David Beckham’s reent ejection from a youth soccer game has been receiving a lot of attention in the press. To hear Becks describe it, he quite rightly protested a referee ejecting a 7-year old from a youth soccer game and the ref kicked him out of the park as a result.

If Beckham’s telling is accurate, it seems the ref overreacted twice and this is all much ado about nothing. But it raises one of the most pressing issues facing youth soccer today.

Jurgen Klinsmann has talked about how important it is to get kids playing when they are young. And not just playing, but enjoying the game and experimenting with it. This idea is enshrined in the AYSO principles, which stress a positive experience. Beckham’s son is on a club team, not AYSO. But even at that level the primary goal of any youth soccer program should be to make sure that the kids are playing and having fun. If they like it, they’ll keep doing it. And if more of them keep doing it, a country of our size will produce talented players, maybe even youth phenoms, over time.

The one factor that most undermines kids ability to enjoy soccer is unruly parents. Eric Wynalda wrote a fantastic piece on this years ago where he said he observed a parent yelling instructions to his kid for an entire half and then asked him at the break whether it was the parent playing or the kid.

As an AYSO volunteer, I have seen the most astounding behavior from what I presume are normally well behaved parents. I have seen parents get into a physical fight and have to be broken up at a boys under 7 game. I have heard a parent encourage their child from the sideline to try to break another kids leg with a tackle. I have seen parents screaming at the top of their lungs at their kids on the field about everything they are doing wrong. Behavior of this kind undermines our kids’ interest in the sport and is antithetical to the very purpose of youth soccer.

But perhaps the worst of it is the abuse parents dish out to the refs. One of my kids had a coach who also reffed. He complained to me one day that he was considering giving up reffing because of the abuse from the parents on the sideline. At my son’s game later that day, the ref made a bad call. Guess who was the first one to start yelling at him?

I do have one great story to illustrate the culture of ref abuse that ends with a positive example. A few years back one of my kids had a great coach. He was passionate, but appropriate, calm, and respectful. Most times. We had one game that was being centered by one of the top refs in our region. The ref made a call that the coach disagreed with that resulted in a goal for the other side. The coach was livid and started yelling at the ref from the sidelines. Following his example, nearly every parent on our team chimed in. It was horrible. But shortly after that, when the game ended, the coach went up to the referee to apologize. Within earshot of the referee, he then gathered the team and the parents, explained that his behavior was wrong, and apologized for setting such a bad example for the kids.

I know it’s hard when standing on the sideline watching our little loved ones to accept that there will be hard knocks and bad calls. But its part of the game and they need to learn to deal with it. When we yell abuse at them or anyone else from the sideline we undermine them, undermine the sport, and in some sense undermine the future of soccer in this country. Beckham’s ejection may be more of a sideshow than a newsworthy event, but it is a reminder that, as custodians of the future US all stars, we need to remember to create an encouraging environment for our kids so they can enjoy the game and learn to play their way. That means not only being positive and appropriate in our criticism of the kids, but also respecting the volunteers who make the games possible.

He’s baaack!

I like to think my post yesterday made the difference. That it was the final piece that brought Buddle back. Okay, maybe not. But I can still think that.

I was excited when Buddle first joined the Galaxy. He was not so highly rated, but I had seen him play and thought he had a lot of potential. A couple of years ago he had a breakout season and proved me right.

I still don’t think he is a world shattering striker. I’m not even convinced 2010 wasn’t a fluke. But either way, Buddle is a legitimate attacking threat up front in a way that none of our other second strikers are. Defenses have to take him seriously. And his pairing with Keane makes us more potent. And as much as I criticize Barrett, h does give us quality in our backups.

This is very positive news and makes me much more hopeful about the 2012 season.

And I’m not talking about Beckham’s 2-year $15 million contract.

I’m talking about Omar Gonzalez. Last month Omar pulled out of the national team training camp for a very exciting loan move to Nurnberg. His very first day there he suffered a season ending injury at the hands–well, feet– of his USMNT teammate Timmy Chandler. Word is he has a torn ACL and will be out 6 to 9 months. Rumors are it could be worse.

This is a terrible tragedy in every conceivable way. Omar has been amazing for the Galaxy ever since his debut. He was on the verge of a big move to Europe and was finally getting called in for the US. This looked like his moment to shine. Yes, we Galaxy fans stood to lose a stalwart presence in our back line, but it would still be great for him and at least we’d get a good transfer fee. Instead, Omar returned home with a crushing injury that has no doubt changed his future and ours.

I feel the pain mostly for Omar. He has been great for us and this is a terrible thing to see happen. I like to see young players start with us and go on to great things. Hopefully Omar still will. But this certainly puts a big bump in the road. For his sake, I hope the recovery goes well and hope the effects don’t linger with him as they so often do for players.

