Major League Soccer

The schedule is out and it's time to get it going for 2011.

 

Final game of the regular season for us then Fitz.

Work has started on a purpose build soccer stadium in Downtown Houston for the Dynamo so that is something to look forward to. It looks pretty cool from the drawings i've seen.

I'm hoping to attend games on a pretty regular basis this season. Personally, i think we need a GK and a good solid defender to start with. A decent winger wouldn't go amiss either. Hopefully Ching stays fit.

 

He's from Hawaii, you know.

 

Also, May 25th here vs Houston. Come out if you are free.

EDIT: The Riot Squad's big roady this season will be to Portland.

My plan is to fly to Vancouver for the game on July 30, then take a train down to Portland Tuesday or Wednesday for the Aug 3 game, then stay through the weekend there with the wife.

 

I would gleefully kick this canut in the bollix if we met.


The rest of the people on the team that pays his salary are all practicing in Arizona in the few days before the season opens.

Do canuts have balls?

 

How much are MLS shirts over there? I am trying to get a Whitecaps one as a present but they seem to be about $75?

 

Many teams shirts can be found cheaper, but those are usually last seasons version, and as you know there was no last season MLS shirt for the Whitecaps. $75 doesn't sound too far off the mark for a new authentic. I will look for the best deal and get back to you.

 

http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_ives/2011/02/philadephia-signs-ruiz.html#comments

well it's official.. not sure what to think

 

You will note that the Galaxy cannot win the MLS cup without a Guatemalan. I think Ruiz is potentially cancerous, like Amado Guevara. He has been successful most of the time, but when success turns, he turns. Union will be a struggle...I don't think it will work out to be honest. He will have to come off the bench and I doubt he will take well to that.

Good luck with him. One of the Galaxy greats...

 

Los Angeles Galaxy @ Seattle Sounders FC
Tuesday, March 15th, 2011 – 6:30pm
Qwest Field – Seattle, WA

Viewing Party:
Cheapshots Bar
941 E 4th St
Long Beach, CA 90802-1631

On TV: ESPN, ESPNDeportes, ESPN3.com, Direct Kick(Live)​

Los Angeles Galaxy
Overall: 0-0-0
Overall Standings: --
Conference Standings: --
Streak: --
Last 5 Games: --

Seattle Sounders FC
Overall: 0-0-0
Overall Standings: --
Conference Standings: --
Streak: --
Last 5 Games: --​

Recent History:
OCT.30 2010 -- MLS Cup Playoffs Leg 1: Seattle 0-1 Los Angeles
NOV. 7 2010 -- MLS Cup Playoffs Leg 2: Los Angeles 2-1 Seattle

In Short:

MLS opens 2011 in the same place where it opened in 2009 and 2010: Seattle. The Sounders’ crowds are still media darlings and, to sweeten the pot, the visiting team will be your L.A. Galaxy. In 2010, Seattle went 0 for 4 in match-ups against L.A. And on top of being the stepping stone for Galaxy on the road to the Supporter’s Shield and the Western Conference Final, Seattle gave L.A. some of its memorable moments of the season with wonder strikes from Juninho, Buddle and a 4-0 which made this first game of the year free for Seattle’s fans.

In 2009 and 2010 Los Angeles has left feeling that there was unfinished business. The moves to bring in established veterans, the nearing end to Beckham’s contract and the rumors about MLS Cup 2011 being set for the Home Depot Center certainly amplify a sense that for Galaxy it may be now or never. The team from the City of Angels has a lot to think about in a 2011 season which includes 2 new teams, a US Open, and the CONCACAF Champions League, but for now, the first order of business is MLS First Kick 2011.

Come on, L.A.!!

***​

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Well played Fitz, good win, considering the starters that were out

 

Yeah, great result with those guys missing. Beckham getting booed was funny. I didnt watch the whole match but the bits i saw, you guys looked fairly comfortable.

Thought Buddle would be playing higher than German Second Division?

