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Feb 9 2014
Galaxy get Passing Grade Against Armenian Champs
by Scott French
CARSON, Calif. -- The LA Galaxy is starting to barrel ahead with their
preseason work, aided by stronger-than-expected opposition from the
Armenian champions Saturday night and the impending trip to Mexico
City for a friendly with Pumas UNAM.
Shirak FC, which won last year's Armenian Premier League title and
finished second in the first-half competition this season, gave the
Galaxy their sternest test yet. They won passing grades.
"I thought it was a good exhibition game," Galaxy coach Bruce Arena
said after his team pulled out a 2-1 victory in front of 12,447 at
StubHub Center. "I thought Shirak played real well, put us under a lot
of pressure, tested us. ... They were very well organized, good pace
on the counter, put our guys in some difficult situations, which was
good.
"I just think it was a very good exhibition for us at this time of
year. Obviously, there's a lot of things we have to work on, but it
was a good game to play."
The Galaxy have been in camp just two weeks and are still working on
fitness, chemistry and their connections as they transition to a more
varied attack, one that play the direct game that went missing last
year after David Beckham's departure. Shirak, preparing for the second
half of their season, is much further along than LA. It showed, and it
helped.
"It really is [helpful]," said Swedish midfielder Stefan Ishizaki, one
of the Galaxy's newcomers. "When they pressured us, you have to be a
lot quicker on the ball. The game is a lot faster, and we have to move
the ball a lot quicker than in the previous scrimmages we've played,
so it was a completely different game."
LA (2-0-1), which beat the USL Pro's Orange County Blues last weekend
and tied Chivas USA on Wednesday, rallied from a first-half deficit as
Samuel and Gyasi Zardes scored finishers' goals. They nearly had a
couple more, but Landon Donovan fired wide from a Rob Friend header in
the first half, and Shirak goalkeeper Artur Harutyunyian made fine
saves on Dan Gargan -- after he beat two defenders on the right side
of the box -- and Chandler Hoffman during a sequence with about 20
minutes to go.
Speedy Serge Deble, who stretched the Galaxy backline all night, fired
Shirak ahead in the 35th minute -- to the delight of a large, loud
gathering of fans from Southern California's sizable Armenian
community -- beating an offside trap to Davit Hakobyan's chip up the
right channel, rounding Jaime Penedo at the top of the box, then
firing into an empty net.
Samuel equalized seven minutes later. Landon Donovan sent a free kick
from the left flank to the far post, Omar Gonzalez got his head to it,
and the big Brazilian, on loan from Fluminense, swiftly tucked it
away.
Zardes, playing up top in a game for the first time since shifting to
the left side of midfield last August, netted the winner in the 75th
minute. Baggio Husidic's drive from 22 yards ricocheted off a defender
and to Zardes at the top of the box. He calmly slotted it inside the
right post.
"Very good finish by Gyasi," Arena said. "Obviously, something I don't
think he would have finished last year. ... He hadn't played in the
forward position all preseason, so we threw him in there today, and he
did a real good job."
Zardes agreed that it was a goal he likely would not have netted as a rookie.
"Last year I wanted to blast everything," he said. "I felt like I was
more composed. Once I collected the ball, then I just looked up and
placed my shot."
Leonardo fared well in central defense -- he, left back Greg Cochrane
(playing for Todd Dunivant, who's dealing with a hamstring ailment),
Friend up top and Penedo went 61 minutes; nobody else played more than
a half -- and A.J. DeLaGarza, who played centrally before Gonzalez
arrived in camp Thursday after a month with the national team, saw his
first minutes at right back, where he'll almost certainly be stationed
once the real games begin.
Gargan and James Riley, MLS veterans trialing for jobs, fared well,
with Riley showing off his versatility by playing on the left side.
Robbie Rogers wasn't available after spraining his left ankle, and
Robbie Keane trained earlier Saturday with Galaxy II, the reserve side
that will play in USL Pro this season.
The team departs Sunday for Mexico, will play Pumas on Tuesday, return
home for a training session, then head to Fresno for next weekend's
friendly against the San Jose Earthquakes.