For the Galaxy I think this is nothing short of devastating. What exactly is our back line now? Okay, we have solid wing backs in Dunivant and Franklin. We have a good center back in AJDLG. But then what? I was relieved to hear that it looks like Leonardo will be back for another season on loan so we at least have a starting four. But is there any depth? To be fair, we do have other defenders. But are you familiar with any of them? I think we’re going to get familiar with them in the next few months. WIth CCL, league, and cup play this season though, it doesn’t give me great confidence.

There have, of course, been other big moves this off season. Beckham did re-sign for two years. I was surprised he passed up the money PSG was offering, especially since Paris is so close to his London home. But it looks like the lure of LA is actually good for something. I recognize that he is not the jesus christ of soccer, but I have been a fan since he joined and believe Beckham is still a great player for us. I’m glad to see him back.

We did suffer another great loss this off-season with Juninho returning to Sao Paolo. I had hoped his loan would be renewed or we might buy him outright. He really was a key part of our midfield last season and will be sorely missed.

I think the writing was on the wall though when we signed Marcelo Sarvas from Alajuelense. I know we saw him play in CCL matches last year, but I have no memory of him. Early buzz is good. He sounds like he’ll fit in well to a midfield that incorporates Donovan and Beckham. I still think we’re going to miss our little Brazilian and his sniper like accuracy from distance. But Sarvas sounds like a positive addition and he is also Brazilian. I’m not sure who the fourth starting midfielder will be, but I’m guessing Magee or Stephens. I got on the Mageek bandwagon as soon as they moved him to midfield and would like to see him as a regular starter.

Berhalter, Hejduk, and Robinson all retired, taking our back line from hot tub depth down to wading pool. Miguel Lopez also went back to his home team, but I think there’s no big loss for us there. Kirovski retired too, but again no loss. Thankfully he is coming back as a coach so it will be good to still have him around.

We have a number of new players coming in from the draft. I’m not real familiar with any of them and don’t imagine they are starters, but perhaps we’ll see a few new faces when the season starts.

We do have one new addition I’m interested to see about: Pat Noonan. I remember thinking pretty highly of Noonan years ago when he played for the Revs. I don’t think he’s a starter or a guy whose going to set our world on fire. But I think he may add some depth to the attack and be a calming presence off the bench. His experience could be especially helpful with CCL matches.

I haven’t checked how Barrett is doing in his recovery. Probably all better by now. But I have to assume he and Keane will be the starters. Apparently Cristman will be coming back, though I can’t say I’m excited to hear it.

One more player worth mentioning is Chris Brichall. Apparently he is looking for opportunities back in England. But the transfer window closed today and I didn’t see any news about him, so I’m assuming he didn’t find anything. That doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be back this season, but I’d like to see him return. He fills the Dema role for me and I like to have at least one player like that around if needed. Besides, who else could have given us “Space is high mate.”

Our biggest challenge in 2011 was in the attack. I still think we are anemic there. Keane is great, but Barrett to me is still only okay. He is lethal from 3 feet out, but tends to miss a lot otherwise. And we don’t have a whole lot of depth. I’d love to get someone a little more incisive to pair with Keane. But clearly our biggest challenge now is depth at the back. Losing Omar without bringing in a replacement will hit us hard. Hopefully one of these rookies will pan out. Or maybe there will still be some transfer activity. Guess we’ll have to see.

So, which players are you excited about for the season? Do you think we’ve got another shot at the title or that the loss of Omar and lack of a great attacking pair is too crippling? What do you think of the transfers? Like any rookies? What do you expect from the season?

It should probably come as no surprise that the Galaxy have traded Donovan Ricketts to the Montreal Impact in exchange for allocation funds. Ricketts has statistically been the best keeper in the league. But when he went out with injury this season, Saunders took the starting role. Ricketts is older and costs more, so it isn’t such a stretch to understand why Arena would part with him rather than Saunders. And with perk as an able backup, it certainly wasn’t necessary to hold on to both.

Apparently negotiations over Juninho are still up in the air. So hopefully the reduction in salary cap room by shipping Ricketts off, combined with the allocation money, will give the Galaxy the space they need to lock Juninho in and work on keeping other elements of the squad intact.

Of course, we are all still awaiting the big decision David Beckham has yet to make. If rumors are to be believed, PSG has offered him a brickload of money to move to France. Frankly, having won the MLS Cup, I see him likely taking the payday and moving. He has done what he came here to do. PSG offers him a new venue to flash his stardom while making a huge payday in the process. The only reason I can see for him to stay here is that his family is comfortable. But Paris is an hour from his home in London and there is a definite benefit to being near family. Rumors of Drogba or Lampard replacing Becks seem a bit far fetched. Then again, Beckham coming to MLS seemed pretty far fetched too. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see….

Twitter: @dschnider

Does it make me a guy that after the game was over all I wanted to do was curl up and go to sleep? Okay, I stayed for a little bit of cuddling and pillow talk, but when it was over I was done.

