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Santos Laguna Awarded Special Recognition from CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb

 Posted by on May 7, 2013 at 2:13 pm  CONCACF Champions League, Global Football Today
May 072013
 

3b70zzl7d Santos Laguna Awarded Special Recognition from CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb

The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) today announced the decision of President Jeffrey Webb to recognize Club Santos Laguna for its gesture of Fair Play and camaraderie, demonstrated following the Champions League Final match played last Wednesday in Monterrey.

Led by club President Alejandro Irarragorri Gutiérrez and captain Oswaldo Sanchez, the team’s entire roster formed a line of honor for the players of Club de Futbol Monterrey, and proceeded to applaud each of their rivals as they made their way to the stage to accept the winners’ medals.

“Acts like the one carried out by Santos Laguna demonstrate the best qualities of our sport; the respect for rivals even in the most difficult moments, as after a defeat in an important finals match,” said CONCACAF’s President, Jeffrey Webb. “For that reason, I’ve decided to recognize Club Santos Laguna, its players, coaches, administrators and executives for elevating the ideal of Fair Play and promoting this message of unity and respect to our region — a clear example to follow.”

The recognition will be presented to Santos Laguna at the 2013/14 CONCACAF Champions League draw to be held in Miami at a date to be announced.

The Kids Are Alright

 Posted by on August 30, 2012 at 12:35 am  CONCACF Champions League, Los Angeles Galaxy, MLS
Aug 302012
 

The Kids Are Alright

 

 

 

No Beckham. No Keane. No Donovan…. No problem.

Fielding a reserve side featuring 10 changes from their CONCACAF Champions League opener, the LA Galaxy defeated the Puerto Rico Islanders 4-0 Wednesday night at the Home Depot Center.

With 18-year-old Jose Villarreal as the only player return to the starting XI from last weeks 5-2 win over Isidro Metapán, LA avenged a defeat to the Islanders in the qualifying stages of the 2010 CCL with goals from Tommy Meyer, Villarreal, Jack McBean and Michael Stephens.

The Galaxy opened the match’s scoring less than 10 minutes in when Meyer’s bullet header from the left side of the 6-yard box found the back of the net off a corner kick. The eventual game winner was the defender first goal since be drafted in the first round by the Galaxy before the start of the season.

Just minutes later, Villarreal almost made it two when his cross into the box was redirected by an Islanders defender and narrowly saved by the Islander goalkeeper. Applying pressure with excellent movement and passing through the midfield, the Galaxy would continue to press the Islanders throughout much of the first half but still fail to find a second.

They would not be waiting long however.

Almost directly from the match’s restart, Hector Jimenez’s long ball found the head of McBean just beyond midfield. The Galaxy forward’s flick-on header picked out the slashing run of Villarreal, who muscled his way between two defenders and toed the ball past Islander keeper Richard Martin in the 46th minute. The goal would be the youngster’s final contribution on the night though as a knock on the head received in the process led to his substitution in the 51st minute. LA were far from finished though.

McBean would turn recipient after setting up Villarreal’s goal when his second attempt at a Jimenez cross was fired into the upper left corner in the 79th minute. And rounding out the night’s revenge and capping his MOTM-like performance, Stephens added LA’s fourth with an incisive run through the middle of the Islander’s defense and a cool right-footed finish in the 81st.

The win distances LA from the rest of the pack in Group 5 with six points from two matches and an impressive plus-7 goal differential.

The Galaxy will travel to finish out group play starting with the return leg in Puerto Rico on Sept. 19, before closing out the group away to Metapán in October. And Saturday, the Galaxy will be back in MLS play, when they counter the team directly below them in the standings, the Vancouver Whitecaps, in a match with potential playoff implications.

