After a pair of road wins last week, the LA Galaxy return to Southern California for Saturday’s game against Toronto FC. The game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. and the first 15,000 fans in attendance will receive a commemorative poster featuring Edson Buddle and Landon Donovan as part of the club’s World Cup Send-Off. Both players will also be honored in a short ceremony after the game, which will be their final game with the Galaxy before joining training camp with the U.S. National Team on Sunday.
The Galaxy earned six points from their two road games last week, extending their winning streak to three games and remaining one of the only two undefeated teams in MLS while also stretching their lead at the top of the Western Conference to nine points over second place Houston.
Fox Sports West will broadcast Saturday’s game, starting with the Galaxy Live pregame show at 7 p.m. Following the game, there will also be a special 30-minute Galaxy Live postgame show featuring interviews and player reactions to the game.
Additionally, the games can be heard locally in English on AM 570 and in Spanish on ESPN Deportes Radio 1330 AM, with both broadcasts beginning with their respective pregame shows at 7 p.m.
THE WEEK THAT WAS
Wednesday, May 5, 2010: Galaxy 1 – Colorado Rapids 0 – Dick’s Sporting Goods
Park – Attendance: 9,882
Alan Gordon scored his first goal of the season, heading home a Landon Donovan free kick to give the Galaxy their first regular season win at Colorado since July 13, 2002. Gordon was unmarked inside the box and placed his diving header past Rapids’ goalkeeper Matt Pickens in the 21st minute to give LA a 1-0 lead. That advantage would hold up until the final whistle as the Galaxy earned their fifth clean sheet in seven games this season.
Saturday, May 8, 2010; Galaxy 4 – Seattle Sounders FC 0 –
Qwest Field – Attendance: 36,273
Landon Donovan scored his first goal of the season and had a career-high three assists as the Galaxy handed Seattle the worst home loss in club history with a 4-0 victory. Jovan Kirovski opened the scoring for LA in 22nd minute before Omar Gonzalez and Todd Dunivant added goals early in the second half to put the game out of reach. Donovan then rounded out the scoring, getting his first of the year in the 67th minute to improve the Galaxy’s unbeaten record to 7-0-1 on the season.
Saturday, May 8, 2010; Galaxy U-16’s 1 – Nomads
SC U-16’s 2 – Kinsell Field
Grady Howe scored for the Galaxy but they surrendered a late goal and fell 2-1 on the road to Nomads SC. Howe scored late on for the Galaxy, who looked like they would extend their unbeaten streak to four games before surrendering a late tally that sent the squad to their first defeat in nearly a month.
Saturday, May 8, 2010; Galaxy U-18’s 4 – Nomads
SC 2 – Kinsell Field
Christian Alvarado scored twice while Eric Verso and Riley Wolfe each added single goals as the Galaxy U-18’s won their second straight game with a 4-2 victory on the road against Nomads SC. The Galaxy led 3-0 at the half and then added a fourth shortly after the break to seal the win that put them in third place in their division, one point behind this week’s opponent Chivas USA.
INJURY REPORT
Galaxy Injury Report
OUT – None
DOUBTFUL – None
QUESTIONABLE – A.J. DeLaGarza (Back Spasms), Sean Franklin (Left Ankle – Sprain), Dema Kovalenko (Right Hamstring – Strain), Leonardo (Right Quad – Strain), Eddie Lewis (Left Foot – Contusion)
PROBABLE - None
TEAM NOTES
UNBEATEN STREAK REACHES 11: With their wins over the Rapids and Sounders last week, the Galaxy stretched their unbeaten streak to eight games at the start of the season and 11 regular season games over all. The Galaxy are now 7-0-1 for 22 points on the season, leaving them nine points ahead of the second place Houston Dynamo, who have 13 points, in the Western Conference standings. The Galaxy defeated Houston 2-0 at Robertson Stadium on April 10.
Dating back to the end of the 2009 regular season, the Galaxy are unbeaten in their last 11 games, going 9-0-2 in that time and taking 29 of a possible 33 points. LA has kept a clean sheet in nine of those 11 games and have not trailed in any of them. This is the fifth unbeaten streak of 10 games or more in Galaxy history and with a win or draw against Toronto FC on Saturday, LA will match the second longest unbeaten streak in club history at 12 games
The last time the Galaxy lost was on September 26, 2009 when they fell 2-0 to the Columbus Crew, who are the only other undefeated team in the league this season.
BUDDLE AND DONOVAN NAMED TO WORLD CUP PRELIMINARY ROSTER: On Tuesday, LA Galaxy forwards Edson Buddle and Landon Donovan have been included in the U.S. National Team’s preliminary roster for this summer’s 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Both players will depart for the National Team’s training camp in Princeton, N.J. on Sunday following the Galaxy’s World Cup Send Off game against Toronto FC on Saturday night at The Home Depot Center.
Both players will miss a minimum of two games just for being named to the preliminary roster and will miss a minimum of two more if they are included in the final 23-man squad. For the first time in league history, Major League Soccer will take a two week break during the opening round of the World Cup, with the Galaxy not scheduled to play any league games between June 9 and June 26.
