Seattle Sounders FC announced today that the Starfire Sports Stadium in Tukwila , Washington has been sold out for Wednesday night’s 7 p.m. Lamar Hunt U.S. Open quarter-final against Western Conference leader Los Angeles Galaxy.

Due to the scheduling confluence of ongoing U.S. Open Tournament competition and the MLS the Sounders and Galaxy are meeting twice in a four day period. Sunday night at Home Depot Center in Carson, California, the host L.A. team extended its MLS record to 11-1-3 with a 3-1 win over Seattle.

The 36 points achieved by Los Angeles thus far puts the Galaxy a full 9 points above the Columbus Crew, the Eastern Conference pace setter. The Galaxy lead the entire MLS in points, giving them a comfortable position.

The Galaxy used recently returned U.S. World Cup stars Landon Donovan and Edson Buddle in Friday's contest.

An air of mystery surrounds the decision making of veteran coaches Sigi Schmid of the Sounders and Bruce Arena of the Galaxy. The major question relates to which players will be used and those that will be rested.

Following Sunday night’s Galaxy win Arlo White, television commentator for the Sounders, speculated that Landon Donovan would not see action in Tukwila .

With the spectacular achievement of the Galaxy thus far Bruce Arena was named coach of the MLS All-Star team that will face legendary Manchester United at Houston's Reliant Stadium June 28. 

Based on the Galaxy effort there are doubtlessly those from opposition ranks who believe that if Arena put his own roster on the pitch that it would constitute a formidable MLS All-Star team.

In the case of Seattle, defending U.S. Open Cup titlist, the motivation of Coach Sigi Schmid may be greater than that of Arena. The Rave Green need to begin rebuilding in an effort to make the playoffs during a season in which a rash of injuries occurred, including long term ones to defender John Kennedy Hurtado and midfielder Osvaldo Alonso.

The Sounders have lost five of their last six games including three in a row for the first time in franchise history. The Seattle record is 4-8-3 in the MLS with 15 points.

Schmid was confronted with the same nagging decision last week in a U.S. Open Cup match at Portland against their natural northwest rivals. On the one hand Schmid wanted to win, but on the other he wanted to rest players for the Galaxy game and other MLS challenges up the road.

He ended up splitting the difference by resting some players but ultimately inserting his two scoring threats, Steve Zakuani and Fredy Montero , bringing them in at around the 60-minute mark.

The score stayed at 1-1 even after 30 minutes of overtime. The Sounders won the ensuing penalty kick shootout 4-3.

This was not what Schmid wanted and both coaches are undoubtedly praying to avoid overtime action in Tukwila on Wednesday.

With the Sounders needing momentum more, however, and having lost twice to L.A. thus far this season, it is no stretch to conclude that of the two coaches Schmid will be more likely to push the envelope.

On the other hand, the Sounders have some MLS home appearances forthcoming beginning with a Sunday night meeting at the Xbox pitch of Qwest Field against FC Dallas. The sides played to a 2-2 draw in their first meeting earlier in the season in Texas.

As crafty veterans, Schmid and Arena may pull some surprises out of the hat from their bench. One hunch would be Schmid unleashing speedy rookie striker Miguel Montano service.

The Sounders’ mentor has also been looking with great favor on Michael Seamon , just one month out of Villanova University. Schmid has wisely been bringing the promising midfielder along gradually. He did receive plenty of duty against both the Portland Timbers and the Galaxy last week as a test of sorts. Seamon may well spend a great deal of time on the Tukwila pitch Wednesday night.

By Schmid’s admission, making the playoffs will not be an easy proposition for his team after its first half season woes, enhanced by injuries. He reasons that it will take 45 points to make the playoffs, triple what the Sounders currently have.

Schmid as well as his players know that it will take a bright second half of achievement to remove the first half millstone and take the team to the kind of playoff success that was experienced in Seattle last year.

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If you're a soccer coach, or an aspiring coach, in the New York Area, I recommend you head out to Manhattanville College on Saturday, July 10 for the International Soccer Coaches Convention.

This event is hosted by Inside Soccer and the New York Soccer Club. 

Coaches from the World's Biggest Clubs, such as Chelsea FC, Real Madrid, Valencia FC, and Stuttgart will be there, teaching you topics for every age group and ability. In addition, US Youth Director Claudia Reyna will be present to answer questions.

Breakfast, lunch, and refreshments will be provided.

For more information, please go to: http://newyorksoccerclub.clubspaces.com/object.aspx?id=10&o=339963

Cesar Diaz is the Soccer Editor for Latino Sports. Please send him your questions and comments to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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Well, at least they won't have to deal with Preston Burpo this outing.

But after Steve Nicol's New England Revolution imploded in grandiose fashion 5-0 at the hands of Real Salt Lake, goalkeeper Matt Reis may be wondering, "Great. Just great. After Alvaro Saborio, Nicky Rimando and RSL proved why they are the defending MLS Cup champions to date, we get to face these guys next."

Cue the mad scientist laughter on Victoria Street.

Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy continue their 2010 Major League Soccer campaign with a July 10th contest with the Revolution at Gilette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts.

Currently, with an 11-1-3 (36 points) record, the Galaxy are nine points ahead of Real Salt Lake and the Columbus Crew (although they have one and two games on hand over the LA respectively).

As for New England, they sit near the cellar of the standings with a 3-9-2 record, good for fifteenth overall and seventh-best in the MLS Eastern Conference.

Yeesh. This has all the makings of a mismatch right here. Or does it? After all, the Revolution look to be out of a place in the postseason, playing only for pride here.

