Fast Start for Soccer
Chivas USA forwards Maicon Santos (L) and Maykel Galindo working out at preseason camp. Angel Magaña/LAist
Major League Soccer is still in its off season, but based on all the soccer activity going on this early into the new year, it is a pretty safe bet that 2010 will be a busy one.
The U.S. Men's National Team came into town a handful of days past New Year's Eve to prepare for last Saturday's match against Honduras, initiating the final phase of preparations for World Cup South Africa 2010 in June. Next up for the Nats is El Salvador, on February 24th in Florida. In the meantime, the team is on break and will reconvene on February 10th at the Home Depot Center with a squad that will likely include all the players based in Europe.
Coincidentally, on the night on which the Nats take on El Salvador, the Algarve Cup kicks off in Portugal with the U.S. Women's National Team participating as the top seed. The Women's Nats will be working out at the Home Depot Center through February 4th as Head Coach Pia Sundhage looks to finalize her roster for the tournament.
But not all the action at the Home Depot Center relates to the Nats. Both Chivas USA and the Galaxy dusted off the boots and opened up their respective preseason camps in preparation for the 2010 MLS season set to kick off March 26th and March 27th, respectively.
It is a bit early to asses what the final roster will look like once the first home match is upon us, but both teams have already made some personnel moves. Chivas USA waived Bojan Stepanovic and Jim Curtin, although it is unlikely both are out of MLS for good. Former Chivas USA Head Coach Preki Radosavljevic tended to hold Stepanovic in high regard, thus it is likely he will reappear with Toronto FC at some point.
Another important note for the Red-and-White is the loss of Paulo Nagamura on a free transfer to Tigres of the Mexican First Division. Check in tomorrow for some comments from Chivas USA Head Coach Martin Vasquez regarding the loss of Nagamura and his thoughts on how camp is going.
For the Galaxy, the personnel moves up to this point have been less disruptive to team chemistry in contrast to the Nagamura case.
Veteran defender Tony Sanneh was waived after a very quiet 2009 season in which he only made three appearances. Leonard Griffin was also waived by the Blue-and-Gold. Chances are that General Manager and Head Coach Bruce Arena is making room for one or more of the Brazilians currently on loan from Sao Paulo FC. All of that, however, is a footnote to the big story: Is Landon Donovan coming back?
The Galaxy and U.S. National Team star is currently on a short-term loan with English Premier League side Everton FC and is due back at the Home Depot Center before the season opener on March 27th. At least that's the current plan.
Donovan's stay in Liverpool has been working out rather well for him. He has quickly won over more than a few fans with his performances, registering a goal and an assist along the way. With his success have come the questions of whether he will stay for an extended period, likely until the end of Everton's season in May. Donovan has hinted that he is open to the idea, but only time will tell. The fact that Everton is short on cash only adds to the drama, specially given the fact Donovan signed a new contract only days prior to leaving for England, meaning the Liverpool side would likely need a decent chunk of money to retain his services.
Should Donovan remain in Liverpool, it would put the Galaxy in an interesting spot. They would be missing both David Beckham and Landon Donovan -- the team's main offensive threats -- for at least the first three months of MLS action, possibly more if England and/or the Nats get into the deeper rounds of the World Cup. Arena will need to adjust quickly to address such a scenario.
Although, all of the above may become a moot point come Februry 12th. MLS and the MLS Player's Union have been hard at work trying to iron out a new contract for a number of weeks but still have not reached an agreement. The main sticking points revolve around trying to bring players' rights more in line with other leagues throughout the world. The good thing is that both parties agreed to continue negotiations until at least February 12th, although the current contract actually expires this Sunday and would have likely resulted in a lockout. Lets hope they come up with a solution soon.
Lastly, Women's Professional Soccer side Los Angeles Sol officially ceased operations on Thursday after the league was unable to find a buyer to replace the investors who pulled out after the inaugural 2009 season. Brazilian superstar Marta et al will be dispersed throughout the remaining teams via a draft system in which Atlanta has the first pick.