LA Galaxy at Soccer Nation Expo

The annual Soccer Nation EXPO, presented by Cal South, comes to L.A. this weekend-- and the Galaxy will have a couple of people in attendance.

Defender Sean Franklin and forward Bryan Jordan will be in at the EXPO signing autographs, as will Associate Head Coach Dave Sarachan, who will be be conducting a clinic* on "Quick Counter-Attack Transition Play" from 4 p.m. - 4:45 p.m. on "The Center Pitch" stage

Here are the details on Franklin and Jordan's appearances:

Sean Franklin

What: Cal South Soccer Nation EXPO

When: Saturday, Feb. 13 from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Where: Los Angeles Convention Center

What: The players will sign autographs for guest in attendance.

Bryan Jordan

What: Cal South Soccer Nation EXPO

When: Saturday, Feb. 13 from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Where: Los Angeles Convention Center

What: The players will sign autographs for guest in attendance.

For more info on the EXPO, and for directions, click here.

*The VIP Coach Pass sponsored by the LA Galaxy gives access to VIP seating at the clinics. Click here for more info on the VIP Coach Pass.

Clint Mathis Undergoes Surgery to Repair Torn Meniscus

Midfielder Clint Mathis will miss the next 4-6 weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. Mathis, who was re-acquired by the Galaxy last month, suffered the injury in training last week and underwent successful surgery on Friday at the Surgery Center of the Pacific in Santa Monica.

Mathis has already begun his rehabilitation and could return to full training before the end of the preseason. He is expected to be ready for the club’s season opener against the New England Revolution on Saturday, March 27.

Galaxy to Host Costa Rica's Puntarenas F.C. on March 10 at Titan Stadium

Don't miss your chance to see the Galaxy in person on March 10 when they host Costa Rican power Puntarenas F.C. at Titan Stadium in Fullerton. This is the club's only preseason friendly that is currently scheduled, making it your only chance to see the team before the season opener against New England. You can read the complete press release below.

The LA Galaxy announced today that the club will host Puntarenas F.C. in an international friendly on Wednesday, March 10 at Cal State Fullerton’s Titan Stadium. Since being founded in 2004, Puntarenas have quickly established themselves as a perennial contender in the Costa Rican First Division, with five semifinal appearances in the last nine tournaments and a berth in the 2007 CONCACAF Champions Cup Quarterfinals (now known as the CONCACAF Champions League).

The game will kick-off at 7:30 p.m. and all tickets are general admission. Galaxy full Season Ticket Holders will be able to purchase tickets in advance for just $10 beginning on Monday, Feb. 8 at 10 a.m. through the Galaxy front office. Tickets will then go on sale to the general public starting on Wednesday, Feb. 10 at 10 a.m. for $20 by calling 1-877-3GALAXY (342-5299) or by visiting http://www.lagalaxy.com/ and at all Ticketmaster locations.

“We are very pleased to announce this match against Puntarenas F.C., a finalist in last season’s Costa Rican league championship, which will provide a good test for us ahead of our March 27 season opener,” Galaxy President of Business Operation Tom Payne said. “This will be the first chance for our fans to see the team play a competitive game ahead of the season opener and we are looking forward to what promises to be an exciting evening.”

After failing to qualify for the playoffs in their inaugural Apertura and Clausura seasons, Puntarenas reached the First Division semifinals in each of the next four seasons. In December 2009 the club advanced to the finals of 2009/2010 Apertura Season, the first finals appearance in club history, but lost to Brujas FC, 5-4 on penalty kicks after finishing their two-game series tied 1-1.

Led by 24-year-old defender Darío Delgado Mora, the club’s captain, Puntarenas are currently in a three-way tie for first place of the First Division Group B standings. After three games, the Orange-and-Black are tied with Universidad and San Carlos with four points. They are back in action on Wednesday, Feb. 10 when they play on the road against Pérez Zeledón.

Puntarenas are managed by Jorge Walter González Estévez, who took charge of the club on January 6, prior to the start of the current season. The 55-year-old Uruguayan has more than 20 years of coaching experience in Chile, Indonesia and his native Uruguay.

The friendly will help the Galaxy with their preparations for its season opener on Saturday, March 27 against the New England Revolution, the team LA defeated to win both the 2002 and 2005 MLS Cups, at 8 p.m. (PT), live on Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Sports En Español from The Home Depot Center.

Staying Dry

The rain continues to fall here in Carson and as a result the guys have had this morning's training session moved into the gym at Athletes Performance. Most of the guys make their way into the gym for a workout between sessions or after training, but this will be the team's first gym only session since the first week of preseason.

But in the down time, be sure to check out the series of stories from Larry Morgan over at lagalaxy.com. Larry looks at Mike Magee's impact, Michael Stephens looking ahead to his rookie season, the team looking to get off to a faster start than in 2009, Clint Mathis happy to be back in LA and Josh Saunders looking to continue to improve after his strong 2009 season.

Omar Gets Another Call

For the second time this year, Galaxy defender Omar Gonzalez has been called into the U.S. National Team. The 21-year-old center back is currently in preseason with the Galaxy, but will join up with the National Team on February 10 here at The Home Depot Center.

The two-week long camp will culminate in Tampa, Fla. on Wednesday, February 24 when the U.S. hosts El Salvador at Raymond James Stadium in a friendly that can be seen live on ESPN Classic and TeleFutura starting at 4 p.m. (PT).

Gonzalez was in camp prior to last month's friendly against Honduras, but was not in the 18-man squad for that game, which was played here in Carson.

More on the Schedule

We caught up with a few of the guys after training to get their thoughts on the 2010 schedule.
Here is what they had to say...

Official 2010 LA Galaxy Schedule Released

The complete 2010 MLS schedule has just been released and as we told you yesterday, all 16 teams will play a total of 30 games. playing each team in the league twice - once at home and once away.

Be sure to head over to lagalaxy.com for the complete schedule.

If you want additional facts and figures behind the schedule, including the fact that 16 of the club's 30 regular season games will be broadcast nationally on either ESPN2/ESPN Deportes, Fox Soccer Channel/Fox Sports en Espanol or TeleFutura, be sure to click here.

So now that you've seen the schedule, what games are you looking forward to the most? Are there any roadtrips that you are looking to make?