Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Real Salt Lake: Analysis, Reaction and More

Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy face their first major test of their 2011 Major League Soccer campaign when they take on Jason Kreis's Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah. The Galaxy are currently 1-1 and coming off a 1-0 victory over the Seattle Sounders and a 1-1 draw at home to the New England Revolution. Real Salt Lake is coming off a 1-0 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes on the road. This is their home opener. Team captain Landon Donovan is with the USA Men’s National Team, which means David Beckham will be donning the captain’s armband for this match. The Galaxy are led by Juninho, who has scored two goals so far for Los Angeles. Bleacher Report will provide you with analysis and reaction from the Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Real Salt Lake as well other results from across Major League Soccer.Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

USA vs. Argentina: Q&A with Former U.S. National Team Goalkeeper Tony Meola

Bleacher Report’s Jo-Ryan Salazar talked with Tony Meola ahead of the USA’s international friendly with Argentina on March 26. Q: Give us your take on the state of soccer in the USA. How has it improved since you hung up your cleats?A: Well, it’s only a couple of years ago, but over the course of a 20-year career, it has grown in leaps and bounds. And I can say the biggest improvement was on the player pool side, the number of players on our national team our coaches were able to choose from. And that was never…that wasn’t always the case. [Current U.S. Men’s National Team Head Coach] Bob Bradley has the nice luxury [of being able] to choose from…I gotta think it has to be 70 or 80 players for the team, where other [former] national team coaches like [current Los Angeles Galaxy manager] Bruce Arena had a list of guys prior to Major League Soccer and players having a home where they can build on, and mold, their skills on a daily basis. The other coaches didn’t have that chance, and certainly, the players relished that opportunity to give them a platform [to showcase their] wares every week. Some ...

Los Angeles Galaxy Ins and Outs, March 23, 2011

Landon Donovan out for an Argy bargyReal Salt Lake may be counting their blessings—they get a handicap.Los Angeles Galaxy team captain Landon Donovan will be unavailable for Bruce Arena's club as they take on Argentina in an international friendly on March 26.Donovan was one of 24 names on Bradley's roster released Wednesday for friendlies March 26 against Argentina in East Rutherford, N.J. and March 29 against Paraguay in Nashville. According to ESPN's Scott French, seven local players are on the US roster for the friendlies with Argentina and Paraguay, including Carlos Bocanegra (Alta Loma/Alta Loma HS and UCLA) and Jonathan Bornstein (Los Alamitos/Los Alamitos HS and Cal Poly Pomona/UCLA), and midfielders Michael Bradley (Manhattan Beach), Maurice Edu (Fontana/Etiwanda HS), Benny Feilhaber (Irvine/Northwood HS) and Sacha Kljestan (Huntington Beach/Huntington Beach HS).Also on the roster is former Galaxy striker Edson Buddle, now with Germany's FC Ingolstadt.Here is your list of players on the USA men's national team.GOALKEEPERSMarcus Hahnemann (Wolverhampton/England)Tim Howard (Everton/England)David Yelldell (MSV Duisburg/Germany)DEFENDERSCarlos Bocanegra (Saint-Etienne/France)Jonathan Bornstein (UANL Tigres/Mexico)Timothy Chandler (FC Nuremberg/Germany)Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96/Germany)Jay DeMerit (Vancouver Whitecaps)Oguchi Onyewu (FC Twente/Netherlands)Tim Ream (New York Red Bulls)Jonathan Spector (West Ham United/England)Zak Whitbread (Norwich City/England)MIDFIELDERSMichael Bradley (Aston Villa/England)Clint Dempsey (Fulham/England)Mikkel Diskeruud (Stabaek/Norway)Landon Donovan (L.A. ...

Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Real Salt Lake: Showdown at Rio Tinto

Bruce Arena's footballing troopers known as the Los Angeles Galaxy prepare themselves for a suicide mission when they travel to Sandy, Utah and Rio Tinto Stadium to take on Jason Kreis' Real Salt Lake on Saturday, March 26.Like the Galaxy, Real Salt Lake scrapped it out in the rain to open their season with a 1-0 victory thanks to the leg of Kyle Beckerman.While the elements will not be as severe on Saturday, the importance of the Galaxy finishing their chances on goal will be stressed this week.“On the night, our team played very well,” Arena told LAGalaxy.com. “Obviously conceding a goal in the opening minutes put our backs to the wall and I think our team responded well. We got a goal back and probably had another goal, although the referee doesn’t agree with that. We could have scored a bunch of goals.”One goal in particular that did not go in coincidentally came from the same culprit who equalized for LA: Juninho, who currently has two goals in as many games.“The one that [New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt] Reis dropped, that’s not a foul,” said Landon Donovan to LAGalaxy.com. “I don’t think anybody in here could claim that was ...

