Los Angeles Galaxy (commonly referred to as L A Galaxy ) is an American, professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California, and is a member of Major League Soccer (MLS). The club is one of the ten charter franchises of MLS and is the league's second most-decorated club, after D.C. United. The name "Galaxy" is derived from Los Angeles being home to the 'stars' of Hollywood. [1] The club has won the MLS Cup twice (2002, 2005), and the U.S. Open Cup twice (2001, 2005). L.A. plays its home matches at The Home Depot Center in Carson, which they share with arch-rival, Chivas USA. In January 2007, the club made international headlines by signing English superstar David Beckham, to a record deal potentially worth $250 million. L.A. is currently MLS' most profitable and popular club and is among the top teams in the league in attendance.

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History

1996-2005: Decade of Success

The LA Galaxy appeared in the first MLS Cup in 1996 losing to D.C. United. They appeared in it two more times in 1999 and 2001 before finally winning it in 2002. They were regular season champions of the Western Conference in 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001 and 2002, winning the league's Supporters' Shield for best record in 1998 and 2002. They won the U.S. Open Cup in 2001 and 2005 and won the CONCACAF Champions' Cup in 2000. After losing to Landon Donovan and the San Jose Earthquakes in MLS Cup 2001 and in the 2003 MLS Cup playoffs, AEG orchestrated the transfer of Donovan to the Galaxy in 2005, and the Galaxy won the MLS Cup a second time in 2005 to cap off their first decade. The Galaxy hold the singular distinction of having made the MLS playoffs in each of the club's first ten seasons.

2006-Present

2006: First Taste of Failure

The 2006 season began tragically on March 16 with the sudden death of Doug Hamilton, the team's 43-year-old general manager, who suffered a heart attack on board a plane carrying the team back from Costa Rica after where they were playing Saprissa in the CONCACAF Champions' Cup. ^[2] The season is considered the worst in the Galaxy's history, as the team finished fifth in the Western Conference, eliminating them from playoff contention for the first time since the league's inception. Midway through the season, Steve Sampson was sacked as head Captain, ^[3] replaced by Frank Yallop. ^[4] The team managed to make a run to the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup final, but lost 3-1 against the Chicago Fire.

2007: Arrival of David Beckham and More Struggles

On January 11, 2007, Reuters reported that former England captain David Beckham would leave Real Madrid at the end of the season and enter into a five-year deal with the Galaxy.

In March 2007 it was announced that Herbalife would be the primary shirt sponsor of the Galaxy in a five-year deal worth between $4–5 million a year until 2011. ^[5]

On July 21, David Beckham made his long-awaited debut before a record crowd of nearly 30,000 at The Home Depot Center, coming on in the 78th minute in a 1-0 loss to Chelsea in a match during the World Series of Football tournament. The match brought unprecedented TV coverage from ESPN, who used 19 cameras to cover it, including one trained only on Beckham, even when he was on the bench. The match set an all-time record high for TV ratings for MLS on ESPN.

The Galaxy played to good results in the Superliga competition, which featured four MLS teams and four Mexican league teams. The Galaxy advanced to the Superliga finals, facing Pachuca, which the Galaxy had defeated in the first round. The Galaxy lost after extra-time on penalty kicks.

In the SuperLiga match versus FC Dallas on July 31, a total of 11 goals were scored, with the final 6-5 in favor of Galaxy. This match tied the all-time record for number of goals scored in a match between two MLS sides, and the win guaranteed the Galaxy a spot in the tournament's semifinals. ^[6]

In August, following five successive league defeats, pressure mounted on the club, especially head coach, Frank Yallop, and there were widespread rumors that he would be sacked. However, their fortunes turned around and after five straight league victories, the Galaxy's post-season hopes were surprisingly still alive toward the end of the season.

The Galaxy were officially eliminated from the playoffs on October 21, in a 1-0 loss to the Chicago Fire. With a final season record of 9-14-7, both unpopular general manager Alexi Lalas and head coach Frank Yallop were rumored to be in danger of being sacked by owner Philip Anschutz, after a second consecutive season in which the club failed to reach the post-season.

