Will San Jose lose one of their players in the expansion draft? (Getty Images)
Today is the final day in our expansion draft coverage/speculation/etc. as we look at three
clubs. First up this morning is the San Jose Earthquakes. Later on today I will have Seattle
Sounders FC and Toronto FC to round out the lists.
And those words are: Western Conference champions!
In a fitting display on their home turf, the Los Angeles Galaxy put the finishing touches on a
worst-to-first regular season for 2009. After a horrific 2008, the culmination of years of
front-office incompetence and on-field underachievement accomplished under the glare of
international media, the Galaxy put together a season that culminated in a first-in the West finish
and a return to the playoffs for the first time since 2005.
Goalkeeper Jon Conway, suspended last year by MLS for 10 games for taking performance enhancing
substances, was signed Friday by Chivas USA, the club announced Friday.
In addition, defender Bobby Burling, a Loyola Marymount University product who has played just
three games this season because of injury was shipped to the San Jose Earthquakes, who badly need
to shore up their defense.
Becks lets his feet do the talking whilst doggedly confirming he will never shave again.
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England midfielder David Beckham's LA Galaxy side have confirmed themselves as MLS
Western Conference winners after a 2-0 win over San Jose Earthquakes.
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.
Rapids striker Conor Casey scored his ninth, 10th and 11th goals against Chivas USA on
Saturday. (photo by Jonathan Ingraham/ColoradoSoccerNow.com)
When defensive midfielder Pablo Mastroeni scores, the Colorado Rapids need to make it count.
Part two of the expansion draft preview. The Eastern conference was covered yesterday, and can be
found here.
CHIVAS USA
Protected Available Exempt Jonathan Bornstein Chukwudi Chijindu
Justin Braun Yamith Cuesta
Bobby Burling Jim Curtin
Maykel Galindo Jorge Flores
Sacha Kljestan Kevin Harmse
Michael Lahoud Ante Jazic
Jesse Marsch
Dan Kennedy
Paulo Nagamura
Eduardo Lillingston
Shavar Thomas
Gerson Mayen
Zach Thornton
Jesus Padilla
Mariano Trujillo Lance Parker
Ante Razov
Maicon Santos
Marcelo Saragosa
Bojan Stepanovic
Claudio Suarez
Carey Talley
Lawson Vaughn
Sasha Victorine
Cesar Zamora
If this list of players seems larger than normal to you, then you're right.
Colorado's Jacob Peterson goes flying after colliding with Andre Luiz in the first half
Wednesday. (photo by Tom Auclair/ColoradoSoccerNow.com)
You've got to be kidding. For the second time in less than a week, Conor Casey scored on a
penalty kick deep into extra time as the Colorado Rapids tied the San Jose Earthquakes 1-1.
Galaxy 1 San Jose Earthquakes 0
The Galaxy gradually asserted their control as the first half wore on and although I'm sure
Coach Bruce Arena would like to see more movement and that telling pass in the final third of the
field L.A. have certainly subdued any early life the Earthquakes showed.
There aren't many Major League Soccer teams that can be considered save in the MLS playoff race.
Other than the Columbus Crew, Houston Dynamo and Chicago Fire, the rest of the teams with serious
playoff dreams have serious work to do in the remaining five weeks of the season (though
poorly-timed slumps could drop Houston and Chicago back into the mix).
There was one match on Wednesday night in Major League Soccer as FC Dallas traveled to face the
San Jose Earthquakes. It was a must win for Dallas to keep their playoff hopes alive. Here's a
recap of the match along with video highlights.
FC Dallas edges the San Jose Earthquakes 2-1 Video
Highlights
Jeff Cunningham scored a late goal to keep FC Dallas' playoff hopes alive on Thursday night
against the San Jose Earthquakes.
Sole possession of first place in the Western Conference is on the line for Chivas USA this
evening (they're tied with Houston and the Galaxy, who face each other at noon Sunday, with 44
points at the top of the table).
Chivas has returned to their early season form of late, with shutouts in four of their last five
games just as they had six clean sheets in their first nine outings.
Galaxy 1 San Jose Earthquakes 0
Former Chivas USA defender Bobby Burling deflected a Landon Donovan shot into the net in the
24th minute, the ball going up and over Joe Cannon and giving him no chance.
Incidentally, while I know it's early if this result holds the Galaxy will play the Sounders,
who are losing 1-0 to Dallas right now, in Seattle on Thursday.
