LA Galaxy News Blog

During the broadcast of last night A-League match between Portland and Minnesota--yes, I have no life--it was mentioned that Steve Sampson had flown up to watch the match. LA currently have Scot Thompson on loan to Portland. Also, Memo Arzate and Alan Gordon (#2 in A-League scoring this season) were drafted by Sigi Schmid prior to this season. I believe LA still hold their MLS rights.

Also, remember Alex Bengard? He spent a couple of seasons in LA as the last guy off the bench. He's now with Portland.

Former coach, Sigi Schmid, will be a guest on MLS Wrap tomorrow on Fox Sports World at 9 PM.

Press Release

It turns out, there might be signs of life in the Galaxy after all. The first half against Chicago looked to be more of the same as new coach Steve Sampson named a line-up you would have expected from Sigi Schmid. The first half was pretty much what we'd come to expect from the Galaxy this season and Chicago controled much of the midfield. During half-time, Sampson must have done some introductions in the locker room as the Galaxy looked much more together. However, against the run of play, Chicago did get the opening goal. They maintained that lead until the closing minutes when Carlos Ruiz--who else?-managed to get the equalizer.

In all, a much better performance from LA. Lets see what Sampson can do with two weeks under his control.

PZ's Man of the Match: Marcelo Saragosa

Match Reports:

Daily News

LA Times

OC Register

Press Enterprise

Daily Breeze

Also in the Daily Breeze today are some comments from Cobi Jones and Kevin Hartman about the coaching change. I wonder if the following comments from Jones are related to this report?

"Obviously, it's an odd situation," Jones said about Schmid being fired
while in first place. "But first and foremost, your loyalties as a player are to
the team and to the Galaxy. Coaches and players come and go.

"You back the club. It's not like I can go up there and say I agree
or disagree and they're going to hear what I have to say and react to that. You
just have to have faith in management, move on and keep playing."

Hartman adds

"Management did a good job keeping it under wraps," Hartman said.

"Usually, you'll read on message boards or hear in the locker room that changes are coming. There was none of that this time."

Careful what you read Kevin. There are a lot of idiots like me out in Cyberland. ;)

According to La Opinion today, Tyrone Marshall lost his passport while in Jamaica for the World Cup Qualifyer againts the US and is there until a new one can be sent to him. As of yesterday, it's unsure if he'll be available tonight.

Expect to see Ryan Suarez and Danny Califf as center backs with Paul Broome and Sasha Victorine in the outside roles. Expect to see a midfield with Ned Grabavoy, Andreas Herzog, Marcelo Saragosa and Cobi Jones, and Carlos Ruiz and Jovan Kirovski up front. Isn't that the same lineup that Sigi Schmid would name?

The remainder of the local media offers us nothing we haven't read already. New Coach, Big Challenge...blah blah blah.

Pasadena Star-News

OC Register

LA Times

Llew Llewellyn does a great job of rounding up all he weeks events in his A Pan-Galactic View column.

The Press Enterprise did a nice article today on Sigi Schmid.

Yet that was not good enough for the Galaxy. Seemingly overnight, Galaxy management began talking of high expectations, of setting the standard by which other American clubs are measured by, of settling for nothing short of a championship. Oh, and the club is expected to play an attractive, entertaining style of soccer along the way.

Call them Manchester United West without the hardware.

There are also some quotes from the former coach.

The Galaxy was in its familiar position, the one Schmid had the team in seemingly every year: first place in the Western Conference, among the league leaders in goals and attendance. Yes, fans were coming out to see the Galaxy's brand of soccer, however unattractive those in power seem to think it was.

"I don't feel bad about what we did," Schmid said by phone Thursday. "No team could catch us by points. We were a legitimate top-of-the-table team."

Schmid paused.

"It's been tough for me to stop saying we," he said.

Nate Wunderman has some great observations about both Schmid's arrival and departure on The Hitchhikers Guide.

Freshly returned from leading the US team at the 1999 Under-20 World Cup in Nigeria and hired almost immediately upon his return from Africa to replace [Octavio] Zambrano was former UCLA men's Head Coach Sigi Schmid. In the wake of the firing, Zambrano charged that the then new owner of the Galaxy, Anschutz Entertainment Group, were planning to fire him all along and merely waited for Schmid to return from Nigeria.

I think we are going to hear more about this.

Plenty today on the hiring of Steve Sampson as the new Galaxy coach.

First a couple of interesting quotes in the LA Times.

