SuperClassico....EN VIVO!

7:35pm- Just got inside the press box, its up at the very top of the stadium. But I feel that its way better to watch soccer up high either on midfield or exactly behind a goal. It gives you a better feel for the game in terms of field placement, player movement, etc. that you don't get two rows up in $1,000 dollar seats.

Well i got hear at 6pm, and NOBODY knew where the parking was for media. And then Chivas got all bigtime on us (isn't that the Galaxy's job?) and the media had to pay to park tonight. Wasn't too happy about that.
Just caught a Tony Parker sighting. He apparently escorted Becks into the estadio tonight and just got done giving a Mexican TV station a quick interview up here.
The worst thing about the Home Depot Center (HDC from now on) is that its in fucking Carson. The worst spot to put a stadium. Always bad traffic. Not near anything. Wherever you are in SoCal it takes you an hour+ to get to this stadium.

So granted the estadio is only half-full right now 30 min before game time but probably about ten minutes into the match it will be sold-out craziness. Chivas tix are cheap compared to Galaxy's, so the booze will be flowing and the rivarly, which has picked up since you know who arrived, will be in strong form tonight.

Gonna go grab some tortillas y shredded beef from the Media Room, get my grub on and be back with starting lineups.

8:15pm- Your starting lineups are...
Galaxy
Donovan------------------------------Buddle
Beckham---------Pires-----------------Vagenas-------------Allen
Klein------------Franklin------------------Jazic----------------Vanney
---------Cronin--------------

Chivas
Braun---------------------------------Harris
Savage------------Marsch---------------Nagamura-----------Paldini
Talley------------Burling----------------Thomas---------------Mendoza

Interesting things to note:

• The Galaxy switch back to the classic 4-4-2 under the first game with Cobi Jones, and so far its paying dividends. They look sharp and hungry. The biggest question asked by the media was how they would come out and respond and with Klein beautiful pass to streaking Donovan on the right side for the 7th minute easy goal. Seems to be working
• Chivas is without Sascha Kleijstan tonight, who is still at the Olympics. He is their best player and most important in the midfield. With the Galaxy controlling that area early on it seems to be quite the uphill battle for them early on.

8:20- GOAL! Donovan streaks down the right side, perfect leading pass from Chris Klein. 1-0 Galaxy, looking very very strong early on.

8:25- AEG CEO Tim Leinwieke is in the press box, as is Bruce Arena, former US National team coach. They just did a presser with ESPN2, although Bruce I guess is not in the coaching hunt. Soo....why go on TV? To say he's not even though you invited him? Look for Arena to be the next GM I feel. I think he is done with high-profile coaching.

8:35- Chivas is starting to collect a few runs and string some nice passes, but its ultimately nothing compared to the runs the Galaxy are putting together. Each one has the potential to be a goal so far. El estadio is full now, loud, the way it was built to be. Beckham is playing all over the field tonight and his cross field passes are just a beauty to watch.

8:50- Halftime. The Chivas girls are out on the field doin there thing.

"Not very synchronized," leans over a reporter. Whatever gets a gringo fired up you know.

The field was recently sodded after they tore it up for the X-Games. It looks horrible. I really think they need to find another venue to have the motosports at. It probably costs a signifigant amount of money to get the field back into shape year in and year out.

I'm gonna go exploring, the guy I'm job shadowing isn't exactly Mr. Yapper over here.

9:02- Wow, what a day for stories. Buzz around the press box is that Sasha IS HERE. We didn't even know he was in the building! He just returned from the Olympics a couple hours ago. Maybe if they show his face on the jumbotron it could give the fans a little boost after Chivas ended the half on a strong with some good chances and free kicks in the last 15 min.

9:11- GOAL! Chivas strikes as I predicted. The Galaxy's defense is looking very lax like they did with Gullit right now. They pretty keep up the offensive attack so they don't expose their defense.

9:14- And they do just that with several opportunities in the last few minutes. Donovan and Buddle both recieved beautiful passes from Beckham but after Landon beat the goalkeeper to the left with a dribble he lost control and couldn't put it home. Buddle was called offsides.

9:20- Chivas is pulling their defenders up big time to stop this barrage of Beckham lead passes. Donovan just got called offside twice in a row. Jesse Marsch from Chivas, the man who high-kicked Becks in the stomach last year, just got a yellow in the 59th

9:25- Becks picks up a yellow in the 61st. I don't blame him, play was dead and some dude tried to laser shot a blindsider at him.

GOAL! Quick counter from Chivas and Harris and Nagamura play beautiful touch football inside the penalty. Easy goal for Nagamura. 2-1 Chivas.

