LA GALAXY GAME NOTES – May 26, 2012 MORE LINEUP CHANGES: With Chad Barrett, David Beckham, Edson Buddle, Bryan Gaul and Hector Jimenez all coming into the starting lineup on Wednesday night against San Jose, Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena has now made at least one change to his starting lineup in every regular season game that the Galaxy have played this season. Additionally, only once in those 12 games have LA been forced to make less than two changes to their starting lineup from one game to the next. That trend could continue on Saturday afternoon as Arena will have to make at least one change with Jimenez suspended for his red card in the second half against San Jose. The last time the Galaxy used the same lineup in consecutive regular season games was May 1 and May 7 last season when LA lost 2-1 at FC Dallas and then drew 1-1 with New York. A total of 26 different players have started for the Galaxy this season, including Paolo Cardozo who was traded to Chivas USA last month, and Jimenez who made his first start of the year on Wedneday. That leaves a total of six players; Rafael Garcia, Omar Gonzalez, Leonardo, Jack McBean, Jose Villarreal and Kenney Walker; that have not appeared in a game this season. Of that group, only Garcia, Villarreal and Walker are yet to play in an MLS game. STILL NO SHUTOUTS: One year after tying an MLS record with 17 clean sheets in 34 games, the Galaxy are still looking for their first of 2012. The defense has been solid of late, allowing exactly one goal in every game but one since the start of April, but San Jose was able to score three times in the final 14 minutes plus stoppage time to overturn a 2-0 deficit and win 3-2. This was the first time since March 31 that LA had allowed more than one goal at home and the first time since the season opener against Real Salt Lake on March 10 that the Galaxy had scored first, only to lose the game. LA kept the Earthquakes off the scoreboard for 76 minutes, taking a 2-0 lead before Steven Lenhart headed home a Marvin Chavez corner kick. This was the second longest spell that LA has gone this season without allowing a goal at the start of the game. The only time the Galaxy got closer to a clean sheet was on March 18 when they kept D.C. United off the scoreboard until the 87th minute. BECKHAM ON THE BRINK: David Beckham is now one yellow card away from serving a mandatory one-game suspension after being shown his fourth yellow card of the year for a handball late in the 3-2 loss to San Jose on Wednesday. Beckham, who led the Galaxy with 10 yellow cards last season, has been booked in each of the last four games that he has started after not being shown a yellow card in any of his first five games of the year. Since coming to the Galaxy in July 2007, Beckham has been booked a total of 24 times in 84 regular season games. He has missed three regular season games because of yellow card accumulation as well as one CONCACAF Champions League game, with LA going 3-1-0 in those three games, including a 2-0-0 record last season, recording road wins in Chicago and Vancouver without Beckham. LA also won in Chicago in 2009 with Beckham serving a one-game suspension for a red card, meaning that they are 4-1-0 in games that he has been suspended for. Juninho and Landon Donovan each have three yellow cards this season and are now two bookings away from their fifth caution of the season. SAUNDERS BACK IN TRAINING: Nearly a month after taking a leave of absence from the club to enter the league’s Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health program, Josh Saunders was back training with the Galaxy on Monday. LA’s first choice goalkeeper started the first six games of the season, helping the team to a 3-3-0 record. Saunders has played in 35 games since debuting for the Galaxy in 2008, compiling an 18-8-7 record with 11 shutouts and a 1.15 goals against average. BOYENS UNDERGOES SURGERY: Galaxy defender Andrew Boyens underwent successful surgery on Wednesday to repair a sports hernia and is expected to miss 4-6 weeks. The New Zealand international was placed on the Disabled List on May 18 because of the injury and will have to miss at least LA’s next four regular season games, having already missed the last two. He last saw action for the club in a Reserve League game against San Jose on May
8, playing 45 minutes in central defense after replacing Leonardo at halftime of that game. He has appeared in two regulars season games for the club, but none since a 3-1 home loss to New England on March 31. While he is not eligible to return to action for the club until Saturday, June 30 at San Jose, he can play in U.S. Open Cup and MLS Reserve League games before then. THE MAN IN THE MIDDLE: For the first time this season, Silviu Petrescu will serve as the referee for a Galaxy game as he takes charge of Saturday’s game in Houston. Petrescu officiated two Galaxy regular season games last season, serving as the referee for LA’s 0-0 home draw with D.C. United and the 1-0 win in Columbus on September 24. He called 57 fouls in those two games, whistling the Galaxy for 25 compared to 32 for their opponents. He did not award any penalty kicks or give any red cards in those games, but he did hand out two yellow cards to Galaxy players and five to the opposition. Petrescu will be assisted on Saturday by George Ganser and Adam Garner with Jasen Anno serving as the fourth official. DONOVAN INCLUDED IN FINAL U.S. SQUAD: Galaxy captain Landon Donovan was one of 23 players named to Jurgen Klinsmann’s final squad for the U.S. National Team’s upcoming friendlies against Scotland, Brazil and Canada as well as the start of CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying at home against Antigua and in Guatemala. The all-time leading scorer for the U.S. with 46 goals in 138 appearances for his country, Donovan is expected to rejoin his club following the game in Guatemala on June 12. Donovan, who is the all-time leader for the U.S. with 35 appearances in World Cup Qualifiers, last played for his country in September 2011, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1-0 loss to Costa Rica at The Home Depot Center. He was included in the U.S. roster for their friendlies against Panama and Italy in February, but he was forced to withdraw from the squad because of bronchitis. With his next start, Donovan, who is 26 caps behind Cobi Jones for the most in U.S. history, will move past Jeff Agoos into first place for the most starts for the National Team with 125. He is one of three players away on international duty with Robbie Keane currently with the Irish National Team ahead of the start of the European Championships in Poland and the Ukraine while Jack McBean is with the U.S. Under-18 National Team at the Lisbon International Tournament in Portugal. All three are scheduled to be in action on Saturday with the U.S. hosting Scotland in a friendly, Ireland hosting Bosnia and Herzegovina in a friendly and the U.S. U-18’s facing Portugal in their final game of their competition. McBean is scheduled to be back with the club on Sunday ahead of the U.S. Open Cup Third Round match with Carolina while Keane will return to Southern California following Ireland’s involvement in Euro 2012. Ireland open play in Group C against Croatia on Sunday, June 10 in Poznan, Poland. They are back in action on Thursday, June 14 when they face the reigning World Cup and European Champions, Spain, in Gdansk, Poland before returning to Poznan for their final Group Stage game against Italy on Monday, June 18. All three games are schedule to kick off at 11:45 a.m. (PT). GALAXY TO FACE CAROLINA IN OPEN CUP THIRD ROUND: The Galaxy will begin their quest for a third Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup championship on Tuesday, May 29 when they take on the NASL’s Carolina RailHawks in the tournament’s Third Round. The RailHawks, who are currently in last place in the NASL with a 0-4-5 record for five points, will host that game, starting at 4 p.m. (PT) at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C. This will be the first-ever game between the two sides. The Galaxy, who won the Open Cup in 2002 and 2005, have been eliminated from the competition at the Quarterfinal stage in each of the last two seasons, losing on the road to the eventual tournament champion Seattle Sounders FC both years. They have not lost to a nonMLS team in the competition since 2007 and have reached the quarterfinals nine times in the first 13 years in which they have entered the competition. TIME CHANGE IN SEATTLE: LA’s game at Seattle on Saturday, August 5 will now kick off at 6 p.m. (PT). The game, which will be shown on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes, was originally scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m.