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LA Galaxy

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Los Angeles Galaxy
File:LAgalaxy.png
Full nameLos Angeles Galaxy
Nickname(s)Galaxy
Founded1995
GroundThe Home Depot Center
Carson, California
Capacity27,000
OwnerUnited States Philip Anschutz (AEG)
ManagerUnited States Bruce Arena
LeagueMajor League Soccer
2009Western Conference: 1st
Overall: 2nd
Playoffs: Final
Current season

The Los Angeles Galaxy (L.A. Galaxy) is an American professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California. The club is a member of Major League Soccer (MLS). It is one of the ten charter franchises of MLS and the league's second most-decorated club, after D.C. United.

The club has won the MLS Cup twice (2002, 2005), the U.S. Open Cup twice (2001, 2005), and one of just two MLS teams to win the CONCACAF Champions League championship, which they accomplished in 2000. L.A. plays its home matches at The Home Depot Center in Carson, sharing it with rival C.D. Chivas USA. Galaxy and Chivas play in an annual derby known as Honda SuperClasico.

In January 2007, the club made international headlines by signing English superstar David Beckham, to a record deal potentially worth $250 million.

History

Further information: History of soccer in Los Angeles

1955-1996: Los Angeles soccer heritage

Los Angeles is home to a storied soccer tradition. The first professional soccer team in the Los Angeles area was the Los Angeles Kickers, formed in 1955 by the former owner of the Fall River Marksmen, Sam Mark.

Prior to the launch of Major League Soccer in 1996, teams from Los Angeles teams played in the Western American Soccer League, the North American Soccer League and the American Soccer League/A-League, winning ten league championships (1955, 1957, 1958, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1974, 1976), seven Lamar Hunt US Open Cups (1958, 1964, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1981), four regional championships (1955, 1956, 1958, 1961) and one international championship (1975). George Best, Johan Cruyff, and many others graced the soccer field with their presence during this period in Los Angeles soccer history, for clubs such as the Los Angeles Aztecs and Los Angeles Salsa.

Los Angeles officially adopted and recognized the city's soccer heritage during the opening of the Home Depot Center in June 2003. In addition, the stadium features several tributes recognizing the soccer tradition in Los Angeles.[1][failed verification]

1996-2005: Decade of success

Major League Soccer was founded in 1993 as part of the United States' bid to host the 1994 FIFA World Cup.[2] The first season took place in 1996 with Los Angeles being one of the ten founding teams. The name "Galaxy" was derived from Los Angeles being home to the 'stars' of Hollywood.[3] Los Angeles appeared in the first MLS Cup in 1996, losing to D.C. United. They appeared in it two more times in 1999 and 2001 before finally winning it in 2002. They were regular season champions of the Western Conference in 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001 and 2002, winning the league's Supporters' Shield for best record in 1998 and 2002. They won the U.S. Open Cup in 2001 and 2005 and won the CONCACAF Champions' Cup in 2000. After losing to Landon Donovan and the San Jose Earthquakes in MLS Cup 2001 and in the 2003 MLS Cup playoffs, AEG orchestrated the transfer of Landon Donovan to the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2005, and Los Angeles won the MLS Cup a second time in 2005 to cap off their first decade. Los Angeles hold the singular distinction of having made the MLS playoffs in each of the club's first ten seasons.

2006-present

The 2006 season began on March 16 with the sudden death of Doug Hamilton, the team's 43-year-old general manager, who suffered a heart attack on board a plane carrying the team back from Costa Rica where they had played Saprissa in the CONCACAF Champions' Cup.[4] The team finished fifth in the Western Conference, eliminating them from playoff contention for the first time since the league's inception. Midway through the season, Steve Sampson was sacked as Head Coach,[5] replaced by Frank Yallop.[6] The team managed to make a run to the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup final, but lost 3-1 against the Chicago Fire.

In March 2007 Herbalife signed a five-year deal,worth between $4–5 million a year, with Los Angeles to be the primary shirt sponsor.[7] Four months later, the club signed David Beckham from Real Madrid C.F.. His debut was made at The Home Depot Center before a record crowd of nearly 35,000,[8] including many celebrities,[9] [10], coming on in the 78th minute in a 1-0 loss to Chelsea in a match during the World Series of Football tournament. The match brought unprecedented TV coverage from ESPN, who used 19 cameras to cover it, including one trained only on Beckham, even when he was on the bench.[11] The match set an all-time record high for TV ratings for MLS on ESPN.[11] In that season's SuperLiga Los Angeles reached the final, but lost to C.F. Pachuca on penalties after extra time. Los Angeles nearly made the end-of-season play-offs, but were eliminated following a 1-0 loss to the Chicago Fire. In the off-season, Cobi Jones retired and, amidst rumors that he was going to be sacked, Yallop resigned as head coach following a friendly match at Home Depot Center. The San Jose Earthquakes, bought out his contract and offered a 3rd round draft pick to Los Angeles to make Yallop their new head coach.[12] Yallop was replaced at Los Angeles by Ruud Gullit, who signed a three-year contract with the club which made him the highest paid coach in MLS history.[11] Cobi Jones returned as assistant coach. Los Angeles went on a promotional tour of Australia and New Zealand, setting attendance records in both countries.[13] They also played a tour of Asia, and competed in the inaugural Pan-Pacific Championship in Honolulu, Hawaii,[14] finishing third after beating Sydney 2–1 in the third-place match.[15]

