David Beckham silenced some boo-birds and Landon Donovan showed once again why he's considered the best field player in U.S. national team history, but even that wasn't enough to stop the European champions.
FC Barcelona posted a 2-1 victory against the Los Angeles Galaxy at the Rose Bowl on Saturday night in front of a crowd of 93,137, a record for a match involving an MLS team. Jeffren Suarez scored the game-winner for Barcelona in the 67th minute, off-setting a beautiful free kick finish from Beckham. Pedro Rodriguez tapped home a loose ball in the 11th minute to open the scoring.
In case you missed the match, or in case you just want to see the best moments again, here are highlights from last night's match:
What did you think of last night's match? Impressed with how the Galaxy played? Excited for the upcoming European season?
Share your thoughts below.
De La Garza is a beast but Miglioranzi, Lewis, and Kirovski need to retire. Where the heck was Buddle?
Messi!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Barca!!!!!!!!!!
Its up to Landon to decide what he wants to do. But it is clear he is in top form now. Add me to the list of players who think LD is the best field player ever for the USA. I can understand the case for Reyna or Ramos, but I think LD surpasses them in many areas – including durability. I believe LD has at least five great years left in the tank.
I don’t speak Arabic, but their announcers sure seem weird. It sounds as if they are describing the action and getting genuinely excited at big moments. Don’t they have a sound board with with buttons that will just repeatedly scream “Goal/Penalty/Foul” anytime something happens?
Mike, the difference between the reactions for Beckham and Donovan’s European aspirations is that Donovan has done all he can for the Galaxy. Including almost single handedly winning a MLS Cup. Moving to a European Club is the logical progression for a player of his accomplishments at this point in his career.
Beckham could have gone to AC Milan before coming to the Galaxy, but he didn’t. Having already played at the highest levels with United and Real it’s not like a move to AC Milan would be some unprecedented accomplishment in his career.
Good game by the Galaxy. Granted, they pretty much parked the bus most of the game (against Barca you can’t blame them) but executed some counters pretty well. Beckham is still a hell of a player and Landon is always a threat. I think Pep knew it judging by his comments before the game and the Spanish NT guys on the team definitely know it. That said, it IS a friendly and the first preseason game for most of the Barca regulars, with Iniesta and Ibra still missing, and only 4 starters being played in each half so I would not read too much into it especially “OMG MLS can now compete in the Champions League WOOOO!!!”. If Messi, Henry, Yaya, Alves, Xavi, Pique, Puyol, etc. would have actually played a half together I think it would not be unreasonable to say the scoreline would have been somewhat different.
Barca had over 70% possession but LA did a good job denying the end product. Great discipline and props to Arena he packed the midfield and forced the ball onto the wings. More and more teams will play Barca like this (learning from Chelsea) which is in part why they got Ibra. A 6’4 beast in the middle now makes crossing balls into the box at least a viable option and if not, he will at least draw 2 or so defenders, opening space for the midgets to penetrate.
Keep in mind though that of the 6 players they played in the front line only Henry and Messi are veterans and they didn’t play together. The other 4 were Bojan (highly talented but still only 18), Pedrito, and Jeffren (21 year old youth team canteranos only now breaking in), and Guddy who hasn’t played forward in something like 4 years. That may have affected the finishing part. Still, LA did a hell of a lot better than the Red Bulls did last year. Compared to their own form last year, they have really improved.
It also should be reiterated that Tab Ramos was probably the most technically soccer-skilled player in US history. Sadly injuries limited his stats somewhat. But he had tremendous vision and creativity, and a silky touch to die for. In WC ’94 I’ll never forget that gorgeous, weighted ball he served in to Earnie Stewart to slot home vs the Colombians. And he gave the Brazilians such fits Leonardo took him out with a vicious, concussion-inducing elbow.
“CR10 – Claudio Reyna – is the best field player in US History. He played for over a decade, anchored the midfield (we still don’t have a reliable replacement for him), starting as an attacking midfielder and, as the years progressed, aged superbly like a fine wine and became a brilliant holding midfielder (made the WC 2002 “all-star” XI). In LD’s words, CR10 could “dictate the pace of the game”. Landon is a brilliant player, but he is not a field general. He’s got his pace and touch, still lacks the finishing to be a lethal striker, and also lacks the vision to be a midfield general. He is still the US’ best field player right now.
Posted by: DS”
Folks, we have a nominee for post of the year. Very well said.
That said, Donovan should be given his due. Per Leonardo, “Landon was impressive – that Barca would rush 3 players to him immediately upon receiving the ball. that’s *respect*”.
I noticed in the last couple games vs. Mexico, you could tell marking Donovan was top priority for the Mexicans. Two or three of the tricolores would converge on him anytime Donovan got the ball.
Land-O is lightning fast!
did u see his missed shot from the left side? He smoked Pique by a long-shot! my bro was at the game and said Landon was impressive – that Barca would rush 3 players to him immediately upon receiving the ball. that’s *respect*
Sat midfield, 31 rows up, awesome, just awesome.
