SoCal MLS Capsule

NEW ENGLAND 2, LOS ANGELES 1

CARSON, California (Ticker) -- Adam Cristman scored two goals as the New England Revolution held on for a 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Galaxy. Cristman opened the scoring with an unassisted tally in the 33rd minute and then doubled the advantage four minutes later with his sixth goal of the season to give the Revolution a 2-0 advantage. David Beckham halved the deficit in the 66th minute as the British superstar blasted a shot from the top of the box which deflected off a New England defender before sailing past goalkeeper Matt Reis for his fifth goal of the campaign. With the win, New England (10-4-3) increased its lead in the Eastern Conference standings to seven points over the second-place Columbus Crew (8-4-2).

SoCal MLS Capsule

COLUMBUS 3, LOS ANGELES 3

CARSON, California (Ticker) -- Landon Donovan has set a blistering pace in his zest to capture the Golden Boot. However, if he wants to keep his lead over the field in the MLS scoring race, he may need to be a bit more selfish. Donovan scored two goals Saturday, but watched helplessly as the Los Angeles Galaxy gave away two second-half leads before settling for a 3-3 tie with the Columbus Crew.

Donovan tallied in the fourth minute and Edson Buddle scored in the 47th minute to stake the Galaxy to a 2-0 lead. Although Brad Evans and Robbie Rogers tied the game at 2-2 in the span of just four minutes midway through the second half, Donovan seemingly put the contest away with a penalty kick goal in the 83rd minute after Crew defender Danny O'Rourke tripped David Beckham just inside the box. But the Galaxy (6-4-3) were unable to notch their fifth win in six games as Steven Lenhart muscled his way inside the goalkeeper's box and beat keeper Steve Cronin for the tying goal in the 88th minute.

With his MLS-best 11 goals, Donovan remains well ahead of the pack. However, while he has missed three games this season - two due to his commitment with the United States national team, one because of injury - Buddle has become a scoring machine.

With nine goals, Buddle is Donovan's closest competition in the MLS scoring race as they rank 1-2. With their 20 goals, the duo has combined to score more goals than eight MLS teams and as many as three others. Only New England and D.C. United, each of which have 21 goals, have scored more. Cronin made just one save for Los Angeles while William Hesmer turned away four shots for Columbus (7-4-2).

MLS SoCal Capsule

LOS ANGELES 3, SAN JOSE 0

OAKLAND, California (Ticker) -- Edson Buddle notched his second hat trick of the season as the Los Angeles Galaxy rolled to a convincing 3-0 triumph over the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday night in front of a record-setting crowd of 39,782 at McAffe Coliseum. It was the fourth career hat trick for Buddle and the second in less than a month. He registered three scoring strikes against FC Dallas on May 18 as the Galaxy rolled to a 5-1 victory. Los Angeles (6-4-2) wasted no time getting on the scoreboard. In the sixth minute, Beckham played a short cross from the left side to Josh Tudela, whose header set up Buddle's sixth goal of the season from just inside the top of penalty box. It was the sixth assist of the season for the British superstar, who was booed on nearly every touch in the first half. San Jose (3-7-1) had its best scoring chance of the opening half when Ryan Johnson found himself unmarked on the right side, but Galaxy keeper Steve Cronin made a diving save at the near post. Los Angeles doubled its lead in the 63rd minute as Buddle recorded his second goal of the match with a header past a diving Joe Cannon. Buddle recorded his off feeds from Ante Jazic and Ely Allen. Buddle was not done yet, securing the hat trick five minutes later on another header on assists from Mike Randolph and Jazic.

SoCal MLS Capsule

LOS ANGELES 5, FC DALLAS 1 --------------------------

FRISCO, Texas (Ticker) - The only thing hotter than the temperature at Pizza Hut Park were the Los Angeles Galaxy. The Galaxy scored four goals - including two by Edson Buddle - within a 15-minute span midway through the first half en route to a 5-1 victory over FC Dallas. Buddle went on to complete a hat trick five minutes from the end on a header at the left goalpost off a cross from David Beckham. The win moved the Galaxy (3-3-2) into sole possession of second place in the MLS Western Division standings, while FC Dallas (2-3-3) dropped to fourth in the division with the loss.