In the 2008 MLS season, Los Angeles went on a seven-game winless streak which saw them drop from first place in the Western Conference to outside playoff contention, prompting the resignation of manager Ruud Gullit and firing of general manager Alexei Lalas.[16] Gullit was replaced by Bruce Arena, but he was not able to lead Los Angeles into a play-off spot, for the third-straight season.[17]

In the following off-season both club captain David Beckham and vice-captain Landon Donovan were involved in loan deals with European clubs until the beginning of the new MLS season; Beckham to A.C. Milan in Italy and Donovan to German club FC Bayern Munich. Donovan was seeking a permanent transfer to Munich, whilst Beckham was expected to return to L.A. in March, prior to the 2009 season.[18] Beckham went on to seek a permanent transfer to Milan, in a bid to sustain his England career through the 2010 World Cup,[19] and Milan made a bid for the player, which was rejected by Los Angeles.[20] One day before his loan deal was to expire, Milan and Los Angeles reached an agreement to allow Beckham to stay in Italy until the conclusion of the Rossoneri's season in June, before returning to Los Angeles in July.[20] Donovan was not offered a contract by Bayern, and returned to the US in time for the beginning of the 2009 MLS season.[21] In the book The Beckham Experiment by Grant Wahl, Donovan openly criticized Beckham for his handling of the loan deals. Beckham and Donovan would later reconcile upon Beckham's return to Los Angeles in July.[22]

Los Angeles finished the 2009 season top of the Western Conference, and runners-up in the MLS Supporters' Shield, qualifying for the 2009 MLS Cup. They reached the final by beating Chivas 3–2 on aggregate in the quarter-final, and Houston Dynamo 2–0, after extra time, in the semi-final. In the final they drew 1–1 with Real Salt Lake at Qwest Field in Seattle, Washington, but lost 5–4 on penalties. By reaching the final they qualified for the 2010–11 CONCACAF Champions League Preliminary Round.

After the 2009 success, both Donovan and Beckham again went out on second loan spells. Donovan went to Everton FC, while Beckham returned to AC Milan.

Rivalries

  • Galaxy-United Rivalry: Los Angeles Galaxy vs. DC United - This rivalry remains strong, as the two clubs are the two most successful clubs in MLS history, along with having two of the largest fan bases in the league.[25]

Mascot

Cozmo in action at The Home Depot Center.

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.

The team’s website claims that Cozmo is also “universally known as a goalkeeper who can stop shots traveling at the speed of light,” but also possesses the speed and skill to play forward for any team on the planet.

Cozmo is loved for his antics while entertaining fans during games. In addition, he makes special appearances throughout Southern California, representing the team and is known for teaching kids the basics of soccer.

Cozmo replaced the Galaxy's original mascot, "Twizzle", who also looked like it was from outer space but was more humanoid in form, wearing a space-man's helmet and cape.[26]

Television and radio

Los Angeles Galaxy matches are televised regionally on Fox Sports West & Fox Sports Prime Ticket alternatively. Jim Watson and Mark Rogondino are the announcers. Spanish TV broadcasts for selected games can also be seen on KWHY Channel 22 with Elmer Polanco (Play-by-Play) and Alejandro Navarro (Commentary)

For the 2009-2010 season, regular season matches will be broadcast on KLAC 570 AM (Los Angeles/Orange County) & KTLK 1150 AM alternatively in English and in Spanish on KWKW 1330 AM (Los Angeles). Joe Tutino does the English play-by-play while Rolando "El Veloz" Gonzalez (Play-By-Play) and Armando Aguayo (Commentary) handle the Spanish broadcasts.