9:28- Sometimes David Beckham can be to unselfish. He picks up a wide open lane on the right side from a pass from Donovan inside 18 and decides to pull back and cross it rather than blast it with his $250 million dollar right leg. His free kick is good a minute later but nothing comes out of it.

9:30- Chivas almost scores! A header goes off the cross bar and a diving Cronin breathes a sigh of relief.

Some more Galaxy chances. Beckham corner and Chris Klein has his shot blocked by his own midfielder Pires!! Oh what a chance! Pires just had a serious lapse of judgement!

The atomsphere is really picking up here. Both Chivas bands are going and the Galaxy band just played some old school and well-needed Offspring. The Galaxy need to equalize quickly before Chivas drops back too much and plays for the 1-goal win.

9:55- GOAL! Allan Gordon on a nasty header from 10 yards out! I'll write more when I get back gotta go down to the trophy ceremony and lockerroom. Galaxy equalizes in stoppage time to get the SuperClassico crown.

Live Blog Tonight from the SuperClassico

I'm gonna try another live blog tonight. I successfully failed at producing one for my first Dodger game because the Internet was spotty at best in the press box. Maybe I'll posthomously produce it one day when nothing spots up on this blog.

Tonight I will be covering my first soccer game for the Daily News, The Honda SuperClassico, and its arguably the biggest game for both Chivas USA and the Los Angeles Galaxy. Their derby (pronounced "daarrby") match tonight (both clubs share the same venue, The Home Depot Center) is the third and last match between the two this season.

Obviously the hoopla here is the Beckham circus which can be seen live on ESPN2 tonight at 8pm PST.

Galaxy GM (and former US national player) Alexi Lalas and coach Ruud Guillit were tossed by AEG CEO Tim Linwieke Monday and put in recently retired Cobi Jones in charge as interim head coach.

Both clubs come in somewhat dissapointing form. The Galaxy are winless since June 14th, and Chivas USA has been sliding down the ranks in the last month to sit behind Becks' side in 5th place.

This is a huge game for both sides.

For the Galaxy, its almost make or break for their season as year two with Beckham has hit a standstill.

Under European coach Gullit, who brought in "sexy football", the Galaxy were on a roll the first half of the season with Landon Donovan, Eddison Buddle and Beckham showing fine form. But their defense has been lackluster all season and now that they are facing teams 2nd and 3rd times around everyone is exploiting the week midfield and backfield play.

Although the Galaxy lead the league in goals scored, ditto that to their defense giving them up.

Since this game is being broadcast nationally this has huge reprocussions for the Galaxy. They NEED to win.

Linweike said so.

For Chivas, this is another chance for them to stick it to their stadium-mates and possibly gain some ground on popularity in the LA media market. And of course leap-frog the Galaxy in the standings.

I'm leaving the Daily News office in about an hour to head over to good ol' Carson, CA. Home of a go-kart racing thingy, an auto mall and the Home Depot Center.

Then onto the pitch for pre-game interview with Cobi Jones.

Then let the madness begin!

LA Galaxy Show Promise in Home Opener

The Los Angeles Galaxy dominate all aspects of play tonight against the newly expanded San Jose Earthquakes 2-0 in the home opener for LA. David Beckham and Landon Donovan provided both goals and assists to eachother, Becks in the 6th and Donovan in the 39th.

Beckham looked more match-fit than ever, and Donovan looked like his legs were back after last week international friendly against Poland.

Although sometimes the Galaxy played sloppy, the Earthquakes stood no chance and I'm starting to wonder if head coach Frank Yallop (who coach the Galaxy last year) was the problem for them not making the playoffs.

New Galaxy head coach Rudd Gullit's interesting 4-4-3 triangle formation finally work, because it did not in the terrible 4-0 loss @ Colorado last week.

Alan Gorn and Chris Klein also played amazing games, and Steven Cronin posted his first MLS clean sheet (a sign of things to come), but I'll leave with you a little piece of history, Becks first MLS goal!

USA! USA! USA!

A great game played by our US boys against Poland. Dominated the entire game on both ends, and three set pieces led to three goals. 2 free kicks and a corner helped the USMNT win 3-0 in front of a stunned sold out stadium in Poland. Landon Donovan helped the US get the first two goals with beautiful crosses into the middle. Then Eddie Lewis just embarassed Poland's goalie again (the 1st goal he could have easily gotten to) to piss on the entire country.

The USMNT faces a tough road ahead as they face Spain, England, and possibly Argentina before World Cup Qualifying starts this summer.