2011 MLS Power Rankings: Preseason

The 2011 Major League Soccer season will get underway at Qwest Field, where the Seattle Sounders look to avenge their league futility against the Los Angeles Galaxy.There is no doubt, however, that the Colorado Rapids are the team to beat this year. When you are the defenders of the Philip J. Anschutz Trophy, you paint a big X on your back, and everyone is gunning for your star.Out of 18 teams, only one can lay claim to the top of MLS, and so Bleacher Report gives you a preview of who will finish where this season.Begin Slideshow

This Is The Los Angeles Galaxy: Zach Johnson

This is Part 10 in a list of players that will be joining the Los Angeles Galaxy this season.Sometimes there can be so much depth at one position that it might be near-impossible for someone on the fringe to get that one opportunity to play as a goalkeeper. With the return of the Major League Soccer Reserve Division, there is a way for those fringe players to prove that they can be ready when they are summoned to the first team.One of those players that could be starting out on the Reserve Division squad for the Los Angeles Galaxy is goalkeeper Zach Johnson. Fresh from West Virginia University, this 6-foot-4, 200-pound stopper will look to relish the opportunity MLS gives him.Zach Johnson was born on May 4, 1988 in Lumberton Township, New Jersey. Lumberton is an affluent suburb of Philadelphia, and was identified at one point in time as having the most active community of eBay buyers and sellers on a per-capita basis in the United States.But Johnson never auctioned his love for soccer, nor did he put his role as a goalkeeper up for sale. These were two priceless intangibles that he elected to build on.At Rancocas Valley Regional ...

This Is The Los Angeles Galaxy: Dustin McCarty

This is Part Nine in a list of players that will be joining the Los Angeles Galaxy this season.Big brothers can be tough acts to follow at times.There are so many famous brother and sister pairings who play in the same league or play the same sport: from the Weaver and Alomar brothers in baseball, to the Williams sisters and Bryan brothers in tennis, to the Manning, Sharpe and Barber brothers of American football, to the Andrettis of auto racing, to the Sorenstam sisters in golf...the list goes on.For young Dustin McCarty, older brother Dax already has a head start, playing for FC Dallas and (soon) DC United.So how will little brother top that? Perhaps making a name for himself as a member of the Los Angeles Galaxy will be a start. Like Dax, Dustin McCarty plays as a midfielder, and bolsters some badly-needed depth in that area for the G's.Mark Dustin McCarty was born on Oct. 12, 1988 in Winter Park, Florida. Winter Park is a suburb of Orlando and is the home of Rollins College, Full Sail University and the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art, home to the largest collection of Tiffany glass on Earth.McCarty began ...

This Is The Los Angeles Galaxy: Ryan Thomas

This is Part Eight in a list of players that will be joining the Los Angeles Galaxy this season.Last season, the Los Angeles Galaxy's defensive back line was under scrutiny for giving up goals left and right. The lack of depth defensively was one reason why the Galaxy were eliminated by FC Dallas last season in the Western Conference Finals.Ryan Thomas, a defender who also can play in the midfielder, is someone who will look to fill that void by utilizing his speed and dispossessing ability. Thomas is a set-piece specialist, and is a skillful winger.An athletic individual, Thomas has a chance to prove he can get the job done playing in the back for the Los Angeles Galaxy.Ryan Thomas was born in Claremont, California. He was a teammate of SuperDraft selection Hector Jimenez as a member of youth powerhouse Arsenal FC, winning national titles at the Under-15 level in 2004, the Under-16 level in 2005 and the Under-17 level in 2006.As a member of the Claremont High School boys soccer teams, Thomas captained the Wolfpack as a senior in 2007 and was also Baseline League MVP that season. As a result of his ability to mark his players and mix ...

This Is The Los Angeles Galaxy: Daniel Keat

This is Part 7 in a list of players that will be joining the Los Angeles Galaxy this season.New Zealand is not exactly a country that embraces association football as it does its rugby counterparts. Nonetheless, the All Whites—who played in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, their first appearance since Spain 1982—put on an admirable performance last year by holding the likes of Slovakia, Paraguay and Italy to 1-1, scoreless and 1-1 draws respectively.It's a country that can hold its own in the world game, and some of its players have plied their trade in Major League Soccer, like former D.C. United standout Ryan Nelsen and current New York Red Bulls center back Andrew Boyens.Now midfielder Daniel Keat looks to join the ranks of those En Zedders who first made a splash playing in MLS. And he gets to do it donning the blue and gold of the Los Angeles Galaxy.Daniel Keat was born on Sep. 28, 1987 in Wellington, New Zealand. Wellington, the nation's capital is one of the most storied cities for football in this country. It is the home of current A-League side Wellington Phoenix FC, as well as Team Wellington of the New Zealand Football Championship.The ...

