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Eddie Lewis set to join LA Galaxy, Gibbs to Colorado (UPDATED)

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Eddie Lewis and Cory Gibbs are set to come back to the Major League Soccer.

SBI has learned that the Los Angeles Galaxy are set to acquire the rights to Lewis after passing on Gibbs with the top spot in the MLS Allocation order. Lewis is set to return to MLS for the first time since leaving for Europe in 1999. Lewis will now join the Galaxy, currently being coached by long-time national team teammate Cobi Jones.

Cory Gibbs future MLS home has yet to be decided, but new potential destinations have emerged has been picked up by the Colorado Rapids and is expected to slide into a starting central defender role.

Source have informed SBI that the Colorado Rapids are considering selecting Gibbs with the top allocation pick, but Gibbs wants to play for New England, which holds the No. 2 allocation spot after LA selected Lewis. (UPDATE)- The Rapids have used their allocation spot to pick up Gibbs.

So why would Colorado select Gibbs? The Rapids could use the help defensively and there is a tie to Gibbs in the organization. Rapids director of player development John Murphy was an assistant coach at Brown University and recruited Gibbs to attend Brown.

Though that tie exists, sources tell SBI that Gibbs is was more inclined to join the New England Revolution. It remains to be seen just how interested the Revs are were. According to reports out of Central America, New England is on the verge of signing central defender Gabriel Badilla.  You may remember Badilla as the defender the Revs were considering signing last winter. With Badilla joining Michael Parkhurst in central defense, Gibbs could potentially have been the Revs left back in a four-man back-line. While it appears unlikely that New England would have traded anything of value to Colorado for Gibbs’ rights, the Revs appeared set to grab Gibbs if the Rapids passed.

As for Lewis, he is expected to help give the Galaxy midfield some balance by providing a dangerous winger on the left flank to complement David Beckham on the right flank. The 34-year-old Cerritos, California native is still playing at a high level, as evidenced by his recent turns with the U.S. national team. His veteran poise should also help a team dealing with plenty of turmoil following the departures of head coach Ruud Gullit and team president Alexi Lalas.

What do you think of the news? Is Eddie Lewis a good fit for the Galaxy? Would the Rapids have been foolish or wise to pass on Cory Gibbs? Could Gibbs help the Rapids halt their current slide? Do the Revs need to take a chance on Gibbs or should they stand pat with their current team and Badilla?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Shoring up the midfield is the best way to fix the Galaxy Defense. Xavier wasn’t that bad…simply exposed by a putrid midfield. It wouldn’t have mattered who was on the back line. Beckham has to move to the centre.

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  2. As a Derby County fan i will pay anyone good money to take Eddie Lewis off our hands. He is useless.. ya very welcome to him!

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  3. In my opinion, the Rapids’ defensive problems are on the sides of the field rather than in the center. And Colorado needs a forward who can score much more than it needs a new central defender. If the Rapids could manage to score some goals, the team could make do with its current defensive makeup. In any case, adding a new central defender would just necessitate the defense taking more time to adjust to a new face. And the scoring drought will continue. So maybe the addition of Gibbs will allow Colorado to salvage a 0-0 draw at home, rather than getting shut out 1-0.

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  4. Eddie Lewis played one year in MLS with Paul Bravo, in 1996 for the San Jose Clash, before Bravo got traded to Colorado in 1997. Bravo’s personal connection might be part of the reason LA took Lewis instead of Gibbs.

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  5. As a Derby County fan and season ticket holder, can I just check that you are honestly talking about the Eddie Lewis that is currently at our Club?

    I can’t believe some of you think he is a good player? He is absolutley terrible and I can guarantee you 99% of Derby fans would actually personally pay his air fare to the US just to get rid him.

    I know we had a terrible season last season and haven’t exactly started brightly this season but I am being honest here when I say Eddie Lewis is the worst of a bad bunch.

    PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE sign Lewis ASAP – one of thew worst players I have ever seen in a Derby shirt and there have been more than a few bad ones!!

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  6. It took Lalas to leave for the Galaxy to make a smart move! The midfield has been a major problem all year. Lewis will help will help with possession and the backline will benefit.