Zach Schilawski will be the main focal point of the Galaxy's defense, with five goals to his credit.

Kenny Mansally, Marko Perovic, and Zak Boggs are also key contributors for the Revs, each chipping in a couple of goals. Watch for the presence of Sainey Nyassi to play a huge role in how the game pace will be dictated.

Kheli Dube and Shalrie Joseph are the main facilitators for New England. Dube has four assists, while Joseph has three to his name. Both will need to be marked, and their passing has to be broken up in consistent spurts.

Defensively, Reis has had a difficult go at this season, with a 3.00 GAA and just eight saves in relief of Preston Burpo, whose season ended with a horrific leg injury against the New York Red Bulls earlier this season.

As for the Galaxy, Edson Buddle, and Landon Donovan have each tallied a perfect ten so far. Buddle has 10 goals, Donovan 10 assists.

The Buddlevan Connection has been online and in fine focus.

12 different players have scored for the Galaxy. That's about half the players on the roster for Arena's men. It's a diverse mix of players, and this will be a defensive headache for Nicol and his staff to find a cure for.

Todd Dunivant and Omar Gonzalez have each chipped in 1,350 minutes in 15 appearances as the ironmen for Los Angeles. Their reliability will need to be counted on come Saturday night.

All the king's horses and all the king's men, will give Bruce Almighty another G's win.

Take it to the bank.

Kickoff for this match is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. PT and will be televised locally by Fox Sports Prime Ticket.

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Is their U.S. Open Cup defense over come Wednesday night?

That's the dilemma facing manager Sigi Schmid as the Seattle Sounders FC take on the Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy at the Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Washington on Wednesday, July 7.

Schmid can only hope that the Buddlevan connection of Edson Buddle and Landon Donovan take the night off, allowing the rest of the team to pitch in against a Seattle side that is hoping to take one back from the best team in Major League Soccer.

Seattle defeated the Portland Sounders on penalty kicks 4-3 after 120 minutes and a 1-1 draw in the third round. Down the Pacific coast, the Galaxy defeated A.C. St. Louis 2-0 at the Home Depot Center.

The Galaxy are currently 11-1-3 (36 points) in the 2010 Major League Soccer season, good for first in the Western Conference and the best overall record.  Meanwhile, the Sounders are 4-8-3 (15 points) and sit seventh in the West and 11th overall.

Something to ponder: if Steve Zakuani's goal on Sunday said anything about the home field advantage the Rave Green will have Wednesday night, LA's defense will be critical to continuing the cup run here in the Open Cup quarterfinals.

You get a breakdown in the back line at the expense of Omar Gonzalez, and things can get pretty interesting.

All in all, this shapes up to be a solid quarterfinal with Los Angeles is hoping to secure the Seattle Sweep.

Now the Starfire Sports Complex only seats 2,000, but with the passion of its fans looking to be the difference for the Sounders, it might as well sound like 20,000.

Prediction:

The Los Angeles Galaxy might look to involve their reserve side.  I believe that if Edson Buddle is given a start on Wednesday he will be looked at as the main ingredient to ending the Sounders' campaign. I don't expect Landon Donovan to be given the nod here.

Miguel Montano will be trouble for the Galaxy back line, as he will be utilized more in Tukwila. However, I see Gregg Berhalter and his ilk learning their lesson from the last time.

With that said, let's try this result:

Los Angeles Galaxy 2, Seattle Sounders 1

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. PT and can be heard live on lagalaxy.com.


INS & OUTS:

Superlatives from Sunday's contest


With the win, the Galaxy are nine points ahead of second place Real Salt Lake, who defeated New England 5-0 on Friday night and have 27 points from an 8-3-3 record.

This was the Galaxy’s first win over Seattle ever at The Home Depot Center.

The victory completed the regular season sweep of Seattle for the Galaxy, winning the two games by a combined score of 7-1.

Bruce Arena made two changes to the team that drew 0-0 in Toronto on June 26, replacing Alex Cazumba and Jovan Kirovski with Edson Buddle and Landon Donovan.

This was the first time since June 5 that the Galaxy did not use the same starting XI. Arena had named an unchanged side in each of the last three games.

Arena had 22 of the 24 players on the Galaxy roster available to him for tonight’s game. Only Mike Magee, on the disabled list after undergoing bilateral sports hernia surgery late last month, and Yohance Marshall, on loan to the Austin Aztex of the USSF Division 2 Pro League, were not available for selection.

Buddle and Donovan were each back in the Galaxy lineup for the first time since leaving for the World Cup on May 15.

They missed five regular season games, with the Galaxy going 3-1-1 in those five contests. LA also won a friendly against Boca Juniors 1-0 on May 23 and a U.S. Open Cup Third Round game against AC St. Louis 2-0 on June 29 in their absence.

LA’s 33 points at the halfway point of the season are the second most in club history, and their most since 1998.

Edson Buddle gave the Galaxy a 1-0 lead in the 19th minute, heading home a Landon Donovan corner kick. The goal was an MLS best 10th of the season for Buddle, making it the third time in Buddle’s career that he has scored 10 or more goals in a single season.  He also did so in 2003 and 2004 with Columbus, and agin in 2008 when he had a career-high 15 goals in his first full season with the Galaxy.

Buddle is the first player in the league to reach double figures in goals, doing so in his 10th game of the season.

Donovan’s assist was an MLS-best 10th of the season. He has now reached double figures in assists five times in his MLS career, doing so in 2001 and 2004 as a member of the San Jose Earthquakes, as well as in 2005 and 2007 with the Galaxy. He set a career-high with 13 assists in 2007.

