LA Galaxy vs. Real Madrid: Los Blancos Are Back in Los Angeles

Last year, after both sides swapped teams at halftime, the first side of Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid Club de Futbol outperformed the first string of Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy en route to a 3-2 victory at the Rose Bowl, in Pasadena, Calif.This year, both teams meet again as part of a series of club international friendlies called the "2011 Herbalife World Football Challenge" on Saturday, July 16 at the home of the 1932 and 1984 Summer Olympics as well as USC Trojans football, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.You can be sure that Landon Donovan and David Beckham will be on hand in the hopes of scoring a goal or two."We need the leadership from Landon and David to be successful," Arena told MLSSoccer.com's Andrea Canales on Saturday after their 2-1 victory over Chicago Fire in Major League Soccer play.The Galaxy manager was impressed by Beckham's grit and determination."He's really determined," said Arena of Beckham. "He's a tough athlete. There was a point at about 65 minutes that I thought we might have to take him out, because he looked fatigued, but he hung in there. He really wanted to play. He was a tremendous presence tonight.""When I was on ...

Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Seattle Sounders: The Tukwila Throwdown, Take Two

It is safe to say that Landon Donovan and David Beckham of Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy will be rested for Saturday's friendly with Real Madrid CF as they take on the Seattle Sounders in the 2011 U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals.Last year, the Galaxy lost to the Sounders at the Starfire Sports Complex 2-0 thanks to a Nate Jaqua brace in the 50th and 62nd minutes of play.A whole 371 days after the first encounter in Tukwila, both teams return to Starfire, with the Galaxy hoping to exact some payback after their dismal exit from the tournament.Both the Galaxy and Sounders advanced to the quarters after 2-1 victories over their respective opponents.Seattle's Michael Fucito scored a brace in the 39th and 62nd minutes to pace the Sounders to a 2-1 victory over the Kitsap Pumas. Goals from Omar Gonzalez in the 75th minute and Mike Magee in the 81st minute of play propelled the Galaxy to a 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Blues at Titan Stadium on the campus of California State University, Fullerton.One major strength of the Galaxy side that could start on Wednesday is at goalkeeper. Brian Perk, the current backup goalkeeper to current starter Josh Saunders, was ...

LA Galaxy’s Landon Donovan, David Beckham Wake Up, Defeat Chicago Fire 2-1

Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy owed some fans some offensive fireworks after they were missing in action on the Fourth of July against the Seattle Sounders.On the flip side, here I was, thinking that David Beckham was going to come off the bench. Turns out, Arena was desperate to find somebody who could deliver the aforementioned pyrotechnics. Even through injury, the man with the set piece slot machine for a leg can still hit the occasional jackpot or two.In the 58th minute, Beckham delivered a set piece from the southwest end that found Landon Donovan for his ninth of the season. Seven minutes later, after Cristian Nazarit became the Chicken Thief for equalizing in the 62nd minute of play, a bending corner from the Riot Squad end eluded Chicago Fire Sean Johnson in the 65th minute.The former Man United ace doused the flames and Frank Klopas's Fire single-handedly, 2-1, at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California.It was a shame that the likes of Mike Magee was AWOL on Saturday. That forced Paolo Cardozo into the flames. A little baptism by fill-in-the-blank. No pun intended. Cardozo didn't impress me tonight. Every ball that came in his direction was easily cut ...

Toronto FC vs. Houston Dynamo: Danny Cruz and Geoff Cameron Shine in Dynamo Win

Entering their game against the Toronto FC, the Houston Dynamo had not won a game since June 11 and only two since April 29. On goals by Danny Cruz and Geoff Cameron, they downed a stubborn Toronto team 2-0 in front of 19,085 fans at Robertson Stadium in Houston. Both goals occurred in the second half to raise the Dynamo’s record to 4-6-8 (23 points), while Toronto fell to 3-9-9 (18 points). In the 50th minute, midfielder Danny Cruz got the ball from forward Brian Ching. Cruz then dribbled the ball into the box and fired a shot past goalkeeper Stefan Frei for the first score of the game. The goal was the first of the season for Cruz. The Dynamo increased their margin to two in the 81st minute on an unassisted goal by Geoff Cameron. He got a loose ball in the box and shot it past Frei for the goal. The Dynamo had other chances for goals, only to be shut out by wide shots, deflections and blocked shots. In the fifth minute, Cruz blasted a shot from outside the 18-yard box, only to have it deflected. The Dynamo continued the attack in the eighth minute when ...

Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Chicago Fire Live Blog: Play-by-Play Analysis, Reaction

Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy continue their busy July with an important Major League Soccer showdown against the Chicago Fire on Saturday at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California.The Galaxy are currently 9-2-9, and in spite of an unbeaten run, wins have been harder to come by. As for Frank Klopas's Fire, they are 2-4-12 and are in need of a victory to have an outside shot at qualifying for the MLS Cup Playoffs.Keep it here on Bleacher Report for continuing coverage of the 2011 Major League Soccer season. Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Los Angeles Galaxy Ins and Outs, July 9, 2011

