It is not just that Real Salt Lake's captain, Kyle Beckerman, has been working on his dreadlocks longer than the LA Galaxy's David Beckham has been coifed with an under-cut resembling a mullet with a racing-strip, that leads me to predict RSL as the 2009 MLS Cup winner. Rather, it is that RSL is peaking at the right time and relishes the underdog role.

Click to continue reading...

MLS marketing mavens, your dream final is secure. Star power vs. star power as David Beckham and Kyle Beckerman will face each other next Sunday in Seattle. Ok, that concept is a bit of a stretch, as the best draw when comparing those two players is their unique hairstyle -- one consistent in his recent career, the other just bizarre.

Click to continue reading...

Western Conference Final
LA 2-0 Houston

After two halves, two overtime periods, and two 18+ minute power outages the Western Conference final, which was appropriately played on Friday the 13th, came to an end with the number one seed in the west advancing to the final.

Click to continue reading...

Western Conference Final
LA 2-0 Houston

After two halves, two overtime periods, and two 18+ minute power outages the Western Conference final, which was appropriately played on Friday the 13th, came to an end with the number one seed in the west advancing to the final.

Click to continue reading...

And those words are: Western Conference Champions!

In another step in the worst-to-first journey that MLS Coach of the Year Bruce Arena has taken the team on, the Los Angeles Galaxy turned away a stiff challenge from the Houston Dynamo in 30 minutes of extra time with a 2-0 scoreline.

Click to continue reading...

Major League Soccer is now just one game away from the end of the season, and this weekend the two conference Finals were played to determine the two MLS Cup finalists. The two matches were devoid of goals over 90 minutes, and while the Western winners managed to conjure up a couple in extra time, a team from the West took it all the way to penalties in the Eastern final. Click to continue reading...

The Western Conference Finals was a long, hard slog between the Los Angeles Galaxy and the Houston Dynamo. With an 8:30 starting time to accommodate ESPN2's college football schedule, two blackouts that interrupted play in each half, and a half hour of overtime, the Galaxy did not trudge off the pitch with their Western Conference trophy until almost midnight.

Click to continue reading...

The Galaxy weathered two power outages, a disallowed goal by Andrew Hainault, and a dominant Dynamo display in the second half to score two extra time goals.

Landon Donovan becomes the MLS all time leader in goals scored as he converted the penalty after Alan Gordon was brought down by Ricardo Clark in the box.

Click to continue reading...

(AP Photo)

Galaxy 2 Houston 0

Game story.

It was a weird ending to a weird season that started with a franchise in shambles, a new coach, 16 new players, seemingly interminable and in some cases lucky draws and a very public spat between the team's two superstars.

Click to continue reading...

The Galaxy has one hand on the MLS Cup

View full size photo »

Unless you staid up well past the bewitching hour, you didn't see the Galaxy's 2-0 win over Houston in the Western Conference final.

Click to continue reading...

Landon Donovan just scored from the penalty spot in the 110th minute after Bobby Boswell brought down Alan Gordon in the penalty area.

Click to continue reading...

According to TMZ, "David Beckham didn't grab the mechanical bull by the horns -- but dude definitely appreciated the busty, jiggling ladies who did last night at the Saddle Ranch." What, no love for Alan Gordon? The only thing featured more prominently in this clip than his mug is the bull's ass. Click to continue reading...

Chivas USA 2 Galaxy 2

An entertaining if error-ridden game with all four goals coming from unmitigated howlers has ended all square.

Alan Gordon missed a trio of chances for the Galaxy after coming on a as a second half sub that could have made the difference, but Chivas USA had their own burden to bear with striker Justin Braun seemingly intent on giving away virtually every ball he touched.

Click to continue reading...

Welcome back to the playoffs!

It has been three long and, to be blunt, disastrous years since the last time the Galaxy played post-season futbol. That year they peaked at the right time after basically backing in to the playoffs and ended up taking the MLS Cup from New England on Pando Ramirez's only goal of the season.

Click to continue reading...

Could the 2010 MLS season be in a little bit of danger next season? It seems like it could be a possibility, as the current collective bargaining agreement is up in January. According to former Wizard, Nick Garcia in the Toronto Sun (yes I know the Sun is a tabloid), players have been told to put money back for this year just in case. Click to continue reading...

Ever since I wrote a column Sept. 29 about the poor form this season of Chivas USA midfielder Sacha Kljestan he's been on something of a mini-tear.

His goal in a man of the match performance in Chivas USA's 2-0 win over the Wizards Saturday is up for MLS Goal of the Week honors (he also had four of the club's six shots on goal); his five goals on the year now equals last season's tally.

Click to continue reading...

An important game for two teams with identical records as the regular season winds down and playoff implications on the line.

Lovely warm fall night here at Home Depot Center; let's hope the crowd fills in.

Not surprisingly, Galaxy Coach Bruce Arena has rung the changes in the wake of the disappointing 2-0 loss to Columbus last weekend.

Click to continue reading...

AP Photo

And those words are: Getting it done.

One week after giving up the most goals in team history, the Los Angeles Galaxy put together perhaps their most complete game of the season (though the Fire game at Toyota Park is in the running), shutting out a talented Toronto FC side to become only the fourth team in MLS history to record a shut-out immediately after giving up six goals.

Click to continue reading...

Or at least that's the consensus after the Galaxy's whooping by Dallas last week, losing 6-3.

Most of the analysis of last week's game concludes that the loss is a wake up call to the Galaxy, who may have been getting too comfortable with their winning record.

