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Morning Ticker: Galaxy wins, Seattle signs defender and more MLS Notes

EdsonBuddle (AP) 

The Los Angeles Galaxy didn't have David Beckham or Landon Donovan for its first competitive match of the new year, but that didn't stop Bruce Arena's squad from getting off on a winning note.

Goals from Edson Buddle and Jovan Kirovski were enough to help LA post a 2-0 victory against Japanese club Oita Trinita in Pan-Pacific Championship action at Home Depot Center on Wednesday night. The victory moves the Galaxy to Saturday's Pan-Pacific final against Suwon Blue Wings, which downed Shandong Luneng Taishan FC, 1-0, on Wednesday.

Here are some other stories to get your day started:

Sounders sign defender

The Seattle Sounders continued their aggressive and impressive roster building on Wednesday with the addition of Colombia defender Jhon Kennedy Hurtado. The former Deportivo Cali defender joins former club teammate Fredy Montero on a Sounders squad that is looking less and less like an expansion team with every signing made by Sigi Schmid and Co.

The addition of Hurtado to a back-line that already includes Tyrone Marshall, Tyson Wahl, Taylor Graham and James Riley should help the Sounders field a stronger defense than we have seen from recent MLS expansion teams.

Richards gets big bump

The terms of Red Bulls midfielder Dane Richards' new contract have yet to be released but sources tell SBI that the Jamaican winger will go from making senior roster minimum ($33,000 in 2008) to a six-figure salary, a figure at least three times higher than what he earned last season.

The pay raise comes on the heels of Richards' impressive showing in the playoffs, and overall strong form in the second half of the 2008 season. Richards, who had two years remaining on his original deal, had been pushing for a new contract since after the 2007 season, but a knee injury in spring training last year put those talks on the back burner.

In other Red Bulls news, sources tell SBI that a situation could be brewing between the Red Bulls and second-round draft pick Babajide Ogunbiyi. Apparently Ogunbiyi will only sign with the Red Bulls for senior contract offer and will not accept one of the team's developmental roster spots and the miniscule salary that goes with it. Ogunbiyi is slated to join the Red Bulls for training next month after completing his studies at Santa Clara.

News & Notes

Rumors have resurfaced linking Toronto FC with FC Dallas defender Adrian Serioux, but sources tell SBI those talks have long since ended. TFC is poised to make one final flurry of player signings before the start of the new season. …The Chicago Fire tied Mexican club Queretaro, 1-1, in exhibition action in Mexico on Wednesday. Justin Mapp provided the Fire's goal. …FC Dallas is considering signing Argentine playmaker Walter Gaitan. … Pete Byers didn't have to wait long to find work after seeing his contract talks with the San Jose Earthquakes fall apart. The Antiguan striker signed a two-year deal with the Montreal Impact. … The Houston Dynamo tied Swedish club Hammarby, 0-0, in exhibition action in Carson, California on Wednesday.

That's all for now. What do you think of the above stories? Did the Galaxy impress you last night (or were you already asleep by the time the game started?) Are the Seattle Sounders starting to scare you with all of the impressive signings the are making? Think the Red Bulls will sign Ogunbiyi?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Well, your source on the Serioux is correct that there was interest (way back when at the draft), and we know nothing came of it…but it was just last week when Buzz in Dallas began to suggest that Serioux might be expendable…so it is not this latest interest that your source was talking about.
    Furthermore, Danny Dichio arrived with TFC Friday evening and posted on his Twitter site that he had met an friend at the hotel who “might be signing (for TFC)tomorrow.”

    Could be any 30plus English triallist, knowing Mo and Carver…but it could also be Dichio’s Millwall teammate and friend (and Toronto resident who has shown up at DD’s soccer camp) Adrian Serioux – who is of course in the same Holiday Inn with FCD.

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  2. “The addition of Hurtado to a back-line that already includes Tyrone Marshall, Tyson Wahl, Taylor Graham and James Riley should help the Sounders field a stronger defense than we have seen from recent MLS expansion teams.”