2011 MLS Power Rankings: Week 1

With Week 1 of the 2011 Major League Soccer season officially in the books, there are movers, and there are shakers in this week's MLS Power Rankings.Above the madness in March lie the Colorado Rapids, who remain at the top, while the Portland Timbers stay stuck at the bottom.We have some teams that have slid, and some that have moved up the ladder. Let's get right to it.Begin Slideshow

LA Galaxy’s Offense Fails To Deliver in 1-1 Draw with Revolution

I have come to this cruel conclusion, this necessary evil of a assessment: The teams in Major League Soccer that will lift trophies in the fall are those that can win games in the rain. Another assessment: the match referee waving an arm up and down is, for all intents and purposes, a middle-fingered salute to bastions of fans supporting a team that supposedly scored a would-be goal.Interpretations and concessions aside, Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy needs to learn how to win matches in adverse conditions if it wants to at least defend its Supporters' Shield. Sunday's 1-1 draw with Steve Nicol's New England Revolution saw Los Angeles squander three would-be goals.Of course, it could be seen as Hilario Grajeda giving New England and Shalrie Joseph—who should have made the match a 2-1 decision to the Revs had it not been for a shot that hit the post in the second half—a free pass.I have been looking at David Beckham's mechanics when he delivers his crosses and set pieces, and they have been off. Either he gets too much elevation in his shot or not enough elevation, allowing it to be deflected or snapped up in the waiting hands of Matt ...

Los Angeles Galaxy vs. New England Revolution: Live Blog, Analysis, Reaction

Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy take on Steve Nicol's New England Revolution in the Galaxy's home opener on Sunday, March 20, 2011. The Galaxy are coming off a 1-0 season-opening victory over the struggling Seattle Sounders, while the Revs are looking to build on their previous efforts over Los Angeles at Gillette Stadium. Will the Revs get on a tear against the G's? Or will LA roll to their first win streak of the season? Bleacher Report's Jo-Ryan Salazar will provide you all the action from Victoria Street as Week 1 of the 2011 Major League Soccer season wraps up.Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Los Angeles Galaxy Ins and Outs (March 20, 2011)

Bruce and ChadWhen asked about NFL veteran Chad Ochocinco's chances of playing MLS, the Los Angeles Galaxy manager welcomed the idea with open arms."I would be surprised (if he could play), but you never know," Arena said, "I give our sport a little bit more credit. It’s not like if our sport goes on strike that Landon Donovan’s going to go to the NFL as a free safety. "But I do love his passion for the game and I would love to see him on the field to see what he can do. Maybe I’m underestimating his ability and his desire to play."Ochocinco's decision to transition to soccer from a different sport and a different league has not been unprecedented. Former NBA great Steve Nash trained with the New York Red Bulls."He wasn't trying to make the team," Arena pointed out. "Actually, Steve Nash probably could have been a professional soccer player, from what I've seen of Steve. "He would have been a midfielder...Steve Nash probably plays 50 days a year. He's a little bit ahead of Ochocinco in that area."Change of pace for Michael StephensNow in his second year with the Galaxy, midfielder Michael Stephens is ready to pace himself after ...

New England Revolution vs. Los Angeles Galaxy: Galaxy Hunting for Consistency

Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy will open up the home portion of their 2011 Major League Soccer season Sunday against the New England Revolution. The importance of keeping both feet on the ground could not be any more stressed, nor could the desire to avenge a 2-0 defeat to the Revs on July 10, 2010 in Foxborough, Mass.Still, the Galaxy's 1-0 victory over the Seattle Sounders came with great difficulty, according to team captain Landon Donovan."There's not another team in this league who would go without their two starting center backs, their starting goalkeeper and one of their Designated Players and get a win here," Donovan said. "We're very proud of that."Center backs Gregg Berhalter and Omar Gonzalez, goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts and forward Juan Pablo Angel were battling illness and injury, while the team braved a tough environment—literally and figuratively."We relish this," Donovan said. "If they want to open the upper deck and add more people to the stands, we would love it. We love this atmosphere, we love this environment, we love playing here."Despite a partisan sellout crowd of 36,433 and torrents of rain, the Galaxy's Juninho scored the first league goal of the year off a delivery from ...

MLS: Juninho, Josh Saunders, Los Angeles Galaxy Escape Seattle with 1-0 victory

Maybe it was the timing for Blaise Nkufo getting the boot one hour before kickoff. Maybe it was the fact that it was a rainy night on a rainy surface in one of the rainiest cities in America.Maybe it was the fact that Seattle blew all their chances to send one through the net.Or maybe it was the fact that Josh Saunders and Juninho delivered in the clutch for Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy, who shut out the Seattle Sounders 1-0 before a hostile sellout crowd at Qwest Field in MLS FirstKick.You know what? I'll go ahead and do a favor for you lot here on Bleacher Report and the View. I'll take Saunders and Juninho delivering over the other two.First, let's talk about Saunders. After Donovan Ricketts went down with an injury in their club friendly with Club Tijuana, Saunders was thrust into the limelight once again.In front of one of the most hostile environments in the league, Saunders was ready and made stop after stop after stop. Of course, it did help that some of the shots he couldn't parry missed the net anyway.That leads us to Juninho. Can somebody from Sao Paolo FC just do the right ...