Oh Boy
By: jen | March 30th, 2008
And that’s about the tamest title this blog post could have, because what I really want to write is, “What The F*#! Was THAT??!!.”
First of all, I take back what I said about referee Abbey Okulaja. He is usually a very good referee. But that penalty call for Xavier’s well-timed, all-ball-no-player tackle in the box was atrocious. MLS refs had better get used to Xavier’s tackles because they are about as accurate as Beck’s crosses and they are his bread and butter.
What’s worse? Andrea Canales over at Sideline Views is reporting:
Just got off the phone with the Galaxy press rep. Preliminary diagnosis on Ruiz - a right medial collateral ligament sprain.
In case that sounds familiar to Galaxy fans, that’s what Beckham got late last season. The Galaxy are going to follow up with their doctors once the team gets home, but it looks like Ruiz will be out for some time - a month if it’s a medium sprain, a few months if it’s a bad one, or a couple of weeks if it’s a light sprain.
That was a nasty tackle by O’Brien. He deserved the red card. And why on earth would you tackle your opponent like that when you are already spanking them 4-0?
So yeah, we played like shit and deserved to lose. But when you add that crappy penalty call and then the tackle on Ruiz . . . I only have expletives. It’s like kicking a guy in the cajones when he just got the snip.
I’ll leave the rest of the comments to you guys, because you were there too. It was like a horrific bonding experience in our living rooms for each of us.
Oh boy.
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Galaxy good news sort of!
Rapids Reserves Draw Galaxy Reserves 1-1
COMMERCE CITY, CO (Sunday, March 30, 2008) – The Colorado Rapids Reserves battled the Los Angeles Galaxy Reserves to a 1-1 draw today at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.
The Rapids Reserves had the first scoring chance in the ninth minute. Cesar Zambrano earned a free kick 20 yards from goal and Herculez Gomez took a shot but it went just over the crossbar.
In the 33rd minute, Jacob Peterson took a shot after collecting a loose ball in the midfield but it rolled past the far post.
Rapids ‘keeperJustin Hughes was forced to make his first save a minute later when he dove to his left to catch a shot by Sean Franklin.
The Rapids Reserves got on the board first when Herculez struck from distance. The 25-yard bomb was too hard for Galaxy Reserves ‘keeper Josh Wicks to handle as the ball found its way into the net.
Just six minutes after halftime, the Galaxy Reserves got their equalizer. Mike Randolph played a cross in from the left and Bryan Jordan headed the ball down and into the goal.
Both teams had chances to take the lead in the 66th minute. Jordan Harvey dove in front of a Galaxy shot to deflect it at the last second, and Jacob Peterson forced a diving save from Wicks on the other end of the pitch.
Rafael Gomes had the last quality chance to score in the 80th minute. The Brazilian took one touch around his defender and fired a shot but Wicks was in perfect position to corral the shot.
The Rapids Reserves will play again next on Sunday, April 20 when they take on the San Jose Earthquakes Reserves at 10 a.m. at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. All Rapids Reserve matches take place on Field 20 at the complex, and are free and open to the public to attend.
Scoring Summary:
COL – Herculez (Harvey) 40LA – Jordan (Randolph) 51
Lineups:
Colorado Rapids Reserves – Justin Hughes (Mike Graczyk 73), Dan Gargan, Kelly Gray, Tim Ward, Jordan Harvey, Scott Campbell, Brian Grazier, Rafael Gomes, Cesar Zambrano, Herculez Gomez (Daniel Antunez 64), Jacob Peterson
Substitute not used: Cliff Wilmes
Los Angeles Galaxy Reserves – Josh Wicks, Mike Randolph, Troy Roberts, Sean Franklin, Michael Gavin, Josh Tudela, Israel Sesay, Peter Vagenas (Ely Allen 17), Bryan Jordan, Edson Buddle, (Brandon McDonald 17*)
Substitutes not used: Vito Higgins, Julian Valentine
*Los Angeles started the game with 10 men.
Misconduct Summary:
LA – Gavin (Caution) 28LA – Allen (Caution) 38
LA – Roberts (Caution) 52
LA – Jordan (Caution) 63
COL – Harvey (Caution) 70Posted from
United States
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OMG, who were those guys? The saddest thing for me is that the Galaxy doesn’t even look like the Galaxy anymore. It’s hard to root for a team that has traded away so many of the players that were it’s heart. Makes me sad. I have tickets for Thursday night’s game, but unless something changes, I’m going to have to find another team to cheer for.
