Mas y Mas Gio

More leftover quotes on Gio/Galaxy. 

Head coach Bruce Arena

Players are getting better. We’ve had a long year. We’ve had a lot of injuries and absences for periods of time. For the most part, we’re over the hump and hopefully, we can get our team healthy and ready for the last nine season games and hopefully for the playoffs.

--Injuries?

We’ll see. Baggio should be back soon.

--Expectations? 

Not at all. We have to step on the field and play well each and every game and try to win. All that other stuff is all garbage and hype. We don’t talk about championships yet.

--Supporters' Shield?

It’d be nice to have. The way the league is made up right now, with the regular season schedule, it’s hard, because too many teams play without their players for so many games. The Supporters’ Shield is an awkward goal to have, given that a number of teams play without their players for long periods of time. So it makes that difficult.

--Robbie Rogers Achilles heel issue?

Every player has injuries and deals with it differently. He’s playing 90 minutes now.

--Dallas?

They’re a good team. I haven’t watched them that closely, but Castillo continues to be dangerous player. Diaz is good. Perez has been outstanding goalscorer. Defensively, they’re pretty solid. They’re a good team.

We’ve seen the weather before. We had weather the other day, so it’s not an excuse. Still weather.

--Gio adjustment? There’s been no issues to date. Like any player, they’ll be some ups and downs along the way, but he’s doing very well.

.@OficialGio marked his @MLS debut with a goal and an assist. Recap: http://t.co/s5Kz6lPso6 #LAvSEA pic.twitter.com/6DFcHV4lx3

— LA Galaxy (@LAGalaxy) August 9, 2015

Dan the Man

I mentioned on Twitter today that I could have made my entire "Galaxy teammates adjusting to Gio" piece all on Dan Gargan's quotes. 

To prove it, I'll just leave the ones I didn't use right here. 

We understand the elements (heat in Dallas). It’s not going to be a surprise. We got a good result on the road in Colorado.

That’s what our focus is for the next nine, to sharpen up and tighten some things in our game.

People hyping our team means zero. People’s opinions on a team that hasn’t really played together yet don’t really mean anything. We all know that every day is a new day, so if we don’t prepare and bring our best game to every game, we have just as much opportunity of getting beat as anybody else does. Unless we’re prepared to live up to those expectations on a daily basis, that praise being put on our team doesn’t mean much.

That’s a definite.That’s something that the guys here have understood and adapted to. We understand that when we’re not prepared to play a game, we’re going to get beat because there’s a lot of good teams in this league. We’re adjusted to that and well aware of it. That only helps us, because that raises our level as well.

We’re all here to win titles. Just because Gio comes in and says he wants to win a title, that’s no different than the other 29 guys sitting in that locker room, because they all want to win championships, too. If they were to come in and say, we don’t want to win a championship, that wouldn’t be aligned with what everyone else is thinking. For them to say that they want to come here and win a title, well, of course they do. That’s why they’re coming here and that’s why everyone else is here.

I'm absolutely not satisfied. If that was the case, then what am I doing here? What are we all doing here? If we’re not trying to win? That’s the name of the game. That’s why we play. That’s it. This isn’t rec sports. We’re not out here just for fun. Winning is what we do and what gives us the most joy.

We’re greedy. Bruce has put together a roster that’s capable of doing that. The Supporters’ Shield might be tough to attain at this point, but I don’t think it’s out of reach. Hopefully, if we continue to gel and put the right pieces together and find a good rhythm so that another championship is realistic as well.

Our approach might be a little bit different this weekend. They’re a dangerous team. They play kind of a different style. They have a lot of guys who are able to exploit weaknesses in one on one, which tends to make for a more disjointed game. Our team is focused on maintaining a good 11. This is a good test. It’ll be a formidable opponent.

They both have some very dynamic players. They have that playmaker that sits in the hole and tries to pick out players.

That was a fun piece. Sadly, it was only too easy to convince Alan to do that and show off his abs.