Of Buddle’s 10 goals this season, six have been assisted on by Donovan. Additionally, Buddle assisted on Donovan’s only goal of the season, which came in the 4-0 win at Seattle on May 8.

In two games against the Sounders this season, Donovan now has one goal and four assists.

Juninho scored the first goal of his MLS career in the 48th minute, beating Kasey Keller from about 35 yards out. Juninho scored the first goal of his Galaxy career on Tuesday night in the second half of the Galaxy’s Open Cup win over AC St. Louis.

Juninho is the 12th different Galaxy player to score in an MLS game this season.

His goal was the game-winner, making it the first game-winning goal scored for the Galaxy, by a Brazilian, since Welton scored the game-winner at Colorado on August 5, 1998.

Michael Stephens assisted on Juninho’s goal for his seventh assist of the year.  Only three behind Donovan, Stephens is now tied with San Jose’s Bobby Convey for the second most assists in the league.

The Galaxy completed the scoring in the 77th minute when James Riley scored an own goal, deflecting an Alan Gordon cross past Kasey Keller and over the goal line to make the score 3-1. That is the first own goal scored for the Galaxy this season, and 15th in the club's history.

The Galaxy scored the game’s first goal for the 11th time this season, and are now a perfect 11-0-0 in those games. Additionally, LA went into halftime with a 1-0 lead, marking the 10th time this season that the club has led at the half. They are 10-0-0 in those games.

Donovan Ricketts made three saves for his career-best 11th win of the season. Ricketts had 10 wins last year, his first season with the Galaxy.

Steve Zakuani’s goal for the Sounders was just the fifth goal allowed by LA this season and the third in the second half.

The attendance for today’s game was 27,000. This was the Galaxy’s first sellout of the season, and the first time Lalas Hill was opened to the public.


Other U.S. Open Cup matches

The Harrisburg City Islanders of the USL Second Division face DC United at the Maryland SoccerPlex. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on July 21 in Germantown, Maryland.

Two matches are on the cards on Tuesday. At 7:30 p.m. ET, the Columbus Crew host the USL Second Division's Charleston Battery, while Chivas USA travel to Houston's Robertson Stadium for a match with the Houston Dynamo at 8:30 p.m. ET.

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This is Part 20 in a series of articles on the players that make up the 2010 Los Angeles Galaxy.


In football, the word "Juninho" is a common nickname for footballers whose full name includes Júnior.

There's Juninho Fonseca, who played for Ponte Preta & Corinthians and Brazil at the 1982 World Cup. There's Juninho Paulista, the famous of all the Juninhos, who played for São Paulo, Middlesbrough, Atletico Madrid, Sydney FC and Brazil at the 2002 World Cup.

There's Juninho Pernambucano, who donned the strip of Vasco da Gama, Olympique Lyonnais and the Seleçao at the 2006 World Cup.

And then there's the Juninho who Dan Loney of BigSoccer.com anoints with the epithet of Juninho Carsonista. His real name is Vitor Gomes Pereira Junior, and he dons the strip of the Los Angeles Galaxy, on loan from Sao Paulo FC.

Already Juninho has made an impact for Bruce Arena's club, with two goals in as many matches. His scoring touch and striking ability may still be a work in progress, but the contributions he will make to the team will be a key cog in LA's MLS Cup quest machine.

Vitor Gomes Pereira Junior, who also goes under the name of Vitor Junior, was born in São José dos Campos on January 5, 1989. A sister city of Toulouse, France, São José dos Campos is a municipality located 80 kilometers from São Paulo and 320 kilometers away from Rio de Janeiro.

Many fairs, festivals and expositions are held throughout the year in São José dos Campos, and it is also a popular shopping destination.

A famous face to come out of São José dos Campos is José Vítor Roque Jr. a.k.a. Roque Júnior, who played for Brazil from 1999-2005 and was a fixture for Palmeiras from 1995-2000. The major football club in the city, São José Esporte Clube, competes in the Campeonato Paulista A2, and finished sixth last season.

Juninho began his career with São Paulo's youth side, which also featured the Galaxy's Alex Cazumba and Leonardo. Together, they helped São Paulo earn the U-17 Paulista Championship in 2006. Juninho only made one appearance for the starting XI of São Paulo in 2007 before being loaned out.

In 2009, he was loaned out to Toledo Colonia Work before he was loaned to the Los Angeles Galaxy. He made his debut on March 27, 2010 against the New England Revolution.

Just over three months later, Juninho got his first goal of his career as a professional. In the third round of the 2010 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, he scored the second goal in the Galaxy's 2-0 victory over A.C. St. Louis.

It only got better. On Independence Day, as Landon Donovan and Edson Buddle returned to the fold, Juninho's first touch culminated in a lightning strike past Kasey Keller of the Seattle Sounders FC in LA's 3-1 victory.

There is such a thing as blistering Brazilliance. And while Juninho is not on pace to come close, let alone equal, the more famous Juninho in our lifetime, he is making his own niche as a member of the Los Angeles Galaxy.

Here's to you, Juninho Carsonista.

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In the wake of last night’s disappointing 3-1 loss to MLS Western Conference leading Los Angeles Galaxy, the Seattle Sounders announced Tuesday that Blaise Nkufo will be soon joining the team.

"In our discussions with Blaise, we encouraged him to take a full two weeks off once he returned from the World Cup," said General Manager Adrian Hanauer. "His first training date is scheduled for July 13 and he is eligible to be added to the roster on July 15."

This comes as welcome news during a season when Coach Sigi Schmid has often had to go with patchwork lineups to stem the tide with a series of injuries.

A major injury was losing defense specialist John Kennedy Hurtado due to an injured ACL for the entire campaign.

