CARSON, Calif. (Friday, January 20, 2012) – The 2011 MLS Cup Champion LA Galaxy will open their 2012 preseason at The Home Depot Center on Monday, January 23. All contracted players, draft picks and trialists will undergo entry physicals and other testing with the club’s medical staff on Saturday, before beginning a week of fitness training on Monday. Bruce Arena’s squad will then hold their first official outdoor training session at The Home Depot Center on Monday, January 30.
A total of 16 players from last year’s MLS Cup winning squad are expected to be on hand for the club’s first day of training on Monday, while five players – A.J. DeLaGarza, Landon Donovan, Robbie Keane, Brian Perk and Michael Stephens – are currently away on international duty or on loan. In addition to the 16 returning players that will be in attendance, new acquisitions Andrew Boyens, Nick Noble, Pat Noonan, Marcelo Sarvas and Jose Villarreal will all train with the club for the first time. Additionally, all seven of the club’s recent draft picks, as well as trialists, Bill Gaudette, a goalkeeper who played for the Columbus Crew, Puerto Rico Islanders and Montreal Impact, as well as defender J.T. Murray, a second round pick by Sporting Kansas City in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft out of the University of Louisville, will be with the club for Monday’s training session.
Just as they have for each of the last three years, the Galaxy will spend a majority of the preseason training in Southern California before heading to Tucson, Arizona in mid-February. While in Tucson, the Galaxy will participate in the Desert Diamond Cup, which will see them play four games against the New England Revolution, New York Red Bulls and Real Salt Lake from February 22-March 3.
READ: MLS Cup 2011 Champion LA Galaxy headline second annual FC Tucson Desert Diamond Cup
In addition to those games and their daily training sessions, the Galaxy will also host preseason games against local USL side, the Los Angeles Blues, who the Galaxy beat last year in the Third Round of the U.S. Open Cup, as well as fellow MLS clubs, Chivas USA, the Houston Dynamo, Montreal Impact and Portland Timbers. A complete schedule of Galaxy preseason games can be found below, though times and field locations will be decided at a later date.
| Galaxy Preseason Schedule | |||
| Date | Opponent | Time | Location |
| Friday, February 3 | vs. Los Angeles Blues (USL Pro) | TBD | TBD |
| Tuesday, February 7 | vs. Portland Timbers | TBD | TBD |
| Friday, February 10 | vs. Houston Dynamo | TBD | TBD |
| Tuesday, February 14 | vs. Montreal Impact | TBD | TBD |
| Thursday, February 16 | vs. Chivas USA | TBD | TBD |
| Wednesday, February 22 | vs. New England Revolution | 5 p.m. | Tucson, Ariz. BUY TICKETS |
| Saturday, February 25 | vs. Real Salt Lake | 5 p.m. | Tucson, Ariz. BUY TICKETS |
| Wednesday, February 29 | vs. New York Red Bulls | 7 p.m. | Tucson, Ariz. BUY TICKETS |
| Saturday, March 3 | Desert Diamond Cup Championship Game or Third Place Game | 5 p.m. or 7 p.m. | Tucson, Ariz. BUY TICKETS |
Following the tournament in Arizona, the Galaxy will return to Southern California before heading north to Canada ahead of the first leg of their 2011/12 CONCACAF Champions League Quarterfinal against Toronto FC, which will be played at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They will open the 2012 MLS season three days later on Saturday, March 10 when they host Real Salt Lake at The Home Depot Center in MLS First Kick 2012, presented by Dick’s Sporting Goods. That game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. (PT) and tickets are on sale now as part of season ticket packages as well as three and six-game plans. Fans who reserve their 2012 Season Tickets by Sunday, January 22, 2012 will receive collector’s edition season tickets, featuring images from the Galaxy’s championship 2011 season. Visit www.lagalaxy.com/tickets to purchase season tickets.