So, on to hosting Toronto FC tonight.

Click to continue reading...

Dotting the 'i' If you were wondering about the difference between David Beckham and David Bentley, one makes faked virals about making bets to display their passing accuracy while the other does it for real. The story to go with this video is that Galaxy forward Alan Gordon bet Becks he couldn't put the ball through the [. Click to continue reading...

All the stuff being covered outside the unfriendly confines of the award winning Dirty Tackle...

The above video is from a couple weeks ago, when the LA Galaxy were at DC's RFK Stadium, but I just came across it. Galaxy forward Alan Gordon bet Davey Becks that he couldn't kick the ball through the press box window above the "I" in the "TRAFFIC" sign.

Click to continue reading...

The trivia question was prompted by an item in the Chivas USA game notes for the July SuperClasico I scoured Monday as I researched today's column.

Chivas USA claims nine players on its roster who were either born or grew up in Southern California:
Jonathan Bornstein (who was born in Torrance and grew up in Los Alamitos)
Chukwudi Chijindu (Fontana)
Jorge Flores (Anaheim)
Dan Kennedy (Yorba Linda)
Sacha Kljestan (Huntington Beach)
Gerson Mayen (Los Angeles)
Ante Razov (Los Angeles)
Sasha Victorine (Corona)
Cesar Zamora (Sylmar)

Three of these players - Bornstein, Razov, Victorine - played college soccer at UCLA, while Dan Kennedy played at UC Santa Barbara.

Click to continue reading...

Aaaaaand we're back with Los Angeles Galaxy analysis.

My apologies to everyone for disappearing just as the Galaxy does three games in a week. I was at a conference in Pittsburgh then in my hometown in North Carolina for some family-time as we saw my grandmother off into the next stage of her journey through the universe.

Click to continue reading...

One MLS player who boosted his fan appeal in The Beckham Experiment was Alan Gordon, who's presented in Grant Wahl's best-selling book as the typical MLS player to counterbalance the atypical David Beckham. Wahl worked several angles of the story, and one was the contrast between Beckham and the guys on the other end of the pay scale, as he tells This is American Soccer. Click to continue reading...

I have to say that as the summer is winding down and the kids are almost back in school, I am getting a bit late and lazy with these previews. Last weekend I was sick as a dog, but this weekend I have no excuse. I promise to do better in the future! And much love to my co-blogger Nathan for writing entertaining and thorough post game analyses.

Click to continue reading...

The LA Galaxy will look to continue their climb atop the Western Conference standings while Seattle Sounders FC will look to get its season back on track as the two teams meet at the Home Depot Center in a match that carries huge implications in the Western Conference standings.

The two teams met for the first time back on May 10 at Qwest Field.

Click to continue reading...

Stuff to read while you enjoy some fan-on-coach violence from (no!) Brazil...... Not something you hear often: Hleb regrets joining world dominating Barca. (ESPN) The woes of the Spanish Segunda. (Real Betis Offside) Alan Gordon says leave him be on the pot. (Hugging Harold Reynolds) The writers pick their Prem winners and losers. Click to continue reading...

Just in case you wanted to know what it looks like.
Certainly not hard to see why he might want a move there.
Let's link it:

• When not to bug Alan Gordon. [HHR]
  
• 5 EPL youngsters to watch. [EPL Talk]
  
• Steve Zakuani diary, talking Chelsea. [ESPN]
  
• Argentina league making progress?

Click to continue reading...

In a three-day series ahead of Wednesday's US-Mexico tilt, The Kin of Fish is looking back at this amazing Summer of Soccer. Yesterday we reviewed the US Men's National Team's run to the Confederations Cup Final. Today we look at the biggest story in American Soccer in July... the return of David Beckham to the LA Galaxy. Click to continue reading...

A month ago, the marketing folks at Crown Books sent me a preview copy of The Beckham Experiment, Grant Wahl's inside look at David Beckham's Big US Adventure. I'd like to think this is because Grant has me on speed dial and we spend a lot of time dishing about sport celebs, but Grant's so busy never returns my calls.

Click to continue reading...

Photo by C.J. Guntner

And those words are: Getting there.

In the normal MLS scheme of things I wouldn't be so cautious about a win on the road over the New England Revolution, but the fact is that if not for the Red Bulls' epic FAIL of a season, New England's struggles would be much bigger news.

Click to continue reading...

Rauwshan McKenzie battles with the Galaxy's Alan Gordon last weekend.
Today, a few stories came out after Zoltan's introduction press conference yesterday. Terez Paylor of the KC Star chimes in, focusing on the language barrier. The Kansas City Kansan's Nick Sloan offered up his version of the story. Click to continue reading...

We are honored to have Grant Wahl, from Sports Illustrated and author of the Beckham Experiment join us. Hear about Wahl's experience writing the book and about specific issues related to the Galaxy. AEG, Alexi Lalas, 19 Entertainment, and Alan Gordon are covered in full in this comprehensive interview.

Click to continue reading...

Image by Victor Decolongon of Getty Images

And those words are: Should've taken three.

I can't remember the last time my frustration from a Los Angeles Galaxy performance was based on the fact that they clearly outplayed their opponent for an entire game, but could not deliver the death blow.

Click to continue reading...

Watch it live on ESPN2 at 6pm Pacific.

It looks like Edson is out and Gordo will be starting. Check out the video preview with thoughts from Bruce, Landon, David, and Alan Gordon.

And just in case you forgot, remember this goal from last year? Poor Hartman. I still miss that guy.

Click to continue reading...