Galaxy Fall 2-1 to Newcastle in The Qantas Challenge

LA Galaxy 1, Newcastle Jets 2
The Qantas Challenge
Saturday, November 27, 2010
EnergyAustralia Stadium – Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia

Scoring Summary:
LA – Landon Donovan (Sean Franklin, Chris Birchall) 7’
NEW – Sasho Petrovski (Ali Abbas, Adam D’Apuzzo) 39’
NEW - Labinot Haliti (Kasey Wehrman) 53’

Misconduct Summary:
None

Lineups:
LA Galaxy: Donovan Ricketts (Josh Saunders 46’); Sean Franklin (Chris Klein 63’), A.J. DeLaGarza, Omar Gonzalez (Gregg Berhalter 46’), Todd Dunivant (Eddie Lewis 46’); Chris Birchall (Dema Kovalenko 68’), David Beckham, Juninho (Mike Magee 72’), Michael Stephens (Alex Cazumba 57’); Landon Donovan© (Bryan Jordan 46’), Edson Buddle (Jovan Kirovski 46’).

Subs Not Used: Brian Perk, Leonardo.

Newcastle Jets: Matthew Nash, Tarek Elrich, Taylor Regan, Nikolai Topor-Stanley, Adam D’ Apuzzo (Brodie Mooy 56’); Ruben Zadkovich (Marcello Fiorentini 46’), Kasey Wehrman© (Jacob Pepper 83’), Jobe Wheelhouse (James Virgili 76’), Ali Abbas (Kaz Patafta 46’); Sasho Petrovski (Zhang Shuo 56’), Marko Jesic (Labinot Haliti 46’).

Subs Not Used: Sam Gallaway, Mario Simic, Scott Pettit, Fabian Iacovelli, Jack Duncan.

Notes:
• With the loss for LA, the Newcastle Jets win the inaugural Qantas Challenge.
• The Galaxy are now 2-2-0 all-time against teams from the Hyundai A-League. They beat the Wellington Phoenix in 2007 and Sydney FC in 2008 while losing to Sydney FC in 2007 and now the Jets.
• The Galaxy are now 0-2-0 all-time in Australia.
• This was the Galaxy’s fifth and final international friendly of the year. They finished with a 2-2-1 record in those games, beating Puntarenas FC (Costa Rica) and Boca Juniors (Argentina) while tying CD Aguila (El Salvador) and losing to Real Madrid (Spain) and the Newcastle Jets (Australia). This was the only one of those games that was not played in Southern California.
• Landon Donovan gave the Galaxy a 1-0 lead in the 7th minute, re-directing a Sean Franklin cross over the line from close range with his chest. That was his second goal in the club’s five friendlies this season, though he only played in three of them.
• Chris Birchall was also credited with an assist on that goal.
• Juninho nearly doubled the Galaxy lead two minutes later, but his long range shot was adjudged not to have crossed the goalline by the referees, though video replays later showed that it had.
• Donovan Ricketts had to make his first save of the game a few minutes later, pushing a close range shot from Sasho Petrovski around his right post.
• Petrovski eventually equalized for the Jets in the 29th minute, heading an Ali Abbas cross past Ricketts from close range, tying the score at 1-1.
• Halftime substitute Labinot Haliti scored the eventual game-winning goal in the ** minute, shortly after coming on as a halftime substitute.
• Chris Klein each came on as substitutes, making the final appearances of their professional careers.
• Newcastle Jets owner Nathan Tinkler offered to donate $5,000(AU) to HMRI for every goal scored in the game, meaning that $15,000(AU) was raised for the charity.
• A total of 20 of the 22 players that made the trip to Australia played for the Galaxy, with only Brian Perk and Leonardo not seeing action.
• Only A.J. DeLaGarza and David Beckham played the full 90 minutes for the Galaxy.
• Tonight’s game was shown live on Fox Soccer Channel in the United States with a number of replays to be shown throughout the week. Check www.foxsoccer.com for a complete schedule of broadcasts.
• There was a sellout crowd of more than 23,000 at EnergyAustralia Stadium, which is the process of being renovated. This was the Jets’ biggest home attendance of the season.
• For more about today’s game, please visit www.lagalaxy.com.

