2008 LA Galaxy

Discussion in 'General Football & Other Sport' started by Fitz, Mar 4, 2008.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Aberystwyth_Hornet

    Aberystwyth_Hornet Squad Player

    Found this post late, but i'll be a regular reader now i've found it! The match made it into the Metro this morning...something most/all Championship games fail to do - so that really does show the Beckham impact.

    Also might be of interest but the paper also had a photo of Cooke and Beckham and said they played in the same Man U youth team
     
  2. UEA_Hornet

    UEA_Hornet First Team Captain

    Sounds good Fitz. That pub looks friendlier than the whole city of Hull!
     
  3. Fitz

    Fitz Squad Player

    The pub was great...

    The Rapids have been such shyte for so long, Cooke's talent got lost. I do an MLS fantasy league and last year I kept picking him expecting him to do then what he did on Saturday, but I was nearly always disappointed. Having Christian Gomez this season will make him a force to be reckoned with methinks.
     
  4. Sir Faxalot

    Sir Faxalot Reservist

    I'm starting to get into this thread as well now. If Watford continue their steady decline, I may follow up my earlier promise on another thread of supporting another team, and switch my attention across the pond!
     
  5. Fitz

    Fitz Squad Player

    So you want to swap a 3-nil loser for a 4-nil loser, eh? It takes a certain special type person for that business.
     
  6. sonofben

    sonofben Reservist

    Oi, fitz what happened to the galaxy. 4-0. What's the use of becks, donavan and ruiz, if everone else is ****
     
  7. Fitz

    Fitz Squad Player

    Becks was ****. Donovan was invisible and Ruiz was ineffective. Xavier got the first red card of his career thanks to the inept ref Abby Okulaja.

    If the Galaxy had played well, they still would have lost because the Rapids were playing a picture perfect game. Horrible match. Worst I've witnessed as a fan, and I was there for all the Steve Sampson years: that's a lot of bad football.
     
  8. Fitz

    Fitz Squad Player

    OK

    Time for another game. I got my fingers crossed.
    The San Jose Earthquakes come to the Home Depot Center Thursday.

    There are a number of subtexts to this game not readily apparent to non-Californian MLS fans.

    1)
    San Jose is in Northern California, near San Francisco. LA, of course, is in Southern California. This state is ideologically divided north from south. The north, where I was raised, is rich with the most critical resource of all here: water. The south is chock full of the bane of this world's existence: people. People = voters, voters = laws passed in favor of where voters live. Therefore, the south has been appropriating the north's water and other resources (stealing if you ask NorCal folks) to sustain the unlikely large populations in the south. NorCal hates SoCal and the feeling is mutual. In fact, every decade or so, someone starts a referendum to split the state in two, but it is always defeated. By vote rich SoCal. To keep NorCal resources. And the hate goes on.

    2)
    Sports Rivalries: The LA Dodgers hate the SF Giants, & vice versa. The Sacramento Kings hate the LA Lakers & Vice Versa. Cal Berkeley hates USC and vice versa. There are HUGE North/South sports rivalries, and this fits conveniently right in.

    3)
    This is the 3rd franchise to be based in San Jose, the other two failed to stay in business. We G's fans take credit for their demise and look forward to this iteration failing.

    4)
    The Galaxy have beaten the Earthquakes en route to championships. The Earthquakes have beaten the Galaxy on the way to their championships.

    5)
    Landon Donovan was a star for the Earthquakes, before AEG's big money chiseled him free and made him a G. Ha ha!

    6)
    This is the only game fans can travel to realistically as it is in state, so we expect a few away fans, and when we travel up there, we will bring a few hundred. That's a lot for MLS.

    7)
    The Earthquakes are an expansion franchise. They have no established stars and all the players are mediocre castoffs from other MLS teams. That's mediocre squared for those good at math.

    8')
    The coach of the Earthquakes is Watford-born Frank Yallop. The same Frank Yallop fired after the end of last season by the LA Galaxy. Think he has an axe to grind?

    9)
    What is the likelihood of the G's losing 4-0 again? How about 5-0?

    10)
    I will be working until 5pm, and will be drunk by 6pm, and hoarse by 7:30pm. Hopefully I won't be hungover at 6am Friday.
     
  9. wfcwarehouse

    wfcwarehouse First Team Captain

    Liking the thread Fitz.

    From your perspective how long can you see Becks staying at the Galaxy for? Do you think he's in it for the long-run or do you reckon that he'll be off sooner rather than later?
     