Offseason: Departures and Arrivals

After the 2007 season Cobi Jones retired. In addition, several players were expected to leave the club in the offseason. Former Germany manager and Orange County, California resident, Jürgen Klinsmann, was rumored to be the favorite to replace Yallop as head coach. ^[7]

Amidst rumors that he was going to be sacked, Yallop resigned as head coach on November 4, 2007, following a friendly match at Home Depot Center. MLS expansion club, the San Jose Earthquakes, bought out his contract and offered a 3rd round draft pick to the Galaxy to make Yallop their new head coach. ^[8]

On November 7, rumors spread that former Chelsea, Newcastle United, and Feyenoord manager, Ruud Gullit, had accepted an offer to be the Galaxy's new head coach. ^[9] On November 9, Gullit was officially unveiled as the Galaxy's head coach, signing a three-year contract with the club which made him the highest paid coach in MLS history. ^[10] Newly-retired Galaxy and international star Cobi Jones was brought on as assistant coach.

On November 19, 2007, the Galaxy acquired U.S. international Clint Mathis from New York for a third round pick in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft. ^[11] He made his debut for the Galaxy in a friendly at Telstra Stadium against Sydney and scored the first goal in the Galaxy's match versus Wellington Phoenix. In a strange move which led to more criticism of under-fire club G.M. Alexi Lalas, less than two months after acquiring Mathis, he was sold to Greek club Ergotelis. It is believed that coach Ruud Gullit did not want Mathis in his squad. On November 21, in the 2007 MLS Expansion Draft, the Galaxy lost forward Gavin Glinton with the ninth pick to stock expansion club, the San Jose Earthquakes.

The Galaxy went on a promotional tour of Australia and New Zealand and played two friendlies with teams of the new Australian A-League. In a match against Sydney on November 27, captain David Beckham scored via a trademark free kick, but the Galaxy lost, 5-3. The match resulted in the largest attendance in Australia for a club friendly, with just over 82,000 spectators, and was the first game since the A-leagues inception that a game was televised on free to air television. The Galaxy recorded a 4-1 win over Wellington Phoenix on December 1. Beckham again scored, this time from the penalty spot, during the second half. The attendance of 31,853 was a record for a football match in New Zealand. L.A. plans a friendly against FC Barcelona for late June.

On January 10, 2008, goalkeeper Joe Cannon was sold to the San Jose Earthquakes, where he was reunited with Frank Yallop, for an undisclosed allocation fee. While Cannon was very popular with Galaxy supporters and his performances were one of the few positives last season, salary cap space was required for new striker Carlos Ruiz. Steve Cronin, who recently signed a multi-year contract extension with L.A., is expected to be the starting goalkeeper for the club next season. ^[12] The team also signed the 2007 USL1 Goalkeeper of the Year, Josh Wicks, as Cronin's backup.

On January 15, 2008, the Galaxy reacquired 28-year-old striker Carlos Ruiz from FC Dallas to replace the ineffective Carlos Pavon, who had been recently released by the club, for a second-round draft pick in 2009 and an undisclosed amount of allocation money. This is Ruiz' second stint with the Galaxy, where from 2002-04, he was the club's leading scorer in each season, garnering MLS MVP honors and scoring a league-best 24 goals enroute to leading the club to its first MLS Cup championship in 2002. In 2005, he was dealt to F.C. Dallas to make way for Landon Donovan. Ruiz is the leading scorer in MLS postseason history and is the 8th leading scorer in league history. In Ruiz, L.A. has secured a proven goal-scorer, something they seriously lacked last season, and supporters will eagerly await how he partners with captain David Beckham and strike partner, Landon Donovan. ^[13]

In January, rumors began to circulate that the Galaxy was interested in acquiring Inter Milan midfielder Luís Figo and that a deal may have already been signed. The purchase of Carlos Ruiz rather than an established striker from Europe (such as Andriy Shevchenko), who would take up the club's second designated player slot (which the Galaxy would need to acquire from another club), increased the speculation that Figo would be reunited with former Real Madrid teammate, David Beckham, in Los Angeles ^[14] On January 18, 2008, the speculation intensified when the Galaxy sold defender Chris Albright to the New England Revolution for an undisclosed allocation fee. Rumor sites had been claiming for weeks that if Albright was sold to clear up salary space, Figo would be on his way to L.A. after his contract expires with Inter Milan in June. ^[15]

On January 21, 2008, The Times reported that 29-year-old former Chelsea and Newcastle United defender, Celestine Babayaro, had signed a 3-year-deal with the Galaxy after being released by Newcastle. Babayaro was expected to partner fellow former Premier League defender Abel Xavier in the heart of the L.A. defense next season and also be reunited with his former manager at Chelsea, Ruud Gullit. ^[16] However, on March 3, Babayaro was released by the club after playing only 45 minutes for L.A. Speculation ensued that he was released because he either demanded too much money or was deemed not good enough by Ruud Gullit. ^[17]