DONOVAN NAMED MLS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: For the first time this season, Galaxy captain Landon Donovan was named the MLS Player of the Week. Donovan had a hand in all five of the Galaxy’s goals in two games this week, helping the team win 1-0 at Colorado on Wednesday and then 4-0 at Seattle on Saturday, claiming four assists and adding his first goal of the season. Donovan is the second consecutive Galaxy player to be named the MLS Player of the Week after Edson Buddle won the award for Week 6 of the season.
This is Donovan’s first Player of the Week award this season and the 11th of his MLS career, with eight of those coming while a member of the Galaxy. His 11 Player of the Week awards are the second most in MLS history behind only FC Dallas forward Jeff Cunningham.
He assisted on the Galaxy’s only goal in the 1-0 win at Colorado on Wednesday and then had three assists and his first goal of the season in the 4-0 win at Seattle on Saturday. Donovan now has one goal and a league-best nine assists in eight games with the Galaxy this season.
Donovan has an assist in six of the Galaxy’s eight games this season, with the club going 6-0-0 in those contests.
FIVE NEW FACES ON THE SCORESHEET: The Galaxy entered last week having seen just two players score a goal for the club in the first six games of the season. But following the wins in Colorado and Seattle, the Galaxy now have seven different goalscorers on the season. Landon Donovan, Todd Dunivant, Omar Gonzalez, Alan Gordon and Jovan Kirovski all scored their first goals of the season last week, with Gordon scoring the game’s only goal in the 1-0 win at Colorado on Wednesday and the others all scoring in the 4-0 win at Seattle on Saturday.
DEFENSE CONTINUES RECORD SETTING PACE: The Galaxy defense kept their sixth clean sheet in eight games against Seattle on Saturday and has allowed just two goals on the season. Every other team in the league has allowed at least five goals and only the Galaxy and the Houston Dynamo average less than one goal allowed per game.
The Galaxy’s two goals allowed through the first eight games of the season is a new MLS record, breaking the former mark of three that was set by Chivas USA last season. The six shutouts through eight games are tied for the most in MLS history, joining the 2000 Kansas City Wizards and the 2007 New York Red Bulls, who were coached by Bruce Arena, as the only three teams in league history to have kept six clean sheets in the first eight games of the year.
SEAN FRANKLIN SITS DOWN FOR CUP OF JOE: Tune-in to the Galaxy's weekly live web show, Cup of Joe, with radio play-by-play announcer Joe Tutino. On Wednesday afternoon injured Galaxy defender Sean Franklin will sit down with Joe to discuss his current status, his impending return to the field and much more about his team’s flying start to the 2010 season. The show will air live at 11:30 a.m. on the Galaxy’s website, www.lagalaxy.com.
Fans can participate asking by questions either beforehand or live during the chat. Start submitting questions for Dave now to socialmedia@lagalaxy.com.
YOUTH ACADEMY
GALAXY ACADEMY TEAMS HOST CHIVAS USA ON SATURDAY: The LA Galaxy Youth Academy teams are back in action this weekend when they host Chivas USA for the first time this season on Field 7 at The Home Depot Center.
The two sides first met back in November with the Galaxy U-18’s wining 4-1 and the U-16’s playing to a 1-1 draw at Cerritos College. Last season, the U-16’s went 2-0-0 against Chivas USA while the U-18’s were 1-1-0
Both Galaxy teams have four divisional games remaining on their schedules with the Galaxy U-16’s currently sitting seven points out of a guaranteed playoff spot and the U-18’s just one point out of second place.
IN THE COMMUNITY
MLS FUTBOLITO COMES TO LA: One of the nation’s most successful grassroots soccer initiatives returns to LA this summer. MLS Futbolito, Major League Soccer’s official 4-v-4 tournament, will be held in Padua Park in Claremont, Calif. on Saturday, June 26. Approximately 50,000 people, between participants ages 6 to 55 and spectators, attended MLS Futbolito 2009 across 13 markets from coast to coast.
For further information about MLS Futbolito, visit the event’s official site: www.MLSFutbolito.com.
GALAXY FOUNDATION SHOT OF THE WEEK: At each LA Galaxy home game, fans are invited to visit the Galaxy Foundation Booth to place your bid on the Galaxy Foundation's Shot of the Week presented by MoraPhotography.com. Each photo will be signed by the player or players featured. All proceeds benefit the Los Angeles Galaxy Foundation.
LOS ANGELES GALAXY FOUNDATION JOINS GOODSEARCH: The Los Angeles Galaxy Foundation has joined GoodSearch, which means that the Galaxy Foundation will earn a donation every time you search the Internet and receive a percentage of every purchase you make online through GoodShop.com.
Download the GoodSearch – Los Angeles Galaxy Foundation toolbar, and the club’s foundation will earn money every time you shop and search online - even if you forget to go to GoodShop or GoodSearch first. Add the Los Angeles Galaxy Foundation toolbar at http://www.goodsearch.com/toolbar/los-angeles-galaxy-foundation.
NEED TO KNOW
LOOKING FOR MORE UPDATES?: If you are looking for continuous updates from the Galaxy all week long, be sure to visit the club’s official websites www.lagalaxy.com and www.lagalaxyfutbol.com, or the club’s official blog at www.thelagalaxy.blogspot.com for all the latest news from the club. The Galaxy can also be followed on Twitter at www.twitter.com/lagalaxy and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/lagalaxy.
