24Jun/120
Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Vancouver Whitecaps: Rating David Beckham’s Performance
Ho hum. That's all it was. It was simply another ho hum performance for midfielder David Beckham as the Los Angeles Galaxy rolled to a 3-0 shutout victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. on Saturday. Nothing too fancy, nothing too outstanding, just regular workmanlike football from a player who has worked all his life to get to where he is today. But sometimes having a ho hum performance isn't so bad if you have a solid supporting cast to back you up. Three of those members—Landon Donovan, Mike Magee, and Robbie Keane—were the stars of the show. Oh yes, and Juninho's efforts in closing space and winning second balls were commendable. The effort by those players reduced the work that Beckham needed to do as a provider. He had a number of set piece opportunities that just didn't materialize the way he wanted to. Had at least one them gone through, perhaps the rating for Becks may have been improved. Also, Beckham picked up a yellow and did have some words with referee Allen Chapman. The thing about this is that this might be the situation Beckham faces as a member of Team ...24Jun/120
Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Vancouver Whitecaps: Rating the Galaxy Players
What a comprehensive performance from Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy, who reverted to their 2011 selves and dismantled the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-0 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. on Saturday night.I can't stress this any more: We are the midway point of the year, and Los Angeles followed their biggest win of the season up with their most complete win of the season. All cylinders were firing for the Galaxy, whose defense neutralized the attack, whose midfield closed space and won possession, and whose forwards finished the play. In fact, the result would have been more one-sided if the finishing was a little bit crisper. That isn't to say this wasn't already a beatdown; this may go down as Vancouver's worst performance of the season, or at least one of the worst. Without further ado, it's time for some player ratings. Here we go. Josh Saunders: 8 Saunders had a clean shutout, didn't have to do a lot of work, only made two saves, but they were big ones. Having Josh Saunders back in the mix has proven to be a lifesaver of sorts for the Galaxy, who need to keep getting these results. And it all starts with ...24Jun/120
Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Los Angeles Galaxy: 6 Things We Learned
The biggest victory of the season for Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy was followed up by their most complete performance of the year: a 3-0 shutout of Martin Rennie's Vancouver Whitecaps at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California.With the win, Los Angeles now improve to 6-8-2 (20 points) and are fifth in the MLS Western Conference.And as with every victory, lessons are to be learned from this performance. Here are six things we learned from Saturday night's result for LA.Begin Slideshow21Jun/120
Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Vancouver Whitecaps Live Blog: Play-by-Play Analysis
Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy continue their 2012 Major League Soccer season on Saturday night when they take on the Vancouver Whitecaps at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.The Galaxy are currently 5-8-2 (17 points) and have an uphill battle to climb just to get back in the chase for a spot in the MLS Cup playoffs.The Whitecaps are 7-3-5 (26 points) and will look to chase San Jose and Real Salt Lake with a win this weekend.Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. PT and will be televised locally by KDOC and KWHY. The live blog will start at approximately 5:15 p.m. PT.Keep it right here on Bleacher Report for continuing coverage of the 2012 MLS season and all things world football. Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com21Jun/120
Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Vancouver Whitecaps: 10 Bold Predictions
Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy conclude their gauntlet of matches with a Saturday night match against Martin Rennie's Vancouver Whitecaps at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.Arena's men are boosted with the prospects that Robbie Keane will return to the lineup after a rather terrible campaign with the Republic of Ireland at Euro 2012.Los Angeles are currently 5-8-2 and take on a Vancouver team that is coming off a 1-1 draw to the New York Red Bulls at home.Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. PT/10:30 p.m. ET, and will be televised by KDOC and KWHY. Here are 10 bold predictions ahead of Saturday's tilt.Begin Slideshow21Jun/120
Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Real Salt Lake: Rating David Beckham’s Performance
Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy had their biggest victory of the season, a 3-2 win over Real Salt Lake on the road at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah. The kicker: midfielder David Beckham didn't play much of a factor in all of it except for the passing aspect of the game. He did have a couple of chances and his best chance came in the 22nd minute, when a free kick just missed the top-right corner by meters. The issue here for Beckham as he continues his preparations for London is that he still cannot find the right people to receive his set pieces on a consistent basis. Case in point: 17th minute, when a free kick for Beckham was headed high and over the crossbar by David Junior Lopes. I am sure that the kids on Team GB can finish those chances better than Lopes will ever finish them. Also to his credit, Beckham did help sway the calls for referee Kevin Stott, who I think was starstruck by the moment of it all. While the RSL fans will disagree with me here, I will go for the record and say that Kevin Stott called a fair match. ...21Jun/120
Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Real Salt Lake: Rating the Galaxy Players
This is what you call a statement victory. Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy were in need of upsetting someone to ensure that parity reigned supreme in Major League Soccer. They got it on Wednesday night in their 3-2 win over Jason Kreis' Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah. The Galaxy only improve to 5-8-2 with this victory (17 points), but if you're a Vancouver Whitecaps fan, you might have a reason to hold your breath coming into Saturday. Big victories like this deserve good ratings. Here are the player ratings for Wednesday night's surprise result. Josh Saunders 7.5 Didn't acquit himself in the first 30 minutes of the game, but as soon as Landon Donovan got the Galaxy back on track, Josh Saunders' play improved. Saunders made three big saves and he was instrumental in helping maintain L.A.'s 3-2 victory late. Todd Dunivant 6 Consistent defending from the Iron Man. Really kept the likes of Fabian Espindola, Javier Morales, Will Johnson and Kyle Beckerman in check late. I am giving him minus points for not marking Kyle Beckerman on the first goal of the game. David Junior Lopes 6.5 This was a much better effort from ...21Jun/120
Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Real Salt Lake: 6 Things We Learned
Major League Soccer is not the Premier League. It's not just the talent level, but that big word we like to call "parity," that defines the MLS. Wednesday night's 3-2 win for Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy over Jason Kreis's Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah was the epitome of parity in the top flight of American soccer.The Galaxy are off to a surprising climb up the MLS Western Conference standings. The Vancouver Whitecaps are officially on notice. Here are six things we learned from Wednesday night's tilt.Begin Slideshow18Jun/120
Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Real Salt Lake: Analysis, Reaction and More
Bruce Arena’s Los Angeles Galaxy, fresh off a 1-0 victory over the Portland Timbers on Jun. 17 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., are looking to pull off a surprise upset win over favored Real Salt Lake on Wednesday at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah. The Galaxy currently sport a 4-8-2 record (14 points) and will need every point they can get in order to remain in the chase for a prized MLS Cup Playoffs spot. As for Jason Kreis’s Real Salt Lake, they have a 10-3-2 record (32 points) and sport the best record in all of Major League Soccer. A win by Los Angeles will be a significant confidence booster heading into the rest of the season. As for Real Salt Lake, with the CONCACAF Champions League coming soon, this match will be a nice dress rehearsal before they begin a return to regional action. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET and will be televised locally by KDOC and KWHY. Keep it right here on Bleacher Report for continuing coverage of the 2012 Major League Soccer season and all things World Football.Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com18Jun/120