On February 15, the Galaxy acquired 33-year-old defender Greg Vanney from D.C. United in exchange for midfielder Quavas Kirk, as a replacement for Ty Hardin, who strangely retired after only one season with the club. Vanney, who began his MLS career with the Galaxy in 1996, returns to Los Angeles after previous stops at FC Dallas, Colorado and D.C. United, as well as a three year stint with Bastia in France's Ligue 1. ^[18]

On February 21, the Galaxy fell 1-0 to Japanese club Gamba Osaka in the semi-finals of the inaugural Pan-Pacific Championship in Honolulu, Hawaii. ^[19] However, on February 23, LA defeated Sydney 2-1 in the tournament third-place match. David Beckham assisted on both goals, scored by rookie Ely Allen and Josh Tudela. ^[20]

In the opening match of the club's pre-season tour of Asia, the Galaxy fell 2-1 in penalties to FC Seoul after drawing 1-1 in regulation. In the 22nd minute, captain Beckham assisted Alan Gordon off a free kick to take the lead. However, ten minutes later, Celestine Babayaro, in his debut (and only appearance for the club), was called for a penalty, from which FC Seoul eqaulized. Babayaro was surprisingly released by the club following the match. Following a dull, scoreless second half, the match went to penalties to decide the Motorola Cup champion. After David Beckham made L.A.'s first penalty, Carlos Ruiz, Peter Vagenas, Chris Klein and Greg Vanney all missed, handing victory to the Koreans. ^[21]

The second leg of the Asian tour took place March 5 versus Shanghai-Hong Kong United (All-Star team). The Galaxy won 3-0 with a hat-trick from Carlos Ruiz. The first was assisted by Beckham just before the half with the latter 2 provided by rookies Sean Franklin and Ely Allen. ^[22]

In the final pre-season match of the Asian Tour, the Galaxy fell 5-4 in penalties to Hong Kong Union (All-Star team) after drawing 2-2 in regulation. The regulation goals came from Alan Gordon and a penalty kick by Beckham. The lone miss in the penalty shootout came from Greg Vanney.

In the final friendly match of the pre-season, the Galaxy played in a scoreless draw versus FC Dallas in the FC Dallas Foundation Charity Game in Frisco, Texas. ^[23]

2008: Expectations unfulfilled

Amid high expectations, on March 29, 2008, Los Angeles kicked off the 2008 season against the Colorado Rapids in Denver. However, despite the team being at full-strength, including a fully-fit and healthy David Beckham, the match proved to be a disaster as L.A. limped to a 4-0 defeat. Despite an impressive display by Galaxy captain Beckham, who was integral by putting his teammates in position to tie the game three times, Carlos Ruiz and Landon Donovan failed to find the net. Especially disappointing was 35-year-old center back Abel Xavier, who was repeatedly beaten in a nightmare performance. In the 10th minute, he conceded the free kick from which the Rapids scored their first goal, along with committing a penalty from which Colorado scored their second goal in the 60th minute. To complete his miserable night, Xavier was sent off in the 89th minute for bumping the referee while protesting a decision. To make things worse, Ruiz sprained his MCL in his right knee and required surgery. He was ruled out 4–6 weeks. ^[24]

On April 3, L.A. took on expansion club, the San Jose Earthquakes (and former coach Frank Yallop and goalkeeper Joe Cannon) in a match broadcast nationally on ESPN's MLS Primetime Thursday . Beckham and Donovan played well in the Galaxy's home opener and assisted each other on their respective goals, in a dominant 2-0 win in the restarting of the "California Clasico." The strike was Beckham's first goal in MLS league play. ^[25]

The Galaxy played Real Salt Lake on May 3, Real scored two back-to-back goals by Kenny Deuchar and Fabian Espindola before the Galaxy struck. Beckham scored back-to-back goals, both in the top right corner. One was an assist from Gordon, the following one a free kick from about 25-30 yards out. Beckham's two-goal effort tied the game, giving the Galaxy another point in the standings.

The Galaxy played their next match against recent expansion side Toronto FC. Despite Landon Donovan scoring twice to pull the Galaxy from behind, they ultimately fell 3-2 to a late Jeff Cunningham goal.