Memo Gonzalez had mentioned to a Spanish Language reporter last week that he is frustrated by his lack of playing time with the Galaxy. He has played for Sampson before at the youth level.

"We're good friends but more than that he's my coach," he said. "Obviously, the relationship between me and Sigi was limited.

"This kind of changes my thinking [about playing for Chivas] a little bit. But we have to wait and see what happens over the next few months."

And something most Galaxy fans have wanted to hear from the coach or GM for a long time.

"The bottom line is we want to win ballgames," Sampson said. "I don't care about ethnicity..."

There were a couple of other articles worth reading as well.

Pasadena Star-News

Daily Breeze

Press Enterprise

...and a couple of throw away articles which seem to be written by reporters with no MLS background...

OC Register

Ventura County Star

Three Galaxy players where with their respective national teams last night in World Cup Qualifying. Tyrone Marshall played all 90 minutes for Jamiaca in their 1-1 tie with Cobi Jones and the US. Cobi came on with half-an-hour to go.

Also, Carlos Ruiz seemed to find his form last night as he scored both goals for Guatemala and picked up a yellow in their 2-0 victory over Canada in Vancouver.

Galaxy Fans, meet Steve Sampson.

Sampson will be announced as the new Head Coach for the Galaxy in a Press Conference at 1:30 today.

The Press-Enterprise is also reporting this.

Some player comments in the Pasadena Star-News. Seems Danny Califf didn't see this move coming. Doug Hamilton sounds full of himself.

Finally, everyone should read this opinion from the Daily Breeze.

There are various reports this morning on events that lead to Sigi Schmid's departure from the team. The Pasadena Star News, LA Times and Press Enterprise offer of what's going on. However, check out The Hitchers Guide version of events.

In particular, the removal of Jovan Kirovski on 76' for Alejandro Moreno was met with sharp criticism by a former US National Team player. (Jovan) Kirovski was having a decent match, getting good touches and opening gaps in the Crew defense. When he was subbed out, he ran past Schmid without looking at him. Kirovski continued down the sideline, down the endline, and made a right into the tunnel and locker rooms. A 9 year Galaxy veteran, and teammate of Kirovski's, let his General Manager know how upset he felt about Schmid's choice.

The Daily Breeze offers some quotes from players and gets some comments from Hamilton on Schmid's replacment may or may not be.

Hamilton didn't list candidates for head coach. But he did rule out former Miami coach Ray Hudson, whom Hamilton hired when he was GM in Florida.

Former U.S. and Costa Rica national coach Steve Sampson, who lives in Los Angeles and speaks Spanish, may not be the logical choice as some have suggested, Hamilton hinted.

In fact, Hamilton said the next Galaxy coach doesn't have to speak Spanish, but may be foreign, and doesn't need MLS experience.

According to the Washington Post, Cobi Jones is with the US squad for tomorrow's match against Jamaica.

Arena had to make a roster change Saturday night after Kansas City midfielder Chris Klein tore a knee ligament that day; U.S. veteran Cobi Jones of Los Angeles was the last-minute replacement.

The match is tomorrow in Kingston, Jamaica and will be shown live on ESPN2 at 4:00 PM.

Galaxy GM, Doug Hamilton fired coach Sigi Schmid today.

Press Release

"After extensive review and analysis, I feel it is in this club's best interest to make a coaching change at this moment," said Hamilton. "It is a decision that I make with great pain because you are talking about a very good man, a very good coach, and someone who has given as much to Southern California soccer as anyone. We are losing a very good person and our players have to understand that and take some responsibility for it."
...
"We are a team whose mission is to compete for and win championships," continued Hamilton. "I strongly feel that now is the time for us to make a change in order to give us the best possible chance to live up to this mission. This marketplace has the savviest, most demanding fans in the U.S., and we must provide them with a more entertaining and attractive product on the field."
...
"We are truly grateful to Sigi for his contributions to the team and the community over the last six years with the Galaxy and his many years in Southern California," added Hamilton. "He has demonstrated the ability to win and surely he will be given an opportunity to coach in this League again. We would like to wish him well in his future endeavors."

There had been numerous calls to replace Schmid during his tenure but this comes without warning.

In what must be the most lackluster and uninspired performance in the 9 year history of the LA Galaxy, fans booed the team off the pitch after their 0-0 tied with Columbus Crew.

The biggest talking point after the match was Jovan Kirovski's sprint to the locker room after he was substituted rather than joining the rest of the team on the bench. Coach Sigi Schmid could only offer a, "We'll talk," when asked about the incident.

