By JOEY SAMUEL

While the retaining of David Beckham's services remains up in the air for the Los Angeles Galaxy, five other players saw their contract situations get a lot clearer on Friday.

Sean Franklin and Bryan Jordan re-signed with Los Angeles, while Adam Cristman's option was picked up, allowing Bruce Arena to keep key parts of the deep squad that won the 2011 MLS Cup and Supporters' Shield.

*The Galaxy announced this morning that the club has re-signed starting defender/midfielder Sean Franklin as well as Bryan Jordan of Temple City and reserve striker Adam Cristman for the 2012 season. The Galaxy also announced they have signed MLS veteran Pat Noonan and goalkeeper Nick Noble. Here's more on the

Clubs can protect 11 players ahead of the 10-round draft for the Montreal Impact, which will join MLS next year.

A team can only lose one player.

Wonder if Impact Coach Jesse Marsch will take a player from his most recent former club, Chivas USA? Will he bring home Canadian Ante Jazic, a solid addition to any expansion team's backline?

*Hermosa Beach resident Abby Wambach and Dancing with the Stars star Hope Solo join Diamond Bar's Alex Morgan and former LA Sol stars Marta and Aya Miyama on the 10-player short list.

Swedish U.S. women's coach Pia Sundhage is also up for FIFA Women's Coach of the Year.

The full lists are here.

Houston Dynamo (11-9-13, 46 pts.) vs. LA Galaxy (19-4-10, 67 pts.) Robertson Stadium - Houston, TX - 6:00pm CT

The regular season finale. The final regular season game (potentially last Dynamo game ever) played at Robertson Stadium. A chance to leapfrog the Columbus Crew and the Philadelphia Union and take over 2nd place in the Eastern Conference, bypassing the wildcard round.

Seattle's 2-1 win over the New England Revolution earlier today means the Galaxy can't clinch the Supporters Shield tonight, but a win or a draw would eliminate Real Salt Lake from contention for the regular season title.

The Galaxy need five more points from their four remaining games, including this evening's contest, and the title will belong to them no matter what any other team does.

Photo by Mike Janosz/ISIPhotos.com

By ADAM SERRANO

CARSON, Calif.-- With their dreams of a place in the Champions League quarterfinals fading fast, the Los Angeles Galaxy produced the same sort of late-game magic they produced the last time they faced Morelia.

If, like me, you attempted to record the telecast of the delayed game on your DVR and were screwed by Fox switching channels and times (that's the sort of care and attention a league/sport gets when a network loses the rights to that property the next year, I guess) these YouTube highlights might be as close as you get to seeing anything.

A 3-0 win might be considered an easy night for any soccer team.

Just don't tell that to the Los Angeles Galaxy, certainly not on Saturday night against the Vancouver Whitecaps.

Vancouver certainly didn't play like a team that was in last place in the Western Conference with only 22 points against the vaunted Galaxy on Saturday night.

BY ADAM SERRANO

CARSON, Calif.-- The Los Angeles Galaxy showed no ill effects from their midweek loss in the CONCACAF Champions League, beating the Vancouver Whitecaps in relatively easy fashion for the second time this season.

Mike Magee scored twice and Robbie Keane tallied the other adding an assist as the Galaxy were able to handle the Whitecaps, 3-0.

When Galaxy coach Bruce Arena trotted out a different-looking lineup against Colorado, it wasn't just with Colorado in mind.
Sure, Chad Barrett and Paolo Cardozo did well against the Rapids but playing the likes of Barrett, Cardozo, Bryan Jordan and Donovan Ricketts allowed for the Galaxy to rest up some players for Tuesday's match against Morelia.

When Galaxy coach Bruce Arena trotted out a different-looking lineup against Colorado, it wasn't just with Colorado in mind.
Sure, Chad Barrett and Paolo Cardozo did well against the Rapids but playing the likes of Barrett, Cardozo, Bryan Jordan and Donovan Ricketts allowed for the Galaxy to rest up some players for Tuesday's match against Morelia.

A muggy night, a sparse crowd (hello, prep football) and Galaxy Coach Bruce Arena has the squad rotation in full effect.

Goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts returns from injury for his first start since June, Bryan Jordan slots in at right back for his second start of the season, Paolo Cardozo starts up front in his third start of the season and Chad Barrett is alongside him for his first start since, um, Monday.

Quick Recap:

Just under 5,000 fans got their Portland Timbers fix at Jeld-Wen Field, as they watched the reserve side draw 3-3 against Bryan Jordan and the Los Angeles Galaxy Reserves. The Portland Timbers Reserves fell behind twice, but Darlington Nagbe's brace helped the team secure a draw. For the second consecutive match the reserves sealed their comeback with a second half stoppage time goal.

As the world slowly comes to MLS, it's nice to see the league reciprocating to go global. Aurelien Collin, Bryan Jordan and Sebastien Le Toux are among the players who have given "Celebrity English Lessons" via video for a Portland outfit called English, Baby! that helps teach our language to well over a million people in places like Brazil, China and Turkey.

Joe Hart saved A.J. DeLaGarza's penalty and then scored the winner in the ninth round of a penalty shootout as Manchester City beat the Los Angeles Galaxy 7-6 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.

Mario Balotelli opened the scoring for Man City from the penalty spot after Micah Richards was taken down in the box by Bryan Jordan.

Joe Hart saved A.J. DeLaGarza's penalty and then scored the winner in the ninth round of a penalty shootout as Manchester City beat the Los Angeles Galaxy 7-6 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.