 

LA Galaxy 5 – Metapán 2: The Day the Circus Came to Town

 Posted by on August 24, 2012 at 6:45 pm  CONCACF Champions League, England, Los Angeles Galaxy, MLS
Aug 242012
 

The CONCACAF Champions League rolled into town with a bang on Thursday night with its usual array of goals, cards and refereeing gaffes galore. Luckily for the Galaxy, while on the wrong side of the discipline, a red card to Robbie Keane and Bryan Gaul’s conceding of a late penalty, they managed a 5-2 victory to open their group play. This game was a bit erratic towards the end and LA really looked the better side, but why not just have the highlights do the talking:

The Galaxy are now top of Group 5 with another home match on Tuesday against Puerto Rico Islanders. An LA win will put the Galaxy head and shoulders above the competition and go a long ways before having to undertake long trips to El Salvador and Puerto Rico to close out the group. But before diving back into the CCL circus, LA face FC Dallas back in MLS play at home on Saturday.

Who’s Ready For Champions League Football?

 Posted by on August 22, 2012 at 6:46 pm  CONCACF Champions League, Los Angeles Galaxy, MLS
Aug 222012
 

0,,12813~11032013,00 Whos Ready For Champions League Football?

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0,,12813~11032058,00 Whos Ready For Champions League Football?

 

On Thursday night, the LA Galaxy embark on their continental adventure when they take on Isidro Metapán of El Salvador at the Home Depot Center. The match will be LA’s first in this year’s CONCACAF Champions League.

Qualifying for the tournament as 2011 MLS Cup winners, the Galaxy famously crashed out of last year’s tournament just before the start of this MLS campaign by losing home and away to Toronto FC. The loss sent the MLS champs on an tailspin to start the season, as LA faltered coming into both competitions as a recognized favorite from all sides.

Like the Galaxy, Metapán reached the quarterfinal stages of last year’s competition, before falling to Pumas of Mexico. The Salvadorian squad has already taken part in the group stages with a 3-1 over fellow Group 5 team Puerto Rico Islanders.

With this year’s group stages consisting of only three teams in each group, LA can’t risk a slow start but are also in a precarious position hovering around the Western Conference’s final playoff spot. The Galaxy have had some time to rest having not had a match last weekend, but will turn around and play again just two days later in MLS. It’s likely Galaxy Head Coach Bruce Arena will pepper in many non-starters in this first match up, although losing at home would be detrimental to LA’s qualifying for the knockout rounds of the tournament.

Posted by: 

Toronto FC vs Santos Laguna 03282012 (Draw 1 – 1)

 Posted by on March 28, 2012 at 10:34 pm  CONCACF Champions League, Toronto FC
Mar 282012
 
Venue: BMO Field, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
When: Wednesday March 28th, 2012 8:00 PM Eastern
Goals: ’30 SAN H. Gomez, ’37 TOR Aceval
Red Cards: ’77 SAN O. Mares, ’90+6 SAN C. Quintero
Attendance:
TV Coverage: Rogers SportsNet
Competition: CONCACAF Champion’s League Semi Finals (Leg 1)

Live Blog: http://torontofc.globalfootballtoday.com/

Interesting to see Soolsma in for Plata. Winter must be hoping he’ll be an impact off the bench. Lambe is also on for Silva. I can’t wait to see how they will line up.First Half:

Santos looked to be feeling Toronto out and giving us lots of space. We had some great pressure early on and seemed to be very organized.

’11: It didn’t take long for a close call. A bad clearance by Aceval very nearly resulted in a goal but Kocic saved our bacon.

’17: By this point 2 Mexican players had gone down feigning injuries with the BMO faithful booing aggressively. I wonder if they were used to getting those kinds of calls in Mexico.

’18: Kocic almost had the ball chipped over his head but made the extra stretch to slap it away.

’28: A very credible display so far, a little shaky at the back but overall not bad, we even came close to scoring on a couple occasions.

’29: Eventually Santos beat the offside trap and Hercules Gomez rolled one past Gomez putting Santos up 1-0.

