WANTED: Central defender under 32 years old for emergency backline upgrade.  Perks include sunshine, superstar groupie leftovers and a free copy of Alexi Lala’s new CD.  Crazy hairstyle preferred but not mandatory.

For the second home game in a row the LA Galaxy saw their hard earned goal differential slip away due to sloppy defense and mental lapses.  Normally you won’t see me call out Chris Klein in my breakdowns here at ASR.  No one out works this guy.  His endless overlaps and two way play really fuels the Galaxy’s dangerous right flank.  But he needs to be called out for what can only be defined as a senseless penalty Saturday night.  Now it is true that Robbie Rogers was probably not going to get to the ball, and to some that makes the call controversial, yet if we all knew he wasn’t going to get there, Klein should have as well which makes his foul that much worse.

While we are riding the blame wagon a few more people need to be piled on.  Steve Cronin’s “save”, the rebound from which resulted in Columbus’ third goal, was not what is expected of a starting keeper in MLS.   Cronin has two options, hold the ball or punch it WIDE.  Simply parrying the ball down into the middle of the six yard box is never an option and the Galaxy was justly punished.

But let’s give credit where credit is due.  Edson Buddle’s goal on the night was absolutely clinical.  It was the type of goal that shows a striker oozing with confidence.  For the second home game in a row Buddle has finished side netting from acute angles.  This bodes well for a Galaxy attack that is already the most dangerous in the league.   His continuing hot streak furthers my suggestion that the Galaxy should unload Carlos Ruiz in the upcoming transfer window in order to bolster their defense.

One Liners:

-How bad is Landon wishing he had chosen to hit that sitter with his left foot now?

-The call and response chants back and forth between LARS and ACB is now one of my favorite parts about home games.

-Maybe Beckham should not be expected to convert that last shot Saturday night, but he should definitely be expected to put the ball on frame.

-I am convinced the guy that sits in front of my season seats is the exact look-a-like of the captain of the Wizard from the Deadliest Catch.

-There is a 50/50 chance my fiance would leave me by my wedding day if Ante Jazic asked her out.

Coming up this weekend is cracker of a game.  Galaxy vs DC United.  It is the first MLS rivalry.  Every Galaxy fan remembers the feeling as Eddie Pope’s rain soaked head put the winning goal past our 96 team.  It is the Man U vs Arsenal of our little league.  The best part about this years matchup from a fans point of view?  NEITHER team can play a lick of defense and both are capable of dropping 5 goals on you.  It is the perfect game for a nationally televised network broadcast.

Like the Galaxy, I am on the road this weekend so check back in later this week for Julian Valentin’s blog to get your Galactico fix.

Apologies for being late this week, but it was an intense weekend of sports here in So. Cal. You had our favorite Galacticos visiting our most storied rivals The Smurfs, the Lakers making history in all the wrong ways, and the US showing the rest of CONCACAF that they are, indeed, the biggest fish in this small pond.

God, I wanted to be on that bus to Oakland this weekend, but alas when you have a month till your wedding you don’t get to go away for many drunken weekends of debauchery, besides the bachelor party. For those who may not know, the Riot Squad in conjunction with the front office organized the fantastic opportunity to travel with 300 other Galaxy fans up to Oakland via bus to support the Galaxy. My hat is off to you guys. By all accounts, including mine on the Biggie HD (Yes I name my TV), you guys did great. Through the whole game chants of “L-A Galaxy” could be heard to a nationwide audience. Congratulations to the Riot Squad, Angel City Brigade, Galaxians and all the other Galaxy fans who represented.

The Galaxy’s 3-0 win was the type of performance that makes you feel, maybe it is finally safe to trust this team again. The shutout alone should hopefully do wonders for the defense’s confidence. The good news? They now have two shutouts on the year. The bad news? They both are against expansion side San Jose. The good news? They are both against expansion side San Jose. So while it feels good to beat those little Smurfs, it’s kinda like the bully beating up the kid at school with the helmet on… It’s just not very fulfilling and kinda sad.