The signing of Congo born Nkufo was seen as a move to provide needed vigor to the Seattle attack for the second half of the 2010 season, an effort to make the difference in sending the team back to the playoffs after a successful first year campaign that ended in playoff competition.

Nkufo flew to Seattle for a press conference and to meet with management, the coaching staff, and his future teammates prior to leaving for South Africa and World Cup competition with Switzerland.

Nkufo’s participation on the Swiss World Cup team insured close attention from the Sounders community.  They enjoyed what they saw as Nkufo played well in the 1-0 upset victory by Switzerland of Spain, a tournament co-favorite and semi-finalist.  This was the only Spanish setback thus far.

With Hanauer indicating that Nkufo will be added to the roster July 15, he is eligible to play for the Sounders that evening against host D.C. United.  Seattle will be seeking that night to avenge a 3-2 loss to D.C. United sustained in Seattle’s last match prior to the World Cup break.

Nkufo played the past seven seasons for FC Twente in Enschede, Holland. Twente won the Dutch Eredivisie in May and Nkufo scored a club record 114 goals in league play.

The supporters of Twente will pay tribute to Nkufo on Sunday, July 11, unveiling a statue outside De Grolsch Veste, the team's home stadium.

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There is a three-step process that has propelled the Los Angeles Galaxy to its pedestal atop the MLS this season.

It is pressure, pressure, and more pressure.

This was the formula employed before a sellout crowd of 27,000 the evening of July 4 at Home Depot Center in Carson, as Galaxy home patrons were treated to the return of U.S. team members Landon Donovan and Edson Buddle from World Cup competition.

There were comments about Donovan feeling tired legs on the Carson pitch, but don’t tell that to the Sounders, who saw the same dazzling virtuoso who took control of the Galaxy offense and performed set pieces in the same devastating fashion that has come to be expected.

Seattle Coach Sigi Schmid knew going in that to stand a chance of upsetting the Western Conference leaders with the premier record in the MSL, his team would need sufficient possessions to neutralize the firepower of Donovan and Buddle.

Schmid also realized that. While Los Angeles had lost to Real Salt Lake 1-0 and been deadlocked 0-0 by Toronto in its last two contests, those matches occurred without the services of Donovan and Buddle.

One fact provides enough of a clue as to how the first half went: The home team had nine corner kicks the visiting Sounders' none.

With L.A. maintaining solid pressure and Seattle doomed to insufficient ball possession, it was only a matter of time before a goal would be scored despite accomplished efforts from goalkeeper and captain Kasey Keller and stalwart defenders Leo Gonzalez and Tyrone Marshall.

Landon Donovan is to set pieces what Newton was to science: Accomplished mastery.  Give Donovan enough chances and he will convert.

This is what occurred with the Sounders in the 19th minute on one of those nine corner kicks the Galaxy took in the first half.

Donovan’s accuracy on corner kicks is devastating.  He threaded the needle once more, placing the ball just in front of the net, giving U.S. World Cup teammate Buddle a crack at a header.

The combo lit up the scoreboard once more as the ball swept into the net and the Galaxy had a 1-0 lead.  They would lead from that point through the remainder of the evening.

Donovan came into the game leading the MLS in assists with nine, while Buddle was league-leader in goals scored at the identical figure.  They still lead, only now it is with 10 apiece.

Sounders television play-by-play commentator Arlo White spoke with Sigi Schmid during the first half.  Schmid expressed concern over his midfield play and revealed that there would be changes in the second half.  He said that the good news was that his team was only down 1-0.

In the first meeting between the teams in Seattle, which the Galaxy won 4-0 on one goal and three assists by Donovan, the score was 1-0 at halftime.

History repeated itself at Home Depot Center and Schmid made good on his comment about making second half changes by putting in the recently returned Nate Jaqua to replace Pat Noonan at the 45-minute mark.

Rookie Michael Seamon, only a month beyond graduating from Villanova University, came in at the 51-minute juncture, replacing former Galaxy stalwart Peter Vagenas.

Despite the fact that the Sounders fared better in the ball possession category and L.A. would add just two corner kicks to the nine obtained in a highly-dominating first half, the high level scoring potential remained for the home team.

That talent was in evidence when Brazilian Juninho on a free kick netted one of the most spectacular goals of the MLS 2010 season from 30 yards out in the 48th minute.  Arlo White was so impressed that he named Juninho his “Man of the Match.”

Kasey Keller made a valiant effort at a save, leaping high, but the Juninho accurate bullet was indefensible.  One could do nothing but admire, as with Donovan in set pieces.

Seattle was not ready to go away, as evidenced by what happened in the 66th minute.

Steve Zakuani used his blazing speed to find a crease and streak toward the goal after receiving a pass from Fredy Montero, with veteran defender Alan Gordon, who had replaced Buddle at the 62-minute mark, in hot pursuit.

Zakuani footed the ball into the net and had his fifth goal of the season.  The only sad element of the Zakuani score is that this was the first time that one of his tallies had not produced a Sounders win.  Seattle stood at 5-0-3 during that period.

Zakuani’s five-goal total ties him for the team lead alongside Montero who, in notching his sixth assist, extends his team lead and places him in a tie for third in that category within the MLS.

That perennial Galaxy pressure yielded the final goal of the night.  It came on the lone own goal conceded by the Sounders this season.  The result standing alone is deceptive and demands explanation.

The ball had rocketed toward the Seattle goal.  As Kasey Keller sprawled forward to reel it in, defender James Riley, who had a much closer opportunity, dove into position in an effort to corral it.

