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.