According to multiple sources, the LA Galaxy have parted ways with General Manager Alexei Lalas and Ruud Gullit. 45 year old Gullit resigned for “personal reasons” after spending less than one season with the Los Angeles club, assistant coach Cobi Jones will take over as interim manager. The Galaxy have also let General Manager Alexei Lalas go as well. The club cleans house after a poor run of results, seeing them slip from tied for first place to fourth place. Assistant General Manager Tom Payne will take over the business side of the GM position, while Director of Soccer Paul Bravo will handle the soccer related duties. The Galaxy will play arch rivals Chivas USA this Saturday. It will be an interesting next 3 days for Cobi Jones and the Galaxy as they try to stay in the playoff race.  Your Thoughts?

Steve Nicol called New England’s performance last Saturday their most complete since the season-opener against Houston. I couldn’t agree more. The team played like the Revs of (relatively) old, relying more on good passing and possession than makeshift lineups, a little goal poaching, and some more luck. Players of note include Mauricio Castro, who irrefutably played his best game of the season, Steve Ralston, who continues to impress with his guile and grit, and Michael Parkhurst with his game-saving block at the goal line.

This week, the Revs travel to LA for an Independence Day match-up against the Galaxy. David Beckham and crew (my apologies Galaxy fans) are coming off a less heartening game, having lost 4-1 to D.C. United on Sunday.

Friday marks not only the teams’ first meeting of the season, but also the first time New England encounters Beckham on the pitch. The Revolution has not yet experienced the Beckham-Landon Donovan linkup that has proved to be so dangerous this season. And Edson Buddle has landed his share in the back of the net up to now. But the Revs have a monster midfield and backline in place, and will work hard to limit the Galaxy’s attacking options. New England also cannot afford to give Beckham space. We all know that guy can put a ball anywhere at any time and too many teams have let him do just that.

The Revolution is just 3-10-3 all time at LA, but I don’t think that record matters much. The Galaxy scores goals, but they also allow goals. If New England can hold down the fort in the defensive third, they have four effective strikers (plus leading scorer Ralston) who can get the job done in whatever order they appear. I’m reluctant to make a numerical prediction for this game. It has the potential to be a high scoring one, but there are a lot of variables that could put either team on top. … Happy Fourth of July. 2-2.

The Kansas City Wizards have players that are hard for me to hate. Kevin Hartman, KC’s present goalkeeper, was an institution for us Galaxy fans. El Gato, as he is called, could often be seen having a beer with fans after games, and was even partly responsible for helping establish the Galaxy’s largest supporters group the LA Riot Squad. So when I see him trot out on the field and when his name is called out during the starting lineup, I have to applaud.

That’s what it means to be a Galaxy immortal. It is a small group, one that most would agree includes, Mauricio Cienfuegos, Cobi Jones and El Gato. After that, you get into debates. It is elite company, and Hartman is the only one still active. So it is a Galaxy fan’s duty to applaud him. Once the whistle blows, however, you have to support your current team.

Also in my “Hard to Hate” list is Jimmy Conrad. Now this one is for more selfish reasons. The dude is basically living my life. I present my case:

-Both Jimmy and I were born in Southern California on Feb 12th, 1977

-We both play central defense (He gets paid, I don’t)

-We both went to San Diego State University (only I never tried out for the team)

-We both write about soccer (He gets paid, I don’t)

So either I am his biggest hater or I should embrace the random correlations and say “Good for him”… I’m somewhere in between.

On to the game. The Galaxy are looking to build on last week’s offensive explosion versus Dallas. LA needs to prove that it was, indeed, their skills that provided the win, and not Dallas’ dip in form. The Galaxy also need to show the league that the HDC is still one of the toughest stadiums for visiting teams to come into and get three points.

LA’s home record already has two losses in five games. While not poor, that record does not imply the fortress that the HDC should be. Good news for the Galaxy though, they are no longer the leagues worst defense. DC United has edged them out, but they have also played nine games to the Galaxy’s eight.

The motto for the Galaxy this weekend? “Mark an Argentinian!” LA will have to try and keep playmakers Claudio Lopez and Carlos Marinelli in check. Their abiliy to slot passes into space and hold the ball make them dangerous through the midfield.