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United States -
Landycakes is grabbing O’Brien’s right wrist. O’Brien’s hand is above Donovan’s.
Posted from
United States -
ok..this is my 2nd post on this blog. by the way, i didn’t really watch the match, but based on the reports, i think i understand how it went on. since following the MLS and Galaxy from last July (obviously, i’m a huge Beckham fan for the last 10 years, and wherever he goes, whatever team he plays, i’ll support him and the team he plays - i’m still supporting ManUnited and Real Madrid you know, and of course England - and pray for their success) i found that one of the biggest problems that Galaxy has is the “altitude” thing. and the fact that they had just traveled to Colorado on Friday for the game on Saturday was definitely not a clever system for Galaxy. i think they should went there starting from Thursday in order for them to adjust to the altitude. and Landon and Becks (or any other players who had internationals) should just flew there straight away from their internationals to save times. this way..the players would have enough time to get adjusted to the altitude and get rid of their jet-lag. and i don’t think that the Galaxy got tired because of the altitude, but they got tired because of the travel and the jet-lag. that’s why when they were on their last pre-season tour they didn’t have much problems playing in completely different altitudes because they were there a FEW DAYS before a game started. i don’t know how the other teams do it, but they did quite well for the last season.
one more thing that’s bothering me slightly is the fact that Galaxy relies too much on Becks in their games for this past 4/5 months. yes..Becks is a great player who can change games on his own by his free-kicks, crosses and passes, but football (soccer) is not one-man game. just look at this Colorado match where he had almost make a difference with his skills. but..what if he’s injured? what will happen to Galaxy then? they have to remember that ManUnited and Real Madrid have won games not only because of Becks but also because they have other players who also can make a difference as much as Becks, even when Becks didn’t play. will Galaxy games only to be based on the right side of midfield and no balance from the left? how about the centre? and judging from the Galaxy games in last season AND in the recent pre-season, Galaxy shall never play with less than four at the back coz their defence is so poor - last season included the inability of Joe Cannon, and this season with the inexperience of Steve Cronin - and they should have just lost only 1 or 2 goals per game which they have lost. i hope my comments are being seen by the Galaxy staffs and hope they’ll give them a thought.
by the way..seeing the results of other teams on this season’s opener, the Galaxy hope is still high in the air, considering that other big teams - DC United, H.Dynamo & Toronto FC - all have lost their first game too, although not as much as Galaxy. even though all of them have been denied of points, they only lost 1 or 2 goals per game and that showed that they have quite a strong defence in their teams. Galaxy should be aware of that. so..my advice to Galaxy - strengthen your defence and travel early for your away games!! Good Luck!
Posted from
Malaysia -
Oy. Everything I know about this game I learned from this blog, and it’s not pretty. I can’t believe Ruiz is out already. Now we have NOBODY who can consistently get on the end of Beckham’s crosses.
Who thinks Alexi will be out by summer?
Thanks, everybody — both Jen and all commenters — for keeping me up to date on everything going on.
Posted from
Ireland -
Also, comment on Box’s comment that the Galaxy relies too much on Becks. It seemed like the same thing in the England game last week. One player can’t carry a team.
I’m optimistic by nature, so I think I could convince myself to continue to be optimistic here. But more games like this and it might be impossible.
(P.S. Everybody like my Ireland flag? Currently in Dublin.)
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Ireland -
Laurie, that’s a rockin’ Ireland flag!
I’m so jealous of your travels, but happy that you’ve been able to go. You can stop by here in VA on your way home. I’ve got the game taped (well, DVRed). . .Posted from
United States -
For those of you who did not see the game, LA had no energy (for whatever reason). What disturbs me is that MLS needs the Galaxy to become the Man Utd. or Barcelona of the USA (now that they have invested in all the “stars” and publicity) for soccer to be taken seriously by any but us fans - this was a drubbing - which would not be so bad if the Galaxy had played champagne football and lost, but they did not. Donovan was a nonentity, and Ruiz is not the player to get on the end of Beckham’s crosses. A sad, sad day for soccer in the USA …
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United States -
Okay, Laurie, you’re using the flags from Ireland, France and the US. How do you get the flag thingies to show up? I’ve asked before a buncha times… mine are always “posted from ?” and the OCD part of me is going psycho!
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United States -
The flag from whichever country you’re in should come up automatically with your comment. It looks like your a man without a country, JustJack.