In terms of team analysis I really have one question for the Galaxy fans. Does this team need Carlos Ruiz? By that I do not mean to trivialize the man’s talents. His career speaks for itself. But consider the following, with no contributions from Ruiz this team already possesses the #1 offense in the league. Yet it lacks strength in defense. So is Ruiz’s max salary slot being used to its utmost potential? There are plenty of teams out there in need of strikers, with an unused DP slot available in trade. Both Real Salt Lake and San Jose could easily trade their DP slot for Ruiz, assuming that either team is willing to try to spend the money to resurrect their playoff hopes. The Galaxy could then turn that DP slot into a quality central defender.

In other So. Cal soccer events I had the pleasure of sitting with Sam’s Army for the United States’ thrashing of Barbados on Sunday. What a day. 8 goals and every time this was my view of the field.

I don’t know if I can ever go back to a regular seat again. Plus that flag provided the only shade on a brutally hot day. The best part about the 8-0 win for Galaxy fans is that this means Landon Donovan will be back in town for the return of Sigi and his Columbus Crew. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to getting a first hand look at Robbie Rogers. The kid has looked good so far this season.

Exciting announcement this week here at ASR. Julian Valentin has signed on to do a weekly blog. My question to him… Are there any interesting prop bets going on revolving around player’s Euro picks?

Lastly, a moment of silence for my fallen Lakers. I’m afraid in this scenario LA was the kid in the helmet.

This was their chance. To prove that, at least for one game, they were not just a star’s supporting cast, but players deserving of the leagues respect. With Beckham away on national duty, and Donovan nursing a groin injury, the Galaxy’s lesser knowns were going to have the spotlight. What happened? Stage Fright.

Let’s be honest about this game, it was ugly. Both teams were missing big names. The result was a sloppy game where neither team could string any quality combinations together. The difference however, was that TFC seemed to work harder.

The first half ended scoreless, with the rain starting to poor. The Galaxy had a really tough time adjusting to the wet Field Turf of Toronto in the second half. Every ball seemed to require an extra touch to control. Everyone knows that Toronto has the best home field advantage in the league, but Saturday’s game showed it isn’t only because of its fans. Toronto seemed to understand the pitch and how it would react to the rainy conditions. The Galaxy were left befuddled.

Let’s talk Abel Xavier for a sec. The guy had two decent games for LA leading into Saturdays contest. But can the Galaxy afford to keep a guy around that either cannot or will not play on artificial surfaces? In a Galaxy back line that already is one of the worst in the league, can they really risk the inconsistencies this brings to the team? Roughly 25% of teams in MLS play home games on artificial turf. I don’t see how the Galaxy can expect their defense to improve when the back line will be changing week to week, especially on the road. What this defense needs is some consistency.

Give credit to Toronto. They battled and scrapped for their two goals, with their first coming from a nice aerial effort from James. The Los Angeles strikers, however, could not produce. What became quite apparent in this game, was the lack of creativity through midfield, when both Beckham and Donovan go missing. You cannot expect to start three holding midfielders in Franchino, McDonald, and Pires across a four man midfield and see offensive results. It is my same complaint of Bob Bradley at the national team level. Too many holding players and not enough creativity. And that statement really sums up the Galaxy’s performance this weekend.

So your team loses a nail biter to New York and you want to get the team back on track. What would you do if you were the Galaxy? How about play a pointless exhibition game in Canada, in order to ensure that your players are tired for their important division game on Sunday. It seems over the last two years that the Galaxy front office has put off the field success before on the field results. Decisions such as the Vancouver Whitecaps exhibition game and the grueling pre-season tour are evidence of this. FC Dallas have to like their odds coming into this game.

Priority number one for the Galaxy this weekend: Stop Kenny Cooper. The Kenny Cooper match up should be treated similar to the Jozy Altidore one from the week prior. Both strikers boast large frames and good pace. The difference? Cooper is on form, Jozy is not.

The best way to stop Cooper is to deny him service. Unfortunately for the Galaxy there is a lot of talent in the midfield for Dallas supplying Cooper. Juan Toja had a great start to the season before picking up a knock a few weeks back. He should be back to full form this week, which means Joey Franchino will have to step up and slow the ball every time Toja gets a touch. Look for Joey to get physical early with Toja and try to get his head out of the game from the start.