During that process, the ball squirted past the outstretched Keller and into the net.  Riley had made a magnificent effort to reach the ball.  But one other important fact needs to be inserted.

The seemingly omnipresent Donovan was standing just behind Riley, who undoubtedly knew it.  Had Riley not made his dive, Donovan would have been in a position to score.

At game’s end, the Galaxy had a 15-9 edge in shots, along with a 5-4 advantage in shots on goal.  L.A. had 11 corner kicks to Seattle's one.  This ties a Sounders team record for fewest corner efforts.

After the game Donovan made a sporting gesture.  He removed his shirt and gave it to promising young Colombian rookie striker Miguel Montano, who had replaced Freddie Ljungberg in the 83rd minute.  The delighted Montano returned the favor.

Considering how observant superior players can be, one wonders if the gesture was more than sporting kindness.  Montano had come into the game late against the Galaxy in Seattle as well, and looked sharp both times, pressing the offense.

Does the great Landon Donovan see stardom in Miguel Montano’s future?

The Galaxy win moves the Western Conference leader into an even more commanding position with a glossy 11-1-3 mark.  At 36 points, they are a full nine points ahead of second-place rival Real Salt Lake.

The Sounders have now lost three games in a row for the first time in history and stand at 4-8-3 with 15 points.  The team remains in seventh place.

Schmid said afterward that the Sounders performed better and looked more solid at midfield during the second half, but dismissed the overall effort as poor.

He exclaimed further that team pride should propel the Sounders to a better effort when they receive another crack at the Galaxy Wednesday, July 7, at their training center at the Starfire Sports Stadium in Tukwila, Washington.

The 7 p.m. contest is a quarterfinal match in the Sounders’ defense of their Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup championship.

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They were back. And as a result, the Los Angeles Galaxy are on the winning track once again.

With Edson Buddle and Landon Donovan fresh off their 2010 FIFA World Cup duty, the Galaxy were back in business again with a 3-1 victory over the Seattle Sounders.

It's about time the Galaxy are winning again.

They have had to deal with Landon and Edson's absence for so long that the team is calling, "Help! We're sending out an S.O.S. here! We're still the best team in Major League Soccer but we need some excitement still!"

They got it.

Early in the first half, the Buddlevan (Landon Donovan and Edson Buddle) Connection were locked in for the Galaxy's first goal. A solid corner from the Galaxy's No. 10 (Dononvan) found the No. 14 (Buddle), sending the sellout crowd of 27,000 to their feet as one.

Despite the win, it seems that Landon must still be feeling a bit winded from the media whirlwind.

“I’m tired," he said. "There was a lot of energy and emotion in the beginning of the game with the big crowd. We put a lot of energy into the first half and then got tired, but I’m really happy to be back and I’m really happy to be a part of this team again.”

"His injury is fatigue," Arena added. "It’s not a hamstring. He’s a little run down, and it showed tonight. If Landon was going to play his first game back from the World Cup, it was going to be in Los Angeles.

"If he needs some time off, we are going to give him some time off. It may be a decision we make this week. He may not be going to New England."

Cross your fingers, Galaxy fans.

Meanwhile, Edson Buddle was soaking it all up after scoring his 10th of the season.

“You hear talk that people were happy we were back and, like I said, we wanted to play well and get a win at home," Buddle said after the match. "Being that it was a sold out crowd, you want to impress the crowd so that fans come back on nights besides the Fourth.

“I wanted to get a goal especially coming back. First I wanted to play well but if a goal came I would take it and I’m happy with the result.”

Juninho also had a breakout game. How about this guy on loan from Sao Paulo FC? After scoring his first goal in the Galaxy colors against A.C. St. Louis a few days ago, he strikes yet again with a shot from distance that has to be MLS Goal of the Week material.

“For the first goal it is very important to show the fans that I am giving my all to them because they have faith in me," Juninho said afterwards.

That's the blistering Brazilliance that is just adding to the richness of the scoring attack options Mr. Bruce Arena has at his disposal, and they are diverse.

One more thing before we go to those ins and outs: poor James Riley. I am personally pleased that my prediction was right on the money, but who ever thought that it would come at an own goal?

You know, these types of things happen. Gotta shake it off and move on, but I have doubt in my mind Riley is hearing it from the Sounders FC faithful on BigSoccer.com as we speak.

Sounders manager Sigi Schmid was terse after the loss.

"LA was better than us," Schmid said after the match. "We were lucky to be able to go in half time down only one nothing. I thought they outplayed us in the first half really well. Our second half was better. We played with more energy. Obviously, they started off the second half with a great goal.

"There were a couple of instances before the goal where we could have pressured the ball and didn’t. I think that was the story of the night for us. We didn’t get enough pressure on to them, defensively, early enough."

Next up for Los Angeles is a trip to the Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Washington to face the Sounders one last time on Wednesday in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Cup. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. PT.

The Galaxy will follow that up with a trip to Gilette Stadium to face the New England Revolution. Kickoff on July 10th is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. PT.

With that said, we move on to our...

Chicken Thief Number Four: Steve Zakuani

Guess who stole the chickens on Sunday night? Yep, it was Steve Zakuani of the Seattle Sounders. He was able to weave his way past Omar Gonzalez—who blew his assignment to perfection—and Gregg Berhalter—who did the same—en route toward slotting the shot past Donovan Ricketts.

As I said many times before, the best teams cannot afford to sleep defensively. It didn't affect the outcome either way, but a well played ball by a promising star of the future for Seattle.

