Last season was supposed to be the year. After falling in penalties in the 2009 MLS Cup Final, the 2010 Galaxy had the makings of a team that could finish the deal and win the club's first MLS Cup since 2005.
The Galaxy fell short, but after a busy off-season that saw leading scorer Edson Buddle leave and Colombian striker Juan Pablo Angel replace him, Los Angeles once again heads into a season as a major MLS Cup favorite. Only, with the team being one of the oldest in the league, and David Beckham playing out the final year of his contract, this could be this Galaxy group's last chance at a title.
Here is my Fox Soccer Season Preview on a Galaxy side that will be favored to repeat as Supporters Shield winners, and who should challenge Real Salt Lake and New York for the MLS Cup title.
Here are some more thoughts on the 2011 Los Angeles Galaxy:
2011 LOS ANGELES GALAXY
They'll win because: Juan Pablo Angel thrives, Landon Donovan does what he does and David Beckham decides he wants to win a championship in a third different country.
They'll lose because: Angel breaks down physically, Beckham starts setting his sights on a return to Europe and no other forward options emerge.
Player who could break out: Michael Stephens
Player who could regress: Sean Franklin
Player who needs to improve on 2010: Mike Magee
Newcomer to watch: Paolo Cardozo
Projected Finish: The Galaxy will need to stay healthy, which may not be easy for an aging side, but LA has too many weapons not to contend for the title. Look for Bruce Arena's side to battle Real Salt Lake for the Supporters Shield, and win an MLS Cup title in its home stadium.
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What do you think about the 2011 Galaxy? See LA being the MLS Cup favorite? Still wondering if Arena's team isn't too old? How many goals do you see Juan Pablo Angel scoring?
Share your thoughts below.
Chris Birchall is the guy on the bubble…He has a lot of responsibility as the guy covering for the stars…
going out on a limb there, are you? ;/
JPA goes from Henry to Chad Barrett…ouch
Kaiser,
If one has to choose a player to “regress”, Franklin is as good a ‘guess’ as anyone…The other candidates would be Donovan, JPA, Beckham, Gonzalez, Ricketts, Juninho, Dunivent and Franklin. (The consensus starters)
Of those, I would either choose Ricketts or Franklin. Beckham will be with the club from Day 1 so he can’t regress more than he did the last 3 years, JPA has produce for his own good. Dunivent& Juninho’s production was not all that hight to begin with. Gonzalez might also be a candidate, but he’s already been through the sophmore slump….so Franklin is a good guess as any.
I’m still trying to figure out why they picked up Chad Barrett…All they need is a guy that can get in position to tap the ball in with guys like Beckham, Donovan, and JPA feeding the ball. They would have been unbeatable with a guy like Steven Lenhart in the team. Look for Juninho to have a break-out season though.
even though the galaxy are considered one of the oldest teams. that is really not much saying considering more than half are not in their 30s. Berhalter wont start many games and if he does than his positioning usually hides the fact that he is slow now.
I predict decent season/finals failure
What is the projected line-up?
Ives,
Why the thinking that Franklin will regress? Not sure how you came to that conclusion. Otherwise, a good call on most of the predictions. Stephens is a good breakout player, but I also think it could be A.J.
LA will win title this year at home!!! Mark the words!!!
Yeah, I’d say JPA is over the hill at this point. LA are gonna regret that signing.
I’m not sure what the breakdown was, but it seemed to me that JPA’s goals came primarily from the spot.
in the run of play, he often appeared a step off when taking shots on goal.
i only saw New York play 7-8 times, but that was my impression. i wonder if that changes this year and how it might.
Actually both Franklin and Gonzalez both won ROTY in their respective years.
What’s not to get? You agree that they’re a playoff team. If so, then the question is how good they compared to other consensus playoff teams. So line em up:
They have the best player in the U.S. on their squad.
They have two other proven INTERNATIONAL players on the starting lineup.
They have one of the top 3 GK in the league.
They have a defense that had one of the largest turnarounds in league history.
They have 1 MLS Rookie of the year (Franklin) and one Runner up (Gonzalez) in the starting lineup.
They are the defending Supporters Shield winner and holder of most league wins in a row. They are two years out from a PK loss to RSL. Of those two teams, they’ve lost little if you buy the Angel-Buddle argument.
So what’s not to get?
Ives I don’t get the love for LA. I think they are a play-off team certainly. But should be viewed more as a second tier team then a title contender.