Galaxy Travels to Dallas Today
Although its CONCACAF Champions Cup hopes took a beating this week, the Galaxy gets a chance to right its ship today in a Major League Soccer game against the Dallas Burn at 1 p.m. on the road.
The Galaxy, which is playing its first eight games of the MLS season away from Southern California as it waits for the Home Depot Center to open in Carson, is coming off a 4-1 rout Wednesday against Necaxa of Mexico in the first leg of a Champions Cup quarterfinal.
Galaxy Coach Sigi Schmid couldn’t cite many positives from that match.
“It was an embarrassing game for us. We did not play well and let them take the game to us,” Schmid said. “There were really few people you can point to and say they had a good game.”
The Burn, which is playing its season opener, is led by the MLS’ second all-time scorer, Jason Kreis, the team’s only remaining original player and a notoriously fast starter.
But Kreis will have to shoulder the early burden alone because of the Burn’s inability in the off-season to get him some help.
Dallas couldn’t land Earnie Stewart (who ended up with D.C. United) or come to terms with Honduran international Milton Nunez. The Burn also is missing veteran Ronald Cerritos, who is recovering from knee surgery. Midfielder Oscar Pareja, last season’s team MVP, is out three to four weeks after undergoing surgery on his right knee Tuesday.
One major change for the Dallas is 21-year-old goalkeeper D.J. Countess, a highly regarded prospect who will start after veteran Matt Jordan left to play in Denmark.
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UNAM Fights On
Mexican league team UNAM Pumas advanced to the round of 16 in the Copa Libertadores with a 3-1 victory over Penarol of Uruguay late Thursday, but it wasn’t without a fight.
After Pumas scored twice in the last 15 minutes to ensure their advancement and Penarol’s elimination, things began to get out of hand, Reuters reported.
First, Penarol striker Fabian Estoyanoff was ejected for throwing an elbow.
After the final whistle, Penarol’s Nicolas Rotundo took a swing at Pumas’ striker Ailton, who retreated to the locker room as Rotundo chased him.
Later, Penarol captain Gabriel Cedres pushed Pumas’ Coach Hugo Sanchez on the stairs leading to the locker rooms.
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Paraguay Hires Ruiz
Uruguayan Anibal Ruiz was named coach of Paraguay’s national team.
Ruiz, who has coached Paraguay’s youth teams, replaced Cesar Maldini as interim coach when Maldini resigned after last year’s World Cup.
“It’s such a reward to work all your life and finally be recognized with the privilege of coaching a national team,” Ruiz said.
His first game as coach will be April 30 in a friendly against Peru in Lima.
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Guevara to MetroStars
The New York/New Jersey MetroStars acquired Honduran national team midfielder Amado “El Lobo” Guevara as an allocation and signed him to a multiyear contract.
Guevara, 26, is Honduras’ all-time leader in caps with 76 and probably will make his debut April 19 against the Galaxy at Giants Stadium.
Guevara, who most recently has played for CD Motagua, scored both goals for the Honduran club when it tied the Galaxy, 2-2, in the first game of last month’s Champions Cup series at Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
The MetroStars also announced the acquisition of forward John Wolnyiec, the 2002 A-League MVP with the champion Milwaukee Rampage, in a supplemental draft.
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Beckham Doesn’t Impress
Those David Beckham-to-Real-Madrid rumors may have been quashed recently, but Real goalkeeper Iker Casillas did his best to bury them deeper after this week’s, 3-1, European Champions League first-leg semifinal rout of Manchester United.
Casillas doesn’t understand all the fuss about Beckham, who injured a hamstring and could miss today’s English Premier League game against Newcastle United.
“Right now, Beckham wouldn’t get [into] a game for Real Madrid,” Casillas said. “[Luis] Figo this year is better than the first year he arrived. He showed he was better than Beckham.”
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Quick Passes
The Chicago Fire traded the rights to midfielder Jason Moore to the New England Revolution for a fourth-round pick in the 2004 MLS draft. Moore played in 10 games for Chicago, starting two games and scoring one goal. Chicago also signed former UCLA standout Ryan Futagaki, a sixth-round pick in the 2003 draft and forward Nick Walls, as a developmental player.... Sunderland, which is the English Premier League team of American midfielder Claudio Reyna, will clinch its relegation to the first division next season with a loss at Birmingham today.... Former Costa Rican international goalkeeper Erick Lonnis, who played for Deportivo Saprissa, announced his retirement at 37 after surgery on his left knee revealed a torn meniscus.... Real Madrid President Florentino Perez has all but assured Coach Vincente del Bosque that his contract will be renewed at the end of the season, Reuters reported.... Galaxy officials are discussing a June exhibition match with Club America of Mexico, according to Soccer America.
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Associated Press contributed to this report.