Los Angeles Galaxy Ins and Outs, Jan. 18, 2011

  Galaxy Does the Business at the Supplemental Draft Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy went to work in making their picks in the 2010 Major League Soccer Supplemental Draft. The fruits of their labor—two midfielders, a defender and a goalkeeper.Dartmouth's Daniel Keat, a member of the 2008 New Zealand Olympic team, is a 5'10" 165 pound midfielder who tallied 20 goals and 13 assists in 64 matches for the Big Green. In his senior year, he helped lead Dartmouth to the NCAA Tournament, progressing as far as the third round. Keat was picked third overall in the Supplemental Draft.Stanford's Ryan Thomas is a 5'9", 160-pound defender and a former teammate of SuperDraft selection Hector Jimenez from his days with youth side Arsenal FC. As a junior, Thomas led Stanford to the Third Round of the NCAA Tournament and finished his career with two goals and 12 assists.Thomas was picked 16th overall in the Supplemental Draft and was one happy camper when his name was called."I was watching the draft online and it was a shock to me to be picked by the Galaxy," Thomas said on his selection. "I grew up in L.A. and would go to watch the Galaxy games at ...

Los Angeles Galaxy Ins and Outs, Jan. 14, 2011

Arena Looks To Ease Draftees into the FoldPrior to the 2011 MLS SuperDraft, manager Bruce Arena and the Los Angeles Galaxy acquired a pair of forwards in Adam Cristman and Chad Barrett. This allowed the club to focus its attention on bolstering the midfield.As a result, the G's took Uruguayan international Paolo Cardozo and local product Hector Jimenez in the first and second rounds.Arena said that he will be patient regarding the maturation process of the team's selections.“These are two players we think are promising and we’re going to have to be patient, but we’ll work with them to see if they can develop into good players,” Arena said in a conference call. “We’re not expecting young, inexperienced players of this nature to step on the field immediately and have an impact—and I don’t think that’s, oddly enough, the case of any of these players that were taken today.”While not as high-profile as Victor Estupinan or John Rooney, the brother of Manchester United superstar Wayne Rooney, Cardozo's impressive performance in the midfielder at the MLS Combine made him a pick worth taking.“(Cardozo) is a player we liked in the Combine and think he’s a young kid with a lot of ...

Los Angeles Galaxy Ins and Outs, Jan. 13, 2011

Chad Barrett to the G's!At the NSCAA Convention in Baltimore, Maryland, Bruce Arena and the Los Angeles Galaxy acquired forward Chad Barrett from Toronto FC in exchange for future considerations and allocation money.A six-year MLS veteran who was raised in Southern California, Barrett has 34 career regular season goals in 147 games with the Chicago Fire and Toronto FC.Barrett, who played his college soccer at UCLA, began his career with the Fire in 2005 after being selected by the club with the third pick in the first round of that year’s MLS SuperDraft.Originally coached by current Galaxy Associate Head Coach Dave Sarachan when he joined the Fire, Barrett scored 18 goals in three and a half years with the Fire, including seven in 2007 when he finished as the club’s Golden Boot award winner.A special on Barrett as part of the "This Is The Los Angeles Galaxy" series has been posted on The View From Victoria Street and on Bleacher Report.SuperDraft, SuperDraft, and more SuperDraftThe Galaxy went global in their first selection and took Uruguay's Paolo Cardozo from Quilmes AC as the 16th overall selection. In the second round, the G's took local product and Cal Golden Bears phenom Hector ...

This Is the Los Angeles Galaxy: Chad Barrett

This is Part Six in a list of players that will be joining the Los Angeles Galaxy this season.From one side of the border to the other, and back again.The continuing adventures of well-traveled forward Chad Barrett have seen him make a statement with the Chicago Fire and the Toronto Football Club.And now, in his seventh season in Major League Soccer, Barrett looks to finally strike gold as he returns home to Southern California, and the Los Angeles Galaxy.Hope that passport isn't expired while you're at it, Chad.Chad Barrett was born on April 30, 1985 in San Diego, California. San Diego has a strong soccer tradition, with the San Diego Toreros and San Diego State Aztecs performing and holding their own in the West Coast and Pac 10 conferences, respectively.One can witness the occasional international club or country friendly at Qualcomm Stadium, while at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in Solana Beach, fans can get a taste of the indoor game via PASL-PRO side San Diego Sockers.Barrett first came into the limelight as a member of the UCLA Bruins, currently managed by Jorge Salcedo. In 2003, his freshman year, Barrett was named the Pac 10 Co-Freshman/Newcomer of the Year and was a second ...

This Is the Los Angeles Galaxy: Hector Jimenez

This is Part Five in a list of players that will be joining the Los Angeles Galaxy this season.Sometimes, staying local to go pro can be a good thing. It can be a blessing, and it can be the best thing that can happen to a young, aspiring player.An example of that? Midfielder Hector Jimenez. And no, it's not the actor that tag-teamed with Jack Black in Nacho Libre. Not that guy.I'm talking about a four-year letterwinner hailing from the University of California at Berkeley. This Hector Jimenez returns home to Los Angeles to play for a certain local team.The team? Why, it's none other than the Los Angeles Galaxy. It's the culmination of a journey that began not too far from where it ended.Hector Jimenez was born on Nov. 3, 1988 in Huntington Park, California. Huntington Park is just one in a number of small towns neighboring Los Angeles that have a rich soccer tradition.Another of those cities is neighboring Bell Gardens, whose sports center is the home of the Chivas USA Under-23 youth side.Jimenez spent a majority of his youth in Bell Gardens and flourished as a member of the boys soccer team at Bell Gardens High School. ...