“When you score with fifty minutes to go and you're one down it gives the team belief and I think we've got depth," Zakuani said afterwards. "We got a good chance and [Donovan] Ricketts makes the save and unfortunately we weren’t able to capitalize and they came out and got a third goal and that was the game for us. It definitely came at a good time and I felt like we could have pushed on it and maybe get the equalizer but it wasn’t to be tonight.”

Moving right along (and enjoy those chickens, Steve)...


Youth Academy Update

The Los Angeles Galaxy's U-20 side took on the Lancaster Rattlers at Antelope Valley High School in a USL Youth Development Super-20 League Pacific South California match.

In the end, the Young G's were just too good, taking all the venom out of the Rattlers early and often, 7-0. They face Chivas USA at 5:00 p.m. Monday at the Home Depot Center.

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T-120: This has been quite a weekend for yours truly. I had to take the Blue Line and coordinate some luggage delivery at Artesia Station with my family members since I had a convention to staff. Ahhh, the memories.

Anime Expo is one of my favorite conventions to be a proud part of. A major industry draw, it attracts fans from every corner of the world. From masquerades to viewings to gaming and exhibit hall item-snapping, AX is always a major draw, and I am glad to have been part of it.

Afterwards, I took the Metro to cantilever my way up the steps and into the press box at the Home Depot Center, where football and fireworks will coexist for one night.

T-110: Today, Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy take on Sigi Schmid's Seattle Sounders FC. With the return of Landon Donovan and Edson Buddle to the fold, the G's will be at full strength for this MLS encounter.

T-100: I think this will be a great chance for Landinho (yeah, that's my personal nickname for Donovan, and it has nothing to do with Luis Angel Landin of Houston) to take his frustrations from the knockout stage on.

A sage idea: Treat the Sounders as if they are Ghana, and Steve Zakuani as Asamoah Gyan. Brilliant!

T-90: Lineups.

LOS ANGELES GALAXY

Manager: Bruce Arena

Formation: 4-4-2

Colors: White tops with blue and gold accents, white shorts, white socks

1 Donovan Ricketts

28 Sean Franklin — 4 Omar Gonzalez — 16 Greg Berhalter — 2 Todd Dunivant

11 Chris Birchall

10 Landon Donovan (C) — 19 Juninho

26 Michael Stephens

14 Edson Buddle — 17 Tristan Bowen

Substitutes

12 Josh Saunders GK

20 A.J. De La Garza DEF

22 Leonardo DEF

7 Chris Klein MID

88 Alex Cazumba MID

21 Alan Gordon FWD

9 Jovan Kirovski FWD

SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC

Manager: Sigi Schmid

Formation: 4-4-2

Colors: Rave green tops with Sounder Blue accents, Sounder Blue shorts with Cascade Shale accents, Rave Green socks with Sounder Blue trim

18 Kasey Keller (C)

7 James Riley — 31 Jeff Parke — 14 Tyrone Marshall — 19 Leo Gonzalez

10 Freddie Ljungberg — 4 Patrick Ianni — 8 Peter Vagenas — 11 Steve Zakuani

17 Fredy Montero — 25 Pat Noonan

Substitutes

28 Terry Boss GK

20 Zach Scott DEF

12 Nathan Sturgis MID

22 Mike Seamon MID

21 Nate Jaqua FWD

23 Sanna Nyassi FWD

32 Miguel Montano FWD

T-60: And for the first time this season, the world-famous Lalas Hill is open to the public. This will be a great turnout on ESPN2.

T-50: I wonder who will get the World Cup...Germany? Uruguay? Netherlands? Spain? Hmmm.

In other World Cup action . . . Real Salt Lake torched New England Revolution 5-0, the Columbus Crew doused the Chicago Fire 2-1, FC Dallas shut out Kansas City 1-0, the San Jose Earthquakes drew 1-1 with D.C. United, and Chivas USA drew 1-1 with the Philadelphia Union.

T-45: The Colorado Rapids are in a 1-1 draw with the New York Red Bulls. Both teams warming up.

T-35: Note to yours truly: Leave the season credentials at home. I misplaced mine during convention work. Looks like I will be stuck on will call for the rest of the year. Bleh.

T-30: Thirty minutes to kickoff. It feels great to be back at the HDC. The Emerald City Supporters are here. Hello, you lot.

T-20: Silviu Petrescu is our match official today. Anthony Vasoli and Ian Anderson are the linemen, and Ricardo Salazar is the fourth official today.

T-15: Parade of champions time.

T-4: Stars and Stripes is unfurled.

T-0: Blue Peoples Color Guard with colors presentation. National anthem by Santa Monica Oceanaries.

FIRST HALF START: 7:38 P.M. PT

1' - We are underway. Time for the Galaxy to come out firing. Juninho didn't get any on that. Goal kick, Kasey Keller.

2' - Short passing will be needed. Dinger off the post. Michael Stephens, how unlucky.

3' - Now here comes Seattle. This is Fredy Montero. Cleared by the LA defense. Tristan Bowen a bit shaken up, but all right. Free kick, Gregg Berhalter.

4' - Juninho tripped up. Free kick, Landon Donovan.

5' - That didn't go too well. Corner, Donovan, and this is in front of the Emerald City Supporters. A few cross attempts later, the rave green shirts settle down. Good defense.

6' - If the Big Cat from Montego Bay, Donovan Ricketts, doesn't get tested, this will look better for the home side.

7' - Well-marked by James Riley. Trouble from Buddle, and Jeff Parke clears that out. Donovan, corner.

8' - I don't believe taking it short is wise at this point, but who knows. Throw-in, Sounders.

9' - Todd Dunivant with a free kick. Buddle is stonewalled.

10' - This is Jeff Parke. Some better footwork is in order from Chris Birchall.