Following the Toronto match, the Galaxy faced defending MLS Cup champions Houston Dynamo. Another two goal game from Landon Donovan (both assisted by David Beckham) proved enough to earn a point as the two sides drew 2-2.

The first installment of the Honda SuperClasico occurred 4-26-08 as the league's only cross-town rivals, Chivas USA and the Galaxy played. The Galaxy won the game 5-2 with Landon Donovan scoring a hat trick getting his league-leading 6th, 7th and 8th goals of the season.

After a 2-1 loss to Red Bull New York, coach Gullit bemoaned a 'lack of leadership'. ^[26] On May 24, 2008, L.A. defeated the Kansas City Wizards 3-1, giving the Galaxy their first winning record in two years and moving the club into first place in the Western Division. Landon Donovan scored his league-leading 9th goal of the season and David Beckham scored a spectacular goal from 70 yards out. ^[27]

However, defensive mishaps plagued the Galaxy and after they squandered two leads to the Columbus Crew in a 3-3 tie, Kyle McCarthy declared "The broken defense needs fixing" and urged the Galaxy that a defensive midfielder is "the one position that requires some immediate attention once the transfer window opens," and doubted whether Galaxy could win the MLS Cup without adjustments to its defense. ^[28] On MLSnet.com's Extratime, Greg Lalas said, "It seems like there's a lack of concentration in the back. Abel Xavier obviously isn't the answer in the back there, let alone on the middle of the bench," while co-commentator Shep Messing added, "Young Steve Cronin reminds me of Brad Guzan last year with Chivas. I mean just getting pummelled." He suggested the Galaxy fix their defense by "getting a good central defender, they don't have one," or by strengthening the defensive midfield. ^[29] General Manager Alexi Lalas confirmed this, saying, "“It’s no revelation that given our defensive performance this season, we’re looking to bolster that side of the equation," adding "we’ve settled on a guy who we think can help us." ^[30]

On July 8, 2008, the Los Angeles Galaxy, announced that Argentinian central defender Eduardo Domínguez had joined the team. Pending his visa and the transfer window to open up on July 15, 2008, Dominguez is not expected to begin his Galaxy career against Chivas USA. His shirt number was assigned the number 25 -- the same number he wore while playing for Huracan. ^[31]

On August 11, 2008, following a 3-2 loss to the San Jose Earthquakes, Ruud Gullit resigned as coach from the Los Angeles Galaxy citing personal reasons, and president and general manager Alexi Lalas was relieved of his duties. This followed a seven-game winless streak which saw the Galaxy fall from 1st place in the Western Conference to outside playoff contention. ^[32]

Former US men's national team head coach Bruce Arena was hired to replace Gullit on August 18, 2008. On October 18, 2008, a 3-0 loss to the Houston Dynamo officially eliminated the Galaxy from playoff contention for the third-straight season.

The Galaxy defeated an Oceania XI 3-0 in a one off friendly in Auckland, New Zealand on 6 December 2008.

Beckham and Donovan loans

In January, both club captain David Beckham and vice-captain Landon Donovan were involved in loan deals with European clubs until the beginning of the new MLS season. Beckham was loaned from January to March to Italian giants A.C. Milan, while Donovan was loaned to German giants Bayern Munich. While Donovan had already made it clear that he was seeking a permanent transfer to Munich, Beckham was expected to return to L.A. in March, prior to the 2009 season. However, after impressing at the Italian club, scoring two goals in his first four matches, rumors began to swirl that Beckham would stay in Milan, with the Italian club reportedly offering to pay a multi-million dollar fee for the English legend. The rumors were confirmed on February 4, when Beckham stated that he was seeking a permanent transfer to Milan, in a bid to sustain his England career through the 2010 World Cup. ^[33]

On February 7, it was announced that Galaxy officials had rejected Milan's initial offer, believed to be in the region of 5 million pounds, claiming the offer was "too low" and that "time was running out" to conclude the deal. It was believed that the Los Angeles club were seeking an offer in the $10–15 million range, but wanted the deal finished quickly, as the club wanted to rebuild the squad with the transfer money prior to the start of the league season in March. Several Milan players and manager Carlo Ancelotti expressed their desire for Beckham to stay with the club permanently, with Ancelotti even pleading with Milan executives to "make sacrifices" to sign Beckham. ^[34]