Final Game of 2010 is Set to Kickoff

The guys are completing their pregame warmups ahead of tonight's friendly against the Newcastle Jets at EnergyAustralia Stadium. This is the club's final game of the year so most if not all of the 22 players that made the trip can expect to see some action.

Here is the starting XI that Bruce Arena will put on the field tonight...

Ricketts; Dunivant, DeLaGarza, Gonzalez, Franklin; Birchall, Stephens, Juninho, Beckham; Donovan(c), Buddle.

Subs: Saunders, Perk, Leonardo,Berhalter, Cazumba, Kovalenko, Klein, Lewis, Kirovski, Magee, Jordan.

And here is the lineup for the host Newcastle Jets, who are coached by Branko Culina...

Nash; D'Apuzzo, Regan, Topor-Stanley, Elrich: Wheelhouse, Zadkovich, Wehrman(c); Jesic, Petrovski, Abbas.

Subs: Mooy, Fiorentini, Patafta, Haliti, Shuo, Gallaway, Virgili, Simic, Pettit, Iacovelli, Duncan.

The Sign Says it All

A city that was for much of its early years known for the number of convicts that resided here, the city of Newcastle has thrown open its doors to the LA Galaxy. A quaint coal mining town on the northern coast of New South Wales, the city of Newcastle is abuzz ahead of Saturday night’s game between their Jets and the Galaxy at EnergyAustralia Stadium.Local businesses have been quick to welcome the club through their doors, treating all the guys like travelling rock stars. While the constant reporters and photographers surrounding the team hotel has been a little tiresome for most, the guys have still managed to get out and see some of the finer things that the city has to offer, such as lush beaches to lay out on or surf at, a vibrant waterfront area full of restaurants and bars, nearby wildlife reserves and some of the best wine that you will find in all of Australia.

It was that last one that the guys were told of shortly after landing in Sydney yesterday that seemed to peak their collective interests, with both Landon and David mentioning that they would have to partake in a few glasses of the local flavor after the game.

And it might not be the local wine, but this nearby pub has figured out a way to try and draw David through their doors.No word yet on whether or not he has made it in…nor if anyone has taken this language school up on their offer for free aboriginal speaking lessons.All things considered, the people of Newcastle have been fantastic to everyone associated with the club, making all of us feel right at home during our short stay. Making it feel even more like home was a meet and greet with a number of local Herbalife distributors that have come out to support the club that proudly wears the company's name across its chest. The 30 or so lucky distributors got to meet the entire team and get autographs from the guys before posing for a group photo that they are all sure to cherish.

Making Their Day

In their first full day here in Newcastle, the Galaxy players put on a show for many of the children in the area, conducting a 30-minute clinic along with the Newcastle Jets' players and coaches. After being introduced to all the kids, who roared in approval at each new name, the guys were split into two groups to begin the clinic and start the eventPlayers from the Galaxy and the Jets, as well as the Jets women’s team, joined in on a series of small sided games with the kids from local Northern New South Wales youth soccer leagues. The players needed little prodding to interact and mess around with the kids who were thrilled to meet many of their local heroes on the Jets roster, as well as the visiting Galaxy stars like David, Donovan, A.J. and Leonardo that you can see below.After the clinic, the Galaxy players and staff made their way across the parking lot and into EnergyAustralia Stadium for the first time, going through a 60-minute training session ahead of Saturday’s game. With more than a thousand kids and their parents watching on, the Galaxy played some possession and a small sided game in their first organized workout since arriving here in Australia. The crowd cheered their way throughout the session, with goals from Edson, Mike and Jovan, as well as a diving save by Josh, eliciting the biggest cheers.Once the day was done, David thanked everyone for coming out to the stadium and told them how much all the players were looking forward to tomorrow night’s game. All the guys then made their way over to the fans and signed autographs, took photos and spent some time with the kids, much to their delight.