11' - Donovan is taking too much time. Easy for Leo Gonzalez. Speculative effort from Birchall.

12' - Here's Stephens again...throw-in for Dunivant.

13' - Too long a pass for Steve Zakuani. Birchall nearly paid the price. Keller swoops in for that one.

14' - Boy, can't they figure out this Leo Gonzalez guy already? Mercy.

15' - The ESPN2 people just had to bring up Jonas Brothers...

16' - Some solid passing here, but they need to do something, the G's must. Crisp passing here.

17' - Back comes Seattle. This is the great Freddie Ljungberg. Now here comes Riley.

18' - Good shot from Birchall. Corner for Donovan.

 19' - Logjam. That is cleared for another corner. Good work in parking the bus. Buddle must be wondering...am I going though my kryptonite?

Naah.

19' - GOAL! Los Angeles Galaxy 14 Edson Buddle Assist 10 Landon Donovan

The Buddlevan connection is back.

20' - Seattle is back on the ropes. Let's see what they do next. That was No. 10 for Edson, the American Pele.

21' - Throw-in too high for Buddle. Keller with the save.

22' - Back come the Sounders. Juninho is there with the tackle. Here's a free kick for the Sounders' No. 10.

23' - Time for the Big Cat from Montego Bay to do some work. There he goes. Textbook catch. Transition, and the Sounders defense holds. End-to-end action.

24' - Buddle's next shot is deflected. Corner for Donovan. Great defending.

25' - Rough challenge by Gonzalez. No card. That won't sit well with the home side supporters. Free kick, No. 10 of LA.

26' - He opts to give that to Gregg Berhalter. Wide right. Goal kick, Keller.

27' - We are now 27 in, and it's 1-0 LA. Throw-in, Sounders. This is Riley again.

28' - Shoddy passing, and the defense seems a bit unglued for the Galaxy. Maybe it's just the surface.

29' - Scapegoats, scapegoats . . .

30' - Back come the Galaxy. It's a Rave Green deflection parade. Sportsmanlike gesture afterward.

31' - Now it's "Golden Touch Academy?" Seriously, ESPN2? Here's Dunivant. And Stephens is backing off in their own attacking third. Unwise, rookie, unwise.

32' - Now here come the Sounders. Uh-oh, that was trouble from Pat Noonan.

33' - Another corner. They seem to place this in the northeast end more often than not.

34' - Heavenly clearance from the Sounders, ghastly finish from the Galaxy. Back come LA, and now it's Dunivant. That one whizzed by Donovan.

35' - Seattle resets the distribution. Ricketts is there to grab it.

36' - 36 in, and it's still 1-0 Los Angeles. Birchall butchered that one. Goal kick, Keller.

37' - The Sounders go on the offensive, as Bob Bradley watches.

38' - That was trouble from Noonan.

39' - That was a collision. Juninho's knees took a knock from Patrick Ianni.

40' - Donovan to take this set piece. Deflected by Montero for a corner. And on the rebound, Keller snatches it. Not a bad performance so far from Kasey.

41' - Didn't materialize to much and Buddle is hurt. He'd better shake that off. The ECS are lapping it up. See y'all in Tukwila.

43' - Buddle gets back on the pitch, and the Sounders are content with some time-wasting passes in the back.

44' - Pretty lousy shot from Ianni. Goal kick, Ricketts.

45' - That was a major scare, with Buddle being down for a few seconds. No stoppage. It's halftime.

HALFTIME

Los Angeles Galaxy 1

19' Edson Buddle

Seattle Sounders FC 0

SECOND HALF START: 8:39 P.M. PT

A final from Dick's Sporting Goods Park: Colorado Rapids 1, New York Red Bulls 1.

46' - The second half begins. Let's see what happens. Here come the Sounders. Didn't materialize to much.

47' - Good stuff from Omar Gonzalez. Keller had to hustle to get to that one. Ricketts counters. End-to-end action.

48' - GOAL! Los Angeles Galaxy 19 Juninho

What a one-time shot from Juninho Carsonista. His first league goal of the season. Blistering Brazilliance. Well played.

49' - The floodgates will look to open here. Tristan Bowen almost got to that one.

50' - Well, if this results holds up, I don't think the supporters will demand a refund here...except maybe the visitors...again.

51' - Sean Franklin with a few touches. Just missed Bowen. Corner for Donovan.

Substitution Seattle Sounders FC

IN 22 Mike Seamon

OUT 8 Peter Vagenas

Keller tips for a corner.

52' - Keller grabs that one.

53' - That didn't materialize to much from Freddie Ljungberg. Goal kick, Ricketts. A little "Buffalo Soldier" from the ACB.

54' - Good catch, Bruce. Back come the G's. This is Franklin with the throw.

55' - Silviu Petrescu hears it from the crowd.

56' - We are 56 minutes into the contest, and it's 2-0 Los Angeles. I tell you, these balls seem to be skipping past Bowen like crazy. Mercy.

57' - Great defending right there by Mike Seamon on Juninho.

59' - Back come the G's. I think after that knock late in the first half, Buddle seems to be a bit slow.

60' - Petrescu is letting both teams loose here. I think he wants to call it a night early.

61' - Good clearance by Leo Gonzalez. Landon Donovan with the dispossession.

62' - Back comes Seattle. Some early fireworks outside. Interesting. Wide shot left from James Riley.

Substitution Los Angeles Galaxy

IN 21 Alan Gordon

OUT 14 Edson Buddle

He'll need to get those ankles and legs checked...

63' - Here's Seattle, and Zakuani turned into zucchini on that play.

64' - This is some free-flowing football at this juncture.