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United States -
I watched the match last night on DVR. O.M.G. Can’t add much except to say that while the penalty call was incorrect, I’m sure from his angle and distance Ref Okulaja saw a reckless/careless tackle from behind in the area by a defender who was being consistently beaten and increasingly desperate. From the camera angle, it’s clear Xavier got the ball and it was clean-ish. I swore a blue streak at the Ref just the same (I’ll flagellate later). The reality is, Xavier shouldn’t have done it right there at the top of the goal area and he looked like he was just pissed off at being beaten to the ball throughout the match up to that point. However, I do notice that MLS refs tend to be fickle with cards and slow to manage matches. People who bitch about the Barclay’s Refs need to sacrifice small animals in thanksgiving for what they’ve got because at least they don’t have MLS level of play and referee-ing (Rob Stiles exempted, cuz that idiot just needs to stay home). There are maybe 2-3 in MLS that I feel are up to the level all of them should be. Eventually this will change. It’s changed a lot since ‘96 already.
The overall fitness of our boys looked terrible. Colorado was first to the ball 93% of the time. They were faster paced and more aggressive on the ball, winning nearly every man-man challenge than the Galaxy. MacDonald (I couldn’t figure out where I’d seen this guy before) was fine when he was actually in close contact but even he wasn’t tight enough with his traps or his approaching-challenges. Becks was accurate and smart but no one was there for him. Ruiz just got shut down a lot by a very feindish defense. Landycakes was utterly pathetic… I counted at least ten passes directly to Colorado’s defenders with no white jersey anywhere nearby, he wasn’t shooting and he wasn’t passing he was sinking the ball under fire… he’s not a forward and everyone needs to just get over the Landylove. He’s craptastic and inconsistent, always. Gordon, he was doing the same thing but at least he was showing up unlike Lando who seemed to hide out a lot.
The Ruiz tackle was poor judgment by O’Brien but not viscious–the recent spate of savagery in the BPL have been viscious. The way O’Brien came in, said everything, reckless. And, for Carlos, it was the second “stray boot” to the very same knee in fifteen minutes guaranteeing he’d be injured. Carte Rouge to young O’Brien, deserved. Was surprised Landycakes didn’t earn himself the jaune for the shove… but hey, I guess the Ref was making up for his blown PK earlier. –Upon reviewing that scene again, I think Abbey just blew his whistle too soon, knew it and swallered it… happens all the time. You’re watching a big brawly defender get beat over and over again, he’s slow, and getting frustrated. You see a tackle from behind taking on two attackers right up to the top of the GA and you think, shit, better slow this down and your whistle hits your mouth. Then you see the tackle as clean and you say to yourself, shite, I hope no one heard me blow the whistle… frack. Okay, suck it up, point to the spot and get through it. He even walked to his position rather than deal with what he knew was coming. It’s different on the pitch, and it sucks sometimes. I just wish it hadn’t happened to us that night.
I was impressed with Becks’ captaincy, especially the head-bow, hands on Abel’s neck when he knew Xavier earned his second yellow and was going to be sent off.
Cronin didn’t look this weak before. What happened to him? That other kid in Colorado’s goal looked totally on top of things every single time. Can we trade still?
Above all I was shocked at the poor level of play and the sloppy passing and positioning. Too slow, too sloppy, and yeah, all the heart traded away and yet another bunch of guys I don’t know enough to feel how things will go. Colorado earned their win 3-0 (b/c I won’t accept the PK 2nd goal). I can’t help but feel like, aw f*ck there goes the season, even though it makes no sense to say that yet, really. I hope it goes uphill from here.
What’s MLS’ policy on reds and match bans? Anyone know?
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United States -
Thanks George, that’d be typical for me.
I notice now that the groovy flags are coming up. Maybe Laurie found that pot o’ gold in Ireland and made me a wish.
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United States -
If MLS wants us to be the ManU of MLS soccer then they’re going to have to increase the salary cap across the board. You can’t have ManU without spending the money, even when every MLS team is subject to the same salary cap. Even when you have three DPs on a team. Should they have played much, much better? Hell yes! But I think there is a salary cap threshold that has not been crossed yet that allows for the kind of consistent game that everyone is expecting from LA.
It’s like grades in school. A 71% is a C. So is a 79%. The league may have moved from a 71% C style of play up to a 79% C style of play, but it’s still C style play. The league needs a bit more push to get it to the next level of play — another 3-4% to push it to B level play. There are more and more A level players in the league now, but with the salary caps we have to use more D level players, so the average is still a C.