Wheel Up, Wheels Down, Wheels Up, Wheels Down

The Galaxy arrived in Sydney today...and then flew on to Newcastle shortly after meeting a number of local dignitaries and members of the media inside one of Qantas Airlines' hangers.With a giant Airbus A380 serving as the backdrop, Bruce, Landon and David spoke to the media about their excitement of being in Australia for Saturday's game against Newcastle. The guys fielded the usual array of questions, with most of the media more focused on what the guys hope to do off the field, rather than what they're looking to do on the field at EnergyAustralia Stadium against the Jets.
Once the press conference was over, the guys boarded a significantly smaller Qantas plane, with this one taking the guys up the coast to Newcastle in just under 30 minutes. More fans and media were waiting for the guys there, including this guy who is clearly a big fan of the Galaxy captain.
After arriving at the hotel here in Newcastle, the guys got settled in and then went their separate ways, with some electing to head to the local beach, while others chose to get their workout in at a nearby gym.

Tomorrow afternoon will see the guys go through their only training session before Saturday's game while also conducting a clinic for a number of youth soccer players here in the region. We'll have images from all of this and more straight through until the team's return to Los Angeles on Sunday afternoon.

Players React to Being Named to Best XI

We caught up with the four players that were named to the Best XI earlier today to see what they had to say about the honor.

Here is what they said...

Edson Buddle -

“I am honored to be chosen for this year’s MLS Best XI. I am grateful to those who voted for me and to everyone that has contributed to my being here, including my family, friends, my coach and most importantly, my fellow teammates with the LA Galaxy.”

Landon Donovan -

“I take a lot of pride in being named to the Best XI, especially as our league continues to develop and get better. I believe that it says a lot about our team that four players were named in the Best XI this year and I would like to congratulate all the members of this year's Best XI, in particular, Edson, Donovan, and Omar.”

Omar Gonzalez -

“I am grateful and humbled to be named to the Best XI, as there are so many great defenders in our league. The fact that this is an award that is voted on by fellow players makes it that much more special and I want to thank everyone who helped to make this possible.”

Donovan Ricketts -

“I am honored to be named to the MLS Best XI and would like to once again thank everyone who voted for me. This is another tremendous award, one that I could not have earned without the assistance of my goalkeeper coach Ian Feuer and fellow goalkeeper Josh Saunders.”

Four Galaxy Players Named to MLS Best XI

The Galaxy tied an MLS record today by placing four players on the MLS Best XI, which which annually honors the league’s best players at their positions. Donovan Ricketts, the 2010 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year was selected as the Best XI goalkeeper, Omar Gonzalez, the Galaxy's 2010 Defender of the Year and a finalist for the MLS Defender of the Year award was one of three defenders named to the squad, while Galaxy captain Landon Donovan, the club's all-time leading goal scorer, was one of five midfielders named to the team. Edson Buddle, the Galaxy's 2010 MVP and a finalist for the MLS MVP award was also named to the Best XI after finishing the year with a career-high 17 goals.

This is the first Best XI selection for Buddle, Gonzalez and Ricketts, while it is the fourth of Donovan’s career, having also been named to the team in 2003 as a member of the San Jose Earthquakes, as well as in 2008 and 2009 with the Galaxy. All four were also named to the MLS All-Star Team that played Manchester United on July 28 in Houston.

The Galaxy’s four entries to the MLS Best XI set a new club record, eclipsing the former record of three, which was set in 1996 and then matched in 1998 and 1999. LA are the first team to send four players to the Best XI since D.C. United did so in 2006 and just the fifth team in league history to do so.

Read more about the four Best XI honorees here.