Top Stories

The detailed rundown on how the LA Galaxy have built a juggernaut

GalaxyCelebrate (ISIPhotos.com)

The LA Galaxy just completed one of the best seasons in MLS history, if not the best, and they may be even better in 2012 after enjoying an outstanding off-season that has many scratching their heads at just how they've been able to do it.

If you have been wondering just how the Galaxy have constructed what looks like an unstoppable MLS roster, read my Fox Soccer column detailing just how the Galaxy have done it. It will offer you plenty of details into the real breakdown, and no, it's not based on conspiracy theories or preferential MLS treatment.

Give the column a read and feel free to share your thoughts on the piece, and on the Galaxy squad, in the comments section below.

Comments

  1. Agree, and I’m a Galaxy supporter. But can’t argue with the moves the team has made in efforts to get it done

    we’ll see what happens. I am psyched, I can tell you that!!!

    I love Omar and miss him already

    Reply
  2. My issue is not with the personnel moves to free salary and acquire allocations, it’s the $300K whipped cream on top courtesy of MLS. Every other team in MLS can play the first part of that game, and credit to LA for playing it well. But if Buddle costs $300K and they get handed a “winners” allocation of $300K, that’s a free player, $300K of not moving furniture around that everyone else has to do.

    I also think you’re finessing that it was not contractual continuity with most of the players I named, they were re-acquired at the end of their deal, off the market, or at the end of their loan. It’s not an accounting straight line. You admit as much by acting like Juninho would get a raise.

    Birchall + Berhalter + Kirovski + Hedjuk + Ricketts is $590K. But they added Boyens ($60K), Buddle ($300K?), Juninho raise, Leonardo raise, Beckham raise, Nakazawa ($44K), Noonan ($48K), Sarvas, perhaps other contractual upticks, and still apparently think they can afford a CB off the decent name market. Even getting a Ricketts allocation the only way this all gets afforded is the $300K whipped cream on top.

    Like I said, they’re able to keep people and then add some not just because they moved furniture around, but because the league is giving them two movers for free. That’s not fair when every other team would have had to trade some of the non-retiring talent just to meet the limit.

    Reply
  3. Beckerman I could understand, but why the hate for Edu? He has had a few rough games but the guy is one of our best in the center and Shea is a young guy who got burned out in his 1st full season as a pro! Give the guy some time..

    I’d love to see someone like Joe Gyau or maybe Luis Gil get a try as a sub in that game… but maybe wishful thinking…

    Reply
  4. Why not? Torres has WAY more to offer offensively than Sacha, yes he’s playing in Belgium but Torres is back to his usual self and just put in a GREAT effort to bring Pachuca back form 3-0 down in the 2nd half and being involved in almost all if not all 4 goals to make the comeback and this was away to Toluca 1 of the top teams in Mexico right now. I kind of want to see Chanlder on the Right Back spot with Johnson on the left….
    But wonder who could take the Left Wing, people like Vic^^^ hating on Shea should remember he did well last year, but I can see maybe LD moving to the left and seeing someone like Gatt play the right or maybe Feilhaber or even Corona? Hell even Adu could come up to the play the left wing…he did well in Gold Cup and has a history if doing well in these friendlies…

    Reply
  5. And what weak and sorry team from the East do you root for again?

    People act as if LA was like the Red Bulls who have never won anything….

    LA are the 2nd most successful team in MLS, only by 1 MLS Cup, and they have been more competitive in terms of making the playoffs and winning the regular season and making it to more MLS Cups and Concacaf Championships!

    And more important, they are coming off of Back 2 Back Supporter’s Shield in seasons in which they were pretty much the best team all of those 2 years and an MLS Cup….
    Yes they lost Omar but they are deep in many positions including Forward now with Buddle and have enough to repeat, it’s a matter of staying healthy and consistent

    Reply
  6. Are you sure? I read somewhere that it’s only 335K? Wikipedia (the most reliable source of information….KIDDING! LOL) says that it’s 335K? Just wondering if you have any links to this..

    I think people also need to look at things with reason. Juninho’s salary from last year more than covers Sarvas who came from Alajuelense, not even the richest team in Costa Rica which is Saprissa, If he got a raise to 150K and Buddle was signed at 350K with a little Allocation money to take him away from DP status, that’s 500K, they have Nakazawa who makes about 50K that’s about 550 and then Noonan who will most likely make near minimum lets just call it 60K to bring them to 610K. Between Ricketts 170K, Birchall’s 144K, Berhalter 96K, Hedjuk 96K and Kirvoski’s 84K plus Lopez who made about 50K that puts the Galaxy at a nice 640K… more than enough if you ask me that leaves room for the rookie Meyer and with the alocation they got from Ricketts alone they can finish paying him his 32-40K developmental contract which doesn’t even count towards the cap anyway by lowering a few players salaries by small bit since they already have about 20K left from the room they cleared… and could still pay Boyens and give Franklin a nice raise of about 30-50K since he resigned. Rest of allocation could be used for the talked about foreign CB a nice 150K if you will…
    I think they got more allocation money in another move but can’t forget which one…
    Oh and they could easily cut Cristman and save 60K, plus will Omar count towards cap while on IR?
    The big question is how long do they keep Barrett, he better renegotiate before the Re-Entry draft next year if he wants to stay, 225K is WAY too much for him..