The other midfield threats are Arturo Alvarez and Dax McCarty. McCarty is out with a hernia injury, and that is huge for the Galaxy. This FC Dallas team has fed on McCarty’s energy through the beginning of this season. He really is the engine of the midfield. So if McCarty is the engine, what does that make Alvarez? He would be the 22″ rims, flashy as hell, everyone wants some, but they don’t necessarily improve the ride. No player finished last season with more upside than Arturo Alvarez. Yet to start the 2008 campaign, he has struggled to find a way to impose his style of play on opponents as he did last season. His two goals and 2 assists are nothing to scoff at by any means. But there is no reason, that on a team that has him surrounded by quality like Toja and Cooper, that Alavarez shouldn’t have similar numbers as Robbie Rogers in Columbus. He has that ability. On a day where he could match up against a slow footed Greg Vanney, Alvarez may see a fun afternoon.

For the Galaxy the biggest question mark going into this game is Landon Donovan. The league’s leading goal scorer didn’t make the trip to Vancouver and is listed as questionable on the teams injury report. The fact that he is making the trip to Dallas at all, is probably a sign that he will play. Also perhaps making an appearance Sunday is Ante Jazic. He saw time against the Whitecaps and may see some time off the bench against Dallas. This is a welcome sight for Galaxy fans who have watched their defense concede a league’s worst 15 goals.

My Homer Prediction: 2-2 Tie

My Homer Lineup:

Cronin

Klein - Roberts - Franklin - Vanney

Beckham - Mickey D - Fran-drink-o - Randolph

Donovan - Flash Gordon

I’m back from the brink. The brink of debauchery that is… I missed last weeks Galaxy coverage due to my pressing need to be in Vegas for a bachelor party. As any guy knows, it is against Bro Code to turn such opportunities down. Let me tell ya, I partied like I was Joey Franchino at a midget tossing competition serving a free Schlitz for every bulls eye. It’s all good anyway, because I spared my eyes the fugliness that is the Rice “Kankles” Stadium. Seriously, is there an uglier field anywhere else in the country? In my opinion the fact that his goals happened on that field, probably cost Beckham goal of the week.

Anyway, onto the New York game. The Galaxy return home after a tough earned draw on the road last week. I have one word that describes my feeling going into this week’s game: Nervous. You have the league’s worst defense in LA. Going up against an under-achieving NYRB offense that is looking to finally explode. The Angel-Altidore tandem has not met expectations yet, but you know it is there, just waiting to come out. And Saturday at the HDC may be their opportunity.

The matchups don’t look that bad on paper for LA. The one place Abel Xavier has looked good this season is in the air, so hopefully he should be able to negate some of Angel’s stellar play from his head. Along with this, Sean Franklin’s speed can definitely keep pace with Altidore’s, but where Altidore gets him is in size. Franklin has great hops, but he’s giving up at least 25-30 pounds to Jozy. Luckily for Franklin his counterpart is coming off a week that saw him miss two days of training due to an allergic reaction, so he may not be 100%.

LA has caught a few other breaks this week as well, with both Claudio Reyna and Seth Stammler not making the trip to the Golden State. The good news? The loss of these two players will make New York far weaker through the middle of the field. The Bad News? The Galaxy doesn’t have the personnel down it’s own center to take advantage of this. Unless, of course, Ruud chooses to slot Donovan into the midfield, but his league leading eight goals makes that highly unlikely.

Los Angeles instead will have to try to work from the wings, just like New York. This week we are treated to some of the best wide players in the league going head to head. The Galaxy’s combination of Klein and Beckham has been potent all season so far, and their ESP gets stronger every game. Klein’s ability to get forward, however, will be severely hampered by his need to keep Dave Van Den Bergh honest on NY’s left side of midfield.

On the other side of the field the Red Bulls have to love the idea of watching Dane Richards torching the stone feet of Greg Vanney. Look for Ruud to adjust by giving Michael Randolph a lot more defensive responsibilities so that Vanney gets help. He is going to need it.

Finally, don’t forget it is Mother’s Day this weekend. I’m taking my momma to the game, so don’t let her down G’s! Let’s keep this train rolling.

I have to give it up to Alex, the Chivas USA columnist here at American Soccer Reader. He is professional and his writing style could fit seamlessly into any publication. I, however, have no such lofty aspirations. I am a Blogger, plain and simple. I post my opinions and am in no way unbiased. That’s why I can say, I hate Chivas USA. Everything from their fans, to their players, to the fact I have to see their banners in the parking lot. Now that that’s cleared up, lets take a look at tonight’s 5-2 Galaxy win.