’34: Koevermans almost scored one of the goals of the tournament when he spun on his defender in the box, was one on one with the keeper but at the last moment was prevented from heading it into the net.

’36: A bit of drama when Koevermans was carded for taking a free kick early, he was breathing fire. It actually worked out in our favor as Aceval scored through the wall on his attempt. Seeing the goal and explosion of confetti I could not believe it.

The goal was exactly what we needed as TFC seemed to play with more urgency and belief. The bad thing is the fact that Koevermans will miss the next leg.

Second Half:

Winter replaced Aceval with Maund 3 minutes into the second half which was strange. I’m guessing he must have had a knock.

Toronto FC Starting XI:

Kocic; Eckersley, Harden, Aceval (’49 A. Maund), Morgan; Lambe, de Guzman, Dunfield; Soolsma (’72 J. Plata), Koevermans, Johnson

Substitutes: Rowe; Cann, Maund, Silva, Burgos, Plata

Santos Laguna Starting XI:
 O. Sánchez (GK), A. Galindo, S. Hoyos, J. Estrada (’46 C. Ibáñez), O. Mares, R. Salinas, Marc Crosas, H. Gómez (’69 C. Ramírez), C. Ochoa (’61 O. Peralta), C. Quintero, C. Suárez

Sources:
CONCACAF Site

Pre-Game Predictions:

This will be a Jeckyll and Hyde of a game with all that’s happened lately.  Knocking last years MLS champions out of the competition then losing two straight league games with injuries to Frings and Frei to boot.  By all rights this looks to be like a blood letting is coming similar to the one Santos laid on Seattle.  However, TFC has always pulled something out of the bag in this competition and by all accounts has over achieved in CONCACAF compared to MLS.  I hope this is another one of those nights.  I’m going to go half way and say a 2-2 draw which would not benefit us but would not be a spanking either.

I’ve heard rumours that TFC will try to be more defensive minded for this game considering Santos’s quality.  However, I think we should go balls to the wall and take the game to them.  Soaking up pressure for long periods of the game has never served us in the past and will not work against Santos.

abCnby7ajO Toronto FC vs Santos Laguna 03282012 (Draw 1 1)

Too Late to Panic; Galaxy Crash Out in CCL Quarters

 Posted by on March 15, 2012 at 3:56 am  CONCACF Champions League, Los Angeles Galaxy, MLS
Mar 152012
 
Despite returning to LA with a comeback draw in Toronto and a cushion of two away-goals, the LA Galaxy dropped their second straight match at home, losing 2-1 to Toronto FC in the second leg of their CONCACAF Champions League Quarterfinal. With the win TFC send the Galaxy out of the competition 4-3 on aggregate and will advance to the semifinals to face Santos Laguna of Mexico.

Behind goals from forwards Ryan Johnson and Nick Soolsma, Toronto were able to pull off what would have been unthinkable leading up their quarterfinal tangle with LA. The win, and subsequent progression to the semifinal stages of the continental competition, is arguably the biggest moment in the team’s history.

For LA, it was much of the same story that has played out in their first two competitive matches of 2012. Poor defending and equally poor finishing were once again the undoing of the reigning MLS Cup champions, who many had picked as favorites to raise the CCL trophy coming into the year.

In need of a goal to have any chance of progressing, TFC started the match’s scoring through Johnson’s far post header in the 33rd minute. Having scored the opening goal in the team’s home fixture of the tie, Johnson was able to drift behind rookie centerback Tommy Meyer to loft his against-the-grain header into the side of the Galaxy net.

Meyer was at fault for ball watching as Soolsma’s cross came in, but equally sharing in the blame will have to be his centerback partner AJ De La Garza. It was his poorly headed clearance right to Soolsma that led to the cross, and LA would head into the break down 1-0 and behind on aggregate.

In the second half, LA slowly but surely started to put together a decent go at Toronto, and were rewarded for the pressure they put on a shaky TFC backline.