 

Yeah, the Buddle move has a lot of us scratching our heads. The current speculation goes as follows:
Beckham departs for Tootenham or Leyton Orient in August (mid season mind you) at which point Buddle returns to save the Galaxy's toothless attack as the 3rd DP replacing the extremely underwhelming Beckham, who seemed to walk a lot last night for a player that went to Tottenham to "train at top level". His passing was horrible. Landon was invisible, too. Maybe I missed some special work he was doing off the tv screen, but it didn't seem like he was helping much.

Man of the Match goes to second string keeper Josh "the colonel" Saunders. Clean sheet in pouring rain on artificial turf in the most crowded soccer stadium in MLS does the trick.

EDIT:
check out this article about the game.
This is the actual headline:
Sounders Admit Galaxy Own Them, Must Move On

 

Well my Dynamo started the season on saturday evening. A good sized crowd welcomed a pretty new look Houston side onto the field to face Philadelphia Union.

Union opened the scoring after 4 minutes, converting a goal mouth scramble after Le Toux headed onto the bar. After getting their goal, Union were content to sit back and soak up the pressure and despite 86 minutes of constant pressure, Houston were unable to equalise. Oduro wasted our best chance on 85 minutes when he managed to fire over from 4 yards out with the goal gaping in front of him. A truly magnificent miss.

Few things to note from the game.

1) We need a striker. Hopefully Ching can come back from his hamstring injury quickly because without him, the only source of attacking inspiration comes from Brad Davies, who really impressed me with his trickery and pacy deliveries. Will Bruin is supposed to be a highly rated prospect, but he looked pretty raw to me and without any obvious talent i.e. he's not quick, he's not really tall and he's not really strong.

2) Glad that Onstad has been replaced. the aging goalkeeper looked like a liability to me the few times i saw him last year.

3) Jermaine Taylor, defender signed from the Jamaican Premier League. He looks a tidy acquisition. Pacey and reads the game well. If he was a few inches taller i fancy he'd be playing at a higher level. Regular for the national side.

I think this year will be a transitional one for Houston, with a lot of youngish players coming into the side. I think we'll struggle for goals a bit though which is going to hold us back.

On a personal note, this was the first time i felt a real connection to the side. Previously i've just been there for the experience and the result didn't really bother me. However on saturday night i really found myself getting behind the team and willing them on. I think i'll be a regular attendee this season and maybe look to get a season ticket next time round. It's a very different experience to football as i've known it for 23 years, but that doesn't make it any less fun. If anything, i've enjoyed my trips to watch Houston more than any recent Watford games.

Bring on the next game.

 

You guys played a good game, we were lucky to hold onto that one goal lead, you deserved a point out of that game, but i am not going to complain. Union!

 

I missed all the other games and was particularly interested to see the Whitecaps play. They destroyed Toronto 4-1 and Demerit was in the back line apparently.

Galaxy drew 1-1, after having 3 goals called back by the horrible USSF refs. Two of the calls were correct, but one wasn't, and this comes a week after MLS Commissioner Don Garber came out and announced that refs would be given instructions to give the benefit to the offense...whatever. MLS officiating sucks so much ass it's not funny.

G's let Shalrie Joseph score easily and early, and then totally dominated New England for the next 89 minutes. The G's were missing Omar Gonzalez and Donovan Ricketts which probably would have handled the early goal... Juninho got his second goal for the Galaxy.


Lukey, glad you got connected there. I also think the MLS fantasy league helps get knowledge and interest up, at least it did for me the first time I played it.

 

Ah yes. The fantasy league. If only i'd put Juninho in my starting line up. Still, i'm not doing too badly after the first couple of games.

Houston v Seattle on ESPN this friday. Hopefully Ching will recover in time. His injury isn't supposed to be too serious.

Got a few people coming over to visit in a couple of weeks and i'll be introducing them to MLS.

 

4-2 it was Fitz but still a great result. Eric Hassli (played for Southampton reserves a few years ago I believe) is my new favourite player could have got a hat-trick if it wasn't for some smart refereeing spotting the pull back! The Swiss connection up front made a good start but the Toronto defence looked dodgy to say the least. Highlights here show typical flying last ditch challenge from Jay on one occasion to stop a certain goal though lucky to not hand ball it!