In a surprise twist on February 13, L.A. announced that Milan had failed to make the expected second offer prior to MLS commissioner Don Garber's deadline on the 13th, and that Beckham would be staying with the Galaxy for the 2009 season. The American club also revealed that Beckham did have a release clause in his contract that would allow him to leave for free at the conclusion of the 2009 season. ^[35] On February 14, Milan chief executive, Adriano Galliani dismissed the MLS deadline, calling it a "tactic" and said that Milan were still hopeful of signing Beckham. Ancelotti also referred to Beckham as "indispensable" to his squad and reiterated his desire that Beckham stay with the club. ^[36]

On March 5, it was announced that the Bayern Munich were not interested in offering Donovan a permanent contract and that he would be returning to the Galaxy prior to the start of the MLS season. ^[37] Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge stated that with strikers such as Miroslav Klose and Luca Toni already available, additional forwards should be young "with perspective". ^[38]

On March 8, one day before his loan deal was to expire, it was announced that Milan and Los Angeles had reached an agreement to allow Beckham to stay in Italy until the conclusion of the Rossoneri's season in June, similar to a timeshare deal. According to the terms of the deal, Beckham will take a short vacation before returning to the Galaxy in July, possibly for a scheduled friendly match against Milan. According to Galaxy officials, the unique deal was "funded jointly by Milan and the player himself." A Milan source stated that the club had paid less than $6 million, with Beckham paying the remainder of the fee himself.

After the deal was announced, Beckham stated that his family was settled in L.A. and would be remaining there, which cast doubts on speculation that Beckham was seeking a permanent move to Milan. While his future remains unclear after the conclusion of the MLS season in November, it is believed that Beckham plans to return to Milan in January and remain with the Rossoneri through the Italian season again. Then, after presumably playing for England in the 2010 World Cup, he would return to MLS permanently to end his career with the Galaxy. ^[39]

Rivalries

The Galaxy's traditional rival is the San Jose Earthquakes, with whom they battled in the California Clasico until the Earthquakes players and head coach Dominic Kinnear were relocated to Houston, Texas following the 2005 season, becoming the Houston Dynamo. The Galaxy, the Earthquakes and the Dynamo combined to win six of the last seven MLS Cup titles (2001-2007), each team winning two. San Jose's victory over the Galaxy for the title in 2001 was carried out under the leadership of Frank Yallop, with Joe Cannon in goal and Landon Donovan scoring for the Quakes in a 2-1 victory. The two clubs also had epic playoff battles in 2003 and 2005. Following the former Earthquakes players' and head coach's departure to Houston, the Galaxy failed to make the playoffs for the first time in club history in 2006 and repeated the feat in 2007. After having been revived under new ownership as an MLS team for the 2008 season, the Earthquakes returned to the Galaxy's list of closest rivals, resuming the California Clasico. ^[40]

The Galaxy's biggest rival in the 1990s was D.C. United, when the two squads met in MLS Cup 1996 and MLS Cup 1999. The Galaxy lost 3-2, in overtime, and 2-0, respectively. This rivalry remains strong, as the two clubs are the two most successful clubs in MLS history, along with having the two largest fan bases in the league.

The Galaxy's chief rival for the past few years has been Chivas USA, with whom they share a home stadium. The Galaxy–Chivas USA game is the league's first derby, known as the Honda SuperClasico. Although the Galaxy won all four games the first year of the rivalry, in 2006 a more competitive Chivas side increased the popularity of the SuperClassico, which features sell-out crowds and great atmosphere. The Galaxy won 3 of 4 Classico games in 2006. In the 2007 inaugural tournament Superliga, a new much-anticipated rivalry was formed. The Galaxy took on Chivas USA's parent team Club Deportivo Guadalajara at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and lost 2-1, however they still advanced to the next round leaving their rivals behind.

The rivalry between the Galaxy and Chivas USA heated up during a match on August 23, 2007 when Chivas USA player Jesse Marsch applied a high kick from behind to Galaxy captain David Beckham's upper right hip (some believe he was attempting to kick Beckham in the groin), at the end of the first half. This led to a tense confrontation between Beckham and Marsch, during which Beckham was restrained by teammate Edson Buddle. A shoving match occurred, and Galaxy's midfielder Kevin Harmse threw a punch towards Chivas USA player Alex Zotinca who retaliated by headbutting Harmse. Both players received red cards, and Chivas USA went on to win the match 3-0. Off the field the LA Galaxy's 5-2 win on April 26 2008 was marred by crowd trouble, as a group of Chivas fans beat up a lone LA Galaxy fan at half time.