Exploiting the outer edges of the Toronto defense with decent success to begin the half, LA captain Landon Donovan found space on the outside of the TFC left flank and played an early ball across the box to an onrushing Robbie Keane. Doing his best to cut out the dangerous ball, Toronto defender Ty Harden was only able to redirect the pass into his own net. The own goal in the 55th minute leveled the score at 1-1, and put LA back in control, as the result would mean they advance on away goals.

However, the brief hold the Galaxy had on the match would once again come under attack by Johnson, with help from the Galaxy defense. And once again, it was the rookie, Meyer, right in the middle of action.

The first-year defender, in only his second ever professional start, was unable to keep Johnson from turning him at the top of the Galaxy box, and failed to close the TFC forward near the Galaxy goal line. With time to survey his options, Johnson found a criminally unmarked Soolsma, who finished confidently from the center of the Galaxy box, giving LA keeper Josh Saunders no chance.

Now up the in the match and leading the aggregate score for the tie after the 67th minute goal, Toronto FC bunkered down for what would an end-to-end finish in which both teams missed golden chances.

Toronto could have easily put the fixture to bed when Luis Silva found himself free in the Galaxy box but dragged his right-footed shot just wide of Saunders’ far post. And even after surviving the Silva miss, LA still had their chances.

Keane was sent clear on a one-on-one with TFC keeper Milos Kocic, filling in for the injured Stefan Frei, but the Irishman could only manage a few slight feints and head fakes before his attempted chip was spectacularly palmed aside by Kocic. And with a final opportunity, the Galaxy’s CCL hero in the competition’s group stages, Juninho, collected and turned amid a scramble in the TFC, but was only to fire his shot just over the bar.

Sinking to the 2-1 loss, the team that had blamed fatigue for their poor start following an embarrassing home loss to Real Salt Lake will have another quick turn around when they take on DC United Sunday at the Home Depot Center.

Maybe the Galaxy can take solace knowing their tired legs will have at least two less games to deal with now that they’ve crashed out of the North and Central American tournament. But the bigger question will now be, if the team manages to put it all together and somehow pull out back-to-back MLS Cups, will this loss tonight remain a permanent blemish on the team’s season?


Which Galaxy Will Show? – CONCACAF Champions League Quarterfinal Second-leg Preview

 Posted by on March 13, 2012 at 12:31 am  CONCACF Champions League, Los Angeles Galaxy, MLS
Mar 132012
 

In two matches this season, the LA Galaxy have played a total of 29 poor minutes. Their opening 17 minute stretch in their quarterfinal first-leg match against Toronto FC saw two quick TFC goals cancelled out by a steady performance in the match’s remaining 73 minutes plus, earning a 2-2 draw. Against Real Salt Lake, the team’s troubles were the other way round. A solid 71 minutes and the Galaxy were ahead 1-0, before a dismal 12 minutes left them 3-1 behind. And worse, against RSL, it lead to the team’s first defeat at home in over a year and a half.

Heading into the crucial second-leg of their CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal with Toronto, fans will be wondering which Galaxy team will show up. And can they manage a consistent 90 minute performance.

Wednesday night’s match will be another quick turnaround (their 3 game in 7 days) for LA at the Home Depot Center. Heading into the game with a narrow edge on away goals resulting from their come-from-behind 2-2 draw at the Roger’s Centre, the Galaxy has the advantage of not having to chase the second-leg match. Which might be a good thing when you consider Galaxy Coach Bruce Arena and many of the team’s players cited a lack of energy as the catalyst to their uncharacteristic capitulation at home to Salt Lake.

In his post-match presser, Arena did mention that he should have made changes heading into the RSL match, and resulting changes would be made for the second-leg with TFC. However, it’s hard to imagine the realistic options Arena has in such a crucial match.