You’ll have to excuse Chivas’ early 1-0 deficit, they were still in shock of seeing what a full Home Depot Center looks like. Better take note Goats, because rent is due on the first and you can’t pay it in empty seats. There were no empty seats tonight though. What an atmosphere at the HDC. It must be said that all the supporters groups showed great spirit. Having both the Angel City Brigade and The Riot Squad at separate ends really fills the stadium with sound. In the last 15 minutes even the soccer moms started picking up the chants.

The Super Classico always brings out the best of these two teams and tonight was no different. Every ball was fought over and as usual there was controversy. Landon started it off early with an intentional hand ball to try and create a goal scoring opportunity. He was rightly carded, but what a great way to start the game off… instant animosity. Speaking of Landon, what a great month the Inland Empire native is having. Eight goals in five games is good enough to put him atop the league goal scoring list. Best of all he did it with grit tonight. It was a very Taylor Twellman like effort, scrappy. He fought for every goal and was rewarded with a hat trick.

Another person enjoying a great first month of the season is Sacha Kljestan. His curler into the far 90 was a superb strike. What I didn’t enjoy however was his taunting of the Galaxy supporters groups and fans afterwards. Haven’t players learned yet not to piss of Landon Donovan? Once you do, you bring him into the game. Donovan’s response? Two more goals. It felt so good to see Sacha make the walk of shame past the Riot Squad with the scoreboard reading 5-2 above him.

Not everything was rosy with the Galaxy however. Another defender goes to ground, another goal scored by their opposition. When will the Galaxy backline start staying on their feet? Abel Xavier had no need to go to ground to clear the ball that would eventually result in Chivas’ second goal. The Galaxy insist on playing a crazy style of soccer that is both absolutely infuriating and entertaining as hell.

I guess I owe Alan Gordon a bit of an apology after his two goal performance tonight. But in my defense, tonight, he was playing where he should be, up top as a target man. And credit to him for not giving up on the third goal. His desire to will that ball into the net completely eclipsed Guzan’s routine approach to a very dangerous ball.

In all, the Galaxy sent this fan home happy tonight. My belly is warm with a Bacon Wrapped Hot Dog, my heart is full of pride for my team and my mind is at ease that perhaps my team has turned a corner from the dark memories of last season.

Once the Alan Gordon Project (similar to the Allen Parsons Project but suckier) was mercifully put to an end Saturday night, the Galaxy showed the teams real potential. I’m not sure what compromising pictures Alan Gordon has of the last two Galaxy coaches, but they must be pretty juicy to get the kind of play he has been given lately. Hopefully the second half turn around will put his midfield career to rest for good. Credit to Gullit for properly diagnosing the problem and not being afraid to use two vital subs early.

I gave Joey Franchino a hard time here in my pre-game column, but I have to say he served a needed purpose against the Dynamo. The tandem of Rico Clark and DeRosario was having the Galaxy any way they wanted through the middle. The Galaxy needed a player to get stuck in and disrupt the rythem of the Dynamo offense. In this respect, Franchino served his purpose. He did, however, tire noticeably towards the end of the game. This was to be expected, since he has seen very little game time in the last year.

This game exposed two positive traits for the Galaxy to take into their Super-Classico this coming weekend:

1. The Will To Win- For two games in a row the Galaxy have battled back from deficits twice in each game. Gullit’s boys are already developing that “Never Say Die” attitude synonymous with winning clubs. The next step? Stop digging holes for themselves. Playing from behind further exposes the Galaxy’s porous defense, as the team must push forward for equalizing goals.

2. The Donovan-Beckham Pairing- With every game this combination grows in confidence. It is not unthinkable for Donovan to win the Golden Boot with the type of service he is receiving every week. Of Donovan’s league leading five goals, three have been assisted by Beckham. In addition to their offensive production, their leadership by example lifted the whole team’s play in the second half.

On a final note, it must be mentioned that for the third straight week Michael Randolph and Sean Franklin set the tone for all the young players on the team. This is extremely important, because every young player on the bench sees the effort of these two and believe that when their name is called on to contribute, they too can excel. And with the Galaxy’s current roster they will definitely be called upon at some point this season.