    Reply
  7. Because RB had a complete moron as GM at the time who knew zero about soccer. He left for some other drink company called Purple Beverage or something and since I have never seen it in stores, I guess he did a great job there as well.

    Reply
  8. I seriously hope you are not referring to Buddle as “retaining a great forward, who will be a back up”

    Buddle is going to START next to Keane and help him draw attention for both of them to score as well as Donovan and Magee who LIVE off of those late runs on passes from guys who are collapsed on by defenses. Sarvas also adds to the attack. McBean is a rising star and Barrett will have a chance to replicate his production if he stays healthy all year as he will get chances with Buddle & Keane missing time with their national teams. Leonardo should provdie enough cover once he comes back late March/early April.

    Reply
  9. Why is it that everybody is so quick to judge people when they are 30….is there some magical number that says you can only play 10 or 12 years max….

    Go ask people in Europe how much of an easy time they have running after guys like Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol and even worst guys like Cambiasso or Zanetti who I think is close to 40 now and won a CL a few years back..

    I know Forlan has been injured but he had a great WC and La Liga campaign and just now is slowing down and I gotta say, that has more to do with Inter and his adaptation to Serie A as you can tell he got injured this year. Look at Milito, still scoring in Italy he’s in the 30’s isn’t he?

    Donovan will be 30, Buddle 31 and Keane 32 they will be fine, Beckham is 37 but with Juninho, AJ, Sean Franklin, Leonardo when he comes back they’ll be fine…Guy just plays hard for ever what can I say?

    Reply
  10. You along with all the crybabies should really do your research….

    Last time I checked all the players that you claim are the other parts of what the Galaxy got, were already there….
    You say “it’s Juninho, Leonardo, a new Beckham deal, and talk of a foreign CB signing.”

    Correct me if I’m wrong but weren’t all of those players WITH the Galaxy last year… what changed? Sarvas was coming from Alajuelense, doubt he costs more than last year’s 96K for Juninho…If they signed Buddle for 350K & Juninho at 150K plus the 50K for Nakazawa that’s only about 550K after clearing cap space with trading Ricketts, the retirements of Berhalter, Kirovski and Hedjuk and the departure of Birchall you get almost 600K more than enough
    Plus they also parted ways with Miguel Lopez which should pay for Boyens…
    The allocation pays for maybe an increase to Franklin and some increases here and there. Plus driving down a bunch of players salaries bit by bit to make enough room for Meyer’s most likely developmental contract and Noonan’s low contract as well…
    They got a good chunk from Montreal in allocation that alone would solve it. They also got a bonus for making the CCL KNOCK OUT ROUNDS and for making it next year as the CCL. The Regular season needs to have more value.. this is a great way to give it some…

    Most of the expenses of the Galaxy were covered with all the old and expensive personnel they got rid of, they barely used much of their allocation to cover it..
    They should probably cut Cristman that’s another 50K for that CB to use…
    But we’ll see. Why shouldn’t they get rewarded for trading away a great player? You act like teams can’t do this and it’s exclusive to the Galaxy? He is no longer with the team thus no longer on cap, and he should be paid for with Allocation, why not?

    If teams don’t want to spend on DPs that is THEIR problem, and I remind you last year was the FIRST TIME a team with a DP won, closest thing was a team winning it and then making a player a DP like Schelotto

    Reply
  11. I don’t see how he’s better than Michael Bradley for starters, despite his suspensions and hot tempered head Jermaine Jones and also more important is that Clint Dempsey might be best used as the withdrawn Forward behind Jozy and in front of the 2 Center mids if Klinsmann wants to go with this 4-2-3-1….

    I’d take Edu over Sacha as well, SPL is not all that great but I know what we get from Edu, and quite honestly CANNOT wait for him to make a move to say Germany or Italy or even England, he did very well vs Man Utd in the CL last season…
    Sacha just suffers from being in a position that is very stacked, yes he’s had a good run of form but we have players playing in better leagues and 1 in maybe a lesser league but with better talent and history in Edu…
    Hell Torres will probably come back and Klinsmann rates him high as well, Sacha just needs to keep working and it wouldn’t hurt him to switch clubs unless his side can get in the group stages of CL next season, I don’t see why he stays there?
    If Holden comes back strong and near where he was, forget about Sacha getting chances..

    Danny Williams at his natural position and with the good showing of CB could probably pass him as well considering his in a mid table Bundesliga team

    Reply
  12. It’s not just Buddle and Sarvas, it’s Juninho, Leonardo, a new Beckham deal, and talk of a foreign CB signing.

    More pointedly, if other teams would have to make cap-clear trades because they don’t have $300K in self-replicating winners’ allocations, why shouldn’t LA? Most of the teams you’re talking about probably lost multiple players in order to free the room to recruit more.

    Reply
  13. LA got $300K for making the CCL and winning SS. Arguably that’s a double reward for the same action because SS gets you CCL. And in practical terms this is like a free designated player coming off their cap number, after they already max out on DPs in a way most teams can’t. The league has a $2.5-3 million cap so that’s a 10-15% head start.

    Reply
  14. You’re conflating parity of rules with parity of result. I think the rules should be equal and then the 20 teams end up where they do. If you have to give allocations out give them to weak teams to improve league personnel and try to catch them up, don’t give them to the best and basically imbalance the competition.

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Edwin in LA Cancel reply