Although likely unpopular with the home fans, consider this: a 0-0 draw would result in the Galaxy progressing to the semi-final stages of the tournament. With their early propensity to give up goals in short bursts, a more defensive line-up created by shifting David Beckham wide and bringing in Michael Stephens to pair with Juninho may be the protection the Galaxy back four needs. The Englishman’s proclivity to drift wide anyways would be protected against by inserting the USMNT U-23 man to clog up the midfield, where TFC man Luis Silva has already shown to be dangerous.

With Stephens in, Arena would then have a few different options shifting his line-up. He could opt to start with the Galaxy’s dangerous 2010 forward pairing of Edson Buddle and Landon Donovan, and keep forward Robbie Keane in reserve depending on the situation late in the game. Likewise, either Donovan or Magee could be held for possible late-game fresh legs if Arena prefers to keep his first-choice forward pairing intact.

Potential midfield and forward changes aside, as always, the most eagerly anticipated spot in Arena’s starting XI will be that of AJ De La Garza’s center back partner. Against RSL, Tommy Meyer was solid, staying close to his mark and rarely putting a bad foot forward. But with Arena having selected the more experienced center back Andrew Boyens already in the first-leg, it’s likely the former TFC-man will step back into the Galaxy’s, as of now, not-so-trusty back line.

Line-up changes or not, the Galaxy’s biggest goal should be exactly that: an early goal. Scoring forces a Toronto squad inexperienced in big games to not only chase an equalizer, but they will do so knowing one goal is not enough. With LA’s early advantage in away goals, a quick goal by the home team at the HDC forces Toronto to score two or risk going out on away goals without having lost either match.

LA is a veteran-laden team that should rely on the experience of their championship run together in the MLS playoffs to get by in this crucial match. Although Toronto is traditionally a bottom-feeder in league play, they have shown themselves to be greatly improved. This match should tell fans a lot about the 2011 champs and whether they were prepared properly to start the season. With another match looming Sunday, failure in the CCL would be catastrophic for a team that will be out of gas once again come their second MLS match. Progression to the semis would give the team a lot of cache with fans and pundits going forward, while a loss would be a black mark on the remainder of the champion’s young season.

Toronto with Hot Start but Galaxy Show How to Finish

 Posted by on March 8, 2012 at 6:34 am  CONCACF Champions League, Los Angeles Galaxy, MLS
Mar 082012
 

It was the biggest question mark all preseason for the Galaxy. How would the LA defense cope with the loss of the MLS Defender of the Year and their anchor, Omar Gonzalez?


After just 17 minutes of their first-leg CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal match-up with Toronto FC, the initial assessment of LA’s defense sans Gonzalez: MAYDAY! MAYDAY!

Playing in front of a raucous 47,658 fan-strong sea of red and white, the MLS Cup holders found themselves in a 2-0 hole after strikes by forward Ryan Johnson and midfielder Luis Silva in the 12th and 17th minutes respectively. With goals five minutes apart, and less than half an hour into the match, Toronto fans would have thought they were dreaming if it weren’t for the sheer noise and uproar threatening to blow the dome off the Roger’s Centre.

Yet, just when the Galaxy and their defense could have packed it in, conceding defeat and limping back to the friendly confines of the Home Depot Center, LA showed the composure they’d forged playing in the hostile environments of Mexico, Central America and deep into the MLS playoffs. And as it were, a familiar hero from the pressure cooker that was last year’s playoffs emerged just before half.

Sticking to a possession-based attack, LA saw an exceedingly growing amount of the ball nearing the half hour mark of the first half. Switching the point of attack often, Landon Donovan was picked out near the right corner flag in the 29th minute. And while midfielder Mike Magee took advantage of the attention paid to an onrushing Edson Buddle, slipping behind the Toronto back line unmarked to the opposite edge of the 6-yard box, Donovan laid off for an overlapping Sean Franklin. The Galaxy defender’s cross narrowly evaded Toronto goalkeeper Stefan Frei’s grasp, landing gilt-edged on the Magee’s right foot. Depositing the ball into the center of the net, Magee gave LA an all-important away goal, halving TFC’s early lead before half.