Post-Script:  I called this game to have at least four goals.  I am now officially looking for a bookie….

“Send in the reinforcements!!”

That’s right Galaxy fans there is nothing to fear in Lala-Land.  That thundering sound you hear isn’t danger on the horizon, it’s the sound of a super hero coming to save the Galaxy.  Armed with a disposition that Russell Crowe would be envious of and a body more fragile then Glass Joe from Mike Tyson’s Punchout, Joey Franchino has rejoined the Galaxy.  Hmmm Glass Joe sounds like a nice banner for the Riot Squad to hang from 138.  Don’t get me wrong I was a fan of Franchino… and Vanney… and Ruiz… in 2000 when they all were on the right side of thirty, but this “we’re getting the band back together” mentality is starting to get scary.

Why would the Galaxy need another left back when you have Randolph, Jazic and Gavin already on the books?  Maybe he was brought in for the left midfield position.  Franchino has played there in the past, but in him you are getting a defensive minded player.  At least Ely Allen has the ability to go forward.  My guess is that Franchino is filler for a potential move involving one of the aforementioned defenders.

Finally, before my pre-game breakdown, one has to address Franchino’s obvious problems with team chemistry.  He has been in numerous physical altercations with his own teammates and labeled the Revolution’s red headed step child.  In a team that already has a potential locker room cancer in Carlos Ruiz, adding another hot head does not seem wise.

On to the match versus Houston.

If this game sees less than four goals I’ll be surprised.  Here you have two quality offenses vs two poor defenses.  Lets look at the defenses first.  The Galaxy’s is simple.  Keep the slow old men out of the center of defense.  Vanney was at fault in some capacity for all three goals last week.  The unfortunate scenario for LA?  They don’t have much alternative.  Sure you can sit Vanney, but his replacement is Abel Xavier.  I honestly prefer Xavier though, at least when he goes to ground he’s usually getting the ball with him.  Vanney hit the turf twice last week, with each resulting in missing the ball and Cronin picking the ball out of the net.  Sure Xavier is old and slow, but at least he’s wily and passionate.  I don’t see those factors in Vanney’s game any more.

Houston’s defense is in shambles as well.  Unfortunate injury’s to Craig Waibel and Pat Onstad, combined with Eddie Robinson’s suspension and Ryan Cochranes departure, leave Houston with only one of their cup winning defenders in the back for Saturday, Wade Barret.  The captain will have his hands full as I’m sure Landon Donovan will be itching to erase the memories of last week’s missed opportunities.

For Houston the best defense needs to be a good offense.  Unfortunately, the Dynamo have been held scoreless in three of its first four MLS games of the season.  Attractive on paper with names like De Rosario, Ching, Mullan, Davis and Clarke, this team needs to find that returning champion swagger before it digs a hole too deep to get out of. 

My Homer Prediction:  3-2 Galaxy

My Homer Lineup:

GK:  Cronin

Def: Klein, Franklin, X, Randolph

Mid:  Becks, MickeyD, Pires, Allen

Fwd: Donovan, Buddle

A week ago, looking ahead at the next match-up, I was confident in my Galaxy’s ability to win. They were hosting a struggling Toronto FC team that really stumbled through their two opening games. This, combined with the Galaxy’s good form against San Jose gave a me a warm and fuzzy feeling of goals galore this Sunday. Then Toronto had to go and get creative.

Mo Johnston, Director of Soccer for Toronto FC, hasn’t had much to be heralded for so far this season. But that may change with the key additions he made to his squad this week. Along with 2007 Rookie of the Year Maurice Edu and one of MLS’ all-time most lethal strikers Jeff Cunningham, TFC welcomes Amado Guevara and Laurent Robert into the fold. Guevara is the 2004 MLS MVP, but with him comes all the drama that seems to follow. He was shipped out from New York and then subsequently dropped from Preki’s Chivas USA. Is TFC getting the vision and distribution of Amado circa 2004 or the prima donna that no one seems to be able to work with? For the Galaxy’s sake I am hoping for the latter.