Club honors

Players

Current roster

As of August 5, 2010.[27]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Jamaica JAM Donovan Ricketts
2 DF United States USA Todd Dunivant
4 DF United States USA Omar Gonzalez
5 DF Trinidad and Tobago TRI Yohance Marshall (on loan at Austin)
6 MF United States USA Eddie Lewis
7 MF United States USA Chris Klein
8 MF Ukraine UKR Dema Kovalenko
9 FW United States USA Jovan Kirovski
10 MF United States USA Landon Donovan (captain)
11 MF Trinidad and Tobago TRI Chris Birchall
12 GK Puerto Rico PUR Josh Saunders
14 FW United States USA Edson Buddle
No. Pos. Nation Player
16 DF United States USA Gregg Berhalter
17 FW United States USA Tristan Bowen
18 MF United States USA Mike Magee
19 MF Brazil BRA Juninho (on loan from São Paulo)
20 DF United States USA A. J. DeLaGarza
22 DF Brazil BRA Leonardo (on loan from São Paulo)
23 MF England ENG David Beckham
24 GK United States USA Brian Perk
26 MF United States USA Michael Stephens
27 FW United States USA Bryan Jordan
28 DF United States USA Sean Franklin
88 DF Brazil BRA Alex Cazumba (on loan from São Paulo)

Retired numbers

13 – United States Cobi Jones, Midfielder, 1996–2007

Notable former players

This list of former players includes those who received international caps while playing for the team, made significant contributions to the team in terms of appearances or goals while playing for the team, or who made significant contributions to the sport either before they played for the team, or after they left. It is clearly not yet complete and all inclusive, and additions and refinements will continue to be made over time.

Managers

Team records

MLS regular season only, as of 21 September 2008[28]

Most Valuable Player

Year Name Country
2009 Landon Donovan  United States
2008 Landon Donovan  United States
2007 Chris Klein  United States
2006 Landon Donovan  United States
2005 Herculez Gomez  United States
2004 Kevin Hartman  United States
2003 Kevin Hartman  United States
2002 Carlos Ruiz  Guatemala
2001 Ezra Hendrickson  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
2000 Simon Elliott  New Zealand
1999 Kevin Hartman  United States
1998 Cobi Jones  United States
1997 Mauricio Cienfuegos  El Salvador
1996 Eduardo Hurtado  Ecuador

Golden Boot winner

The Golden Boot winner is the leading goal scorer at the end of the season (only goals in MLS count). This award did not exist from 1996 to 2004. The MLS Scoring Champion Award included both goal and assist totals those years.

Year Name Country Goals
2009 Landon Donovan  United States 12
2008 Landon Donovan  United States 20
2007 Landon Donovan  United States 8
2006 Landon Donovan  United States 12
2005 Landon Donovan  United States 12

Defensive Player of the Year

Year Name Country
2009 Donovan Ricketts  Jamaica
2008 Sean Franklin  United States
2007 Ty Harden  United States
2006 Chris Albright  United States
2005 Tyrone Marshall  Jamaica
2004 Tyrone Marshall  Jamaica
2003 Danny Califf  United States
2002 Alexi Lalas  United States
2001 Greg Vanney  United States
2000 Danny Califf  United States
1999 Robin Fraser  United States
1998 Robin Fraser  United States
1997 Robin Fraser  United States
1996 Jorge Campos  Mexico

Home stadiums

Home Depot Center

The Los Angeles Galaxy play their home games at The Home Depot Center, a multiple-use sports complex located on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills in Carson, California, approximately 10 miles south of downtown Los Angeles. Its title sponsor is home-improvement retailer The Home Depot. The "HDC" is a 27,000-seat soccer-specific stadium, the second of its kind in the MLS era.

Year-by-year

Year Regular
Season 		Playoffs U.S. Open Cup CONCACAF
Champions
League 		FIFA
Club World
Cup 		SuperLiga
1996 1st, West Final Did not enter Did not enter Started in 2007
1997 2nd, West Quarterfinal Did not enter Final
1998 1st, West* Semifinal Did not enter Qualifying playoff
1999 1st, West Final Quarterfinal Did not qualify
2000 2nd, West Semifinal Semifinal Champions
2001 1st, West Final Champions Did not qualify Cancelled
2002 1st, West* Champions Final Did not qualify
2003 4th, West Quarterfinal Semifinal Quarterfinal
2004 2nd, West Semifinal Fourth Round Did not qualify
2005 4th, West Champions Champions Did not qualify
2006 5th, West Did not qualify Final Quarterfinal
2007 5th, West Did not qualify Third Round Did not qualify Runner-up
2008 6th, West Did not qualify Did not qualify Did not qualify Did not qualify
2009 1st, West Final Did not qualify Did not qualify Did not qualify
2010 Quarterfinal Did not qualify (09-10)
2011 Qualified to Preliminary
(10-11)