Youth Academy UpdateThe Los Angeles Galaxy Youth Academy Under-16s will up their 2010-11 season with action at U.S. Soccer Development Academy Finals Week in Milwaukee.On Sunday, July 10, the Young G's will face Real So Cal. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. CT/4:00 p.m. ET at the Time Warner Cable Stadium Field at Uihlean Soccer Park. Tuesday, July 12 will see the Galaxy face the Dallas Texans. Kickoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. CT/6:30 p.m. ET at Quad Park Stadium Field on the campus of Marquette High School.The Under-16s wrap up their round robin on Thursday, July 14 at Uihlein Soccer Park's Field E5 when they take on the Seattle Sounders at 3:00 p.m. CT/4:00 p.m. ET.Here are your coaches and players on for the Los Angeles Galaxy Youth Academy Under-16s.LA Galaxy Academy U-16 Roster for U.S. Soccer Development Academy FinalsGOALKEEPERS (2) – Grayson Cornwall, Josh McNeelyDEFENDERS (8) – Chris Antunez, Steve Copley, Cole Dimond, Sagar Jambusaria, Vincent Reyes, Matt Tilley, Ludwing Vargas, Ivan VasquezMIDFIELDERS (7) – Jose Avila, Sean Dhillon, Eric Gonzalez, Grady Howe, Axel Mendez, Drew Murphy, Willie RaygozaFORWARDS (5) – Justin Dhillon, Kevin Labastida, Francisco Magallon, Jack McBean, Sebastian VelasquezHEAD COACH – Kenny ArenaASSISTANT COACH – Alex ...

Portland Timbers: How They Can Beat the Seattle Sounders

In its inaugural season, the Portland-Seattle rivalry is already the best in the MLS, by a wide margin.The animosity between these two teams goes all the way back to their NASL days in the mid-seventies. There's also a natural, well, hatred between the two cities. Seattle is now known as a haven for mis-placed Californians and east coasters looking to cash in on Amazon and Microsoft stock (although Microsoft stock isn't what it once was).Portland, on the other hand, does everything to stick to its roots and not sell out. The city slogan, "Keep Portland Weird", is a perfect embodiment of that philosophy.Even the supporters of the two clubs are different. Sounder supporters tend to look like a bunch of geeks who got lost on their way to a Star Trek convention. Portland supporters look like they stumbled out of bar, got a tattoo, and then decided to go to a soccer game.So, when they meet for the second time this year, it's not just bragging rights on the line, it's a clash of two cultures.It's new-money materialism versus good, old fashioned bohemianism.In their first clash in Seattle, Portland, undoubtedly, got the better of the two with a tie on ...

Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Chicago Fire: The Push for Win No. 10

Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy were unfortunate to have drawn scoreless with the Seattle Sounders on Monday. They will hope for a better result when they host the Chicago Fire on Saturday, July 9 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California.“It’s good to get back into training, but playing in a game is different,” team captain Landon Donovan told LAGalaxy.com's Luis Bueno. “I wasn’t very sharp [Monday] either. That doesn’t have to do with the team. That just has to do with me individually.”Donovan was away on CONCACAF Gold Cup duty and the loss of minutes may have something to do with the whole situation, regarding his lack of form.“He looked a little bit tired for Landon,” Arena said. “In all honesty, he didn’t play a lot of minutes. He didn’t come back perhaps the way he left because he had limited minutes over his monthly stint there, and I think that takes a little bit away."“We gave him some time off when he came back so he hasn’t been in the swing of things like he needs to be. He’s certainly going to build with each game,” Arena added. Midfielder David Beckham is nursing a stress fracture and ...

New York Red Bulls Run Rampant on Toronto FC in 5-0 Victory

After a grueling four-game road trip where the New York Red Bulls registered a 0-1-3 record against the Portland Timbers, Seattle Sounders, Chicago Fire and San Jose Earthquakes, the Red Bulls made a triumphant return to Red Bull Arena as they throttled Toronto FC 5-0 in front of 15,269 fans.Winning for only the second time in their past 12 games, the Red Bulls finally lived up to the Southward's expectations. For one night, the Red Bulls didn't have any goalkeeping issues. Nor did they allow any goals off a set piece play. Overall, the Red Bulls played one their best games in recent memory. In doing so, they helped Greg Sutton appear as a "world beater" on Wednesday night.Granted they faced a second to last place Eastern Conference team in Toronto FC, but when a team such as the Red Bulls are unable to produce wins, any form of victory is relevant. In a game where they had the opportunity to momentarily reclaim the Eastern Conference off the Philadelphia Union, the Red Bulls didn't squander there opportunities to score and maintain leads.From the very beginning the Red Bulls aggressively attacked the net as they ravenously controlled a 10-4 advantage on ...

MLS Midseason Awards: Analyzing the Stars of the First Half

In the words of Bon Jovi, "Oh, we're halfway there," and for many teams, the midpoint couldn't have come soon enough.While some teams hit the halfway mark hotter than a burning pop tart, others have started to slowly fade from playoff contention. As the contenders and pretenders start to sort themselves out, I will analyze who deserves some significant recognition from the first half.Rookie of the First Half: Joao PlataThe third-round pick has single-handedly raised 17 coaches’ eyebrows after a terrific first half of his rookie season. Plata worked his way into the TFC lineup in Week 3 and has never looked back. He is currently third on the roster in stats with two goals and two assists. Some may have an argument for Will Bruin, but the truth is that Plata has been more consistently surprising.Newcomer of the First Half: Charlie DaviesAfter such a satisfying resurgence back to goal-scoring greatness, it’s hard not to feel happy about Davies’ debut MLS season. He currently finds himself tied for first in the Golden Boot race with eight goals, even if some of them were a little less then legitimate.His impact on DC United can clearly be seen as attendance figures and ...