SoCal MLS Capsule

TORONTO FC 3, LOS ANGELES 2 ----------------------

CARSON, California (Ticker) -- Greg Cunningham picked a good time to score his first goal of the season. Cunningham blasted a shot from outside of the penalty area in the 88th minute, leading Toronto FC to a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Galaxy. Cunningham came off the bench for Danny Dichio in the 65th minute and fired a shot past Galaxy goalkeeper Steve Cronin to give Toronto (1-2) its first win of the season.

The Galaxy (1-2) had knotted the score at 2-2 in the 58th minute when Landon Donovan scored his second goal of the contest by converting a penalty kick. Toronto took the lead late in the first half when Dichio took a pass from Amado Guevara and beat Cronin in the 42nd minute to make it 1-0. It didn't take long for the Galaxy to respond as Donovan scored his second goal of the season a minute later off an assist from Chris Klein to knot the score at the half. Jarrod Smith broke the tie in the 53rd minute when he slipped one past Cronin from inside the penalty area to put Toronto ahead 2-1.

The Galaxy entered the match fresh off a 2-0 victory over San Jose Earthquakes Thursday with goals from David Beckham and Donovan. Conversely, Toronto FC entered with losses in its first two games on the season, both on the road.

Beckham Scores in Galaxy Win

LOS ANGELES 2, SAN JOSE 0----------------------

CARSON, California (Ticker) -- David Beckham and Landon Donovan each had a goal and an assist as the Los Angeles Galaxy defeated the San Jose Earthquakes, 2-0, on Thursday at the Home Depot Center.

After a two-year absence from Major League Soccer, the Earthquakes returned to the pitch against the Galaxy - the team they last played in the 2005 Western Conference semifinals before the club moved to Houston.

Beckham and Donovan, however, were not gracious hosts. The English superstar accepted a brilliant feed from Donovan just outside the box and deftly slipped the ball past goalkeeper Joe Cannon in the eighth minute of the contest. Beckham then returned the favor to Donovan in the 37th minute, flicking the ball with his right foot to his hard-charging teammate. Donovan then casually lofted a shot over the head of a rapidly-closing Cannon to give the Galaxy a 2-0 lead.

After the match, Beckham admitted that he felt completely fit - which is a far cry from last season. "Last year, I was probably 50 percent fit when I started," he said. "I was playing in games I shouldn't have been and it just sort of went downhill from there. I feel great after two games and my England game, so I ready to get on with it." And ready to put last season's behind him. "It`s important from my part and the team's that (I'm) here from the beginning," Beckham said. "Last year, there was a lot of distractions and I think I suffered from that - and also the team. "I'm happy to be through the preseason and ready to play. Last year, I wasn't even training and I was playing. It wasn't good. That's not right to do and I won't do it again."

Prior to Thursday's contest, Beckham's recorded his lone MLS tally on a free kick in a 2-0 SuperLiga semifinal victory over D.C. United on August 15, 2007. As for Donovan, it was the 10th time since 2001 he has recorded a goal and an assist in an MLS match. The Galaxy (1-1), who dropped a 4-0 decision to the Colorado Rapids in their season opener on Saturday, enjoyed a decisive 11-3 advantage in shots on Thursday. "I think tonight was a good team performance," Beckham said.

SoCal MLS Report

COLORADO 4, LOS ANGELES 0-----------------------

COMMERCE CITY, Colorado (Ticker) -- An English midfielder stole the show in the season opener between the Los Angeles Galaxy and Colorado Rapids. But it wasn't who everyone expected. Terry Cooke had a goal and two assists to power the Rapids to a 4-0 victory over the Galaxy and superstar David Beckham on Saturday night before a record crowd of 18,713 at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.

The storyline coming in was Beckham starting his first full season in MLS, but Cooke stole the show from his much more heralded countryman as Colorado extended its home winning streak over Los Angeles to seven games. "Not our best night," Beckham said. "In the first half we didn't play our best but we created chances. When you don't play good football you don't deserve to win. Congratulations to Colorado."