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United States -
That might also allow MLS to keep and attract players, Jen. If the League doesn’t want to raise the salary cap so that teams without deep-pocket owners aren’t at a disadvantage, then it has to come up with enough capital to invest in salaries across the board. With the expansion to 16 teams and some of our best young players being priced out of the country, the talent pool is going to get thinner pretty quick with such a small salary incentive.
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United States -
Here’s the deal: LA’s defense sucks. Sucks, sucks, sucks. Topping that off, they’ve got bit players in too many places. The rest of the season won’t look anywhere near as bad as they did on Saturday, but, barring an upgrade back there, all y’all are in for a frankin’ painful season. The role players on the offensive end will put paid to the idea that your bunch will score and score to offset the goals they allow.
This is my marker. And, oh good lord yes, I could be wrong. And, by all means, remind me of this marker should LA improve. That’s only fair.
And, for the record, here’s my reaction to LA’s performance. It was that bad. The difference is, I’m not expecting much improvement.
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United States -
What’s funny, Jack? You’re showing up on my screen as Irish. As is Diane. As is Jen. I believe we have what is called an “imperfect system.”
Posted from
Ireland -
I’m Irish!!! And this is the very first time I’ve seen any flag near my Posted from (U.S. from here). I wish we could choose…
Laurie, I was picturing you at the PSG match. Was that before you left Paris? (In the future we would appreciate it if you would leave an itinerary on the fridge).
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United States -
We were on the bus, heading out of town past the Stade de France towards the airport before the PSG match. We saw all of the thousands of Lens fans in scarlet and gold heading into the stadium and I was thinking, “Damn. One more day. That’s all I’d need.”
I dragged my oldest son to a pub on Easter Sunday to watch Chelsea-Arsenal, then took my two oldest to Stade de France for France-England. (Fantastic fun. We were sitting right alongside the goalkeeper — oh, okay, two levels up — as Anelka got cartwheeled before the penalty.) Now I’m trying to find an Irish pub to watch ManU-Roma tomorrow night.
I’ll probably be in Northern Ireland Thursday night for the first Galaxy home game, so I’m counting on all of you to give me the gory details.
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Ireland -
Laurie, I’ll take copious notes just for you. I’m too chicken to try and live blog it.
Posted from
United States -
Forget Thursday and enjoy yourself, Laurie, your trip sounds wonderful and its going to be a long enough season once you get back! (Although you MIGHT spare a thought or two for LFC while on the other side, if you don’t mind).
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United States -
You can see highlights of the game here at LAG’s site.
http://la.galaxy.mlsnet.com/sights/index.jsp?club=t106
Posted from
United States -
jen thanks for the link, but I really don’t want to see any highlights from that game, lol
Posted from
United States -
yeah Laurie..i noticed that too - that Goldenballs was the one who always created and provided chances in the England game last week. unfortunately..like Galaxy, they have got no one to finish his balls..and considering that they have some “world class” players in midfielders and strikers, that’s sucks you know! but..unlike Galaxy’s Colorado game, England got better chances to draw, or maybe won the game by one goal (if only Becks’ stayed in the game for 10 minutes more, as he has started gaining understanding and momentum with Owen, Crouch & Downing) if not for the penalty.
yeah…penalty..like this Colorado game, penalty changes everything!! god..i hate penalties! England has lost almost all of their major tournaments because of penalties! and Galaxy lost some of their pre-season games because of penalties! i hope Steve Cronin or whoever Galaxy’s GK to start on perfecting their goalkeeping of penalty..and for other Galaxies, please..please..perfected your penalty goalscoring. it’s just a penalty for god sake!Posted from
Malaysia -
After watching the Galaxy vs. Colorado (and my girlfriend “lovingly” jabbing me every time the Rapids scored on our “defense”), I am seriously considering calling up AEG and demanding that Lalas be removed immediately!
As stated in an earlier comment, I agree completely that the heart and soul of the Galaxy is gone! GONE! I don’t blame the players, I don’t blame the coach, I don’t blame anyone except good ol’ Alexi.
Our showing on Saturday was the most embarassing game I’ve ever seen the Galaxy play, and Alexi should be ashamed.
Posted from
United States -
Amen, Colin!
To think that I thought only a few think it is Lalas issue! He plays revolving doors with the coaches. It is time to move on for Alexi.
Posted from
United States
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