Thanks Joe Q, a pretty decent rejoinder to Gary and Josh2. No one is suggesting LA are terrific, but they played well within their confines against the NUMBER ONE team. They didn’t roll over like, say, the Gold Cup final.
It WAS frustrating seeing so many giveaways by LA, seeing them being overtaken from behind, etc etc. But they held their own, kept pretty good shape, and had decent counters. DLG has continued to impress me in the last several games.j
As for Barca: great, great, team. But don’t be an apologist for them: ‘only preseason, never left 2nd gear, didn’t play all their starters.
Let’s talk about their payroll: 6 players in the top 50 highest earners, and a team payroll of how many 10’s of millions? Compared to, ummm, Alan Gordon, Dema Kovalenko, Jordan, etc??? They SHOULD win 14-0. In second gear. They didn’t.
LA, as meager and thin as their roster is (with arguably two of their own “top” players on the bench, scorers no less) did all right. They will keep improving. MLS will keep improving, and some day, they WILL compete toe to toe with teams like Barca. It’s inevitable. Until then, I will enjoy such spectacles we saw in the Rose Bowl and dream of what will be.
(And thanks to many of you with your humorous anecdotes and nod’s to the “fun” of the game. Cheers)
@Gary and Josh2 – it’s all about expectations.
This LA team is mediocre in MLS which we all know is several decades behind La Liga in development and the European champions didn’t blow them out, so given that, they played well. If things had gone differently (Ricketts in goal and the wide open header goes in), they might have won this game even though Barca dominated possession and looked more comfortable on the ball – you can say that about a lot of the US v Mexico games that the US won in the past; sometimes the better looking, more technical squad does not win.
I expected Alan Gordon to have a horrible first touch and Berhalter to be really slow and ineffective – I did not expect the rookie defenders to step up like they did; for an MLS team, they had a good game.
@ Josh2
Yep, these people are truly blind. Galaxy was pinned in their half the whole game. With the exception of a handful of counter attacks, all they could do is watch Barca have 15, 30, 50 touch sequences in front of their face.
Let’s also realize that not only is Galaxy in midseason while Barca just came back from vacation, but several things more to consider:
1) Galaxy worked their asses off.
2) Barca never even left 2nd gear.
3) Barca didn’t field their 1st team, but a mixture of 4 to 5 starters complemented by reserves and several 18 year olds.
Even under these circumstances, LA looked like amateurs. You guys are not informed.
As for Ives, I don’t know if you write to appease your audience or if you are truly clueless …
Why is it Beckham gets so much crap about wanting to play part time in Europe to boost his World Cup chances yet 95% of this board kicks, screams and yells for Donovan to go overseas to boost his “form” for 2010?! Kind of hypocritical if you ask me. And I don’t want to hear the excuse well because is the MLS Ambassador and getting all this money, blah, blah. You cant give Beckham crap for wanting to increase his shot at playing in the biggest tourney and say Donovan has to go to Europe, that’s a double standard. All I know is Beckham has put in some great performances since he’s come back AND he and Donovan (for all the media hype) are on Point and on FIRE right now. They’re easily the top duo in MLS right now.
I think Becks and Donovan are the best duo in MLS right now.
Josh.2: “I’m not smug by any means. But some of you people are retarted.”
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA…HAHAHA HAHHAHAHAHAHAHA….HAHA HAHAA…
Hahahaaa… Heh, heh…
heh… *sigh* That was hysterical.
“…even that wasn’t enough to stop the European champions.”
Ives, did you really expect the Galaxy — a plodding, physical team — not only to stop the European champions but a club that plays pressing, attacking soccer with some of the world’s finest players? Pul-eezzee.
This incarnation of the Galaxy is essentially an old-style English team. Nothing wrong with that, of course; Arena has to play the cards he’s been dealt and he’s done a pretty good job. But let’s not be blinded by star power and consider this team something that it isn’t.
There is definitely something non soccer related in the way some people react to Donovan. It feels similar to the way some NASCAR fans react to Jeff Gordon.
Anyhow, I enjoy his skill and play immensely. I’ve always found his heart and soccer intelligence to be huge in USMNT games.
I do think the Bayern loan was important for Donovan and finally allowed him to come to terms with the darwinian friend/enemy dynamic of top level soccer. His performances since then have really been great.
I watched a few games that Donovan played in for Bayern. It was my impression that he was very good, and mostly as a play-maker. I know Klinsmann wanted him, and I think Bayern would have taken him if they could have gotten him for less money or if he was younger.
I personally want Donovan to go to Europe so he can give Europeans a good impression of American players. He could be the American Tim Cahill.
Did anyone else notice that during the Barca match, the commercials for the Galaxy vs Sounders match in August conspicuously did not mention Donovan?
At least Josh.2 is the only one of his ilk in the thread. ESPN’s comment thread is filled with Euro snobs who act as if the score was 6-0 and the MLS guys spent the entire evening tripping over their own shoelaces. Bunch of tarts if you ask me.
