LA Galaxy
The Los Angeles Galaxy are a professional soccer club based in Los Angeles, California that participates in Major League Soccer. The name "Galaxy" refers to Los Angeles being the home of many Hollywood 'stars.' [1] The team's original colors were teal and gold; however the teal was changed to green from 2003 until mid 2007. In July 2007, to coincide with the arrival of David Beckham, the Galaxy unveiled a new "rebranded" logo, and a new color scheme of navy, gold, and white. The new home strip is white kit, shorts, and socks, with gold and navy accents. The away strip is navy kit, shorts, and socks, with gold accents. It was rumoured that Beckham helped design the new kits. [2]
The Galaxy was one of the ten founding members of Major League Soccer, that began play in 1996. The club played their home games at the Rose Bowl from 1996–2002 until they moved into their own soccer-specific stadium, The Home Depot Center in Carson, California, in 2003. Since the 2005 season, The Home Depot Center has been shared with Chivas USA.
The Galaxy has the highest all-time attendance in league history and is the first MLS team to make a profit in a season.[citation needed]
The Galaxy has two main supporters clubs known as The Galaxians, and the Los Angeles Riot Squad. Their mascot is known as "Cozmo," a frog-like extraterrestrial.
Recently, the Galaxy were in the news for being the first MLS team to take advantage of the Designated Player Rule, also known as the "Beckham Rule," by signing the rule's namesake David Beckham to a contract worth up to $50 million over five years, although with outside endorsements and profit sharing, Beckham will likely make up to $250 million, primarily paid by Galaxy owner Philip Anschutz through his company, AEG. [3] [4].
History
The Galaxy advanced to the MLS Cup final five times in 1996, 1999, 2001, 2002, and 2005—winning in 2002 and 2005. In 2000 they won the CONCACAF Champions Cup and in 2001 the US Open Cup. They won the Open Cup again in 2005 as part of winning the domestic double, the third time a team has done so in MLS history. Their 2005 MLS Cup victory was the first time that the team with the worst record entering the playoffs won the championship.
In 2005, after an unsuccessful stint in Germany's Bundesliga, Landon Donovan returned to the MLS to play for the Galaxy. In his first season with the Galaxy, Donovan scored 12 league goals and 10 assists and added four goals and an assist in the playoffs, leading the Galaxy to a victory in the 2005 MLS Cup.
The 2006 season was considered as the worst in the Galaxy's history as the team finished fifth in the Western Conference, eliminating them from playoff contention for the first time since the league's inception. It was also the season where Doug Hamilton, the team's general manager, died of a heart attack on board the plane carrying the team back from Costa Rica after their loss to Saprissa in the CONCACAF Champions Cup on March 16. Hamilton, who was only 43 years old, was also the GM of the Los Angeles Riptide of Major League Lacrosse.
On 11 January, 2007 Reuters reported that former England captain David Beckham would leave Real Madrid at the end of the season and sign a five-year deal with the Galaxy. The 32-year-old, who joined Real from Manchester United in June 2003, is the most famous athlete in the world and his transfer to the fledging American league made international headlines. Beckham is the fifth most capped England player of all time, has twice been the runner up in the FIFA World Player Of The Year Award (in 1999 and 2001), and was a member of Manchester United's 1999 UEFA Champions League winning team. After news of the signing broke, club spokespeople stated that the primary motives were two-fold: (a) securing a world class player, and (b) securing a player who is also popular outside of the soccer world, and who, as AEG president Timothy J. Leiweke put it, "[can help] build the 'bridge' between soccer in America and the rest of the world." [1] On a secondary level, the player's personal ethicism will also reflect well on the club. Examples of this ethicism include: (a) his role as a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 2005; (b) the Soccer Academies he founded in London and California; and (c) charity fundraising, such as the 'World Cup 06 Party - Full Length and Fabulous' at his Hertfordshire mansion.
In March 2007 it was announced that Herbalife would be the primary shirt sponsor of the Galaxy in a five-year deal worth between $3.5 million and $5 million a year through 2011.[5]
On 18 April 2007, Rangers manager, Walter Smith announced that talks between the two clubs were underway, with regards to a player link deal. This deal would allow Galaxy to use Rangers' world class training facility, Murray Park. Rangers would be able to take Galaxy youngsters on trial, and allow them a greater exposure to the US market.[citation needed]
On 13 July 2007, David Beckham was officially unveiled as a Galaxy player in a ceremony gala at the Home Depot Center attended by 5000 invited season-ticket holders and hundreds of international media. In a surprise move, he was handed the number 23 shirt he wore while at Real Madrid. He was expected to return to his favored number 7 shirt he wore while at Manchester United (he even has a "VII" tattooed on his arm). It is thought that Beckham opted for 23 again because he thought that number would be more accepted by Americans because of their perception of NBA legend Michael Jordan, who also wore 23. Prior to Beckham's debut, his Galaxy jersey sales had already reached a record figure of over 250,000. It is believed that Beckham has already paid his initial fee back to the club through ticket sales, jersey sales, and promotions.