Welcome to the club @OficialGio!! In honor of this momentous occasion, I drew a picture of you for the game #LAvSEA. pic.twitter.com/j8eDTdqMzm

— Daniel Gargan (@HeyDanGargan) August 7, 2015

He’s a good solid veteran. He’s been doing it for a while. Jaime was very good at reactionary saves. Donovan (Ricketts) is more of a presence in goal.

For better or for worse, it could go either way, Gio’s a little bit more instinctual in front of the goal, in terms of creating stuff for himself. Landon was a very selfless player, both ways. If he needed to finish a goal, he’d finish a goal and he would also track back 90 yards to stop a play if he saw that developing. From what I’ve seen from Gio, he’s deadly in front of the net. That’s hopefully where we’ll be able to find him in those positions. We looked to Landon to alleviate a little bit more pressure for us and kind of take over games. Gio will fit in well with our attacking corps and kind of create a bit more. That’s what I’ve seen so far. Both are obviously very talented and very deserving of wearing the #10 for LA. Wouldn’t see much difference there.

Landon was a veteran at this point, and a veteran of the league as well. Gio’s coming in and he’s younger and he’s also new to the league. He probably doesn’t have the same amount of confidence from an understanding of the league. He’s learning and seeing a new culture and environment for himself. That’ll take time for him to get settled and to get comfortable.

Keane’s a link. That’s not only a captain’s responsibility, it’s a friend’s responsibility. He has a relationship with both of them prior to the Galaxy. In order for both of them to feel comfortable, he’s been able to integrate them into the group. It’s not like the other guys on the team have been closed off. We have a pretty good locker room and it’s been very open and welcoming. Both of those guys, Gio and Gerrard, have fit in pretty well.

I’ve been a witness to Stevie coming, and everyone was excited for him. Gio attracts a different fan base. He’s a bit younger. He also has the Mexican side, which is a big community in LA. The response to Gio being signed is a bit different, but the LA Galaxy community is excited to have both of them and rightfully so.

Stevie's Thoughts

I wondered what Steven Gerrard thought about getting to the Galaxy fairly recently and getting asked so many questions about his new teammate, Gio Dos Santos. 

Steven Gerrard in Los Angeles

Turns out, he doesn't mind much at all. 

I was very pleased for him. He was desperate to get out there, onto the pitch. His debut went perfect. Good team performance and he came on and contributed at the end with a goal.

I’m just pleased and smiling that the deals over the line and he’s an LA Galaxy player. I want to form a good relationship with him. I’m excited for him.

I think he’ll adapt a lot quicker than me. He’s used to the climate. He knows the guys better than I do. I’m sure he’ll settle in very quickly and play in good performances with the team. I’m pleased for him. When I heard the news he was coming, I made contact with him. We were both very happy with the pickup.

So Gerrard clearly doesn't mind answering Gio questions. At least, not nearly as much as he minds the extreme weather conditions in some places in MLS. Dan Gargan, his LA Galaxy defender teammate, had a bit of fun with him about dealing with that. 

Stevie’s first two road games were in Houston and Colorado. Dealing with that humidity and then that altitude - after the Colorado game, he was wondering where we were playing next. I told him we’re playing on Mars next. That’s indicative of some of the situations we have to deal with in this league, with the travel and the environments. Seeing that in two of your first three weeks was probably a bit eye-opening, because those are two of the tougher places to play. Dallas will be another one. Might was well see them all early and get them out of the way.

Gio, obviously has played in heat plenty of times. That’s probably tougher on Stevie than it will be on Gio, but still, it’s a tough place to play. Some of that travel and flying three hours, and then playing a game the next day, it’s not easy either. It won’t be easy for either of them, because as far as I know, they’ve never had to deal with that before.

Gerrard seemed to agree that he found the transition difficult.

Houston was wild. That was certainly a big learning curve for me. We spoke about the challenges in the press conference and I said I’d give it my best and that’s what I’ve done.

