves, which kept it at 1-0. At that point, that’s all you can ask.”

CHICAGO FIRE DEFENDER C.J. BROWN
On his thoughts about the game:
“I think there was not enough fight. We did get chances; we worked hard defensively; we had good moments, but there is not enough fight. There is no attitude to win games. It’s been like that in the last three or four games, it’s disappointing because you are trying to get into the playoffs, and if you don’t have that bite and attitude, then we don’t deserve to be in the playoffs. There is a lot of work to be done, and it’s a little late.”

CHICAGO FIRE DEFENDER WILMAN CONDE
On his thoughts about the game:
“This game was like a final. It was a very competitive game, where both teams were trying to get the win, but Galaxy did their job in scoring a goal in a complicated play. The reality is that we lost, and we have to look forward to the last two games we have left.”

CHICAGO FIRE MIDFIELDER LOGAN PAUSE
On his thoughts about the game:
“Obviously, I am very disappointed that we lost. We got caught on the counter for the goal. Especially right before the half, it’s a little disappointing. It would’ve been nice to come in even with a chance to do something in the second half, we made a push in the second half, the guys put a lot into it…the game kind of got wide up, and [the Galaxy] had a couple of chances that maybe they could’ve put away, and we have a couple of half chances in the end. I am disappointed, but we’ve got to move forward. We have a little bit of time before the next game to regroup, get guys healthy, and keep plugging away. “

Galaxy On the Cusp of the Postseason with 1-0 Win over Chicago

LA Galaxy 1, Chicago Fire 0
Friday, October 2, 2009
The Home Depot Center — Carson, Calif.

Scoring Summary:
LA – Landon Donovan 11 (Chris Klein 2) 42’

Misconduct Summary:
LA – Chris Birchall (Yellow Card) 45’
LA – Chris Klein (Yellow Card) 63’

Lineups:
LA Galaxy: Donovan Ricketts, A.J. DeLaGarza, Gregg Berhalter, Omar Gonzalez, Sean Franklin, Chris Birchall, Eddie Lewis (Bryan Jordan 73’), David Beckham, Chris Klein (Mike Magee 67’), Landon Donovan©, Edson Buddle (Alan Gordon 88’).

Subs Not Used: Josh Saunders, Yohance Marshall, Todd Dunivant, Jovan Kirovski.

Chicago Fire: Jon Busch, Mike Banner, Wilman Conde (Baggio Husidic 78’), C.J. Brown©, Brandon Prideaux, Logan Pause, Justin Mapp (Stefan Dimitrov 82’), Peter Lowry (Calen Carr 64’), Marco Pappa, Brian McBride, Patrick Nyarko.

Subs Not Used: Andrew Dykstra, Dasan Robinson, Austin Washington, David Myrie.

Notes:
• With the win, the Galaxy improve to 11-6-11 on the season, giving them 44 points. LA is now in first place in the Western Conference, one point ahead of second place Houston, who hosts Kansas City on Sunday afternoon and five points ahead of third place Colorado, who hosts New England on Saturday night.
• The win puts the Galaxy in first place in the Western Conference for the first time this season and for the first time since July 10, 2008 when they had a 6-6-4 record to remain tied atop the Western Conference standings.
• The Galaxy now need just a Chivas USA win or tie at D.C. United on Saturday to clinch their first playoff berth since the 2005 season.
• Bruce Arena made three changes to the team that lost 2-0 at Columbus last weekend. David Beckham, Chris Klein and Eddie Lewis all returned to the starting XI, replacing Todd Dunivant, Bryan Jordan and Stefani Miglioranzi. Dunivant and Jordan each began the game on the bench, while Miglioranzi missed the game with a groin strain.
• In addition to Miglioranzi, the Galaxy were also without Alecko Eskandarian, Dema Kovalenko and Julian Valentin, who all missed the game through injury.
• Dunivant started the game on the bench, marking the first time that he had not started a game since the 1-1 draw with Columbus on May 17.
• With Dunivant on the bench, A.J. DeLaGarza and Sean Franklin each started in defense for the first time since the 1-1 draw at San Jose on April 18.
• The Galaxy have now made a change to their back four in each of the last four games after going 12 consecutive league games with the same back four from June 13-October 12.
• Landon Donovan’s goal in the 42nd minute was his team-best 11th of the season and his first since the 2-0 win at Chicago on August 19. He had not scored in five straight games since that goal, tying the second longest scoreless streak of his Galaxy career.
• Chris Klein assisted on that goal for his second assist of the season and his first since the 1-1 draw at Colorado on April 25. That assist was also to Landon Donovan.
• Klein was making his first start since the 2-0 loss to Seattle on August 15. It was his first appearance since having his MLS record 141 consecutive games played streak snapped last weekend at Columbus.
• Donovan’s goal was his team-best third of the season.
• The win was the Galaxy’s sixth 1-0 win of the season, with five of the six coming in home games and all six coming at The Home Depot Center.
• Chris Birchall was booked for the second consecutive game late in the first half.
• Gregg Berhalter, Alan Gordon, Jovan Kirovski and Eddie Lewis all entered the game with four yellow cards, leaving them one away from a mandatory one-game suspension, but none were booked, meaning that all four will be available for the Galaxy’s next game, at Houston on October 18.
• The attendance for today’s game was 21,679.
• The Galaxy return to action in two weeks time when they hit the road for the final time in the regular season to take on the Houston Dynamo in a battle of the top two teams in the Western Conference on Sunday, October 18. That game kicks off at 12 p.m. (PT) and came be seen live in English on FS West, starting with ‘Galaxy Live’ at 11:30 a.m., or in Spanish on Telefutura, starting at 12 p.m.
• For more about tonight’s game, please visit www.lagalaxy.com.

Aiming for a Season Sweep

The Galaxy looking to complete the season sweep of the Fire after claiming a 2-0 win at Toyota Park back in mid-August. Landon Donovan scored on that day but has not scored since and will hope to end that string tonight, knowing that a victory over the Eastern Conference's second place club would put them on the verge of their first postseason berth since 2005.

Here is the team that Bruce Arena will put out there tonight, with three changes from last weekend's 2-0 loss at Columbus.

--------------Donovan----------Buddle----------------

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

DeLaGarza------Berhalter-----Gonzalez--------Franklin

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

Subs: Saunders, Dunivant, Marshall, Jordan, Magee, Kirovski, Gordon.

And this is how the Fire will line up...

-----------------Nyarko---------McBride------------------

Mapp--------------------Lowry----------------------Pappa

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

Banner---------Conde-----------Brown-------------Prideaux

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

Subs: Dykstra, Myrie, Robinson, Washington, Husidic, Carr, Dimitrov

This Week Inside the Galaxy - Episode 19

In this episode of This Week Inside the Galaxy, we look back at the loss in Columbus, reflect on the end of Chris Klein's record consecutive games played streak, join David Beckham for his visit to Children’s Hospital Orange County and interview with Ryan Seacrest, check in with both teams at the preview press conference and ahead to the game against the Chicago Fire.

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