    Hmm..San Jose had Riley, as well as MLS Cup winning defenders Garcia and Cochrane, and a solid young-ish guy like Wahl in Hernandez. None of them are 34 like Marshall either, and none of them failed in MLS twice like Graham.

    Not like it matters though, just sayin’.

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  3. Ogunbiyi can go to hell. It’s incredibly bush league for a player who has yet to play a single MLS minute, and who is changing positions to one where he has very little experience, to make demands. Prove yourself first and then you’ll get what you deserve.
    Posted by: Eugene | February 19, 2009 at 01:34 PM

    ————

    So if you were fresh out of college and reasonably confident that your skills and training would make you $50-75k a year working for a different company (USL, Norway…), would you automatically take a job for $19k?

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  4. I watched the first half of the Galaxy game last night. My conclusion is that Oita Trinita were outplayed by the gals and therefore really suck.

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  5. Have to admit I know next to zilch about Hurtado, but if he was being looked at at AC Milan he can’t be too shabby. What I love is that the Sounders FO is pursuing young internationals (Montero is 23, Hurtado is 24) rather than trotting out a host of semi-retireds ((Ljunberg’s not THAT old). Should address SSFC’s biggest need for some pace at the back.

    Also, it seems as if Hurtado and Montero are good friends when both played at Deportivo Cali. Should make the transition north easier for both.

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  6. Anyone else think that Eddie Lewis is trying to get back in the national team picture with his move to Left back?? Everybody knows its our weak spot. Not that i think it will work, but i believe thats what he has in mind.

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  7. The Ogunbiyi situation is made even more ridiculous by the fact that he skipped try-outs and training to date. Who does he think he is?

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  8. Ogunbiyi can go to hell. It’s incredibly bush league for a player who has yet to play a single MLS minute, and who is changing positions to one where he has very little experience, to make demands.

    Prove yourself first and then you’ll get what you deserve.

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  9. You know, LA Galaxy might do just fine this year. Oita Trinita are a very good club. They were in the running until the end for the J-League title, and as most people know J-League > MLS.

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  10. “the Jamaican winger will go from making senior roster minimum ($33,000 in 2008) to a six-figure salary, a figure at least three times higher than what he earned last season.”

    Thanks for the help with the math! I was scratching my head trying to figure out how many digits $33,000 x 3 had!

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  11. All reports out of Germany today is that LD is too expensive for them. They’re interested, but given the financial times and the price tag MLS has placed on him, they’re probably not going to sign him.

    Oh, well, at least they wanted him. I hope he gets more playing time before his loan is over and he nets a few. Hopefully he’ll get a transfer somewhere good over the summer.

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  12. PanchoMiguelMoralesdeConejo:

    Sanneh played CB and shifted out left whenever Lewis pushed up, not CM, and he did play quite well. Tudela & Kovalenko played in the center of midfield. I noticed every player for the Gals last night was an American sans Dema, who may have U.S. citizenship by now. That seems to be a rarity anymore in the MLS. I guess Bruce misses coaching the USA. Is Buddle the new TrimSpa spokesman or something? He seems to have lost his chipmunk cheeks.

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  13. I’m sure Landon has been dreaming of playing in Scandinavia.

    He will be starting on a European team of Champion League caliber by the end of the year.

    Did Charlie Davies play in the Hammerby Dynamo friendly? I can’t find a box score, just like I can’t find one for the Galaxy game (did DeLaGarza play?)

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  14. Tough to predict on Hurtado.

    2007 was the year of the hot new signing. Beckham, Angel, Emilio, Fred, Blanco, etc made impacts on their teams.

    2008 started with a flurry of new signings as everyone assumed the dozens of new foreigners would bring the league to a new level.

    In the end, 2008 was the year of the foreign flop. Half of them were cut by summer and only Olave to me recollection was much above average much less Premier League material.

    We’ll know in 6 or 7 months how he does.