Yet, though Dallas won't be easy, Gerrard was optimistic about all the games ahead for the Galaxy, especially now with Gio on board.

We can both help each other, on the pitch and off it as well. I said when I signed that all the players and the staff at LA Galaxy made me feel so welcome. I’m sure Gio’s feeling the same. The important thing is that all the players are available. When I signed, we had players in the Gold Cup, some injuries, and we were still trying to get Gio over the line. Now everyone’s fit and available, ready to fight for the team. I think we can go on a winning streak now and become a real force.

For more on how Gio's LA teammates are adjusting to him joining the team - read this!

Watershed Moments

Last night, Alan Gordon came off the field and was substituted by Giovani Dos Santos for the debut of the Mexican international as a Galaxy player. 

Gordon was already the answer to the trivia question,"Which player came off for David Beckham's debut as a Galaxy player?", so perhaps this is all routine for him. Still, it was an interesting full circle moment.

Gordon was pretty low-key about it, though. 

"I think it's a bigger deal to you guys than it is to me," he said, shrugging. 

I'll have more Dos Santos info later, but for now, here's a picture and my own full circle moment. 

My Beckham interview on NPR.

My Dos Santos interview. 

Both these players were in the same country in 2005. One won.

Radio Days, With Two Different Stars as Main Topic

Years ago, I used to work the graveyard shift at my college radio station. I was on from midnight to 8am, then I hurried to my dorm room to change for a 9am class. Most of what went out on the air at that time was pre-programmed, although I did a short traffic and weather report at the top of every hour. Basically, that job helped me realize radio is both a great and tough medium.

Even before I moved to the LA area, I used to listen to KPCC. When I got the call to come to my local NPR station as a soccer expert guest, I was excited. 

Have to say, I don't think my first time, discussing David Beckham, went all that well.  It probably wasn't advisable to disagree with the host of the radio show that invited me right off the bat. 

My most recent appearance was to talk about Giovani Dos Santos, who honestly, has the potential to be as big a signing in certain ways as Beckham ever was. No, Dos Santos won't have the same world-wide impact, but on a local marketing level, this could be huge. He's much younger, a massive star with the Mexican fans in LA, and more creative on the ball. Dos Santos will still have to play well to justify all the hype, but the potential is definitely there. 

Here is the individual show segment about Dos Santos. Who knows - if Dos Santos plays amazingly tonight in his debut as a Galaxy player, I may be asked back again. It's always the big stories that get media attention.

The Galaxy are also a more balanced team now to support the skills of Dos Santos. With Robbie Keane, Steven Gerrard, Gyasi Zardes and Omar Gonzalez all on board to help carry the burden of garnering wins, Dos Santos shouldn't feel as isolated as Landon Donovan and Beckham seemed to be those difficult years when the Galaxy depended on that duo so much. 

Whose Jersey Did You Get?

I asked Landon Donovan that question once, six years ago. He was exiting the locker rooms at the Rose Bowl and he had a Barcelona jersey slung over his shoulder after a friendly game against the Spanish squad. 

"Pique." Donovan answered, succinctly. 

I wondered what Pique did with his Donovan jersey. 

Just yesterday, I found out, via Twitter. 

Ordenando el armario, aquí tenéis algunas de las camisetas que he ido encontrando. Cuál os gusta más? pic.twitter.com/Jg7c1SB2ee

— Gerard Piqué (@3gerardpique) May 10, 2015

There's Donovan's Galaxy jersey, in the bottom row of uniforms next to Andrea Pirlo's. 

But Donovan actually gave away two jerseys that night in Pasadena. 

Dani Alves has the other. 

LD hasn't tweeted any pictures of his jersey collection yet. 

He's been busy with other stuff, though, like getting married!