Christian Gomez, Omar Cummings and Colin Clark added second-half goals for the Rapids (1-0-0), who spoiled the coaching debut of former Dutch standout Ruud Gullit with Los Angeles.

Galaxy Adds Hong Kong Match

HONOLULU (Ticker) -- David Beckham and the Los Angeles Galaxy on Monday announced they have added a third game to their exhibition tour of Asia, which begins next week. The Galaxy will play Hong Kong Union in Hong Kong on Sunday March 9, the final game of a tour designed to tap into Beckham's huge popularity in Asia.

The game will follow matchups against FC Seoul in Seoul, South Korea on March 1 and Shanghai-Hong Kong United in Shanghai, China on March 5. "We are very excited to be able to add this important third match to the Galaxy's Asia Tour 2008," said Galaxy Assistant General Manager Tom Payne said.

Last week, the Galaxy finished third in the inaugural Pan Pacific Championship tournament in Hawaii, losing their opening game, 1-0, to Japanese club Gamba Osaka before beating Australia's Sydney FC 2-1 in the third-place game. The Galaxy were due to leave Hawaii for Seoul on Monday.

Galaxy Wins in Hawaii

HONOLULU (Ticker) - The first three minutes proved pivotal as far as the Los Angeles Galaxy's performance in the Pan-Pacific Championship is concerned. After falling to Japan's Gamba Osaka on Wednesday on a goal from Bare in the third minute, Los Angeles bounced back with a 2-1 victory over Sydney FC in the third-place game of the inaugural tournament on Saturday at Aloha Stadium.

The Galaxy wasted no time in getting its first goal as midfielder David Beckham launched a perfectly timed cross from nearly 35 yards out to the opposite side of the field to a waiting Ely Allen, who volleyed the ball past goalkeeper Ivan Necevski in the game's third minute. Beckham showed a level of intensity not usually seen in an exhibition as the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star repeatedly dropped back into the defensive zone to help, and then pushed the action back toward the offensive end. His activity allowed Allen to find an opening for the goal and kept Sydney on its heels as the entire Galaxy squad seemed to feed off its captain's energy.

Both squads continued to trade possessions until Sydney's Brendan Renaud unleashed a rocket from 30 yards out to level the score at 1-1. Los Angeles regained the lead two minutes later as Josh Tudela redirected a deflected ball after Necevski failed to secure it on Bryan Jordan's earlier attack.

The second half featured an array of near misses from both attacking squads, but none of the threats equated to goals. Beckham appeared a bit stunned after taking an errant shoe to his chest in the 63rd minute, but after pacing around for a few seconds, the crowd favorite elected to stay in the game. The crowd made its appreciation for Beckham clear by cheering mightily when he touched the ball, and initiating a blitz of flash bulbs coupled with the pounding of inflatable thunder sticks.

The squads met last year on November 27 before a record crowd of 80,295 at ANZ Stadium in Sydney. Sydney FC came away with the 5-3 victory in that match, but entered the PPC just weeks removed from its third-place finish in A-League competition.

After missing Wednesday's semifinal match against Gamba Osaka, Galaxy forward Landon Donovan sat out Saturday's match with an injured knee. He stated after Wednesday's match that he is approaching the injury cautiously, and that he did not want to risk further damage on the artificial FieldTurf of Aloha Stadium.

Galaxy to Play in Canada

EDMONTON, Alberta (Ticker) - David Beckham and the Los Angeles Galaxy are heading back to Canada. After the success of last year's exhibition game in Vancouver, the Galaxy will once again play against the Vancouver Whitecaps, but this time the game will be played in Edmonton, Alberta, it was announced Wednesday.

A crowd of 48,172 attended B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver last November to see the teams play out a 0-0 draw. "We have a tremendous relationship with the Vancouver Whitecaps and share their view of growing the sport throughout North America," said Galaxy Assistant general manager Tom Payne. "The first time that we played the Whitecaps the game ended in a draw, this time we are looking to score goals, entertain the fans of Edmonton and come away with a victory."

"We are extremely excited about the opportunity to play the Galaxy in Edmonton," said Whitecaps President Bob Lenarduzzi. "One of our club's mandates is to grow the game of soccer and this match will allow us to showcase two of North America's most storied soccer franchises. Alberta has successfully hosted some of the biggest soccer events in Canada and I am positive that this match will be no different."