The Galaxy’s secondary motto? “Mark Jimmy Conrad!” KC has done very well on set pieces so far this season, and no one has benefited more from this than Conrad. This will be a tough order for LA who have displayed plenty of issues clearing the ball out of their box. Scrappy strikers have excelled against LA in this regard. If the Galaxy’s defense can stop KC on set pieces it has a good chance of seeing a rare shutout.

My Homer Prediction: 2-0 Galaxy

My Homer Lineup:

Cronin

Klein - Xavier - Franklin - Vanney

Beckham - Mickey D - Buffalo - Franchino

Donovan - Buddle

The New England Revolution have traded 31 year old defender Joe Franchino to the Los Angeles in exchange for a 2009 2nd round draft selection. The trade makes alot of sense, Los Angeles need help in defense, and Franchino had fallen out at New England.  Franchino left the galaxy in 2000, and will be reunited with the club as of today. Here’s the

The Los Angeles Galaxy lost 4-0 to the Colorado Rapids in a lackluster season opener display. New signing Carlos Ruiz went down in the dying minutes of the game. Preliminary reports out of LA are reporting that Ruiz suffered a right medial collateral ligament strain. This may sound familiar to some Galaxy fans, as it is the same injury that kept David Beckham out for much of last season. We should hear more in the coming days about the severity of the injury, but it looks like Ruiz will be sidelined for some time. For a recap on the game read our very own Jared DuBois’ recap of the game.

Saturday brings the Los Angeles Galaxy’s 2008 season opener against a Colorado Rapids team that has almost as many mysteries about it as the Galaxy… almost. The mysteries, however, are different in nature. While the Galaxy’s revolve around players inexperienced and unproven in the league, Colorado brought in plenty of experience, but it remains to be seen if all the different parts can gel.For more on the Galaxy’s new players refer to my earlier entry, Galaxy: New Faces.

Colorado brought in some big names in the off-season in Jose Burciaga Jr. and former MVP Christian Gomez. The left side combination of Burciaga and Colin Clarke for Colorado could give the Galaxy fits. Burciaga’s ability to go forward could pull Beckham into a far more defensive role than he would like on the right wing. That’s not to say that the tandem of Beckham and Klein couldn’t do the same thing; it will be a see-saw battle that will be really fun to watch. This flank will be one of the two areas of the field that I believe will be the match ups to pay attention to as the game unfolds.

The second area to watch, central midfield, involves Colorado’s other big off-season acquisition. Colorado’s midfield as a whole may very well be the best in the entire league on paper with the addition of Christian Gomez. His central pairing with Pablo Mastroeni is the thing team’s dream of (Think Clarke and DeRosario in Houston).This match up seems to be an uphill climb for the Galaxy when you think of them slotting Josh Tudela and Alvaro Pires into their side of midfield. Knowing this, there may be a chance Landon Donovan slides into the midfield lending his ability to hold and distribute the ball under pressure. And pressure is exactly what you can expect from a player of Mastroeni’s pedigree.

One place the Galaxy may have an actual advantage is in their defensive match up. Yes, you read that correctly. Despite it being one of the Galaxy’s biggest concerns, their defense is matching up against an offense that was very ineffective last year. Colorado failed to pick up a striker in the off-season, which leaves them with only three natural strikers to choose from. The likely pairing of Hercules Gomez and Conor Casey is not nearly as formidable as it may sound. Casey’s speed is not a threat and his real weapon, size, is matched well by Abel Xavier. Gomez’s speed is definitely a factor normally, but coming off of a season ending knee injury, it is unlikely he is in top form yet. If Colorado can’t find a way to finish outside of Christian Gomez, than the Galaxy have a chance.

My “Homer” prediction: Galaxy 2 – Colorado 1 (Ruiz, Donovan - Gomez (PK))

My “Homer” Lineup:

GK: Cronin

Def: Klein, Xavier, Vanney, Gavin (Unfortunately)

Mid: Beckham, Alvaro, Donovan, Allen

Fwd: Gordon, Ruiz