I've never been happier. Hope you all had a great weekend! pic.twitter.com/jsT3voFY3f

— Landon Donovan (@landondonovan) May 5, 2015

Alexi Lalas is Doing Fine, But What About Bob?

Just another day in the soccer-writing life, but now I suddenly have a few hundred more Twitter followers than before. 

It's pretty much Alexi Lalas' fault. 

So @soccercanales is in the midst of a long and interesting twitter dissection of @J_Klinsmann's tenure.
— Alexi Lalas (@AlexiLalas) April 20, 2015

The man has a gift for garnering media attention, so perhaps he's in his best career fit as a sports pundit, but I remember well when his trajectory in sports management seemed unstoppable. 

Instead, Lalas was derailed when he became the ringmaster in the circus that was the LA Galaxy's colossal craziness in the early Beckham years. It's kind of a shame, given his energy and enthusiasm, but living by the propaganda sword means dying by it as well. 

Bob and Alexi Lalas

That's what happened to Lalas, but like the phoenix, he's risen from the ashes of that disaster to do quite well on television. 

Still, I wonder what happened to his little Yorkie, which I believe he told me was named Bob. 

Alexi would bring him to Galaxy practices sometimes. Maybe Bob hides in the TV studio or Alexi's office now. 






Update! Alexi says Bob is fine.

@soccercanales Bob is alive and kicking. He actually got me in trouble a few weeks ago. He says hi.
— Alexi Lalas (@AlexiLalas) April 21, 2015

Cubo Cut Down

I'm not really referring to how Erick "Cubo" Torres went down in the box - it's more about how the president of Guadalajara, Nestor de la Torre, reacted. 

Néstor de la Torre, desnudado. Así se refiere a sus jugadores como el 'Cubo' Torres y al arbitraje. Hoy en DeporTV. http://t.co/IEwLoNzDjV
— Azteca Deportes (@AztecaDeportes) February 9, 2015

Though I didn't even know what Nestor had said about Cubo when I went to the Tecate presentation the next day for interviews, I couldn't leave it out of my article. 



I'm not sure if Torres will last the season at Chivas, but Houston will probably be happy to welcome him early. 


Leftover quotes from my interview:  

Nestor

We don’t have any problem playing against the Galaxy. For us, the Galaxy is a team with good characteristics and it would be a competitive game. I think it would be interesting. It would be interesting because of what the Galaxy represents in this community and because of what Chivas also represents in Los Angeles. It would be an interesting clash of cultures.

Chepo

Nadie gana solo. Es una parte importante - la aficion.

No one wins alone. The fans play an important part. So does the owner, the coaches, the players, the trainers, the equipment people - everyone plays a part. Together, we can do this.

Cubo

Well, in life and in work, the ability to adapt is important. When people can adapt to change, they can be successful. Whether it’s Chivas USA, the national team, Chivas Guadalajara, or Houston, I’ll work hard to adjust and do well.

I’m working hard, with a lot of humility and when it’s time to go to Houston, I’ll be there with that same attitude. I’ll be proud to be with a good organization like the Dynamo as well.

Chepo

What is here in the United States is very special, because the fans here don’t get to see the team in person very often, but they’re so excited when they do get to see the team. It means so much to them. We want to make the fans happy.

We want to bring the team here more often.

It’s a great responsibility. It’s very similar, but the magnitude is different, in terms of the amount of people. The people identify with these type of squads. To coach Guadalajara, to coach Mexico, it is similar. The difference is there’s 120 million people in Mexico, aside from those in the USA, and despite the differences economically, culturally, male or female, or religion, they simply want to see their national team win. They get really excited about that.

It’s something that professions have to learn to handle. They have to face a lot of pressure, but but despite that, they have to go out and perform their best. We know that it’s like that - sometimes you’ll be on top, sometimes you’ll be on the bottom, but you have to be able to express yourself and stay professional. People will notice when you put your best effort out there. And when they see that, they’re satisfied. Usually, the results will follow as well. If you win, of course you get the reward from that effort, but even if you lose, you still know that you gave your best. In the end, that gives you satisfaction as well.