  10. Fitz

    Fitz Squad Player

    Long run. It's not a typical English football contract. He is LOCKED in. We don't do loaning of players either. To the businessmen, he isn't a mere football player, he's an entertainer, and Beckham knows it now and knew it when he signed his contract. He will play out the duration of his contract, or be hurt, one or the other.

    Tonight's result:
    LA Galaxy 2 - 0 San Jose Earthquakes

    Scoring:
    LA -- David Beckham 1 (Landon Donovan 1) 9'
    LA -- Landon Donovan 1 (David Beckham 1, Alan Gordon 1) 37'
    Discipline:
    LA -- Mike Randolph (caution; Pushing, Holding) 7'
    SJ -- Kei Kamara (caution; Pushing, Holding) 77'

    Check out the first Galaxy goal of the season here scored in the 9' by Mr Beckham. The other goal was scored in the 37' by Landon Donovan, with a gorgeous chip over last year's Galaxy keeper Joe Cannon. Donovan set up Beckham's goal nicely, too.

    A splendid time was had by all tonight. I gotta go to bed.

    OK, one more:
    Ruud's teleconference/post-game presser is here.
     
    Last edited: Apr 4, 2008
  11. Y&P

    Y&P Squad Player

    Hoorah. Up the Gs
     
  12. sexybadger

    sexybadger The Don

    Nice finish by Becks
     
  13. Fitz

    Fitz Squad Player

    How much do you think Terry Cooke makes?

    How about the star goalkeeper for the Rapids, Bouna Coundoul?

    Or even the rooke starters in the Galaxy's line up last night?


    Find out what ALL MLS salaries are here. There are some number in there that will surprise you.

    Answers to the above are:
    Cooke - $167,500
    Coundoul - $33,000/year

    G's rookies who started last night:
    Ely Allen - $36,000/year
    Sean Franklin - $36,000/year
    Brandon McDonald - $12,900/year
     
  14. Timbers

    Timbers Apeman

    Cheers Fitz, I heard that they do not earn much but that is pretty amazing! On another note, would the players not earn a fair bit from endorsements etc Coundoul for example, being the star keeper, would he not get a good glove deal and so on?
     
  15. Fitz

    Fitz Squad Player

    I can think of about 3 American male players that have endorsements of any type: Landon Donovan, Taylor Twellman, and I think Clint Dempsey. Of course Beckham, too.

    Soccer is not a commercial draw here yet. Most American's have no clue who Landon Donovan is... The players may get equipment sponsorships for free gloves and shoes and shinguards, etc, but endorsements are pretty non existent.

    That's what makes those ridiculous barnstorming games the Galaxy play interesting. The Salaries on the MLS teams are low because of the Salary Cap (something like $2.5million/team/year with 'designated player' exceptions for guys like JPA, DB and CB). When they go to Asia to play Gamba Osaka, the profits the team makes are OUTSIDE of MLS...I think therefore the young guys can get bonuses that will offset how low their salaries are thereby making the Galaxy a more attractive option to sign for at a low salary...see what i mean?
     
  16. Ed The Zombie

    Ed The Zombie Academy Graduate

    Las night was a great night. The G's win and I get my Watford top. HELL YEAH!

    Oh and on the money subject, these rooks are paid what I make and that's pretty sad.
     
  17. fan

    fan slow toaster

    with the exchange rate as it is, that sean franklin is probably on less than minimum wage. and brandon mcdonald must be on negative money
     
  18. Y&P

    Y&P Squad Player

    Horrific.
     
  19. Y&P

    Y&P Squad Player

    And our friend Mr McDonald gets payed £124.04 a week, or £17.72 a day. One would presume he has other business ventures as well as Pro Soccer
     
  20. Fitz

    Fitz Squad Player

    Last year's rookie star defender Ty Harden just quit the game altogether to go work for his dad's company. There are other reasons I'm sure, but I imagine he said to himself "I bust my ASS day in and day out, and ALL my friends from college are doing 9-5 jobs and have the new BMW or hybrid, and I still drive the Toyota pickup I got as a handmedown from my big brother in high school, I can't afford to take a girl out on a datel, and I am years away from home ownership...I wonder what I should do?"
     
  21. fan

    fan slow toaster

    get worse friends
     
  22. Fitz

    Fitz Squad Player

    Great new avatar, Ed.
    It's funny you got the top from Payne. Tuco from the Riot Squad gave me an old Watford kit from when he first started following soccer which happened to be the year Watford got promoted last time in 99-00. He said it had good spirit and wanted to be with me, the ****in' hippy. Good guy, that Tuco.