65' - Petrescu really is playing this match loose. Slacker.

66' - This is Todd Dunivant. The stanza there for the Galaxy fades to black. Here come the Sounders.

66' - GOAL! Seattle Sounders FC 11 Steve Zakuani

This is now a game. Horrid transition defending from the Galaxy backline. Ricketts is furious. As he should be.

67' - You cannot get beaten off the back line like that; it's completely unacceptable. The Galaxy will be on alert for the rest of the match.

69' - Fireworks en masse already. What a juxtaposition.

70' - 70 in, and it's Los Angeles leading Seattle 2-1.

71' - Free kick from Donovan doesn't amount to much.

72' - Back come the Galaxy. Some great looks here from the G's. Great dispossession from Leo Gonzalez.

74' - Clock-melting at this point would be unwise. Ricketts with the save on Ljungberg. The Swedish international has seen better days.

75' - Substitution Los Angeles Galaxy

IN 7 Chris Klein

OUT 17 Tristan Bowen

Free kick time for Ljungberg.

76' - Corner for the Galaxy. Donovan needs to bring one back and set the tempo back in LA's favor.

77' - Terrible. No one in the vicinity. Goal kick Keller.

GOAL! Los Angeles Galaxy 7 James Riley (Own goal)

What a howler by Riley. Bad clearance. Amateurish. Horrid.

78' - Ricketts snaps that up.

79' - Goal kick, Keller. Riley must be sick to his stomach right now. These things happen.

80' - The Galaxy get their goal back, it's 3-1, and the home supporters soak it up.

81' - The pace quickens, as the urgency by Seattle becomes more apparent.

82' - Yellow Card 14 Tyrone Marshall

Seattle Sounders FC

83' - Free kick, Donovan. Side netting, Juninho

Substitution Seattle Sounders FC

IN 32 Miguel Montano

OUT 10 Freddie Ljungberg

And now...Miguel.

84' - Great defending in the back by the Sounders. Back comes Seattle on the transition, and the G's hold.

85' - We are 85 minutes into the match, and it is 3-1 Los Angeles over Seattle

86' - Substitution Los Angeles Galaxy

IN 88 Alex Cazumba

OUT 19 Juninho

87' - Ricketts snaps that up.

88' - Seattle looks to stretch the field here, but the Galaxy are not going to let them go far.

Yellow card 88 Alex Cazumba

Los Angeles Galaxy

89' - Too high a set piece. Goal kick, Ricketts.

90' - Three minutes of stoppage time. It seems to be a lost cause for the Sounders. That own goal by Riley really took the wheels of momentum off the Zakuani goal for Seattle.

90' + 1' - What a save from Ricketts. His best of the night. Corner, Sounders.

90' + 2' - Side netting on the corner.

90' + 3' - One last salvo from the Sounders...in the hands of Ricketts. That should be a done deal.

FINAL

LOS ANGELES GALAXY 3

19' Edson Buddle

48' Juninho

77' James Riley (OG)

SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC 1

Steve Zakuani 66'

Here come the fireworks...

Stay tuned for my take on this match on Bleacher Report and the View from Victoria Street.

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After two full World Cup games, I still managed to catch Real Salt Lake trounce the New England Revolution on DVR into the wee hours of this morning.  (A decision that might leave some to question my sanity.)

Luckily, I escaped post-game nightmares, as they all played out right there on the TV before I went off to bed.

I have been contemplating if it is worth blogging any thoughts on last night’s game or just add some snarky commentary (and there’s so much there waiting to be lavished on Twitter.)

Given the beautiful weather, the World Cup games at hand and the ridiculousness of the current situation in New England, I’ve decided to keep this simple.

In a league built around parity, I would submit that RSL had better players in every position.  It does not give me any pleasure to say this, but it seems arguably true, at worst…

RSL vs.  Revs

Nick Rimando vs.  Matt Reis

Robbie Russell vs.  Kevin Alston

Jamison Olave vs.  Cory Gibbs

Nate Borchers  vs.  Emmanuel Osei

Chris Wingert  vs.   Seth Sinovic

Andy Williams   vs.   Sainey Nyassi

Ned Grabavoy  vs.  Jason Griffiths

Javier Morales   vs.  Shalrie Joseph

Will Johnson  vs.  Chris Tierney

Alvaro Saborio  vs.  Marko Perovic

Fabian Espindola  vs.  Zach Schilawski

You could argue around Reis/Rimando, or that Shalrie Joseph would make the RSL first team, etc., but on the basis of last night, and the skill and experience put out on the field, RSL was a mile ahead.

To this open wound, I’ll offer a few bits of salt…

First, when substitutions were needed, we used three.  One was Joseph Niouky.   RSL also used three, one was a returning USA World Cup player.  (All Findley love/hate aside, no Revolution players were close to the USA’s list of 23 for South Africa.)  Oh, and RSL’s midfield “engine,” Kyle Beckerman, wasn’t even fit for the game.

Second, not only did RSL win.  They did so with some style.  The Revolution as a team are so far from playing with a sense of style that it is almost comical.  Almost.

Third, whether driven by a post-game fireworks display or not… over 19,000 sat there in a beautiful soccer stadium enjoying the destruction of the Revolution.  Ouch.

And potentially more troubling, is that there was true personality on the field for them.   Morales does things that kids might want to emulate.  Ex-Rev Andy Williams has a compelling personal story mixed with creative skill on the ball.  Espindola appears to be one of those love ‘em, or hate ‘em players that, if nothing else, stir emotions.

Sadly, the emotions being stirred by the Revolution right now, are not the kind that they are hoping for.

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