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  15. Javier, Landon has no other options until the summer transfer window opens in UEFA (june 1, I think) he’s under contract to the Galaxy and the loan agreement allows for only Bayern to take him until then. personally, I think he’s pretty much screwed, I don’t see the Galaxy selling him for a reasonable price this summer (what do you sell the league’s highest scorer and the best player on your national team for?) I think the Gals will want 10 million for him and are unlikely to get that from German clubs.

    an interesting option that no one has really mentioned? Man City.

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  16. Javier, he won’t be able to join another team in Europe until the reopening of the transfer window in the summer. So if Bayern do not want him, he must come back, and wait.

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  17. AP, though he does have a knack for finding the net, Buddle was not good last night. His goal was off a mistake from the defender and all MLS keepers should stop a near post strike from that angle. CAP him we should not.

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  18. Does anyone know if Beasley got seriously hurt yesterday? I heard he limped off the field.

    Posted by: Robert | February 19, 2009 at 10:35 AM

    — That is just out of habit. He does not know how to walk off any other way.

    —————————————–

    LOL : ( poor guy has been unlucky.

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  19. If Bayern Munich doesn’t sign Donovan what are his options besides returning to the Galaxy? I’ve read on several sites and possibly on this site that other European team are interested in him. Is that just posturing by his agent or is it true? If it is true does anyone know the names of the teams interested in him?

    As much of a fan of his that I am I think his returning to MLS would seem like his third and perhaps last failure/chance at European soccer.

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  20. who exactly is “oohing and aahing”? and what’s w/ the random nonsensical shot at LD…go back to bigsoccer.

    i saw the buddle goal and actually it was quite nice. cracker w/ the left foot from a bad angle.

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  21. Does anyone know if Beasley got seriously hurt yesterday? I heard he limped off the field.

    Posted by: Robert | February 19, 2009 at 10:35 AM

    — That is just out of habit. He does not know how to walk off any other way.

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  22. You lags (and especially the LAG) should be getting worried about Seattle. Our defense was clearly our weak spot and this signing should go a long way to remedy that situation. Bring on March 19!

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  23. A tourney which allows a team as bad as the Galaxy in, is in no way “competitive”. Oohing and aahing over all star game “wins”, Pan Pacific matches, and Landycakes performance in meaningless friendlies is small time. Seriously small time.

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  24. I wonder which USl side will sign Ogunbiyi.

    Should RBNY be signing these Columbians? It’s nice to see them stepping up to the plate for Richards. He reminds me of Wright-Phillips. I half expected him to be fielding offers from Europe – maybe he was…

    Did Davies play for Hammarby? I’m lookign forward to Houston’s CL game. I hope they’ve had enough warm up considering they are going up against a team that have been playing league games for a while now. it good that Chingy, Clark, Holden (too some extent) and Cameron have been in nat’s camp as well as preseason training. I really want them to rep the MLS well.

    Way to go LAG – improved on last years tourney w/o LD and Becks.

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  25. Is Sanneh going to make the final roster?

    Everytime the RBNY FO makes a good move (Richards) something comes up that just makes you scratch your head, there were some players who could have been a big help where they drafted Ogunbiyi. b Hopefully it’ll work out it the end…

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  26. The Galaxy’s midfield looked markedly improved. Sanneh in the CM was pure class, and Eddie Lewis at LB, interesting development…

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  27. just goes to show you that MLS draft picks are not worth that much.

    its sort of like scatch off lotto,,,if you get something you get something, if not , no big deal b/c the odds are so stacked against you anyway

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  28. San Jose just signed pick #33 Quincy Amarikwa to a senior contract. DC seems likely to offer pick #21 Milos Kocic a senior contract. So pick #18 getting one wouldn’t be unreasonable. It’s a tricky range in the draft. Eric Brunner was #16 last year. Historically players in that range have been on developmental deals more often than not. But the senior roster expansion from 18 to 20 seems geared towards letting teams lock up these prospects. This was a rather deep draft.

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