"Every game with a quality opponent like this is important for us, and
we're going to Mexico and play another good team, so it's a good test
for us. Especially early on in preseason," Friend said. "Obviously,
we've got a lot of things to work on."
http://soccerly.com/article/auxerre/galaxy-get-passing-grade-against-armenian-champs
Feb 9 2014
Galaxy get Passing Grade Against Armenian Champs
by Scott French
CARSON, Calif. -- The LA Galaxy is starting to barrel ahead with their
preseason work, aided by stronger-than-expected opposition from the
Armenian champions Saturday night and the impending trip to Mexico
City for a friendly with Pumas UNAM.
Shirak FC, which won last year's Armenian Premier League title and
finished second in the first-half competition this season, gave the
Galaxy their sternest test yet. They won passing grades.
"I thought it was a good exhibition game," Galaxy coach Bruce Arena
said after his team pulled out a 2-1 victory in front of 12,447 at
StubHub Center. "I thought Shirak played real well, put us under a lot
of pressure, tested us. ... They were very well organized, good pace
on the counter, put our guys in some difficult situations, which was
good.
"I just think it was a very good exhibition for us at this time of
year. Obviously, there's a lot of things we have to work on, but it
was a good game to play."
The Galaxy have been in camp just two weeks and are still working on
fitness, chemistry and their connections as they transition to a more
varied attack, one that play the direct game that went missing last
year after David Beckham's departure. Shirak, preparing for the second
half of their season, is much further along than LA. It showed, and it
helped.
"It really is [helpful]," said Swedish midfielder Stefan Ishizaki, one
of the Galaxy's newcomers. "When they pressured us, you have to be a
lot quicker on the ball. The game is a lot faster, and we have to move
the ball a lot quicker than in the previous scrimmages we've played,
so it was a completely different game."
LA (2-0-1), which beat the USL Pro's Orange County Blues last weekend
and tied Chivas USA on Wednesday, rallied from a first-half deficit as
Samuel and Gyasi Zardes scored finishers' goals. They nearly had a
couple more, but Landon Donovan fired wide from a Rob Friend header in
the first half, and Shirak goalkeeper Artur Harutyunyian made fine
saves on Dan Gargan -- after he beat two defenders on the right side
of the box -- and Chandler Hoffman during a sequence with about 20
minutes to go.
Speedy Serge Deble, who stretched the Galaxy backline all night, fired
Shirak ahead in the 35th minute -- to the delight of a large, loud
gathering of fans from Southern California's sizable Armenian
community -- beating an offside trap to Davit Hakobyan's chip up the
right channel, rounding Jaime Penedo at the top of the box, then
firing into an empty net.
Samuel equalized seven minutes later. Landon Donovan sent a free kick
from the left flank to the far post, Omar Gonzalez got his head to it,
and the big Brazilian, on loan from Fluminense, swiftly tucked it
away.
Zardes, playing up top in a game for the first time since shifting to
the left side of midfield last August, netted the winner in the 75th
minute. Baggio Husidic's drive from 22 yards ricocheted off a defender
and to Zardes at the top of the box. He calmly slotted it inside the
right post.
"Very good finish by Gyasi," Arena said. "Obviously, something I don't
think he would have finished last year. ... He hadn't played in the
forward position all preseason, so we threw him in there today, and he
did a real good job."
Zardes agreed that it was a goal he likely would not have netted as a rookie.
"Last year I wanted to blast everything," he said. "I felt like I was
more composed. Once I collected the ball, then I just looked up and
placed my shot."
Leonardo fared well in central defense -- he, left back Greg Cochrane
(playing for Todd Dunivant, who's dealing with a hamstring ailment),
Friend up top and Penedo went 61 minutes; nobody else played more than
a half -- and A.J. DeLaGarza, who played centrally before Gonzalez
arrived in camp Thursday after a month with the national team, saw his
first minutes at right back, where he'll almost certainly be stationed
once the real games begin.
Gargan and James Riley, MLS veterans trialing for jobs, fared well,
with Riley showing off his versatility by playing on the left side.
Robbie Rogers wasn't available after spraining his left ankle, and
Robbie Keane trained earlier Saturday with Galaxy II, the reserve side
that will play in USL Pro this season.
The team departs Sunday for Mexico, will play Pumas on Tuesday, return
home for a training session, then head to Fresno for next weekend's
friendly against the San Jose Earthquakes.
"Every game with a quality opponent like this is important for us, and
we're going to Mexico and play another good team, so it's a good test
for us. Especially early on in preseason," Friend said. "Obviously,
we've got a lot of things to work on."
http://soccerly.com/article/auxerre/galaxy-get-passing-grade-against-armenian-champs