Unfortunately for Toronto, the start of second half didn’t result in the same quick strikes of the match’s start.

With LA center back, and Gonzalez replacement, Andrew Boyens looking more and more comfortable dealing with Toronto’s steady flow of direct play, LA continued to put the squeeze on in midfield, while TFC was all too accommodating by committing less men forward. Seemingly satisfied with their one-goal lead, a set piece strike would be Toronto’s undoing.

In the 87th minute, midfielder David Beckham stood over a corner to the right of the Toronto goal, as a now all too familiar cascade of red and white streamers rained down on the Galaxy star. But going a step beyond, the TFC faithful drew the ire of the Englishman when what looked to be a beer can came hurting in his direction from the stands. After drawing security and the referee’s attention to the missile, Beckham made Toronto pay.

Sending a well-curled corner met initially at the far post by Buddle, the Galaxy’s forwards header set off a scramble in the Toronto box. Taking advantage of the disarray, Donovan was the quickest to reach to a loose ball in the center of the 6-yard box, flicking a right-footed shot past Frei and his flat-footed defenders. Racing over to Beckham with a chastising finger pointed at the section of the crowd where the can had been thrown, Donovan completed the Galaxy comeback and silenced the Roger’s Centre in the 89th minute.

With just a minute of regular time, plus five extra in stoppages, to go, Toronto had no answer to the two goals, and slumped to a draw that will surely feel more like a defeat. While the teams are even on paper, LA will now head home for the second leg, where they did not lose all of last season, With two vital road goals in hand, coach Bruce Areana and the Galaxy will have to like their chances of advancing to the CCL semis come the end of next Wednesday’s second leg.


Toronto FC vs LA Galaxy 03072012 (Draw 2 – 2)

 Posted by on March 7, 2012 at 1:20 am  CONCACF Champions League, MLS, Toronto FC
Mar 072012
 
Venue: Rogers Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
When: Wednesday March 7th, 2012 8:00 PM Eastern
Goals: ’12 TOR Johnson, ’17 TOR Silva, ’29 LA Magee, ’88 LA Donovan
Attendance: 47,658
TV Coverage: Rogers SportsNet
Competition: CONCACAF Champion’s League Knock Out Round

Live Blog: http://torontofc.globalfootballtoday.com/

No De Guzman as he is suspended for this game. Dunfield starts in his place. I pretty much predicted the starting lineup but forgot about De Guzman’s suspension. I’m really excited to see Silva play, he supposed to be a great attacking threat.I was so angry with TSN talking so much about Beckham and interviewing Arena prior to kickoff. This is our house, we should be interviewing TFC players and staff.

First Half:

It took a few minutes for TFC to settle down and play their passing game. There were half chances on either side and it was a real battle in midfield.

’12: Plata started to give LA some real problems and eventually earned an important corner. In that corner there was a scramble in the box and Johnson used his goal poachers instinct to poke one home. The Rogers Centre erupted, it was a beautiful moment.

’14: Minutes later LA was cut open again on the counter and Silva was there to head the ball far post and past the keeper, this was a new look TFC that LA had no answers for. Shortly after we nearly conceded after a corner kick driven in by Beckham. Lucky for us Frei pulled out a leaping magical save.

The extra attacker in our 4-3-3 formation seemed to really make a difference as LA just did not have enough cover for the TFC attacks.

’28: Eventually LA spread us wide and Magee was able to tap in a goal past Frei.

As the half drew to a close LA enjoyed more of the possession and TFC found it harder to string a series of passes together. Challenges started to be more robust as LA’s frustration level increased. Oddly enough they also got the benefit of the calls from the ref.

Frings was magnificent in defense, if it was not for him we would have been down at least 2 goals. All and all it was a good half for TFC, putting to past LA in half a game.

