Is Birchall it? I’m skeptical, but maybe.

You are so right about the situation that Lalas put us in. Until we ditch Beckham’s salary (and maybe Landon’s as well) we are going to have real trouble getting access to the right players to help the team. On the other hand, looking at San Jose this year, it doesn’t seem like all the extra allocation money and draft picks they got for being an expansion team has really helped them out. So its not just money, obviously. Which speaks to your point about youth.

On that point: I think we actually have some decent youth on the team and a lot of it is GA so it doesn’t count against the salary cap: Gonzalez, Delagarza, Marshall, and Franklin are all either starters now or going to be if not here, then somewhere else. Mike Magee shows flashes of potential. So does Jordan. But, I think the real problem of youth is in the midfield where we aren’t incubating the next Robbie Rogers or Zakuani or Rico Clark or Sam Cronin. And that’s where the age really kills us.

On the Becks tip: I am actually interested in gettign him back in July and having his touch, passing, and vision on the field for us. I think it could really be a missing piece. But, by the same token, I think he will help the team the most by leaving in November for Europe. We need his cap space more than we need him. I’m also looking for the book on his arrival in the US that’s supposed to be coming out in July which supposedly gets the inside scoop on the locker-room situation surrounding his joining the team and the aftermath. It should read like a great disaster novel.

Exactly my sentiments. We have a host of veteran players that, given the right circumstances, still have something to offer.

For example, Klein, Lewis, Berhalter, Dunivant. At this point in their careers, they are players who are the final peice to someone’s puzzle – that little push over the top.

But for us, they are fundamental parts of a rebuilding process better served by younger hungrier athletes.

However, Arena has a history of not coaching up players – he wants proven verterans on the pitch, i.e. staying with that lackluster US squad as long as he did.

We could be 1-1-8 with a much younger squad of hungry nobodies, except that the infrastructure is so jacked – thanks to Lalas – whom I cannot believe is still employed somewhere in a footballing capacity…forced San Jose into another city; crushed New York; crushed LA.

Nice CV

Ryan

I love Izzy, but you are right neither him or Bowen would help us this season, or would they? I feel like we have players out there who are not going the whole time they are on the field and I think those two kids would be better on the roster than Sanneh or Griffin.

I really hope Birchall comes in and helps this team, but really Bruce just needs to pull his head out of his ass and start playing attacking soccer. We can score goals!

On Birchall: you have a good point about the relegation struggle, but perhaps there was a personnel issue and Birchall just didn’t link up well with some of his teammates. Maybe, just maybe, he’ll be the perfect “fit” that we’ve been looking for in the Galaxy’s mid.

Ever the optimist, aren’t I? Sometimes I make [i]myself[/i] puke with how cheerily half-full my Galaxy glass is.