This is Getting Embarrassing
By: Laurie | November 30th, 2007No offense to the boys on the team, but the LA Galaxy front office seems to be operating on the premise of: If we pretend we’re a Super Club long enough, it will happen. Forget that boring quality-of-play stuff. We just need to act like we’re superstars and we’ll become superstars.
Guess what? The Galaxy have somehow qualified for yet another meaningless tournament. Because we certainly didn’t get our fill of that this year.
HONOLULU, HI – Major League Soccer (USA), the J.League (Japan) and the Hyundai A-League (Australia) today announced an unprecedented and innovative partnership in the creation of a new international soccer tournament to be hosted in Honolulu, Hawaii: the Pan-Pacific Championship (PPC), which will crown the top club from the Asian and North American soccer confederations. The inaugural edition of the competition will be held on February 20 and 23, 2008 at Aloha Stadium and will feature four clubs competing in a semifinals doubleheader followed by a doubleheader to determine the third-place finisher and the Pan-Pacific Champion. Representatives from Major League Soccer (MLS), Japan’s J.League and Australia’s Hyundai A-League gathered in Honolulu, Hawaii to unveil details of the new tournament.
The four teams to participate in the 2008 tournament are: reigning MLS Cup champion Houston Dynamo and Haleiwa, Hawaii native Brian Ching; the Yamazaki Nabisco Cup Champion Gamba Osaka, with 19-year-old Japanese sensation Michihiro Yasuda and J.League star Yasuhito Endo; the 2007 SuperLiga finalists Los Angeles Galaxy, whose international roster includes English superstar David Beckham and perennial MLS all-star Landon Donovan; and a club to qualify from the Hyundai A-League Final Series, which concludes in February 2008 ahead of the Pan-Pacific Championship.
The Galaxy are there because they’re SuperLiga finalists! Yeah! THAT’S the reason!
Yeesh. As Alex over at Chivas Offside says,
Top club……… how can the top club be crowned if MLS is not represented? How does a second rate MLS team make it in an international competition?
Please remind me how we are suppose support a league that favors one team. Why are we here to support competition, when the MLS doesn’t create it.
Is it the sole goal of MLS to make the Galaxy the most hated/criticized/laughed at team in the league because of the special treatment they receive? That seems to be the case. It’s getting embarrassing to be a fan. And if they don’t start performing, it will be humiliating, too.
On a lighter note, stop by The Offside Rules to watch a probably illicit video which seems to be saying that the Galaxy will soon be getting its own channel. LAGalaxychannel.com. In theory, kind of a fun idea. In practice, are teams like the Columbus Crew getting one too?
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Two things come to mind; AEG owns both MLS clubs. The other is we as fans of MLS are constantly saying we need more international exposure. I fully realize that the tournaments the Galaxy play in are promotional, but what does it matter. The Great Man United went to South East Asia to play. Our perspective is wrong, AEG is looking to promote our club, gettin our guys more games in together, and looking at talent in other areas of the world. The problem is not that AEG is doing this; the problem is that AEG is the only ownership group doing this. All other clubs are small time in their thinking and club promotion is the best way to get players to want to come and play for you. As the roster limits expand and salaries increase, guys will be willing to play here for less just for the experience of traveling and playing in international settings. Mike Randolph must be renigotiated right now. U 23 camp is not for lousy players; we lock him up we have Albright and Randolph on the outside of our defense, two offensively minded defenders who are in our national program can’t beat that. PLEASE TRADE THE CANADIANS AWAY!
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Hey Laurie,
Sorry bout not getting in contact fast enough. Next time?
Anyways, here goes:
I hate the fact that the Galaxy are getting the favoritism from MLS execs, much like DC has enjoyed for years.
I hate the fact that my Red Bulls NEVER get a shot and WE are a NEW YORK CLUB DAMNIT!!!!!
BUT
Its justified. From a business perspective that is.
Go into three countries where football is not a top three sport. Ride the wave of success you have enjoyed from the first game of your world tour . . . and expand the game abroad, while simultaneously spreading the good reputation of MLS worldwide.
And, in the process, you sell a few jerseys, make a couple extra bucks using your scrubby players . . . gain exposure. And possibly, gain some friends. Fruitful partnerships are rooted in projects like these. I mean, we head down there, earn a little respect, and boom, there is a market that will want to bid for MLS transfers come that time of the year. And that also means extra dough.
Its the inaugaral of this tournament. They need names to give it creedance. Who better than the MLS champs and the MLS posterboys?
