On the heels of their 2-1 loss to the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday, the LA Galaxy will look to get back into the win column on Sunday night when they host the Houston Dynamo at The Home Depot Center. That game, which is presented by Xbox, kicks off at 7 p.m. and can be seen live on ESPN2. The Dynamo are currently in first place in the Western Conference with an MLS-best 28 points and they are the only MLS team (with the exception of the expansion Seattle Sounders FC) that the Galaxy have never beaten at The Home Depot Center. But the Galaxy will look to end that run, and the Dynamo's 11-game unbeaten streak on Sunday while also snapping their own two-game losing streak to get back into fifth place in the West.
The first 10,000 fans who enter The Home Depot Center for Sunday evening's game against the Dynamo will receive a free Galaxy Sinch Sack. Additionally, the first 7,500 fans who enter the stadium will receive a free Galaxy Car Flag, courtesy of Xbox.
The club will also be offering $1 beers and $1 hot dogs before the game. Be sure to call 877-3GALAXY or visit www.lagalaxy.com for more information about these exciting promotions.
THE WEEK THAT WAS
Saturday, June 20
LA Galaxy 1 - San Jose Earthquakes 2 - Oakland Alameda Coliseum - Attendance: 17,128
LA Galaxy U 20's 0 - Poway Vaqueros U-20's 1 - Poway High School
Sunday, June 21
LA Galaxy U-20's 1 - Southern California Seahorses U-20's 0 - The Home Depot Center
GALAXY INJURY REPORT
OUT - Sean Franklin (Right Hamstring - Surgery - Disabled List), Yohance Marshall (Right MCL - Sprain - Disabled List)
DOUBTFUL - Dema Kovalenko (Left Calf - Contusion)
QUESTIONABLE - Josh Saunders (Right Ankle - Sprain)
PROBABLE - None
TEAM NOTES
TWO STRAIGHT:
With the 2-1 loss to San Jose on Saturday afternoon, the Galaxy have now lost two straight games for the first time this season. The loss was the Galaxy's first of the season away from The Home Depot Center, snapping their six-game unbeaten streak on the road. LA had entered the game as the only team in MLS without a loss away from home.
Additionally, the current two-game losing streak is just the second time in Bruce Arena's tenure with the Galaxy that the club has lost two straight. Arena took charge of the club in August 2008 and the team lost consecutive games just once in his first 22 games in charge before dropping the last two.
DONOVAN TO MISS SUNDAY'S GAME: As a result of the U.S. National Team advancing to the semifinals of the FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa, the Galaxy will again be without their captain, Landon Donovan for Sunday's game against the Houston Dynamo. The U.S. is back in action on Wednesday against Spain in the tournament semifinals and will then play again on Sunday against either Brazil or South Africa in the Confederations Cup Final or Third Place Game.
Donovan has served as the U.S. captain in each of the first three games of the tournament, starting and playing the full 90 minutes in each game. Donovan has a goal and an assist in the three games, giving him 40 goals and 36 assists as a member of the National Team, each of which are U.S. records.
Donovan will be back with the Galaxy ahead of the club's Fourth of July game against New England.
BERHALTER TO CHAT ON TUESDAY: LA Galaxy defender Gregg Berhalter will participate in a chat with ESPN SportsNation on Tuesday afternoon at 12 p.m. (PT). The 35-year-old veteran center back has appeared in and started 10 games this season after signing with the Galaxy in April. You can follow this link to participate in this chat or to follow live it live through ESPN SportsNation.
KIROVSKI BACK ON THE SCORESHEET: Jovan Kirovski had the Galaxy's only goal in Saturday's 2-1 loss at San Jose, heading past Joe Cannon to cut the Earthquakes lead to 2-1 in the 65th minute. The goal was the 25th of Kirovski's MLS career and his first since the 2007 season. Additionally, Kirovski, who played for the Galaxy from 2004-05 before re-joining the club earlier this year, scored his first goal in the league as a member of Galaxy since June 4, 2005 and now has 13 goals in 57 games as a member of the Galaxy.
BOWEN DEBUTS: Tristan Bowen, the first player in MLS history to be signed by a club through the league's Youth Development Initiative that was unveiled in November 2006, made his MLS debut on Saturday, coming on for the final minutes of the 2-1 loss at San Jose. The 18-year old forward played in the U.S. Open Cup Play-In Game against Colorado in April, as well as the friendly win over CS Herediano earlier this month but had not appeared in a league game before replacing Chris Klein in second half stoppage time on Saturday.
Bowen is the fourth youngest player to ever play a game for the Galaxy, with only Israel Sesay, Guillermo Gonzalez and Quavas Kirk being younger than Bowen when they made their Galaxy debut. He is also the fourth youngest player currently in MLS, and the second youngest to play in a game this season. Toronto FC's 17-year old forward Fuad Ibrahim is the only player younger than Bowen to play a game in 2009.
