Now About Those Galaxy Boys Who Didn’t Go to Asia…

From US SoccerPlayers.com:

LA GALAXY ASIA TOUR 2008 ROSTER

GOALKEEPERS (2): Steve Cronin, Josh Wicks
DEFENDERS (9): Celestine Babayaro, Sean Franklin, Michael Gavin, Ante Jazic, Mike Randolph, Troy Roberts, Julian Valentin, Greg Vanney, Abel Xavier.
MIDFIELDERS (7): Ely Allen, Alvaro, David Beckham, Chris Klein, Brandon McDonald, Josh Tudela, Peter Vagenas
FORWARDS (3): Alan Gordon, Bryan Jordan, Carlos Ruiz

While those 21 have traveled to Asia, six players have returned to Los Angeles from Hawaii ahead of the team’s trip to Seoul, South Korea. Goalkeeper Charles Alamo, forwards Edson Buddle, Landon Donovan and Israel Sesay and midfielders Kelly Gray and Kevin Harmse all returned to Los Angeles prior to the remainder of the team traveling to Korea on Monday.

Donovan’s being treated for tendinitis in the knee, Buddle for a dislocated collarbone, Alamo, as we said yesterday, for torn and sprained knee ligameents.

That leaves Israel Sesay, Kelly Gray and Kevin Harmse, coming back to join Kyle Martino.

In case you’ve forgotten, we won Israel Sesay in the Generation Adidas “weighted lottery” last summer. (Weighted lottery = the more your team sucks, the better your chances.) He’s seventeen years old, born in Sierra Leone, moved to the US when he was eleven. He’s also a former Bradenton boy — a former member of the US soccer residency program. He came to the Galaxy when he was sixteen.

Is it just me, or does MLS have no idea what to do with talented young players? (Exhibit A: Freddy Adu, the highest paid player in MLS in 2004, who is still struggling with the after-effects of the hype. Or Santino Quaranta, now on trial with DC and by all accounts desperate for another chance. Which he may or may not be able to take advantage of.) We seem to throw them in to sink or swim on their own. Or to just stick them in the occasional reserve game and expect them to reach their potential all by themselves.

Or maybe I’m wrong. Maybe there’s all kinds of development going on behind the scenes that we don’t see. You think?

I’m hoping Sesay is just heading back for a breather and is not going to be used as trade bait to get somebody “better.” Especially since we really need forwards right now. That’s got to be what’s going to happen, right? Since he’s Generation Adidas, his salary doesn’t count against the cap, so we’d be stupid to trade him. Which means we won’t. Right?

I’m a lot less sure about our other guys: Kyle Martino, Kelly Gray and Kavin Harmse. (Note to Galaxy boys: Your chances are probably better if your first name doesn’t start with K.)

Kyle didn’t even go to Hawaii, no explanation, so I’m guessing he’s out as soon as they can work a trade. Yes, this breaks my heart. But what can you do?

Poor Kelly Gray never seemed to click in LA. Not sure why. I hate to say this, but he really never registered for me at all, one way or another. I know he inspired passion in a lot of people who either thought he was great or horrible, but not for me. He’s one of those where the team would finish a game and I’d invariably think, “Oh. Was Kelly Gray playing?”

Jeff over at Center Holds It talks about him a little bit today, and the commenters seem to think it’s because we insisted on playing him mostly in a defensive midfield role, which apparentlly isn’t his best spot. A fan from his Chicago days said he did a lot better at right mid or rightback. Unfortunately we don’t have vacancies there. And Kelly made $85,000 last year. Which is high for a non-click player.

My guess is that he’ll head out and be one of the many to explode for another team.

And then there’s Kevin Harmse. I know a lot of people hate him. I always kind of liked him myself. He’s a scrappy player, and I like scrappy. Always ready to mix it up and show some passion. That’s not necessarily a bad thing.

But I think he cooked his own goose in the Sydney game in November. He might have been able to get away with the (I think pretty much accidental) leg breaking. OR the (not so accidental) arm-stomping. But both? Not so much. Seriously, for the past three months every news item I get for the name “Kevin Harmse” said something about, “and Sydney FC will be without Juninho, who had his leg broken by Galaxy player Kevin Harmse.”

Somehow I don’t think this is what Ruud and Alexi mean when they say “global brand” and “worldwide recognition.”

But of course I could be wrong, about Kevin and all of these guys.

The worst thing about the preseason is losing the players you’ve come to consider your own. But with luck any who leave will end up in an environment where they can thrive.

If that happens? They will, of course, be joining a very long list of successful former Galaxy players.

(Thanks to Nicole for the link.)

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Category: Player News, Preparing for 2008