Galaxy Schedule Conflicts With Beckham's Dreams

CARSON, Calif. (Ticker) - David Beckham may have to skip Los Angeles Galaxy games in order to earn his 100th England cap. Major League Soccer unveiled its full schedule Thursday and, as expected, made no accommodation for international dates on the FIFA calendar.

If Beckham does not reach the century mark when England plays France on March 26, he will have to wait for games in August and September that will clash with the Galaxy's schedule. Beckham might be considered a longshot to play against France given that new England manager Fabio Capello left him out of this week's Switzerland game due to lack of match fitness - a situation that will only be partially remedied by the Galaxy's preseason. Instead, Beckham may have to wait for late in the summer. England could have a friendly game on August 20, an international date and only a day before the Galaxy host the Chicago Fire. When England plays Andorra in a World Cup qualifier on September 6, the Galaxy will be facing Real Salt Lake at home.

Still, the Galaxy are hoping to see much more of Beckham this season than last, when ankle and knee injuries restricted him to only five appearances after joining in June from Real Madrid. Then, MLS had backloaded the Galaxy's schedule to try and get in as many games for Beckham as possible, but it turned sour as he sat out most of the games.

This year, the Galaxy will have a more balanced schedule, playing each team twice and then having extra home and away fixtures with conference foes FC Dallas and the San Jose Earthquakes. The Earthquakes, an expansion franchise joining the league this season, have announced plans to move the two Galaxy games from their 11,500 seat Buck Shaw Stadium home to the vast McAfee Coliseum in Oakland.

The Galaxy will not have to contend with the SuperLiga this season, as MLS announced that champions the Houston Dynamo, DC United, the New England Revolution and Chivas USA would represent the league in the tournament against four Mexican clubs.

SoCal MLS Report

CARSON, Calif. (Galaxy) - The LA Galaxy will hold their first training session of 2008 on Monday, February 4 at 10:30 a.m. on University Field #1 at The Home Depot Center on the campus of California State
University - Dominguez Hills. This will be the first chance for the club to train in the U.S. under new head coach Ruud Gullit, who was hired in November.

All Galaxy players are required to report for physicals and testing by Saturday at 10 a.m. ahead of Monday's first training session. Missing from Monday's training will be Galaxy forward Landon Donovan, goalkeeper Steve Cronin and midfielder Kevin Harmse, who are with their respective national teams. Donovan and Cronin are currently with the U.S. National Team as they prepare to take on Mexico in Houston on February 6. Harmse is with the Canadian National Team for their match against Danish pro club Vejle Boldklub this Sunday morning in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Also absent on Monday will be defender Greg Folk as he works to complete his degree at UCLA this spring, and goalkeeper Matt Allen, who has signed overseas.

The Galaxy's 13th season begins on Saturday, March 29 when they travel to Dick's Sporting Goods Park to take on the Colorado Rapids live on Fox Soccer Channel.

Galaxy to Open Season With New Coach on March 29

LOS ANGELES (Ticker) - David Beckham and the Los Angeles Galaxy will open the 2008 Major League Soccer season in Colorado. The club announced Wednesday that new coach Ruud Gullit's first competitive game in charge will be against the Rapids on March 29 at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. The Galaxy will then return home to Carson to host the San Jose Earthquakes - and former head coach Frank Yallop - five days later.

Yallop quit as Galaxy coach to join the expansion Earthquakes in November after a testing season with the injury-ravaged Galaxy, who despite possessing a wealth of talent on paper, missed the playoffs for a second straight season. Yallop won MLS Cup titles with the previous incarnation of the Earthquakes in 2001 and 2003.

Gullit was named as Yallop's replacement in the week after his departure. The Dutchman brings experience from Chelsea, Newcastle and Feyenoord and only adds to the Galaxy's image as the glamor team of MLS. The pressure will be on them to back up that style with some substance this season. Beckham was hampered by ankle and knee injuries and appeared in only five league games last season, but should be fully fit going into his second MLS campaign.