On 21 July, David Beckham made his long awaited debut, before a sold-out crowd at the Home Depot Center, coming on in the 78th minute in a 1-0 loss to Chelsea F.C. in a match during the World Series of Football friendly tournament. The match saw unprecendented TV coverage from ESPN, who used 19 cameras to cover the it, including one trained only on Beckham, even when he was onthe bench, and several used for interviewing and showing some of the many celebrities and dignitaries on hand, including California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The match set an all-time record high for TV ratings for MLS on ESPN, and was the most-watched program on all of TV that night among young adult males in the U.S.
Beckham did not start the match because of a nagging injury to his left ankle, sustained while playing for England in June. He only had a few touches, including a classic, 70 yard, cross-field pass that brought loud cheers from the crowd and a trademark set piece from a corner kick. In injury time, Chelsea midfielder Steve Sidwell made a clumsy tackle on Beckham, bringing an audible gasp from the crowd. Beckham fell hard and stayed down for a few scary seconds, grimacing in pain and clutching his injured ankle before getting up and carrying on. It was rumored that Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho had told his players to take it easy on Beckham, leading some to speculate that Sidwell had tackled Beckham to make a name for himself. In reality, Sidwell probably didn't realize it was Beckham until he had already committed, leading to the awkward nature of the tackle. At the end of the match, Sidwell walked up to Beckham and apologized. Beckham spent just over 16 minutes on the field, including stoppage time, and was greeted with great applause from the crowd after the match and also shared a hug with the man who succeeded him as England captain and scored the winning goal, John Terry.
Beckham missed the Galaxy's next 3 matches, against Mexican champion Pachuca, Chivas, and F.C. Dallas in the SuperLiga tournament because of his ankle injury. Club officials want him to fully recover from his ankle injury before he plays again. Beckham is expected to play again on August 5 against Toronto F.C.[[2]]
In the Superliga match versus F.C. Dallas on 31 July, a total of 11 goals were scored, with the final 6-5 in favor of Galaxy. This match tied the all-time record for number of goals scored in a match between two MLS sides, and the win guaranteed the Galaxy a spot in the tournament's semifinals.[6]
Rivalries
The Galaxy's biggest rival in the 1990s was D.C. United, where the two squads met in MLS Cup 1996 and MLS Cup 1999. The Galaxy lost 3-2, in overtime, and 2-0, respectively. This rivalry remains strong.The Galaxy's biggest rival in the early 2000s was the San Jose Earthquakes until they were relocated to Houston, Texas following the 2005 season, becoming the Houston Dynamo. The Earthquakes have recently announced that they will return as a MLS team for the 2008 season. This new version of the Earthquakes could return to the Galaxy's list of closest rivals.
The Galaxy's chief rival is now Chivas USA, with whom they share a home stadium. The Galaxy–Chivas USA game is the league's first and (thus far) only derby, known as the Honda SuperClassico. Although the Galaxy won all four games the first year of the rivalry, in 2006 a more competitive Chivas side increased the popularity of the SuperClasico, which features sell-out crowds and great atmosphere. The Galaxy won 3 of 4 Classico games in 2006.
Television and radio
Galaxy matches are televised locally by FSN West. Max Bretos and Allen Hopkins are the English language announcers, while Jaime Motta and Elmer Polanco announce in Spanish.
Matches are broadcast on radio by XEPE "CASH 1700 AM" in English and in Spanish on KMXE "Radio Visa". Joe Tutino does the English play-by-play while Troy Santiago does the same in Spanish.
In a an interview with KMXE, David has encouraged fans to contact him via MSN using the email address davidbeckham.lagalaxy@gmail.com
Mascot
The Los Angeles Galaxy's mascot is "Cozmo", a frog-like extraterrestrial. It is said that Cozmo was beamed down to The Home Depot Center from his intergalactic spaceship on June 7, 2003. He is known for entertaining fans and teaching kids in the Los Angeles area the basics of football. Cozmo mainly wows spectators with his goalkeeping prowess, but is said to be able to play forward for any team on the planet.