    Now if they could only move Beckham to the middle and push Klein to midfield, the Galaxy can turn this thing around.

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  7. Matt in SF – okay, so my numbers are slightly off. It STILL doesn’t add up.

    Doesn’t matter – as usual, an overly stocked team is not what succeeds in MLS and LA will miss the playoffs once again. When will NY and LA learn that it is the NE/Houston model that wins in MLS (i.e., NOT with designated players, but with the right role players playing as a team), not the NY/NJ/Metro/RBNY-Hermosillo/Hernandez Galaxy model?

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  8. AH thats right his free kick against RSL my bad. However what im trying to say is that EL is in form and can be a vital player in a pinch. possible second half substitute but i think Jones will start him. Lewis’ crosses are very dangerous and are capable of finding the man in the box even with defenders around him. Hopefully Lewis can bring a more defensive element to Galaxy’s game or else this will only have added another attacking star. however i have no doubt lewis will help on the defensive end

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  9. A couple things.

    1.) Beckham scored on a free kick against RSL.

    2.) They have nothing on the left flank, and because of it they can’t control the mid, which leads the other teams having lots of attacking chances.

    3.) Currently the galaxy have a few players brought in from Gambia on trial. 2 of which are defenders.

    They needed some strength on that left side and in the midfield. With a midfielder like Lewis you can count on him to get back, and help stop the attack rather than stand there and watch goals occur.

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  10. 2009 is not actually that difficult a situation for LA. Presently the salary cap problem for LA does not stem from the three DP-level players; it comes from the other six-figure players not performing at that level. Vagenas is definitely not a starter in a healthy Galaxy squad, yet earns on the order of $150k. Vanney is a liability at the back every time he plays, and makes $91k. Jazic, at almost $130k, is currently a starter, but is almost as old as Lewis, and becomes extremely dispensable the moment Lewis signs. The only upper-mid-range players in the squad who are MLS starter quality right now are Buddle and Klein, so I would not doubt the Galaxy’s ability to clear cap room in 2009 after using allocation money for 2008.

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  11. I think people crying that LA is stupid for passing on a injury prone player who hasn’t played a competitive match in TWO YEARS is laughable.

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  12. The only thing this suggests to me is that Cory Gibbs’ health must be questionable. I like Lewis as a player and as presence, but the Galaxy really do need pure defenders more than they need an LM who can play LB in a pinch.

    Unless they know somebody with a reliable defender or central mid who’d like to trade for Lewis. That’s always possible right?

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  13. yeah, lewis can easily provide cover in the back. I think the fact that he could/maybe should still be in the LB mix with the national team is enough to answer that question.

    I also don’t subscribe to the idea that lewis will be a reyna-type bust in MLS. He doesn’t have nearly the injury history.

    also, not sure who remarked that since lewis hangs out with reyna with the USMNT that he is some sort of prima-donna. that’s ridiculous! Eddie Lewis is a pro who still has more than enough ability to flourish in MLS with his style of play.

    While Gibbs would indeed help the LA backline, I still say ‘well done’ on the part of the galaxy.

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  14. their cm is still so bad. it doesnt matter how good their wide players are because they wont get any service from the cm’s anyway. they will be screaming for the ball out wide then sprint back to cover when alvaro pires loses the ball in midfield.

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  15. @James Where did you find Eddie Lewis’ salary numbers for the rest of the season?

    Besides, the FO would probably prorate his salary for the rest of the season. Even if he was a max salary player–basically impossible–LA has more than enough allocation money to pay him.

    I think you should also take a look at the MLS CBA and cap rules, since dev. players and Gen. Adidas players don’t count against the cap.

    But keep on fighting the good fight. You’ll graduate high school soon and maybe learn how to research things before you open your mouth.

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  16. Eddie Lewis is a great pick-up because he won’t turn the ball over as much. Midfield turnsovers are really the main defensive problem with the Galaxy, not personel.

    The Galaxy should also switch to Don Fabio Capello’s ‘Double Pivot’ formation to further secure their porous central midfield.

    …………..Buddle

    E.Lewis….Donovan….Beckham

    …….Pires…..Vagenas

    Jazic…Dominguez…Franklin…Klein

    ………….Cronin

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