I’m having trouble with people calling Landon Donovan the best ever for the USMNT.
Until this Confed Cup, he’s been very inconsistent, disappearing for an entire half in some games. Each and every USMNT game I watch, I still ask whether the announcers are going to go 10-15 minutes without mentioning Landon. The big change for the Confed Cup was his defensive play, tracking back, even heading the ball out of his own penalty box at least once. He was covering the entire field, putting out much more effort than Dempsey, Altidore, Davies.
Of course, all this “best ever” arguing is rubbish anyways, but if Josh.2 gets to share so much on this topic, my two cents has to be worth something.
I think it would be better for Donovan to wait until AFTER the World Cup to make a move. Do we really need our best player to risk moving to a new team? What if he breaks down emotionally again? What if the coach doesn’t like him? What if he can’t break in to the starting 11?
Already looks like Onyewu and Altidore are going to be pine-riders. I personally don’t care what team you’re on if you’re not playing.
Nothing is ever a lock for a player moving to a new team unless he is one of the top 10 in the world.
There is something to be said for Donovan staying in LA and getting consistent playing time.
I was watching the game with my 7 year old son John and the camera showed Messi. “That’s probably the best player in the world,” I said. “What’s his name?” John asked. “Messi,” I replied. Then John asked,”If he’s so good why do they call him messy?” I had a good laugh. Thank God for children.
Anyone attempting to minimalize Donovan’s ability are simply previous persons that used the term ” Landy-Cakes “.
Yes, he plays in the MLS. However, as someone mentioned, while doing so, he still was one of the top two or three players on the pitch, last night.
Landy-Cakes…..yea. Continue back-pedaling.
CR10 – Claudio Reyna – is the best field player in US History. He played for over a decade, anchored the midfield (we still don’t have a reliable replacement for him), starting as an attacking midfielder and, as the years progressed, aged superbly like a fine wine and became a brilliant holding midfielder (made the WC 2002 “all-star” XI). In LD’s words, CR10 could “dictate the pace of the game”. Landon is a brilliant player, but he is not a field general. He’s got his pace and touch, still lacks the finishing to be a lethal striker, and also lacks the vision to be a midfield general. He is still the US’ best field player right now.
Donovan has reached his peak as a player in the MLS. The league can’t take him any further in his development.
As good as he is, he can only get better with a move to a tougher league, aka, Europe.
AJ De La Garza is a local boy from Southern MD. I graduated a couple years before he played in high school, but to see him marking players like Ronaldinho, Messi, and Henry is amazing. These international friendlies only make these players better, by giving them confidence. LA Galaxy is going to be a contender for the Cup this year.
I at least dont want Donovan to go to Europe just because he’ll probably get even better, but because i want the pleasure of seeing our best player play some of the best talent! Wouldnt it just be a blast to watch Donovan going up against top notch talent on a regular basis, instead of just a few friendlies a year and the confed and world cups when we get the chance?
Soccer is fun. I dont want to just sit around worrying about player development non-stop, I want to enjoy the fun parts. And LD in europe would be a blast right now.
My comment was in regards to Donovan being the best field player in US HISTORY, not on the current team. He is the best of today’s bunch, and possibly the best scorer ever, but IMO not in US History. There is Reyna, Ramos, Wegerle (sp?), Perez that would all fit into that discussion. IMO, Reyna is the best player of all time for the US, but Donovan is the better scorer for sure.
Yep, De La Garza and Omar Gonzalez are rookies this year from the draft. They were playing in college together last year at Maryland, I think was the school.
and I have to absolutely agree that Gonzalez looked pretty good last night too. He did well under pressure when he had the ball, and read barca’s attack pretty well also. Is Gonzalez a future USMNT defender???
I can’t remember, was De La Garza a rookie from the mls draft this year? Or did he come from somewhere else?
I’m indifferent about Beckham but at least I can say I saw him put in an awesome free kick. Again, indifferent, so I had to boo and clap for him at the same time.
The Galaxy barely touched the ball except to turn it over last night. Nonetheless, I was impressed by some of their youngsters. Omar Gonzalez was pretty decent against that level of competition. That guy Griffin… never heard of him but pretty good. Add Galaxy’s no. 3 to that list too. Berhalter… not so good.
Landon is the best field player in USMNT history and its not really even close. Who else is in the discussion? Reyna, McBride, Ramos, Harkes. Those really are the only others than can be put on that list and each one falls short of Donovan. Reyna and McBride did a lot in Europe but who’s to say Donovan won’t as well. McBride was basically 30 when he went over so Donovan has time to prove himself to the naysayers. As far as national team play goes the statistics don’t lie. He’s been the most productive player for the U.S. ever. Actually I changed my mind. I’m going with Goose as the best ever.
Nobody will mess with Donovan in our house, because our fans are the best in Italy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WH8IMZ1ymAI
MemRook go feed your cat…NOW