Beyond that, very few opportunities were created and for LA, it seemed like the midfield and forwards had no clue what the other was doing. There were numerous passes played into space where the intended recipient of the pass stopped his run turning the ball over to the side from Ohio.

Paul Gutierrez summed up the match well saying:

Ladies and gentlemen, the Columbus Novocain and the Los Angeles Valium.

Perhaps they were just giving us an alternative to the over priced beer available at the HDC.

PZ's Man of the Match: Hong Myung-bo (yes, I was surprised too, but he earned it)

Match Reports

LA Times

Daily Breeze

Pasadena Star-News

OC Register

Press Enterprise

This week the topics seem to be LA returning home for a match at the HDC for the first time in over a month and the suspensions of Chris Albright and Ryan Suarez.

LA Times

Pasadena Star News

IE Press Enterprise

Daily Breeze (Actually, I really enjoyed this preview from Nick Green. He does a great job of translating Sigi Schmid's "Galaxy Speak". Green has become my favorate local writer.)

On whether he's concerned about going five weeks without a win, even though the Galaxy remain atop MLS in points:

What he said: "We want to win, our confidence is there. ... We know we have the potential to make a run at the (MLS) Cup and win the cup."

What he might have meant: "Obviously. We need a home win to start the season's final third because if we don't make it to the MLS Cup that's held in Carson for the second consecutive year my job will be in jeopardy."

Finally, Alejandro Moreno answers fans questions on LAGalaxy.com.

As if having to regroup after losing 3-0 to New York last weekend and having to face Columbus without defenders Chris Albright and Ryan Suarez through suspension isn't bad enough, the Galaxy also have to deal with what could possibly be a difficult newly laid pitch on Saturday night.

This is from this mornings Pasadena Star News.

Galaxy officials are hopeful Home Depot Center will have a quality surface for Saturday's match after nearly 600 truck loads of dirt are removed from the stadium's surface.

Roughly 8,000 cubic yards of dirt was used over the weekend for the X Games.

A new grass surface is due to be installed today or Thursday, and [Sigi] Schmid believes it will be safe, especially with players like Peter Vagenas and [Danny] Califf returning from lengthy injuries. "We will have a field ready and appropriate for top-class soccer,' said Schmid. "They had a top-class X Games, so we want a top-class soccer surface.'

In addition to Carlos Ruiz being called up for Guatamela's World Cup Qualifier against Canada next Wednesday, Tyrone Marshall has been named to the Jamaican squad to face the US in Kingston on the same day. Bruce Arena has yet to name the US squad for that match.

John Thorrington's involvement in Galaxy practice has been explained. LA's Patrick Donnelly told Yanks Abroad website:

"He was only here training with us during his break to help keep up his fitness. Sigi {Schmid], who coached him at the U-20 level, knows him and agreed to let him train with us."
"Our interest at this time is just trying to regroup after this long road trip and getting ready for the playoffs. We aren't looking to add him to the team, it was more of a favor to help John keep in shape."

Guess that's the end of that.

It's sad really when the best local prematch article cames in the Daily Breeze. The Press-Enterprise isn't bad either. However, the largest local papers pretty much ignore the big "First vs First" match-up this afternoon. Coach Sigi Schmid gave the players some time off to relax a bit prior to preporations for the match.

Also, buried at the end of an article about the bit Everton - Club America matchup last week is a mention in the Houston Chronicle that LA Assistant Coach, Martin Vasquez, is a possible candadate for the Head Coaching job with the new Chivas team.

Carlos Ruiz played for Guatamela last night in their 2-0 win over El Salvador in a friendly at RFK stadium. Neither goal was from Ruiz.

Washington Post report

Carlos Ruiz will be busy the next month flying between Galaxy and Guatemalia matches. However, it could be a lot worse. Both his International appearances will be in North America. Ruiz will play a friendly for Guatemalia tomorrow against El Savador in Washington DC. He will then join the Galaxy in New York for Saturday's MLS match against MetroStars. Then, following next weeks MLS match against Columbus, Ruiz will head north to Vancouver to join his Guatemalian teammates for their World Cup Qualifying match against Canada on August 18. He'll then return to LA for the match that weekends match against Chicago at the Home Depot Center. A lot of matches. A lot of flying. But at least none of the matches this time are in Central America so it could be a lot worse.

Press Release

Galaxy forward Alejandro Moreno has been granted Green Card status and no longer counts as a Senior International on the Galaxy roster.

Press Release