Spokesmodel
Miss LA Galaxy 2007 is Candice Hansard, a senior communications major at Biola University and a native of Palmdale, California. Candice is the official club representative to the Southern California community and along with Galaxy players, regularly participates in various charitable work along with appearing at every home match at the Home Depot Center.
Celebrity Supporters
Drew Carey - Comedian
Arnold Schwarzenegger - Governor of California/Actor
Jennifer Lopez - Actress/Singer
Kevin Garnett - Professional Basketball Player
Jeniffer Love Hewitt - Actress
Tom Cruise - Actor
Katie Holmes - Actress
Victoria Beckham - English singer
Team honors
- CONCACAF Champions Cup:
- Winner (1): 2000
- Runner-up (1): 1997
- MLS Cup:
- Winner (2): 2002, 2005
- Runner-up (3): 1996, 1999, 2001
- MLS Supporters' Shield:
- Winner (2): 1998, 2002
- Runner-up (2): 1996, 1999
- US Open Cup:
- Winner (2): 2001, 2005
- Runner-up (2): 2002, 2006
Current Squad
As of July 13, 2007 Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Notable former players
Chris Armas (1996–1997)- Paul Caligiuri (1997–2001)
Jorge Campos (1996–1997)
Mauricio Cienfuegos (1996–2003)- Robin Fraser (1996–2000)
- Adam Frye (2000-2004)
- Kevin Hartman (1997–2006)
- Herculez Gomez (2003–2006)
- Carlos Hermosillo (1998–1999)
- Luis Hernández (2000–2001)
Andreas Herzog (2004)
Eduardo Hurtado (1996–1998)- Alexi Lalas (2001–2003)
Martín Machón (1997–1998)- Curt Onalfo (1996)
- Clint Mathis (1998–2000)
Hong Myung-Bo (2003–2004)- Carlos Ruíz (2002–2004)
Welton (1997–1999)
Most Valuable Players
| Year | Name | Nation |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Landon Donovan | 
|
| 2005 | Herculez Gomez |
|
| 2004 | Kevin Hartman |
|
| 2003 | Kevin Hartman |
|
| 2002 | Carlos Ruiz | 
|
| 2001 | Ezra Hendrickson | 
|
| 2000 | Simon Elliott | 
|
| 1999 | Kevin Hartman |
|
| 1998 | Cobi Jones |
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| 1997 | Mauricio Cienfuegos | 
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| 1996 | Eduardo Hurtado | 
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Golden Boot Winners
The Golden Boot Winner is the leading goal scorer at the end of the season (only goals in MLS count).
| Year | Name | Nation | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Landon Donovan | |
12 |
| 2005 | Landon Donovan | |
12 |
| 2004 | Carlos Ruiz | |
11 |
| 2003 | Carlos Ruiz | |
15 |
| 2002 | Carlos Ruiz | |
24 |
| 2001 | Luis Hernandez |  |
8 |
| 2000 | Cobi Jones | |
7 |
| 1999 | Cobi Jones | |
8 |
| 1998 | Cobi Jones | |
19 |
| 1997 | Welton |  |
11 |
| 1996 | Eduardo Hurtado | |
21 |
Defensive Player of the Year
| Year | Name | Nation |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Chris Albright |
|
| 2005 | Tyrone Marshall | 
|
| 2004 | Tyrone Marshall |
|
| 2003 | Danny Califf |
|
| 2002 | Alexi Lalas |
|
| 2001 | Greg Vanney |
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| 2000 | Danny Califf |
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| 1999 | Robin Fraser |
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| 1998 | Robin Fraser |
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| 1997 | Robin Fraser |
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| 1996 | Jorge Campos |
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Head coaches
Lothar Osiander (1996–1997)- Octavio Zambrano (1997–1999)
- Ralph Perez (1999; interim)
- Sigi Schmid (1999–2004)
- Steve Sampson (2004–2006)
Frank Yallop (2006—)
Team records
- Games: Cobi Jones, 283
- Goals: Cobi Jones, 68
- Assists: Cobi Jones, 86
- Shutouts: Kevin Hartman, 62
MLS regular season only, through 2006 season
Home stadiums
- Rose Bowl (1996–2002)
- The Home Depot Center (2003–present)
MLS Year-by-year
| Season | Div | Pos | League Record | MLS Cup | US Open Cup | CONCACAF Cup | Top Scorer | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | L | D | F | A | Pts | ||||||||