I am just afraid that this Beckham being injured thing is going to last forever if MLS doesnt let the guy get at LEAST a month off.
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I understand the money thing, and the business reasons behind it. I really do. (Check out my latest Galaxy poetry, going up any minute.) And I’m all for presenting the face of MLS to the world.
But it should be a GOOD face! It’s embarrassing to have a team so bad we can’t even beat USL teams and having them sent out into the world as ambassadors. The Galaxy will be known worldwide as “Beckham’s team, which sucks.”
I think the quality aspect should have come first. And the front office hasn’t helped matters.
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And why the heck am I now showing up in old-person large type?
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The question is what is this supposed to be? Is it supposed to be a competition of champions or a slightly shinier version of the Carolina Challenge Cup a preseason tournament held by the Charlestown Battery with Charlestown and whichever 3 MLS teams show up (Houston has won it back to back). Superliga yr 1 was an exhibition with the aim of real qualifying criteria for yr 2. Is this an exhibition with the real action happening in year 2? If so why does it seem 3 spots have a qualifying criteria (MLS Champ, J-League Cup Champ and A-league champ to be determined later) while the Galaxy didn’t really qualify? Will year 2 be any better? One MLS team and get the K-League for a fourth (why couldn’t we get the K-League anyway?). Anyway hope Hawaii has fun.
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Houston? That’s not Pacific at all!
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Jeff, I wasn’t going to say it.
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CAN THE GALAXY/MLS AT LEAST TRY, FOR A MINUTE, NOT TO LOOK LIKE SUCH F*CKING WHORES (who just discovered where the fleet comes in)!!!? Nauseating.
As I mentioned over at sidelineviews, there needs to be an MLS all-star team for these exhibitions, friendlies and tournies, that are supposed to IMPROVE(!!!) the profile of U.S. soccer in the rest of the world and also, hopefully, get MLS players out into it.
Granted this particular tournament wouldn’t be happening now without the Galaxy’s calling card, but it’s embarrassing as well as insulting to the other leagues to send a team in the shape the Galaxy is in. Put together an exhibition all-star team if one (or in the future another) player is needed to get in, give guys in the rest of the league a chance to get out and about, maybe to shine, and show some respect to fans and other teams.
(My grandmother would say PHEH!!! right about now).
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And, Dave Martinez, I’m with you on the ankle, although not convinced what another month would do. That was an injury and then three re-injuries, that anyone will admit to, in three months. I guess that would be considered a poor rehab plan? By the people still planning?
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The Powers That Be at the Galaxy headquarters are very serious believers in The Secret, you know that crazy book where if you want something very much and concentrate on it hard enough, the universe will just give it to you. You don’t have to, oh I don’t know, practice or let your players rest to become a superclub, you just have to wait for the universe to give it to you. Why do you think they call themselves the Galaxy? Its all about The Secret…
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Laurie- Again, no insult to your team was intended. It just drives me nuts to have a tournament based on iconic status rather than results. The worse thing is everyone around the world sees MLS creating these money-interest competitions. So are we really gaining positive world exposure?
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Yea becks needs a break. Not an ankle break. not a leg break. A RESTFUL break.
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But on a lighter note, I think more international tournaments are good. So lets hope that MLS can come up with a system for qualifying for this and other tournaments like in Europe with the
1. Chanpions Cup
2. UEFA Cup
3. Inter-toto CupFor us it could be;
1. Concacaf Champions Cup – 2 spots
2. Superliga – 4 spots
3. Pan-pac tournament – 2 spotsThat would be sweet. Plus, aren’t you guys worried about Golden Balls health?
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Alex,
Shouldn’t you be giving credit for that marvelous idea of yours?????Regular season 1-4 goes to CONCACAF CUP (Champion’s League)
Regular season 5-8 goes to Superliga (UEFA Cup)
Regular season 9-12 goes to PPC (InterTotoCup)By doing this, we give a lot of teams the chance to compete within different formats instead of overloading the best 2-3 teams with additional competition.
It also gives meaning to the end of the season, because mid-table teams are fighting for a chance to go to Superliga instead of PPC or CONCACAF instead of Superliga.
If we want league play to improve, this is the format. Which makes much more sense than rewarding teams on a hot streak in an end of the year CUP Tournament.
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HAhahahaaa BUSTED.
Cheers!!
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It seems to work for most of the so called Hollywood stars and they get all the press, famous for being famous. of course, talent needs to go along with it, but I say enjoy the exposure MLS is getting and hope the Galaxy really will turn into something special with the new coach on board.