Mario Balotelli opened the scoring for Man City from the penalty spot after Micah Richards was taken down in the box by Bryan Jordan.

PHOTO BY ISIPHOTOS.COM

BY ADAM SERRANO

The LA Galaxy earned MLS their first points in the World Football Challenge on Sunday falling on penalties to Manchester City in front of 24,897 at the Home Depot Center.

Mario Balotelli and Mike Magee provided the scoring in a lively match that went to penalty kicks with Manchester City taking it 7-6 after a World Football Challenge mandated Penalty Kick shootout.

Euphoria from last night's performance, let alone victory, has yet to disappear. The monkey for the Seattle Sounders is possibly off their back after the 3-1 win over the Los Angeles Galaxy. In reading through the quotes from last night Landon Donovan sums up the match best;

It was a good atmosphere, it was a good environment.

The Sounders nemesis comes to Starfire today. They visit the only place where they struggle against Seattle as the Los Angles Galaxy have dominated the Rave Green in league play. But, in the US Open Cup Seattle had a 2-0 victory last year. Sigi Schmid's men look to extend their semifinal appearance streak to 5 straight years across two different leagues.

Every year about this time the MLS players union releases the salaries for all the players in the league. There is something tawdry about how excited I get, looking over our players' personal incomes. I feel like an honorary member of the yenta-net, gossiping about who makes the most money.

Every year about this time the MLS players union releases the salaries for all the players in the league. There is something tawdry about how excited I get, looking over our players' personal incomes. I feel like an honorary member of the yenta-net, gossiping about who makes the most money.

Gabriel Ferrari had a shot deflect off Houston defender Eddie Robinson for an own goal, and Martin Rivas scored twice as the Chicago Fire topped the Houston Dynamo, 3-0, in MLS Reserve League action on Sunday morning.

Rivas, a 19-year-old Argentine trialist, is hoping to catch on with an MLS club after trialing with D.

Hey everyone.

This recap isn't a week late! Yay for me!

OK I'm keeping the intro short this week. I would like to head out to the tailgate. My witty rejoinders will be back for the Houston recap.

Read on for the recap!

Chicago vs LA game recap

Weather: 45 degrees and windy

Surface: Natural Grass

Location: Stadium in Bridgeview IL (take our corporate name and stick it?

Chad Barrett scores his first gol for the Galaxy after astrally projecting his spirit into Chicago's attack causing open gol misses while he pounded his chance home.

It took until the (league-most) seventh game played but at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, IL, the LA Galaxy finally got a second gol from a striker, finally got more than one gol in a game, and finally got the full three points from a game in this 4800-mile road trip.

I know this was an away game, but I still feel like Galaxy fans should get a refund. I managed to pull the game up on my iPad and watch it live. If you are waiting for the 10:30 tape delay, don't bother.

By the time the game actually loaded on my iPad LA was down 1-0. Within a few minutes Saunders had a clear foul in the box for a PK that made it 2.

I know this was an away game, but I still feel like Galaxy fans should get a refund. I managed to pull the game up on my iPad and watch it live. If you are waiting for the 10:30 tape delay, don't bother.

By the time the game actually loaded on my iPad LA was down 1-0. Within a few minutes Saunders had a clear foul in the box for a PK that made it 2.

*Largely fielding a reserve team, the Galaxy beat the expansion Vancouver Whitecaps 2-0 today for the second time in two days in Arizona, the victory coming from second half goals by Chad Barrett and Adam Cristman 16 minutes apart.

The Galaxy will now return to Southern California after spending 10 days in Arizona.

Rapids striker Conor Casey scored the opening two goals of the game six minutes apart to give Colorado a 2-0 lead after just 25 minutes on the campus of Arizona State University in Tempe.

Landon Donovan scored from a second half spot kick and Adam Cristman pulled the Galaxy level six minutes later, but the Rapids responded by scoring twice more in three minutes to seal the Galaxy's first preseason loss.

BY ADAM SERRANO

CARSON, CALIF - There will be a number of firsts this year for the Portland Timbers in their inaugural season and on Tuesday, the club added another. The Timbers played their first match against MLS competition and continued their unbeaten pre-season with a 1-1 draw against the LA Galaxy.

*The score was 1-1 with newcomer Paulo Cardozo getting the 48th minute opening goal off his left foot and Temple City's Bryan Jordan supplying the assist in the Galaxy's first (official) scrimmage of the preseason.

"Me & Paolo have been talking all week about 1-2's," Jordan Tweeted.

Just got back from the sixth day of the Galaxy's preseason camp out at a sun-drenched Home Depot Center (fresh and crisp after that rain Sunday) and the first for 26 of the 28 players on the roster to hit the practice field after a week of gym work and testing.

Only David Beckham (training in England with Spurs) and newly-signed youngster Jack McBean (who is with the U.

Flying high: Air Bryan Jordan will represent Friday at the Millrose Games (Photo courtesy LA Galaxy).

Galaxy midfielder Bryan Jordan, the pride of Temple City, will represent the Galaxy and MLS in the Super 60 II Friday at the 104th Millrose Games at Madison Square Garden in New York City (live 5 p.

*The club will play the expansion Portland Timbers Feb. 8 and the San Jose Earthquakes Feb. 10 at Home Depot Center, although there's no word whether fans will be able to peer over a fence and watch or the games will be behind closed doors.

The Galaxy will also play three games against MLS opponents while training in Arizona from Feb.