| 1996 | West | 1st | 32 | 19 | 13 | 0 | 59 | 49 | 49 | Final | Did not enter | Did not enter | Eduardo Hurtado | 21 |
| 1997 | West | 2nd | 32 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 55 | 44 | 44 | Quarterfinal | Did not enter | Final | Welton | 11 |
| 1998 | West | 1st | 32 | 24 | 8 | 0 | 85 | 44 | 68 | Semifinal | Did not enter | Did not qualify | Cobi Jones | 19 |
| 1999 | West | 1st | 32 | 20 | 12 | 0 | 49 | 29 | 54 | Final | Quarterfinal | Did not qualify | Cobi Jones/Carlos Hermosillo | 8 |
| 2000 | West | 2nd | 32 | 14 | 10 | 8 | 47 | 37 | 50 | Semifinal | Semifinal | Champions | Cobi Jones | 7 |
| 2001 | West | 1st | 26 | 14 | 7 | 5 | 52 | 36 | 47 | Final | Champions | Not Held | Luis Hernandez | 8 |
| 2002 | West | 1st | 28 | 16 | 9 | 3 | 44 | 33 | 51 | Champions | Final | Did not qualify | Carlos Ruiz | 24 |
| 2003 | West | 4th | 30 | 9 | 12 | 9 | 35 | 35 | 36 | Quarterfinal | Semifinal | Quarterfinal | Carlos Ruiz | 15 |
| 2004 | West | 2nd | 30 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 42 | 40 | 43 | Semifinal | Fourth round | Did not qualify | Carlos Ruiz | 11 |
| 2005 | West | 4th | 32 | 13 | 13 | 6 | 44 | 45 | 45 | Champions | Champions | Did not qualify | Landon Donovan | 12 |
| 2006 | West | 5th | 32 | 11 | 15 | 6 | 37 | 37 | 39 | Did not qualify | Final | Quarterfinals | Landon Donovan | 12 |
| 2007 | West | 12 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 18 | Third round | Did not qualify | ||||
International competition
- 1997 Champions' Cup
- Qualifying Playoff v. Santos Laguna -- 4:1
- Quarterfinals v. Luis Angel Firpo -- 2:0
- Semifinals v. D.C. United -- 1:0
- Final v. Cruz Azul -- 3:5
- 2000 Champions' Cup
- Quarterfinals v. Real España -- 0:0 (Galaxy advance 5:3 on penalties)
- Semifinals v. D.C. United -- 1:1 (Galaxy advance 4:2 on penalties)
- Final v. CD Olimpia -- 3:2
- 2003 La Manga Cup
- Group Stage v. Lyn Oslo -- 5:0
- Group Stage v. Torpedo Moskva -- 3:0
- Group Stage v. Odd Grenland -- 0:1
- Third Place Match v. Viking Stavanger -- 3:0
- 2003 Champions' Cup
- 2003 Peace Cup
- Group Stage v. Nacional -- 0:0
- Group Stage v. 1860 München -- 0:0
- Group Stage v. PSV Eindhoven -- 1:4
- 2006 Champions' Cup
- Quarterfinals v. Saprissa -- 0:0, 2:3AET (Saprissa advance 3:2 on aggregate)
- 2007 SuperLiga
- Group Stage v. Pachuca -- 2:1
- Group Stage v. Guadalajara -- 1:2
- Group Stage v. FC Dallas -- 6:5
- Semifinals v. TBD
Average attendance
regular season/playoffs
- 1996: 30,129/29,883
- 1997: 23,626/26,703
- 1998: 21,784/13,175
- 1999: 17,632/21,039
- 2000: 20,400/25,033
- 2001: 17,387/28,462
- 2002: 19,047/24,596
- 2003: 21,983/20,201
- 2004: 23,809/20,206
- 2005: 24,204/17,466
- 2006: 20,814/missed playoffs
- All-Time: 21,892/22,676
References
- ^ "Meaning of the Galaxy name". Sports Ecyclopedia. Retrieved April 6.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ http://web.mlsnet.com/news/mls_news.jsp?ymd=20070711&content_id=104810&vkey=news\_mls&fext=.jsp
- ^ "Entertainment value". Article on si.com. Retrieved 11 January.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ Chang, Jen. "Debunking the myths behind Beckham's contract". ESPN Soccernet. Retrieved 12 January.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ "Galaxy, Herbalife ink five-year deal to sponsor shirts". http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/. 23 March 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-23.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); External link in|publisher= - ^ http://www.superliga2007.com/headlines/index.html?article_id=120
External links
- Official Website
- Los Angeles Riot Squad
- The Galaxians Fan Club
- Los Angeles Galaxy Blog
- Article describing new team colors, logos and designs 11 July 2007
- Galaxy Stars — fan club for kids up to 16
- Official Galaxy board, courtesy of BigSoccer
- Los Angeles Galaxy Team Page
- Galaxy Fan Site and Forum
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