Second Half:

Neither team made any changes at the start of the second half. LA piled on the pressure and an early scramble in the box almost paid off for them. Watching Beckham battle the streamers during corner kicks was absolutely hilarious, it really got under his skin.

’54: Koevermans got into an argument with Saunders which resulted in a booking for him. We were getting screwed six ways to Sunday as the ref delayed our substitution needlessly.

Shortly after Winter goes defensive to protect the lead and brings on Lambe for Plata.

’60: Keane did some great work by losing his marker, crossing the ball across the face of goal to the on rushing Donovan who could not connect. Keane was furious.

’64: Things started heating up at both ends with some good chances. TFC started to find the extra gear and LA attacked on the counter. You could start to see the difference in age as TFC had more energy. LA’s plan seems to be the long all upfield to one of the stars.

’75: Morgan started turning on the afterburners as he absolutely left the LA defense for dead and very nearly contributed to a goal. He was really enjoying the experience.

’80: The boiling point came as Morgan and Eckersley both went off injured and came back on due to fouls by LA which the ref missed. Frei got a card for complaining about not letting Eckersley back on quick enough.

This game had it all, goals, drama and the evil referee.

’86: Arena threw the dice with a double substitution, one of which being Barrett in for Boyans. TFC made a change as well with Stinson coming in for Dunfield.

’88: After a scrum in the box Donovan poked the ball past Frei leveling the game. With the away goals rule this puts LA in a better position.

After 94 minutes the whistle blew and the game came to an end. Playing the a top team like LA we did really well, I’m proud of the reds.

Toronto FC Starting XI:

Stefan Frei; Richard Eckersley, Ty Harden, Miguel Aceval (Aaron Maund 88′), Ashtone Morgan; Torsten Frings, Terry Dunfield (Matt Stinson 90′), Luis Silva; Ryan Johnson, Danny Koevermans, Joao Plata (Reggie Lambe 58′) … Substitutes not used: Milos Kocic; Doneil Henry, Oscar Cordon

Unused Subs: Kocic, Henry, Stinson, Lambe

LA Galaxy Starting XI:

Josh Saunders; Sean Franklin, Andrew Boyens (Chad Barrett 87′), A.J. DeLaGarza, Todd Dunivant; David Beckham, Juninho (Michael Stephens 87′), Landon Donovan, Mike Magee; Edson Buddle, Robbie Keane … Substitutes not used: Brian Perk; Dan Keat, Hector Jimenez, Tommy Meyer, Bryan Gaul

Sources:

TorontoFC.ca

Predictions:

Ah, the season begins.  I have been looking so forward to this.  Although I have not been keeping up in the off season other than some nice pickups by TFC and a promising set of games at the Disney cup in Florida.  The first game was a 2-2 tie with Orlando City, the second game was a 3-1 win against Swedish BK Hacken, the third a 3-0 win against FC Dallas.  For the final against Vancouver Winter left the kids behind to battle it out for the trophie, although they performed well they were edged out 1-0.

For tomorrow’s game i’m thinking Harden will partner up with Aceval.  Although we made some good pickups we still don’t have a lot of options in center back.  The usual suspects with Eckersley/Morgan as full backs.  In midfield Frings playing the sweeper again with De Guzman and Silva rounding it out.  I’m really looking forward to seeing Silva play, he has been great in the off season.  Up front i see Koevermans (hopefully the broken finger won’t be an issue) with Johnson and Plata going wide.

abCffwDap6 Toronto FC vs LA Galaxy 03072012 (Draw 2 2)

This will be a historic game as it is (already sold out at 43,000) TFC’s biggest crowd and the 2nd largest crowd in CONCACAF Champion’s League history.  The atmosphere will be electric.  I’m thinking with L.A.’s key center back injured and former red Andrew Boyens filling in we should win this by at least a couple of goals.  I remember a game with Spain against New Zealand where Boyens wound up to clear the ball in the box and missed, right in front of Fernando Torres who put it away.  Hopefully he can do us a solid in the same way, lol.