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Word PK… no bad intentions.
Cheers
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Lessee if I can toss in the kitchen sink by the end of this….
First, Tiffany nailed it. As soon as I read the first paragraph of Laurie’s post The Secret popped up in my mind. “We just need to act like we’re superstars and we’ll become superstars.” That’s classic Secret (a.k.a. mythic positivism) B.S. and remember this is LA afterall, land of positivism-on-crack. Reality check: if a body doesn’t work/train daily mimicking those that , luck is rendered worthless, any dreaming even more worthless. A case study is Rangers FC yank, Demarcus Beasley… Look at his earlier play compared to what he’s able to do now then imagine a Galaxy or any other MLS side’s yanks doing that even though they’re at home and not in a higher quality league. But such are my working class values, eh?
I’m with Alex in that the intnl exposure tourneys need to have quality rep from MLS, not just golden clubs or icons. While I’m a Galaxy fan, there’s a huge part of me that’s just shaking my head lately. We performed so poorly, we need to be resting (some players) and in training… hard core training designed to allow an explosion on the pitch come April–like playing in a meaningful way, becoming a goal-scoring force, not noodling across the globe stomping on opponents’ arms and doing things that guarantee expensive superstar injuries terminate their careers… I’m really concerned about Becks’ stumble in Syndey.. especially after having a father who was a promising Olympic hopeful back in the day who took one for the team (and had physios telling him, shrug it off, it’ll be fine, you wanna compete, go for it!) and not only missed on his chance at Olympic experience but it now saddles his old age with a shoulder that is completely destroyed and costs tens of thousands of dollars in continual therapy and treatment. Becks came here injured, Real Madrid ensured that by exploiting his need to play when they didn’t need him to win La Liga, screwing him over and, as a result the Galaxy and further, judging from even cheerleading FFF’s sourish moods of late on the Becks phenom thing, MLS and ‘Merkaan SAHkur on the whole.
In short, for a tourney with two spots a professional FA sends their cup contenders, not the second from the bottom of their table. I get what AEG is doing and I agree more sides’ owners should be doing it too, sort of, but my guts are screaming, generally speaking, MLS and AEG are screwing things up BIG time in the glaring absence of performance on the pitch. When you suck you don’t get wishful or go international, you train and train harder and more effectively.
There’s an argument further to be made that at some point, the legal and managerial structure of MLS will need to give birth to a professional FA structure with USL promoting top performers and MLS relegating poor performers… to that end LA ought to be adopting a “relegation” standpoint for itself, rebuild, heal and emerge in April as a profession futbol side and not Golden Balls and those other guys who suck. Anyone know where Ruud is on this stuff? Or is he still trying to figure out how to say SAHkur and stuff? I can deal with goofy celebrity BS as long as the play on the pitch is solid. When it’s not, this working class fan gets pissy.
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While I was outgassing about kitchen sinks, PK expressed what I was going to think about, in a much better way. That’s indeed the format and would pave the way for better legal and financial structures (the whole giving birth thingy). And as always bottom line is performance on the pitch.
OK I’m going back to work.
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The Columbus Crew got three more points than the Galaxy this past season. Therefore, they have more credibility in the getting-your-own-channel category. By my logic, Houston should have their own 24hour cable network.
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I’m lowering the bar. Let’s at least be high class call[boys] if MLS is going to pimp us out and try to avoid headlines such as this, in The Sydney Morning Herald,
**Harmse hack claims Juninho**. Or, yeah, stay home and work on your game before going out to show it off to the world. Alexi-speak is making me nauseous again. There should be warnings on articles that quote him.Maybe a month with the Spice Girls will help the ankle, nothing else has. Sorry about your dad’s injury JustJack, that’s exactly what the Galaxy physios should be worrying about.
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Looks like we’ve all been had. There is no real qualification for this cup. The Japanese team is not the J-League champion but more like the Open Cup champion. They could be the Japanese version of the Chicago Fire for all we know (I think the J-league has an incomplete relegation system so the Japanese Galaxy would be iffy). They also don’t clarify that it will be the winner of the A-League final so they might end up sending the runner up if they think its more marketable/willing to come. In short if you look at the Gals & Gamba this is just meaningless pre-season fitness friendlies and its just as likely Houston was chosen because the have Brian Ching on the roster as it is because they won the MLS cup. A shinier Carolina Challenge Cup with pictures of your favorite players surfing coming soon.
(Also, the format sucks and the surface is plastic fyi)
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