LA Galaxy going supernova

Los Angeles has a soccer team, and it goes by the name Los Angeles Galaxy. What most people don't know is that they're good. Really good. And they're poised to take the top spot in the Western Division as the season winds down to a close. The Galaxy (9-4-11; 38 pts) ranked second in the West takes on frontrunner Houston Dynamo (11-7-7; 40 pts) on September 12th at Houston. If the Galaxy are able to secure a W, this will give them a 1 point advantage over Houston and will vault LA into first place in the West.

Its incredible to see the Galaxy in this position, especially after last season - ended without a playoff appearance with a dismal record of 8-13-9; 33 pts. Furthermore, that 33 points earned them the dubious honor of sharing last place with rival San Jose Earthquakes. As the 2008 season progressed, things just seemed to get worse and worse. Before the MLS All-Star game in 2008, the Galaxy held a record of (8-11-6). This was up to July 24th. With the playoffs a few months away and a mediocre record, the Galaxy were in control of their own destiny. If they could win out, or at least win the majority, a playoff spot was not too far-fetched a dream. Instead they laid flat on their faces and either lost or tied 11 of their final 13 games (non MLS games included). Very disappointing for LA.

This season has been a complete reversal. Much of the credit goes to Bruce Arena, in his first year as manager/coach with the Galaxy. Under Arena, the Galaxy strove to rebuild its flagging defense putting all priority into making sure the opposing team had no opportunities near the goal. With an emphasis on defense rather than offense, the Galaxy turned games they would have lost last season into ties. For the first half of the season, it seemed like that's all we were going to see from the Galaxy - lots and lots of ties with the occasional win or loss here and there. Enter the month of July: Three straight wins against New England Revolution, Chivas USA, and the New York Red Bulls. Then a 2 - 2 draw against one of the world's premiere teams AC Milan. Fastforward to Aug 1 and a close 2 - 1 decision against the reigning best team in the world FC Barcelona (I was there, read my story). Since Barca the Galaxy are 3-1-1, the most recent win against heated rival Chivas USA concluding the three game Superclasico Series with the Galaxy winning 2 games to 1. We're witnessing a Galaxy team coming into form at the best time possible - leading into the playoffs.

Now a few words about David Beckham. Love him, hate him whatever. You've got to admit, for an aging world class midfielder, the guy does pretty well for himself (understatement). Consider the match against Barca:



Absolutely world class free kick. That's why David Beckham remains one of the best midfielders in the world. His ball placement and control is absolutely legendary. He's lost some speed, sure, since his Man U and Real Madrid days but you cannot deny that off a set piece, or a corner kick, or supporting a striker upfield there aren't many players in the world that can match Beckham's pure talent. I remember seeing that goal go down. Unfortunately for me I was on one of the corners on the Galaxy end so I didn't have the best view but I remember thinking before he kicked it, "wouldn't it be ridiculous if somehow we just scored now before halftime?" This thought was shortly followed by, "WHAT?? NO F*$#ING WAY!!!"

How about this one, against Chivas?


80th minute off a long throw in, riccochets off Chivas USA, Beckham sprints down the center and finishes off of the post, sealing the game against the rivals and putting distance between themselves and the clusterfuck that is third place in the West (3 teams tied for 3rd). Whatever reservations LA had about loaning Beckham to Milan seemed to have subsided. Typical of LA Fans. I for one am fine with Beckham's trip and possible permanent departure to Milan. I am very thankful for his work he's done with the Galaxy and I'm going to be very sad if he decides to leave. He's done a lot of great things for our team, and that's undeniable.

Musings on F.C. Barcelona v LA Galaxy

As many football fans were aware, the world's reigning top club F.C. Barcelona paid a visit to California in a friendly match against the Los Angeles Galaxy at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena yesterday August 1. For me, the match was a win-win. Barcelona is probably my favorite European club and, as a LA resident and a perpetual champion of the underdog, I support the Galaxy. I had no dreams of the Galaxy pulling the upset, I just wanted to see some good football and get hammered. I had the good fortune of being able to score some tickets for this once-in-a-lifetime event. The event did not disappoint. Here is what went down yesterday.

Armed with four Amps, one pack of Turkish Silvers, and one bottle of Jager my roommate and I made the trek out down the 210 West to the most glorious of sporting venues. We posted up on the golf course behind the Rose Bowl and began the process of playing everyone's favorite drinking game: Kill the bottle of Jager in one hour. While playing this most excellent game, many passerbys looked on in envy of our Jager awesomeness. As my roommate and I are of the entreprenurial mindset, we soon saw an opportunity to make some extra scratch. We sold four shots out at $1 each to some friendly Mexicans. Eventually some white guys from Orange County showed up and wanted Jager. We saw an opportunity to graft and doubled our price. Great success. After these sales we decided we had given out enough and proceeded to finish off the bottle. We were riled up and ready for some football.

Once in the stadium, I discovered that beers were NINE DOLLARS, which for a normal poor college student would be enough to dissuade any purchase of this overpriced Miller Lite. But the Jager inside of me convinced me that I should just say screw it and do it. On our way to our seats, we saw a sign for free seat upgrades which perked our interest. The guy behind the counter confirmed that for whatever reason, they were trading in General Admission for seats behind each of the corners. The guy saw my Galaxy headband and decided to hook us up. We got seats behind one of the corners on the Galaxy end next to one of the Galaxy supporter clubs: The L.A. Riot Squad. However, we were surrounded by Barca fans who were all crazy Mexicans.

Once the game started there was an ongoing war between those who wanted to stand and those who wanted to sit. As a participant in many student sections I am totally OK with and support the idea of standing during a game. The Mexicans we were with were also totally down. The white upper middle class 40 somethings with their kids weren't so down. There was much yelling of "Sientate!" "It's a soccer game! Stand!" back and forth all game. It was hilarious. We were in the 14th row and could see many people up close, including Galaxy forward Landon Donovan, midfielder David Beckham, Barcelona forward Lionel Messi (who terrorized the Galaxy defense all night), midfielder Dani Alvez, and many other world class players.

As expected, Barcelona won the night with a final score of 2 - 1. But the score is not indicative of the quality football demonstrated by both clubs. The Galaxy defense was tenacious in shutting down time and time again Barcelona assaults. And Barcelona wasn't fucking around either. Only twice did the Galaxy defence lapse - resulting in the two goals given up. A lesser club would have given up four or more goals to pre-season Barcelona. Even when Barcelona subbed out practically their entire team after the break with another lineup of allstars, the Galaxy only gave up one goal in the second half. For a team that has either won or tied their last 5 MLS games - and throw in a 2 - 2 draw against AC Milan just for kicks - a 2 - 1 decision against the world's best club; I'll take it. All in all it was an incredible event. A sold out Rose Bowl, a world class stage, for only $25. Hooray football.