President Obama Welcomes LA Galaxy to White House, Zings David Beckham

Barack Obama: President, statesman, world leader… joker?David Beckham, Landon Donovan, Robbie Keane and a bunch of other, less famous dudes visited the White House on Tuesday per the traditional arrangement in which American sports champions are congratulated by the sitting President.The reigning MLS champs are the Los Angeles Galaxy, the sitting President is Barack Obama and the meeting produced a few funny moments.First, Obama called the Galaxy "the Miami Heat of soccer."Uh, OK. Does that make Robbie Keane the Galaxy's version of Chris Bosh?Then, Obama, 50, went to work on the 37-year-old Beckham, whom he jokingly called a "young up-and-comer."USA Today reports: "We also have a young up-and-comer on the team, a guy named David Beckham," Obama said. "I have to say I gave David a hard time—I said half his teammates could be his kids." He then turned to the midfielder. "We're getting old, David." Obama did take the time to praise Beckham, who came back from a spinal fracture midway through the season and a hamstring injury the week before the MLS Cup final. "He is tough," Obama said. "In fact, it is a rare man who can be that tough on the ...

Top 10 Veterans We’d Love to See in MLS

It's undeniable that Major League Soccer has continued its rise in American sports. Attendance and interest has been up, and the quality of games has improved.Yet there's also the undeniable fact that MLS has become, for better or worse, a league where many veterans of European leagues come to retire.Fans can debate the merits of this, but it is nonetheless beyond debate that this trend will continue for the foreseeable future.So who would we like to see in MLS? Again, this is up for debate as it's a subjective point of discussion. That said, there are a few obvious choices.Let's take a look at a few of them.(Keep in mind, some of these are players who we'd like to see in the league, not necessarily people we think will play here.)Begin Slideshow

Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Chivas USA: 10 Bold Predictions

On Saturday, May 19, Los Angeles's very own football derby begins anew with the first round of the 2012 Honda SuperClasico between Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy and Robin Fraser's Chivas USA.Kickoff is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. PT/7:30 p.m. ET and will be televised by ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes. Here are 10 things to watch out for in this matchup this weekend.Begin Slideshow

MLS Weekly Power Rankings: New York Red Bulls Continue to Surprise

Theirry Henry is more than just the best player for the New York Red Bulls. He's the team's leader. He's the Red Bulls' general. And he's the face of the franchise.But right now, the Red Bulls are winning without their best player, and it's been great to watch the fight the team has. Another team grinding out results is Real Salt Lake (no surprise there). The Royals went into Seattle and showed what they're made of.  1. Real Salt Lake (8-3-1, 26 pts.) - Real Salt Lake shows up for the big games. Not many teams will go into Seattle and hold the Sounders scoreless like RSL did.2. Seattle Sounders (7-2-1, 19 pts.) - Losing at home is a shocker for Seattle against any opponent. 3. San Jose Earthquakes (7-2-1, 22 pts.) - Drawing with Chivas was a tough blow for San Jose as it tried to surpass Real Salt Lake to get the top spot in the West again.4. New York Red Bulls (7-3-1, 22 pts.) - The Patrick Ewing Theory is alive and well in New York. 5. Vancouver Whitecaps (5-3-2, 17 pts.) - Vancouver got run off the field by New England on Saturday, but Martin Rennie admitted to leaving veteran ...

MLS: 5 Players Who Will Be Vying for the Scoring Title This Season

With a third of the 2012 Major League Soccer campaign complete, a number of familiar faces are atop the goal-scoring chart. But which one of these grizzled veterans will have what it takes to be on top at the end of the season? Let’s take a look at five most likely players to win the MLS Golden Boot in 2012.Begin Slideshow

Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Montreal Impact: Rating David Beckham’s Performance

Sad to say, this performance came one week too late. But it sure was miles ahead of the gong show that was the match with the New York Red Bulls at the Home Depot Center on Cinco De Mayo. Midfielder David Beckham may have been all but cut from the roster of Team Great Britain, but he proved that he can still finish when he gets an opportunity to do so. Just past the hour mark, Beckham gets a set piece from 20 yards out. Picking his spot, his volley bends past the wall, beats Donovan Ricketts and hits the top right corner to give the Los Angeles Galaxy a 1-1 draw with the Impact at Stade Olympique. It should be noted that Beckham had 10 corners to work with compared to Montreal's two. And the Impact were conceding a lot of set piece opportunities. Montreal should be thankful the damage was not worse than it could have been, because the Galaxy, for the most part, still couldn't find someone to finish those long balls. Never mind that Ricketts, a former Galaxy netminder, had plenty to do with Beckham being held at bay. The Big Cat from Montego Bay made ...

Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Montreal Impact: Rating the Galaxy Players

The Los Angeles Galaxy saw their winless streak extend to four matches after drawing 1-1 with the Montreal Impact at Stade Olympique in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Davy Arnaud opened up the scoring in the eighth minute of play for Montreal but it was David Beckham who salvaged a point for the Galaxy in the 61st minute of play. With the draw, the Galaxy improve to 3-5-2 but find their road back to contention a little bit more difficult as they prepare next week for Chivas USA. Here are the player ratings for the Los Angeles Galaxy against Montreal.  Brian Perk: 4.5 Gets negative points for failing to stop Arnaud early in the first half but otherwise had very little to do in the match, aside from one save.  A.J. DeLaGarza: 6 A.J. DeLaGarza has been one of the more consistent center-backs, and he had another typical performance in the back line for L.A. Made his sweeps and cut out a number of opportunities for the Impact attack.  Sean Franklin: 5 Was in on a number of offensive sequences and helped deliver some chances to Robbie Keane and Landon Donovan.  Todd Dunivant: 5Decent outing from the Iron Man. Nothing too remarkable ...

Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Montreal Impact: 6 Things We Learned

Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy ended their two-game losing streak with a 1-1 draw on the road against the Montreal Impact at Stade Olympique in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.With the draw, the Galaxy improve to 3-5-2 (11 points) on the season but remain near the bottom of the Major League Soccer Western Conference standings.Here are six things we learned from Saturday afternoon's contest in La Belle Province.Begin Slideshow

MLS: 10 Key Matchups to Watch This Weekend

Football is winding down in England, Spain and Germany, but Major League Soccer is just hitting its stride. For all you Europhiles in the States, it's time to get wrapped up in the local version of the game.We've got Lee Nguyen facing the team that cut him earlier this season, Rafa Marquez trying to keep hold of his demons, and a game that might benefit from the institution of a mercy rule.Here are 10 key matchups to watch this weekend in MLS.Begin Slideshow

MLS Transfer Rumors: Alessandro Nesta and 5 Aging Stars Poised for a Move to MLS

Ever since David Beckham made the move from Real Madrid to the Los Angeles Galaxy at the age of 32 to see out the rest of his career, it has become in vogue for stars who can no longer compete at the highest level to move across the pond. Some of the game’s greatest players over the past decade have followed the trendsetting Beckham, including Thierry Henry, Rafa Marquez, Torsten Frings and Robbie Keane. It is an excellent way for them to remain playing, holding on to hopes of once again representing their national side as well as giving the MLS the much-needed star power to expand its brand. There is little to suggest that this kind of transaction will stop any time soon. Changes in the rules in 2010 expanded the “designated player” options that currently allow teams to fund these transfers. Come this summer, we are likely to hear some once-superstar names come up in conversations about being the latest to make the move to the MLS. Here are five of the biggest who could make America home to their swan song.Begin Slideshow