PORTUGAL FOREVER

US suck’s

Or he simply doesn’t give any credit to his opponents, which is possible for a guy like X.

Either way, it’s frustrating as a fan that he hasn’t learned a lesson by getting burned a few times.

http://www.lasoccernews.com/teams/galaxy2.php?article_id=2819

The problems are that few right backs have Ramos’ speed and not many have Neville’s eye/instincts, and also the issue you point out which is that, until the Galaxy’s passing gets sharper and midfield is able to keep and move the ball more effectively, Beckham is best used up front. Not just for getting the ball directly into striking position, but for generally organizing the movement in the offensive area, and particularly for the kind of partnership that has created so many of Donovan’s chances — which don’t all come from direct assists.

When Becks didn’t look too cheerful at the beginning of the season, my observation was that he’s never liked having his real estate limited and I was REALLY impressed with Gullit for being able to do so (if anyone wants to know who’s in charge that would definitely clinch it).

Well and good to say Beckham can serve from the back because his long balls are accurate but that requires an offense that has great timing and first touch and is really good with possession — which would mostly mean Donovan and Becks at this point…so…basically everything comes together as the players improve. I think Klein has been great given the constraints and will certainly be key in developing the “youngsters” (Gullit’s word).

Anyway, who plays right mid-field if Beckham gets called up for national duty?

I remember thinking, while watching England v. France, “Wow, Becks is really tracking back on defense a lot.” I hadn’t seen a lot of that in the preseason, and I still don’t see a lot of it now unless he’s getting pissed at how poorly the team is playing.

That doesn’t mean that I think Beckham needs to get back more. That’s not necessarily his role on the team. If he got back more, how many offensive chances would we miss? So the decision makes sense to have Beckham and Klein where they are — it’s just that there will always be weaknesses in each player and in each player’s position.

That said, I don’t think the Galaxy can continue to pay and play both Xavier and Vanney, so I think Bravo should be looking to upgrade at least one of them. And then there’s Pete Vagenas. Given MLS’ wage scale, I don’t think it’s a good idea to have Vagenas, Vanney, and Xavier taking about $400k of the team’s cap space. For that kind of money, we could pay $250k for a solid, more mobile central defender and have enough left over to pick up two or three useful squad players.