 

CCL Quarterfinal Preview: Galaxy’s First Competitive Match of 2012 is a Big One

 Posted by on March 6, 2012 at 5:19 am  CONCACF Champions League, Los Angeles Galaxy, MLS
Mar 062012
 
After a preseason in which they won only twice, but still managed to capture a piece of silverware, the LA Galaxy head to Toronto Wednesday for the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions League match-up with fellow MLSers Toronto FC. The away leg of the competition will be the team’s first competitive match of 2012, just three days prior to their kick-off of the MLS season at home to Real Salt Lake on Saturday.

Heading into the match, with much of the Galaxy starting XI seemingly picking itself, the one glaring decision for coach Bruce Arena continues to be the replacement for MLS Defender of the Year Omar Gonzalez at center back.

With the star defender out long term, Arena worked with a few different center back combinations during preseason. Rookie Tommy Meyer got the bulk of the minutes next AJ De La Garza in the meaningless matches. However, it remains to be seen if Arena will be willing to toss the young defender directly into the deep end in such a high profile encounter.

It’s more than likely Arena will hold Meyer in reserve, taking the chance to bloody the defender in the MLS opener against RSL in front of a friendly home crowd. In Meyer’s place, Andrew Boyens appears the most logical choice. The New Zealand international has much more experience in crucial away matches, and is familiar with soccer north of the border (Boyens broke into MLS with TFC in their inaugural season).

In attack, it’s likely Arena will unleash the big guns in Toronto. Forward Robbie Keane has just returned from a successful spell on loan in England, and not been with the team throughout its short preseason but will likely start. Having played with a revolving door of attacking partners last season, Keane’s likely running mate up top for most of 2012 will be LA returnee Edson Buddle. The USMNT foward has looked sharp in preseason, and Keane’s combination with a striker of Buddle’s quality could be the best in MLS this season. Couple that with the supply of quality balls coming from a midfield featuring Landon Donovan and David Beckham, and Toronto will need to be wary of LA’s quick-strike capability in getting crucial road goals.

Opposing the defending MLS champions is a Toronto side that has had considerable success against the Galaxy since joining the league in 2007. Toronto’s 2-5-3 record against LA is surprising when you consider the Canadian team has never reached an MLS postseason. And after eliminating FC Dallas with a very convincing 3-0 win to advance past the CCL group stages, it’s clear Toronto is team that can inflict real damage.

The player taking center stage in the dispatching of FCD was diminutive playmaker and TFC Player of the Year Joao Plata. The Ecuadorian fits perfectly into coach Aron Winter’s 4-3-3 system and can be a nuisance when running at defenses. Along with Designated Player Danny Koevermans playing the classic poacher role up top for Toronto, the Galaxy’s new center back pairing will be tested early.

Also of note, Wednesday’s match has been moved from Toronto’s regular home of BMO Field to the much bigger Roger’s Centre, where the team has already sold out the over 43,500 tickets available. With LA’s question marks in defense, it would behoove the Galaxy to snatch a quick goal and quiet what will be a very loud, very pro-Canadian crowd. However, with those same question marks, will the Galaxy be capable of holding a 75-80 minute one-goal advantage in a match, like they were so accustomed to doing with Gonzalez organizing the back?

Arena is known for playing big games very tight. Look for him to buttress his new center back pairing by keeping midfield-destroyer Juninho shielding the the back four very closely. A 0-0 result away in front of a raucous Toronto crowd wouldn’t be too bad for the Galaxy heading home, and might be an even bigger accomplishment considering their center back situation.

It will be up to Beckham and Donovan to ignite the Galaxy counter, while Buddle and Keane will need to be clinical with any chances that come their way. An away goal could be huge come the return leg a week from Wednesday.