* Won MLS Supporters' Shield

Year-by-year stats

Year League Record Top Scorer
P W L D F A Pts Name G
1996 32 19 13 0 59 49 49 Eduardo Hurtado 21
1997 32 16 16 0 55 44 44 Welton 11
1998 32 24 8 0 85 44 68 Cobi Jones 19
1999 32 20 12 0 49 29 54 Cobi Jones/Carlos Hermosillo 08
2000 32 14 10 8 47 37 50 Cobi Jones 07
2001 26 14 7 5 52 36 47 Luis Hernández 08
2002 28 16 9 3 44 33 51 Carlos Ruiz 24
2003 30 9 12 9 35 35 36 Carlos Ruiz 15
2004 30 11 9 10 42 40 43 Carlos Ruiz 11
2005 32 13 13 6 44 45 45 Landon Donovan 12
2006 32 11 15 6 37 37 39 Landon Donovan 12
2007 30 9 14 7 38 48 34 Landon Donovan 08
2008 30 8 13 9 55 62 33 Landon Donovan 20
2009 30 12 6 12 36 31 48 Landon Donovan 12
Total 428 196 157 75 678 570 642 Landon Donovan 72

International tournaments

Average attendance

Los Angeles is currently among the top teams in the league in attendance. The Galaxy set an all-time MLS attendance record on June 16, 1996 when they defeated Tampa Bay at the Rose Bowl in front of 92,216. In 2009, Los Angeles would again set attendance records while falling 1-2 to FC Barcelona at the Rose Bowl in front of 93,137. It was the largest crowd for a club soccer game in the United States and the third largest soccer crowd on United States soil behind the 1994 FIFA World Cup Final and the 1984 Olympic Final held at the Rose Bowl. The Galaxy have averaged 22,390 for regular season games and 22,996 for playoff games all-time.

Year Reg. 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 N/A
2007 24,252 N/A
2008 26,009 N/A
2009 19,379 26,187
All Time 22,390 22,996

References

  1. ^ "Soccer's Cathedral". LA Galaxy. 2003. {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help); Text "http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/SoccerAmerica/2003/sa1553s.pdf" ignored (help)
  2. ^ "About Major League Soccer". MLSnet. September 5, 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-05.[dead link]
  3. ^ "Los Angeles Galaxy (1996-present)". Sports E-cyclopedia. Retrieved April 6, 2007.
  4. ^ "Galaxy GM, president Doug Hamilton dies on flight home". soccertimes.com. March 9, 2006. Retrieved 2008-05-11.
  5. ^ "Galaxy fires Sampson as coach". USA Today (AP). June 6, 2006. Retrieved 2008-05-11.
  6. ^ "Galaxy hire ex-Earthquakes coach Yallop". USA Today (AP). June 7, 2006. Retrieved 2008-05-11.
  7. ^ "L.A. 'Galaxy' Gets Herbalife Lift". Media Buyer Planner. 10 January 2008. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
  8. ^ "Celebrities At The LA Galaxy vs. Chelsea FC". Zimbio. 21 January 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-21.
  9. ^ "Celebrities At The LA Galaxy vs. Chelsea FC". zimbio(AP). July 21, 2007. Retrieved 2008-05-11.
  10. ^ "Celebrities At The LA Galaxy vs. Chelsea FC". zimbio(AP). July 21, 2007. Retrieved 2008-05-11.
  11. ^ a b c "Beckham debut a surreal night for MLS". ESPN. 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-22. Cite error: The named reference "Gullit" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  12. ^ "Yallop leaves Los Angeles to coach Quakes". MLSnet. 2007. Retrieved 2008-02-05.
  13. ^ "Beckham superb in L.A. Galaxy's tour final". ESPN. 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-02.
  14. ^ "Galaxy can't top Gamba Osaka at PPC". PPChampionship.net. 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-05.
  15. ^ "Beckham, Los Angeles beat Sydney in third-place match". ESPN. 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-05.
  16. ^ Soccernet. "Report: Los Angeles coach Gullit resigns; president/GM Lalas out". ESPNSoccernet.com. Retrieved 2008-08-11.
  17. ^ "2008 MLS Cup Playoffs Schedule Announced". Our Sports Central. 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-27.
  18. ^ "Los Angeles reject AC Milan's opening gambit for Becks". ESPN. 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-07.
  19. ^ http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=616117&cc=5901
  20. ^ a b "Beckham Agrees to Return to Los Angeles in Mid-july". Los Angeles Times. 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-08.
  21. ^ http://la.galaxy.mlsnet.com/news/team_news.jsp?ymd=20090305&content_id=221945&vkey=pr_lag&fext=.jsp&team=t106
  22. ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/jul/16/david-beckham-la-galaxy
  23. ^ http://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/news?slug=goal-lagalaxycoachbrucearenathir
  24. ^ Jeff Carlisle (2008-04-02). "Galaxy and Quakes resume their rivalry". ESPNsoccernet. [1]. Retrieved 2008-04-04.
  25. ^ http://www.majorleaguesoccertalk.com/the-rivalry-that-defines-mls-galaxy-dc-united/2635
  26. ^ http://www.servinghistory.com/topics/Los_Angeles_Galaxy::sub::Mascot
  27. ^ http://www.mlssoccer.com/players/los-angeles-galaxy
  28. ^ http://web.mlsnet.com/mls/history/alltime_leaders.jsp

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