Big Year Ahead for International/Local Soccer

A few days before the men face Sweden, their female counterparts will open camp at the Home Depot Center. The U.S. Women's National Team will run their camp from January 20th through February 4th as they prepare for their participation in the Algarve Cup in March. Southern California native Shannon Boxx has been called into camp and amongst her teammates will be Abby Wambach who is returning from an injury suffered in a July 2008 match.

Not to be outdone, the local professional teams have also been preparing for the year ahead.

Women's Professional Soccer will make its debut on the heels of the Algarve Cup and will feature a number of players from the U.S. Women's National Team and their peers from around the world. The Home Depot Center will play host to the inaugural game on March 29th between Los Angeles Sol and Washington Freedom. The league is still taking shape, but over the next few weeks, the draft will take place and teams will open their training camps. More as information becomes available.

Switching gears to MLS, the Galaxy have been busy making roster changes, hoping to address their problems of the last few years. Most recently, Pasadena native Leonard Griffin was added, to help reinforce the midfield and backline. Midfielder Stefani Miglioranzi re-joins the blue-and-gold after a stint in Columbus with whom he won last year's MLS Cup two months ago. Other contracts that were recently finalized include those of forward Jovan Kirovski and goalkeepers Steve Cronin and Donovan Ricketts.

Moving in the opposite direction,Eduardo Dominguez was released by the team after a disappointing Galaxy career that only lasted a few months. Also packing bags is former Director of Soccer Operations Paul Bravo who has decided to take up a position with the Colorado Rapids organization.

For those wondering about David Beckham, the English star is currently with A.C. Milan and played in their friendly earlier this week despite having suffered a minor injury in the days leading up to the game. As for the ongoing saga of whether or not Beckham will stay in Italy for good, reports on the matter seem to be conflicting. Some sources are reporting that A.C. Milan officials are preparing to start talks to extend Beckham's stay, while other reports seem to indicate that A.C. Milan trainers feel Beckham is a bit out of shape. Given the impact he has had on the sale of A.C. Milan jerseys, rossoneri officials might be inclined to steal a play from the Galaxy front office playbook and look the other way.

Someone please put an end to the drama so we can all move on. (Would it help if the request is made in Italian?)

As final note, the blue-and-gold has announced that they will host the second edition of the Pan-Pacific Championship at the Home Depot Center. The mini-tournament will feature champions from the Chinese, Japanese and Korean leagues, and will played on February 18th and 21st.