Chivas USA Opens Camp While Galaxy - Beckham Circus Drags On
Photo by Paul!!! via Flickr
Chivas USA officially started its preparation for the 2009 MLS campaign this past week by opening its training camp at the Home Depot Center on Wednesday.
Nearly two thirds of last year's roster is back, including standouts defender Jonathan Bornstein and midfielder Sacha Kljestan, both of whom are currently training with the U.S. Men's National Team -- also at the Home Depot Center -- as they prepare for their showdown against Mexico on February 11th. Some of the new faces on the thirty one man roster is Cuban forward Reiner Alcantara, and Chivas USA's 2009 draft picks Michael Lahoud, Jamie Franks and Kyle Christensen.
Alcantara's fellow countryman, forward Maykel Galindo, should bring a smile to the Chivas USA faithful as he has worked hard during the offseason to regain his health and is also on the training field with his teammates.
While Galindo has regained his health, veteran forward Ante Razov has been less fortunate and had to undergo surgery on Friday to remove bone spurs from his ankle. Unfortunately, his expected recovery time will keep him from joining the team until after the season opener against Colorado on March 21 at the Home Depot Center.
Despite not being able to join the squad for some weeks, Razov has signed a new deal with the club, joining defender Ante Jazic and midfielder Raphael Wicky, who earlier in the week had done the same.
Chivas USA Head Coach Preki Radosavljevic and his staff will be busy preparing the team for the upcoming campaign and evaluating players over the next few weeks. However, Preki will have some additional help this year. Former red-and-white defender Carlos Llamosa has joined Preki's coaching staff as an assistant coach and got to work immediately by joining the team on its first training day. Preki happily welcomed Llamosa to the staff and added, "I have coached and played with Carlos and I am confident he will bring to our group the same commitment, winning mentality and sharp eye for the game that led him to success in his playing career."
Lastly, a bit of unrelated notes...
On Wednesday, Galaxy midfielder David Beckham added fuel to the fire of speculation that he would stay in Italy after his loan period with AC Milan expires in March. Beckham was quoted in Corriere della Sera as saying he might want to extend his stay and expressed some frustration about playing in MLS while simultaneously acknowledging that he has a contract with the blue-and-gold. Only a few days prior, Beckham had also stated "The truth is that the Americans are doing everything to improve the level and reputation of their football. The league in the USA is young. I think ten years have to go by to achieve results." His comments about American soccer seem to indicate he does not see himself as being a crucial component to its growth in the States, somewhat contrary to his stated goal for coming to MLS in the first place.
The Galaxy front office responded to the media circus Beckham's comments generated by insisting Beckham would be back at the end of the loan period. Galaxy General Manager and Head Coach Bruce Arena stated "We’ve entered into a loan agreement with AC Milan (in which) the player, his agent, AC Milan, ourselves and Major League Soccer understand the guidelines."
The unfortunate part is that Galaxy management does not appear to be in sync with reality. The manner in which the loan was brokered in the first place provided a number of signals that Beckham was in greater control of his contract and stay in MLS than is the Galaxy or MLS. In fact, it was Arena himself, who, back in October 2008 -- when the loan was being brokered -- described the matter as an "..odd proposition.." and his reaction to it at the time seemed to indicate that loan discussions had occurred without his knowledge.
This week, while Arena adamantly expressed that Beckham would be back, MLS Commissioner Don Garber was asked about the possibility of Beckham staying in Europe and said: "If it's something that makes sense for him and the Galaxy we'll certainly be supportive of that, but it's way too premature to comment." Then, when asked about the rumor of AC Milan plans to offer a $6.5M transfer fee for Beckham, Garber stated "That wouldn't be something we would even remotely close consider," and later added, "Jozy Altidore signed for $10 million, so ."
Arena seems to be caught a bit off balance again, but in fairness, it seems more a matter of him not being kept in the loop by all parties. Fortunately for him, he only has to deal with one Beckham on his roster. If he is lucky, it won't be for much longer and he can get back to productive work, such as rebuilding the Galaxy.