All of players have to compete against each other, and I have to evaluate who is in the best form at the time. Whether they start, or are on the bench, or even make the bench, that’s part of the competition. What’s complicated for me is making those choices.

I don’t feel like a savior. We, as a group, have to work on this mission together. So everyone has to be strong so that we can reach our goals.

Throwback Tuesday - Taking Down Dom

Years and years ago, I took an MLS coach to task in an article for his playoff strategy - or lack thereof, as I saw it. 

Though the San Jose Earthquakes were indeed relocated, my worst fears for Dom Kinnear didn't happen. He did learn from his playoff setbacks and went on to win multiple MLS Cups with the Houston Dynamo. 

He also gave me a long, hard look the next time I interviewed him - one that made me guess that he'd read my article (it isn't online any more, but was at the time). However, Dom has always been polite and fair to reporters, and other than that unwavering stare, never said anything to me about my criticisms. 

Winning Cups is the best response, anyway. I still stand by what I wrote, however, and still think I'm right about a practical approach to the playoffs instead of the "Win every game, no matter what" view. 

The article is quite a trip down memory lane, to a time when the Quakes held more Cups than the Galaxy, when Steve Nicol and Alejandro Moreno weren't on the ESPN FC couch, when Herculez Gomez played for LA. How times have changed in a decade!

Starting just this year, Dom Kinnear is now back in San Jose, so I expect to see a revival of the California Clasico between the Earthquakes and the Galaxy.

Be warned - I used to think the whole point of writing online was not worrying about word count, and the article is long. This was way before Twitter, when I just might have posted, "D. Kinnear took a good team to the playoffs and threw away their chance at a title with poor strategy."  

But that would leave out all the juicy details. 

Sad, But Not Surprising

In the wake of the retirement of USA veteran defender DaMarcus Beasley, I immediately thought of Robbie Rogers and his sterling play at left back for the Los Angeles Galaxy. 

It's well known also in SoCal soccer circles that Rogers knows J. Klinsmann from way back. Klinsmann helped guide Rogers at various points in his career, including recommending him as a player to the coach of Leeds in England back in 2012. Rogers, for his part, returned the favor in Klinsmann's debut as coach, scoring the lone USA goal to ensure the JK era did not begin with a loss.

I'm not the only one thinking that Rogers deserves a national team look at left back, either, if the word of that other Robbie - Keane - carries any weight. 

Truth is, though, JK wasn't very encouraging of Rogers' chances to get back on the USMNT squad when it was first announced that he would return to play with the Galaxy. He said Rogers "wasn't in the picture". 

Yet with the lack of depth at left back on the national team level, Rogers should merit consideration, I thought. I was gratified to see that Soccer America seemed to think so as well, ranking Rogers as a viable possibility. But the final sentence of the blurb assessing his chances brought me back to earth with a thud. 

Bruce Gets Comfortable

Nine years ago, I called for Bruce Arena to make a push at coaching abroad. 

That didn't happen. 

Big ups to @FastJayne for her classic Bruce Arena photo pic.twitter.com/FzOjvoIqKP
— Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) December 8, 2014

Now, on the heels of his record 5th MLS Cup win as coach, someone else is doing the same.  

I didn't think back when I proposed European coaching for him that Arena would get an offer from a big name team, but sure, I thought some Championship club or Scandinavian squad would take a chance on him. 

But I also understand that LA is nice, he has family nearby, the facilities are great and he gets to coach with a lot of support that he simply wouldn't get anywhere abroad. At the end of the day, coaches are people just like players are. People want to be happy. 

I don't see him leaving, basically. 

Out and About

It's pretty interesting to hear Robbie Rogers in this interview with Hannah Storm talk about how, back when he won his first MLS Championship with the Columbus Crew, he wasn't able to really enjoy it because of the stress and strain of being gay and feeling he had to hide that. 