Laurent Robert will be participating in his second week with TFC. His story seems to mimic Guevara’s, plenty of potential and pedigree, but has bounced around quite a bit in recent years. Since playing with Newcastle in 2005, Robert has played for five different clubs in four different countries. His set pieces and service from the wings, however, can be dangerous. The Galaxy can not sleep on him.

So while TFC definitely has it’s question marks, so does the Galaxy. For all the demons that were temporarily put to rest with their recent victory, a number of smaller ones have arisen. Namely, what to do with the center of defense. With Sean Franklin’s emergence as a viable candidate last week, does Ruud bench a large salary, big name player in Abel Xavier? My money is on no. I think Ruud will give the pairing of Vanney and X one more shot to see if it truly was the altitude that affected their quality of play in Colorado, or their age and speed. But don’t surprised to see a halftime sub of Franklin if the pairing isn’t working.

Another question mark for the Galaxy is, the center of midfield. Who is going to mark Guevara? The pairing of MacDonald and Pires looked decent in the last outing, but to be fair Ned Grabavoy is not of the same caliber as Amado Guevara. One of these guys is going to have to step up and make sure that every time Guevara receives the ball he is forced to play back to goal. If he is allowed to run at the defense he will pick out a very dangerous Jeff Cunningham. Cunningham’s speed and Guevara’s ability to put a ball into the space between the Galaxy defensive line and goal has to be the Galaxy’s biggest concern going into Sunday’s game.

The good news? Toronto’s defense has allowed six goals in it’s first two games. This bodes well for another exciting edition of the Donovan/Beckham show. Expect to see at least one of these names on the score sheet this weekend.

My Homer Prediction: Galaxy 2 - TFC 1

My Homer Lineup:

GK- Cronin

Def- Klein X Vanney Randolph

Mid- Beckham, Macdonald, Pires, Allen

Fwd- Donovan, Gordon

I have to admit, I didn’t have very high expectations for Thursday night’s game. As I stated last week, I was convinced that optimism was reserved solely for the other teams of MLS. So imagine my surprise when a well balanced, polished team wearing my Galaxy’s kit put on a great performance right before my eyes. Then I realized that Ruud must be a reader of my blog here at ASR.

That’s right, I am taking credit for the win. Put me on the Galaxy payroll as an assistant coach. Let me break down what I said needed to be done last week, after the abomination that was the Colorado game.

1. The team has to find a place in the back line for Michael Randolph’s speed.

2. Beckham and Donovan need to step up as leaders

3. The rookies will all follow suit, if the veterans step up.

So Ruud inserts, not only Randolph but Sean Franklin. This was the biggest change from week one for me. Randolph’s recovery speed kept Ronnie Obrien in check all night. Even more effective than Randolph, was Franklin. I don’t know how well it came across over TV, but I can tell you watching live, that his ability to close down space and keep the striker from turning in just amazing. I bet that you have enough fingers on one hand to count the number of times an Earthquake player was actually able to turn and face Franklin. He was brilliant.

The Beckham-Donovan partnership finally yielded the type of results Galaxy fans have been drooling over for the last year. The understanding between these two was instinctual. By setting the standard for the rest of the team, these two players raised the total level of play on the field tonight. The work rate was much higher than in Colorado. Speaking of work rate…

Let me just say one of the first names my girl learned on the Galaxy when we started dating was Alan Gordon. Mostly, because his name was usually shouted through the house preceded or followed by an expletive. Last night was no exception to this rule. The guy missed the types of opportunities that players whom call themselves a “Striker” must put away at the professional level. However, the amount of work this guy put in last night floored me. Once again, seeing it live, the amount of physical abuse he was taking getting into positions with his back to goal was just plain brutal. As much as I love to hate Flash Gordon, he really impressed me in this one regard. I then quickly remember how he stopped in the middle of a counter attack to tie his shoe… @*!*ing Gordon.

What really made the night for me was the fan experience at the HDC. For years the fans have been complaining about how we have been treated. Thursday night saw lots of changes, beer gardens, T-Shirt Give away’s, a winning team, fireworks and the return of the almighty Bacon Wrapped Hot Dog vendors on the way out of the stadium. These all made for a great night of sporting fun. Let’s hope that these traits continue. Maybe then we as Galaxy fans can start being optimistic again.