 

Thanks Matt. Clearly I was going off my memory which isn't smart after a day drinking in the rain.

Luke, did you ever hear about how the Riot Squad made Brian Ching cry? It's a true story. I may have been the main culprit. Did you know he's from Hawaii?

The other big story was the return of Charlie Davies, scoring two for DC United in his first game since nearly dying in a car crash 18 months ago.

 

Haha no, i've not heard about how you made Ching cry. Do tell. Yes i was aware he's from Hawaii though. He's got that look about him. If you know what i mean.

Great news about Davies also, fully justifying my decision to put him into my fantasy side! Hopefully he'll be able to keep himself in the game and doesn't have any setbacks related to his injuries.

 

http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/1679/us-national-team/2010/06/05/1960965/los-angeles-galaxy-crowd-chants-us-reject-at-brian-ching

 

Also, Beckham returns, fans turn.

Isaac writes the previews for us. He is smrt.

 

Just read the article, I thought Isaac's comments were spot on. Nice to see an article with a lot of the supporter's perspectives in it for a change.

 

Yeah, the ACB guy's comments were pretty solid, too.

 

Cheers Fitz. Must admit to having a chuckle as I read the Ching comments.

I always thought Beckham was the wrong type of player for the MLS. By this i mean, he's not very exciting to watch unless you really know football. A casual observer isn't going to be overly impressed by his accurate passing,wonderful crosses and hard work. Right name and face, wrong type of player. Once you've seen him once, there isn't much more to see.

They need a Ronaldinho type player if they want to excite fans. Somebody who'll score incredible goals and dazzle with his trickery etc. The kind of guy you'll want to watch again and again because he'll do something outrageous each time he's on the field. An individual talent who can win games on his own, rather than Beckham who'll need a team around him to flourish (apart from when he wore an England shirt and the odd free kick).

Probably best that a parting happens sooner rather than later. Then Beckham can come back to finish his career at Spurs and LA Galaxy can leave the Beckham circus behind and concentrate on building a team fully committed to the cause.

 

Beckham given the armband while Landon is away, I see.

Houston away at Seattle tonight on ESPN.

We signed Calen Carr from Chicago in a trade for Oduro, who missed the sitter from 4 yards on opening day. Never heard of the guy before but apparently he is quick. Which is what we desperately needed. Ching is back from injury which is another bonus. Jermaine Taylor could be a big loss at the back though as he is away with Jamaica. He really impressed me in the last game.

Apparently there are rumours of further business being conducted. We shall wait and see. As for tonight, we;ll struggle to get anything out of the game.

 

Ching's not a bad guy. I like him in fact, but I was glad he wasn't selected for the World Cup Squad at the time. In the end, Bob Bradley made no use of the different skills and talents that he brought out instead. It was very frustrating to see the talent of Herc Gomez and Edson Buddle watching from the sideline as Robbie Findley accomplish nothing on the field. Buddle even scored two against Aussie in the final warmup game out in South Africa and still saw only garbage time...

I like Calen Carr, but that's probably because he went to Cal (Go Bears). Oruro is faster though. Not that speed is all that important, but as he will come in as a sub most if the time, his speed will make problems for tired opponents.

Reading your assessment of Beckham, I think his one shot appeal is perfect for the US market. Most who see him, will see him once as he travels in to their town with the Galaxy. Notably, the Galaxy fans and the fans of MLS who want to see the league grow and prosper, and not simply be entertained one afternoon, are the ones crying foul. He is not effective in helping the team succeed. That makes his presence good for away game ticket sales and bad for the team. He looks disinterested on the field, he seems to neutralize Donovan's strong points when they play side by side, and he fails to involve the whole team, playing favorites with who he passes to. I don't care why he thinks that, because you can't succeed like that.

EDIT: preview for the matchup with RSL...