I remember 2008. The final was played here in LA, and yeah, Robbie didn't look all that happy. 

But his transition to the Galaxy wasn't seamless. He was injured and played inconsistently. A position change brought out the best in him this year. 

What seems to bring Robbie the most joy is something most of us take for granted: He's now able to be himself.  

You be you, Robbie.

Foreign To It All

No, it isn't that hard to coach in MLS. 

How could it possibly be difficult to manage a diverse mix of roster players, fly enormous distances all over the country, get the most from young developmental players in fledgling Academy systems, scout affordable talent in Central and South America, choose the best investments for big-money talent with an eye also toward marketing to local and Latino fans, stay under a salary cap, negotiate with league demands such as unbalanced scheduling and oppressive day games, and also work with media that can alternately ignore the sport entirely or insist on access that is unprecedented in other countries but standard in the U.S.?

Just ask this guy how easy it is to coach in MLS. 

Give Ruud Gullit credit - he came in with plenty of confidence. A bit of humility and willingness to learn might have served him better. Frankly, it's not a conincidence that foreign coaches have a long history of struggling in MLS. It's harder to adapt to new circumstances than it is to blame these same elements themselves as being flawed, but blame won't create success.

With the news that the Houston Dynamo have signed Owen Coyle to replace outgoing coach Dom Kinnear (who returned to California to coach the San Jose Earthquakes) hope springs anew that a different foreigner can buck that trend. Coyle, who has shown a flair for well-balanced squads and who can unearth talent overlooked by many, would do well to heed these words of advice from the coach in MLS with the most wins ever, Bruce Arena.

"It's very rare that an international player can step into this league, be adjusted instantly, and not explain to us how we're supposed to do things - how it's done elsewhere. We've never heard one comment of, 'This is how they do it at Liverpool or Tottenham.' He's bought into Major League Soccer from the start. He's our greatest advocate."

Now, Arena was speaking after the 2014 MLS Cup on the game and league MVP, but it's still good advice that Coyle should heed. 

Landon Got It

The MLS Cup, yeah, that. Landon Donovan went out with a championship. Yet more than that, LD got what it meant to bring together all the diverse craziness that is part of the soccer landscape in the USA. Americans played in the first World Cup ever, but that bright start (a semifinal finish) back in 1930 quickly fizzled out without consistent support in a big country. 

LD was a warrior on that front since he first played USA youth games as a teen, representing his country in front of sparse crowds locally. He gave interviews in broken Spanish even back then, he wrote a World Cup diary in 2002 for his local paper, the San Bernardino Sun, and he even had the temerity to call out David Beckham's loyalty to the Galaxy and his service to MLS. Time and again, when other USA players would get tired and walk away from reporters, LD would still stay, giving intelligent, thoughtful quotes to everyone who needed them to make a deadline. 

A local LA area kid, he even had a call-out for the LA Times columnist, Bill Plaschke, in his final press conference. 

"I just want to say, for the record, that I think we've made it when Bill Plaschke's at our press conference."

Donovan's final comments overall weren't an answer to any question. His time was up, and he was ready to go, but he had a few more words for all of us, the assembled press. It was a message of gratitude. 

"For all of you who have been around for a long time, and even a short time - Bill (Plaschke)- I appreciate all you guys do for this sport. I know it's a professional relationship, but a lot of you guys are out there and really care about it the way that we do and it's been a long grind. I can't think of many less glamorous jobs than being a soccer reporter in this country, but you guys are passionate about it and you care and we really appreciate it. So I just want to say thank you for all that. I appreciate it."

The media being the beast that it is, LD was immediately asked to say that again in Spanish. 

"That's a lot," Donovan admitted. He was well aware that local staff could easily translate his comments in English. He then obliged anyway. 