CAPTAIN KLEIN CONTINUES STREAK: With Landon Donovan away on international duty and Eddie Lewis suspended, Chris Klein wore the captain's armband for the first time this season. The 33-year-old midfielder was back in the starting lineup for the first time since June 6 in Toronto and played 90 minutes on the right side of midfield before being replaced by Tristan Bowen early in stoppage time.
Klein is one of two Galaxy players, along with Omar Gonzalez, to play in all 14 of the club's regular season games this year and has now played in an MLS record 129 consecutive games dating back to June 2005 when he was a member of the Kansas City Wizards. Klein last missed a game on June 4, 2005 in New England, but went on to play the final 21 games of the year for the Wizards that season. Prior to the start of the 2006 campaign, Klein was traded to Real Salt Lake, with who he played in 43 games in a year and a half before being traded to LA in June 2007.
Since joining the Galaxy, Klein has played in all 65 of the club's regular season games, starting 59 times while tallying two goals and 11 assists.
YOUTH ACADEMY
LA GALAXY U-20's SPLIT GAMES, REMAIN IN FIRST PLACE:
The LA Galaxy Youth Academy U-20 team suffered their first defeat of the 2009 season on Saturday but remained in first place in the Pacific Southern California Division standings after earning their fifth win of the season on Sunday.
The weekend started with a 1-0 road loss to the Poway Vaqueros on Saturday, a loss that snapped the Galaxy's four-game winning streak to open the season. However, the Galaxy responded at home on Sunday, knocking off the Southern California Seahorses 1-0. That win improved LA's record to 5-1-0 on the season and left them three points clear of second place SUSA with four games remaining on the schedule.
The Galaxy are looking for their second consecutive division championship after winning the same group in 2008 with a 7-2-1 record while outscoring opponents 41-7. They are back in action on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. when they host the Lancaster Rattlers on Field #7 at The Home Depot Center. Lancaster is currently 2-4-0 on the season and lost to the Galaxy 3-1 at home late last month.
IN THE COMMUNITY
LA GALAXY FOUNDATION TO HOST CAMPS FOR KIDS: The LA Galaxy Foundation will join forces with The Home Depot Center Charitable Foundation to focus on fun, fitness and soccer by hosting Camps for Kids. Camps for Kids is an opportunity for approximately 100 children ages 7-10 to participate in a camp that features soccer drills, including dribbling, passing, shooting, and small sided games as well as fitness tips. This will be the first of three Camps for Kids that the Foundations will host this year.
The first edition of "Camps for Kids" will feature a visit from Galaxy defenders Omar González and Tony Sanneh, forward Alan Gordon and goalkeeper Josh Saunders.
Galaxy Soccer Camps' staff will provide instruction and basic soccer skills for the camp. Athletes Performance, the official training partner of the Galaxy, will demonstrate how to properly warm-up before any physical activity, talk to the kids about the importance of hydration and host a physical fitness station. Proctor & Gamble will have its Crest Big Mouth present giving the kids tips on dental care.
LA GALAXY FOUNDATION TO HOLD EQUIPMENT SALE: The LA Galaxy Foundation will hold an equipment sale, giving fans the chance to purchase Galaxy gear, on Sunday, June 28 prior to the Galaxy-Dynamo game at The Home Depot Center. The equipment sale, which will be held on the Northwest corner of the tennis stadium inside The Home Depot Center, will be Cash Only, with an extensive collection of Galaxy gear on offer. The sale will begin when gates open to the public and will run through halftime. All money raised in the equipment sale will benefit the LA Galaxy Foundation.
NEED TO KNOW
GALAXY DEPORTIVO IS BACK: Galaxy Deportivo, the Galaxy's official half hour show in Spanish, is back for sixth season with hosts Alejandro Navarro and Elmer Polanco on KWHY-22. Catch the show this week and every other Saturday, at 6 p.m.
On top of behind-the-scenes footages, exclusive interviews and features and in-depth profiles, Galaxy Deportivo also recaps the club's latest activity within the community. Similar to how the fan's passion for the Galaxy is not limited to game day, neither is Galaxy Deportivo's coverage.
Past shows can be viewed on archive at www.LAGalaxyFutbol.com.
PURO GALAXY HITS ESPN DEPORTES RADIO: ESPN Deportes Radio KWKW 1330 AM, the Galaxy's official Spanish language radio partner, is the place for all of your Galaxy news and information en español. The best place to get that information is on Puro Galaxy, the network's weekly, hour-long show that airs every Saturday from noon-1 p.m.
Galaxy color analyst Armando Aguayo and Galaxy sideline reporter Mario Amaya are joined on a weekly basis by the players, coaches and a series of special guests that allow the fan to get excited for match day. So tune in each and every week and stay up to date with everything that is going on in the Galaxy.
Fans can also listen to free podcasts of previous episodes at www.LAGalaxyFutbol.com.
LOOKING FOR MORE UPDATES?: If you are looking for continuous updates from the Galaxy all week long, be sure to visit the club's official websites www.lagalaxy.com and www.lagalaxyfutbol.com, or the club's official blog at www.thelagalaxy.blogspot.com for all the latest news from the club.