    EDIT: He gave me this one:
    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Apr 4, 2008
  23. Fitz

    Fitz Squad Player

    Donovan's goal celebration...me likey:
    [​IMG]
     
  24. fan

    fan slow toaster

    i've been working on a feminism essay that i have yet to finish for essentially all day now and its got to the extent where i'm starting to question the role football has in propping up the patriarchal hierahcy. seeing david beckham has made captain of Galaxy has made me feel alot more relaxed now
     
  25. Fitz

    Fitz Squad Player

    Glad I could, uh, help?
     
  26. fan

    fan slow toaster

    sorry. i never drink caffeine so mixing 3 red bulls and a never ending essay on feminism was never a good idea. the net result is a constant spew of posts by me for the following 3 hours
     
  27. fan

    fan slow toaster

    anyone looking for resolution over my essay. after finishing at 4 in the morning, i spent 3 hours doing the damn bibliography and references. so now i think i will just stay up
     
  28. Fitz

    Fitz Squad Player

    Good work.
    I do NOT miss school.
     
  29. Y&P

    Y&P Squad Player

    Ah, the old Rolling Stones philosophy. I myself have several essays due, none that will cause me as much exasperation as yours has to you though, so they are not worth mentioning.

    I do however feel that a voluntary ban will be due soon.

    C'mon the Galaxy.
     
  30. fan

    fan slow toaster

    i need to do eight pages before tomorrow morning on something else now. kids, don't leave things till the last minute.
     
  31. Y&P

    Y&P Squad Player

    Turns out I had rather a few more essays than I planned for, which is why I am up now. Ovid and the Geology of Sand Dunes are not a good mix.
     
  32. Fitz

    Fitz Squad Player

    Toronto FC 3 - 2 Galaxy

    1) Donovan scores both for the G's, one a PK, the other a BEAUTIFUL turn & shoot seconds after TFC's first goal.

    2) TFC has improved slightly over their miserable form last year.

    3) Donovan missed 3 1v1 scenarios in the game.

    4) It should have been 3-0 to the G's at half and ended 6-0.

    5) The G's backline is HORRIBLE. Very amateurish and that is extremely disappointing.

    6) Veteran defender Greg Vanney is singlehandedly responsible for at least three of the 7 goals scored against the G's this season.

    7) Ruud doesn't seem to understand that Peter Vagenas is not an answer to the question "Who should I put in to set up a goal scoring situation when we are tied at 2-a-piece?"

    8) Beckham was fair today, but I noticed him playing down to the level of the competition making passes that shank the wrong way and running slower than I expected. I think he was too warm.

    9) It was hot. Very very hot. How hot is 95F in centigrade? 39C? Anyway, it is unusual to be that hot this time of year, and it's the hottest day in 6 or 7 months. Mercifully, we had shade in the stand or it could have been ugly.
     
  33. Fitz

    Fitz Squad Player

    Here in LA, football is so far away from being mainstream, to say nothing of glamorous...except for Beckham.

    BECKHAM WATCH 2008
    The LA Lakers are moving with great momentum into the NBA playofss, and Becks is apprarently a Laker's fan. He went to Staples Center the other day to catch Kobe Bryanet and crew play...or to watch something...
    [​IMG]
    I bet Posh smacked him in the head HARD over this.
     
  34. Fitz

    Fitz Squad Player

    All Hail former Galaxy defender Joey Franchino!

    He got into a fistfight with Clint Dempsey during a New England Revs practice two years ago! That earned him a long stint in rehab, glug glug glug.

    There's also this:
    He didn't actually pee but he did get credit for this at a Boston Red Sox game:
    So, anyway...Guess who the Galaxy are going to sign?

    Yes, one time Galaxy defender and friend to $20 whores everywhere.

    This just in:
    It's true and a done deal! What an exciting team we have!

    It's just what we need to shore up our terrible backline alongside Abel Xavier and Greg Vanney...another 30 year old washed up trouble maker.

    Ruud Gullit really gets US soccer!
     
  35. Fitz

    Fitz Squad Player

    In about 21 hours, the Galaxy will take on last year's Champions the Houston Dynamo.

    The Galaxy's defense is very suspect, so it's likely the Dynamo will score on the G's. The question is will the G's score enough in return to win?

    TRUTH: my guess is NO.
    3-1 to the Dynamo...
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page