"Gracias a todos ustedes en la prensa. Normalmente no tenemos la oportunidad de decir gracias a ustedes tambien, pero ustedes estan aqui cada dia, apoyando a nosotros, y apoyando nuestro deporte en este pais. De parte de todo nosotros, querio decir gracias para todo." 

(Thanks to all of you in the press. Normally, we don't get the opportunity to say thanks to you guys, but you guys are here every day, supporting us, supporting our sport in this country. On behalf of all of us, I want to say thanks for everything.)

Just before my recording cuts off, various reporters respond, some of them for perhaps the last time, "Thanks, Landon!"

The Tragedy, the Triumph and the Missing Ballots

The LA Galaxy won the 2014 MLS Cup on Sunday, sending Landon Donovan off into the retirement sunset a champion. 

There's a sad part to the story of the Galaxy this season, though. Most of it is told here. 

WE DID IT!!!!! And I did it for you, Luca. #LucaKnowsHeart #MLSCupChampions pic.twitter.com/njdDY1qyuf
— AJ DeLaGarza (@AJD_20) December 8, 2014

After the game, here's what AJ told the press. 

“I’ve said it before, this is my best year on the field, and my worst year off the field personally. At the end of the game, you guys saw I just kind of laid there and sobbed a little bit. Obviously, I wish my son was here, so that was all I thought about.”

AJ's wife, Megan, kept a blog of their short time with their first child, Luca, which also includes information about donating in his name to charities that support families dealing with heart problems. 

I talked to AJ briefly on Saturday, before the match, where he explained that he'd recovered from a recent hamstring injury and was ready to play in the championship final. That hamstring was indeed put to the test on one particular play, where he prevented a likely Revolution goal in the 28th minute on a Charlie Davies breakaway.

"I think Robbie missed it, or it just slipped under him. Obviously, Charlie and I were on for a hundred yard dash. He's one of the fastest players in this league. I had to make the perfect tackle and challenge."

De La Garza's tackle so impressed some in the pressbox, that they were voting him for the game's MVP. Others opted for Zardes, who scored the opening goal. No one I knew put down Robbie Keane. That's because the ballots were collected near the end of regulation, before the game went into extra time and Keane scored. He was then named the game MVP.

So the question is, who voted for Keane? What happened to AJ's votes? 

Not that the defender would care. I asked him what his first thought was after the final whistle. 

"My first thought was relief, because I was too tired to run anymore."

Though Donovan's "fairy-tale ending" got a lot of press, the emotional impact of AJ and Megan's experience with Luca really affected the Galaxy players, many of whom have young children. They think the world of AJ, a hard-working, unassuming teammate. The strong bond already forged among the squad grew even stronger. Goals were dedicated to Luca as the team played toward the end of the season.

"These guys have been my support group," AJ said. 

Still, even after the Galaxy win, it was a little heartbreaking when I looked out at the confetti-strewn field and saw a large Luca Knows Heart sign in one corner. 

"A lot of guys got to have their kids out there, and that was hard," AJ admitted. 

No trophy could compensate the De La Garza's family's loss, but for his teammates, it was just added motivation to do all they could to mitigate AJ's pain in some way, if only briefly. 

Sarachan Does the Playoff Beard

The evolution of #LAGalaxy associate head coach Dave Sarachan’s glorious playoff beard. pic.twitter.com/G7OQCknUGl
— LA Galaxy (@LAGalaxy) December 7, 2014

So I'm on the field for MLS Cup press access yesterday, getting ready to question Galaxy assistant coach Dave Sarachan, and before I can say anything;

Dave: I know, you're going to ask me about the beard. Go ahead. 

Me: What? I - Is that the official playoff beard? To show solidarity with the players? 

Dave: Yeah, whatever. It's a little bit of that. But I was kidding. 

It's a pretty impressive beard, though. 

The Revolution will be Live

The New England Revolution have been the hottest team in MLS since Jermaine Jones came on board. Now, they're in the championship match versus the Galaxy, who are favored partly because they're at home in LA for the game. 