 

Jay and the Whitecaps on the road this weekend against SonofBen's lot, Philli Union. Should be a good match up with both winning last week. I didn't realise one of the stars of Columbia in the 98 World Cup Faryd Mondragón is still playing and actually captaining Union, must be 40 by now! Hoping for a good performance from Jay and I reckon Terry Dunfield will be the key. Going for a 1-1 draw.

 

Oduro was quick, but lacking in any kind of intelligence or ability to make use of it. So it was wasted. Hopefully Carr at least realises he is on a soccer field. That would be an improvement on the 4 times i've watched Oduro run really fast with no particular purpose.

Have a bad feeling that by the time Jay and his Whitecaps come to town, Houston will be 0-3.

 

We got a point, against all odds and despite being dominated for the majority of the game. Pretty much what Union did to us, except we conceded a goal and they actually made a load of chances. Local guy Tally Hall made a number of excellent saves. I'm so glad they replaced Onstad. Speaking of whom, i watched re-run of USA v Canada from a few years back. When Canada were robbed by a horrendous last minute disallowed goal. A number of fairly agricultural tackles flying in as well. Oh and Donovan swinging and missing with an open net. Onstad made a load of saves though.

Next up, Terry Henry and his NY Red Bulls. See if we can snatch another point.

 

How is Omar Salgado rated across the pond? I know he was a surprise first pic for the Whitecaps as he wasn't expected to be allowed to play until he was 18 but he has got clearance to start him MLS career now. Is he as good a prospect as people are saying in Canada?

 

The saying nothing is a sure thing is more true in the US when it comes to player development than ever. After all the Freddy Adu hype, it is a lot more of a "show me the money" atmosphere with young players now.

That said, there is a bit of talk among those that follow youth soccer about him. Much of it is in context of the eternal battle between good and evil, and by that, I mean the US and Mexico, which has begun affecting young players with the ability to play for both the USA or for Mexico, like Salgado.

My feeling is that while he will be a good addition to the USA, but that if he was a sure thing, Mexico and more specifically the inherently racist organization known as Chivas, would not have let him get away.

On the other hand, the fact that his young talent is being developed in the USA means he will lose out on the best training that can be found in the world for youth players. We are abysmal at making the best of a creative talent like Salgado. We build hard-nosed athletic players (think McBride or Dempsey) and only every once in a while get lucky with a Donovan.

So just the fact that he is playing in MLS rather than the Mexican League is a vote of no confidence...

 

Yeah, but they're Canada. Just kidding, Onstad is old as hell but has had a great career. He has been very good for a long time, just up to now really.

About the Dynamo, like Onstad's career, it is difficult seeing them play now. This used to be a team that could threaten for the MLS Cup every year, and not so long ago either. Now, they can't defend to save their lives. Losing DeRo and having Onstad slide away, and losing some of the hard defenders they had over the years has changed the face of the team and not for the good.

Red Bull is a strong team. They have a great young US defender in Tim Ream paired with Marquez in the back as well as the threat up top of Henry. They don't seem to have found their rhythm yet, which after losing Juan Pablo Angel they were looking to find in a hurry. Good luck with them...

 

Ow.

The Galaxy sometimes get robbed. Tonight was not one of these nights. RSL was smoking hot and the Galaxy sucked incredible ass.

No one could do anything right, and notable in his lack of help was 2nd string Captain Beckham filling in for Donovan out with the US Nats against Argentina.

He literally looked like a burnt out street lamp as the 3rd goal developed around him and simply stood there as it bounced around from player to player who was trying to make up for his lack of action on the play and then it finally went in as the midfield and defense looked like a washing machine with the screws all suddenly simultaneously removed.

I think the Galaxy would have struggled with Donovan there, but probably not 4-1. Angel pulled back a late one to save some little bit of face.

Boo.

On to next week and the Union...I have an extra ticket, Sonofben. Will you be in LA?

 

Whitecaps lost 1-0 to Philadelphia Union and had to play the last half hour with 10 men due to last weeks star man Hassli getting sent off for a 2nd bookable offence. Didn't play as well as last week and would have been a bit lucky to get a point to be honest. Missed the likes of DeMerit but should have took chances in the first half