In the last few posts I’ve talked about manifest destiny and how this was our time. But all along the way I have been bracing myself for the possibility it might not happen. Sitting there, wet and cold, throwing my four year old in the air on Sunday night was like a giant release. I was finally able to exhale and enjoy the moment of bliss as our guys walked the stadium with a giant silver cup in their hands, crowning what has been a remarkable season.

With the exception of Cristman, I was happy with the whole team last night. I would have prefered Cardozo get the start and I think Cristman proved why. But the rest of the guys were impressive (mostly). I have seen the replays of Keane’s goal and I think he was on side. But I guess it doesn’t matter. The combination of Beckham passing up to Keane to slot to Donovan for the winning goal was poetic. A single goal but a hat trick of DPs.

We spent the last five years waiting for this. Let’s just enjoy the moment. In a few days we can start to worry about who is staying and who is going. But please please please, find a way to keep Juninho.

The only really significant news I’ve heard in the lead up is the injury to Chad Barrett, which will keep him out of the cup. I feel bad for him, but not so much for the team. I don’t dislike him, but I’m never really satisfied with him and I think we can do better. I agree with J-Ro and the Gues-monkey over at the Galaxy Podcast (@Galaxypodcast) that Cardozo should get the start. But I also agree with them that it isn’t going to happen. We all know Arena is going to go with Cristman. He’s the more comparable player to Barrett. Which is exactly why I wouldn’t play him. Oh well, I don’t think Barrett’s replacement is going to decide the match in any event.

So, are you ready?

Twitter:@dschnider

I can’t be the only one who still finds himself humming “This is LA….” every few minutes.

Sunday night was the most thrilling night I have ever spent at the HDC. I don’t think I have ever heard the crowd louder. My favorite fans, pictured above, cheered their brains out, as it seems did 20,000 other fans.

As I said in previous posts, I went in feeling that the Galaxy were a team in the ascendancy. You might say I felt it was our manifest destiny to capture the west. But it is one thing to feel it and another for the team to actually do it.

The game was far from perfect. RSL had a number of very dangerous opportunities. A combination of luck and Josh Saunders spared us from a crushing defeat. But the result was glorious.

I don’t want to dwell too long on individual performances. I remained unimpressed with Barrett. I thought Keane and Donovan were magic up front. Magee remains our hero and all of the doubters should grovel at his feet.

But what really struck me was the sense of inevitability. The feeling among the crowd (and hopefully among the players) that this was our turn.

Everyone I know is now searching for MLS Cup tickets. I’m told the game is sold out and the aftermarket is ridiculously expensive. But I’m going to be there and can’t wait. Our destiny awaits us.

Much as I hate the tag line, I have to say, I’m ready.

Twitter: @dschnider

Okay, so we didn’t have proton packs. But But Bobby Brown’s words otherwise ring true:

“So they packed up, regrouped, got a grip, camera quick.
Grabbed their proton packs on their backs and they split.”

Maybe Thierry Henry is no Vigo, but there is something about our boys traveling to NY in 45 degree weather on a snow soaked field and bringing home a W that actually makes me want to sing Bobby Brown songs.

It wasn’t the prettiest of games and there were quite a few heart attack inducing moments for me. Credit to Saunders for being a super hero between the pipes (and to Il Bruce for selecting him). Our Bradley Cooper stunt double tallied the hit, but for my money the MVP on the night had to be Colonel Saunders.

The end of the game was marred by an ugly fight. Marquez threw a hissy fit and hurled a ball at a Galaxy player. Cristman probably didn’t need to give him the body check in response. But Marquez’ whiffed punch and equally inaccurate attempt to head butt him in response was clearly red card worthy. Juninho apparently pulled out his Brazilian Jui Jitsu and managed to knock two NYRB players to the ground when he came running in. The red card for him seemed a bit harsh to me. But I guess on the home leg it’s a better swap for us, losing our samba master for their Mexican Marauder.

It wasn’t a beautiful win, but the Galaxy continue their forward momentum towards their destiny. This round is not in the bag, but I’m certainly feeling a lot more comfortable going into Thursday’s home leg. Still won’t stop me from having cardiac arrest, but at least I’ll have my fellow fans around me in the stands when it happens.

It may not be much to look at. It may not be as meaningful as the cup. But once again, it is ours. With Seattle’s loss to San Jose the Galaxy have clinched the MLS Supporters Shield for the second year in a row. In simple terms, that means they won the league by securing more regular season points than any other team (with two games to spare!). In most European leagues that would make them champions. In MLS it is something to be proud of. It also ensures entry into the CONCACAF Champions League. So, congratulations to our boys. Thanks for the passion. And now on to MLS cup. Let’s make it happen this year. For David. For Landon. For all the fans. Let’s take back what is rightfully ours this year, the MLS Cup!

I remain excited that the Galaxy seem a team in the ascendancy. At this critical juncture heading into the playoffs we have momentum. For the first time in years, I am more hopeful that we could win the cup than I am fearful we will be dumped out of the competition.