But the Revs aren't just the J. Jones show -Lee Nguyen, Charlie Davies, Teal Bunbury, Kelyn Rowe, and Co. are a talented bunch. 

It's also a bit of a reunion for two players I covered back in 2005 in Peru, for the U17 World Cup. Omar Gonzalez and Kevin Alston. Back then, Kevin was the speedy defender with the bad luck to suffer a broken leg against the Netherlands. Omar was a forward who would come in off the bench. He converted to defender in college. 

Of course, there's much being made of the fact that it is Landon Donovan's final game. Sure, that's a big storyline, but the Revs don't seem fazed by that. If anything, it's the perfect distraction for their opponents. The Revolution can come in with less pressure and be the surprise champions. 

The Galaxy want to send LD out on a high note, though. They managed it for Beckham a couple of years back, so they could do it again. 

Robbie Rogers - on the Past, on Today

The Today Show is covering the 3m price for the Cowardly Lion costume. Then the YouTube video of the eagle flying into the stadium - Now Robbie!

Check out @RobbieRogers' appearance on the @TODAYshow this morning at 8:15 a.m. PT. #ComingOutToPlay pic.twitter.com/G9ebEruzBT
— LA Galaxy (@LAGalaxy) November 25, 2014

Maria Shriver introduces him as a "star" of the Galaxy. Eh, ok. I'd say the stars are LD, Keane, OGonzo, maybe Penedo. Robbie could make it into the unsung heroes ranks of the Galaxy with Juninho, Sarvas, de la Garza.

Fan favorite? Well, Robbie's getting there. Mike Magee was a fan favorite. Rogers had to overcome their affection for Magee and dislike of the trade. His early injuries didn't help. 

That's probably small potatoes to coming out of the closet. Rogers speaks on his family support and how he had to endure general slurs from coaches and teammates who used anything homosexual as a code for "wimpy" or "weak". Yeah, for many years, that's been typical jock-speak. Often female slurs are used the same way - "You kick like a girl!"

Clips of interviews are shown at the Galaxy's home stadium, Stub Hub. A.J. de la Garza and Brian Rowe vouch for Robbie's skills from a locker room interview. 

The Today segment closes with a photo of Robbie from his Palos Verdes school days, mention his new book and new contract with the Galaxy. They don't mention his new TV show, though. Probably because it's on a competing network. 

"Soccer Cup playoffs" - argh, Maria. MLS Cup playoffs. Oh well. To her slight credit, Shriver stumbled there like she wasn't quite sure it was right. It wasn't, but all is forgiven, Maria. Pretty nice piece on RR. 

Kill the Ghost. Let It Die So LD Can Live in Peace

I have a soft spot for this blog, but Twitter is where it's at with all the cool social media kids these days. Communication in short bursts has both benefits and drawbacks, as I found out in a recent dust-up over the medium. 

.@soccercanales Landon is the greatest What If in US soccer history. Arguably greatest of modern era, but had potential to be so much more.
— Phil Schoen (@PhilSchoen) November 14, 2014

I like Phil, he's a great guy, but this tweet drives me crazy. Landon is not a What If. 

A What If is the sad song of a career cut short before it ever got a chance to flourish, due to injury or some other tragic occurrence. People shake their heads, remembering the youthful talent that never reached maturity. Len Bias is a What If. Or this guy. Or Steve Snow, if you need US Soccer-specific examples. 

Round-up of LA Noche

Last night, 

People wondered why LD is retiring. 

Others understood. 

Baxty wrote on LA's 5-0 win. 

Incidentally, five goals is the number Columbus needed, but didn't get, versus the New England Revs. 

An LD playoff hat trick and yet this is all a paper in England could find worthy of an article? They didn't even name Taylor Twellman, who provided the quote that so mesmerized them. Shoddy. 

Just to appease TT fans, here's a pic of him back in the day - at a FIFA EA event, no less! 

Who in this picture is #2 to LD and what for?