Mascot

The Los Angeles Galaxy's mascot is "Cozmo" , a frog-like extraterrestrial. It is said that Cozmo was beamed down to The Home Depot Center from his intergalactic spaceship on June 7, 2003.

The team’s website claims that Cozmo is also “universally known as a goalkeeper who can stop shots traveling at the speed of light,” but also possesses the speed and skill to play forward for any team on the planet.

Cozmo is loved for his antics while entertaining fans during games. In addition, he makes special appearances throughout Southern California, representing the team and is known for teaching kids the basics of soccer.

Cozmo replaced the Galaxy's original mascot, "Twizzle", who also looked like it was from outer space but was more humanoid in form, wearing a space-man's helmet and cape. Twizzle was prone to making muscle-man poses.

Television and radio

Galaxy matches are televised regionally on Fox Sports West & Fox Sports Prime Ticket alternatively. Jim Watson and Mark Rogondino are the English language announcers. Spanish TV broadcasts for selected games can be seen on KWHY Channel 22 with Elmer Polanco (Play-by-Play) and Alejandro Navarro (Commentary)

For the 2009-2010 season, regular season matches will be broadcast on KLAC 570 AM (Los Angeles/Orange County) & KTLK 1150 AM alternatively in English and in Spanish on KWKW 1330 AM (Los Angeles). Joe Tutino does the English play-by-play while Rolando "El Veloz" Gonzalez (Play-By-Play) and Armando Aguayo (Commentary) handle the Spanish broadcasts.

Club Honors

CONCACAF Champions' Cup: * Winner (1): 2000 * Runner-up (1): 1997 MLS Cup: * Winner (2): 2002, 2005 * Runner-up (3): 1996, 1999, 2001 MLS Supporters' Shield: * Winner (2): 1998, 2002 * Runner-up (2): 1996, 1999

U.S. Open Cup: * Winner (2): 2001, 2005 * Runner-up (2): 2002, 2006 SuperLiga: * Runner-up (1): 2007 Pan-Pacific Championship: * Runner-up (1): 2009 * Third Place (1): 2008 La Manga Cup: * Third Place (1): 2003

Players

Current roster

As of June 20, 2009. ^[41]

No. Position Player (on loan at Austin Aztex) (Captain (football)) (Captain (football))

No. Position Player (on loan at Cleveland City Stars) (on loan at Cleveland City Stars)

For recent transfers, see List of MLS transfers for the 2009 season.

Retired numbers

13 – Cobi Jones (1996–2007)

Notable former players

This list of former players includes those who received international caps while playing for the team, made significant contributions to the team in terms of appearances or goals while playing for the team, or who made significant contributions to the sport either before they played for the team, or after they left. It is clearly not yet complete and all inclusive, and additions and refinements will continue to be made over time.

Chris Albright (2002–2008) Chris Armas (1996–1997) Danny Califf (2000–2004) Paul Caligiuri (1997–2001) Jorge Campos (1996–1997) Joe Cannon (2007) Brian Ching (2001) Mauricio Cienfuegos (1996–2003) Simon Elliott (1999-2004) Robin Fraser (1996–2000) Cornell Glen (2006) Gavin Glinton (2002–2003, 2006–2007) Herculez Gomez (2003–2006) Kevin Hartman (1997–2006) Carlos Hermosillo (1998–1999) Ezra Hendrickson (1997-2003) Luis Hernández (2000–2001) Andreas Herzog (2004)

Wellington Sanchez (1999–2000) Eduardo Hurtado (1996–1998) Ante Jazic (2006–2009) Cobi Jones (1996–2007) Alexi Lalas (2001–2003) Martín Machón (1997–1998) Hong Myung-Bo (2003–2004) Clint Mathis (1998–2000, 2008) Alejandro Moreno (2002-2004) Curt Onalfo (1996) Carlos Pavón (2007) Guillermo Ramírez (2005) Carlos Ruiz (2002–2005, 2008) Welton (1997–1999) Peter Vagenas (2000–2008) Greg Vanney (1996–2001, 2008) Abel Xavier (2007–2008)

• See also All-time Los Angeles Galaxy roster

Managers

Lothar Osiander, (1996-1997) Octavio Zambrano, (1997-1999) Sigi Schmid, (1999-2004) Steve Sampson, (2004-2006)

Frank Yallop, (2006-2007) Ruud Gullit, (2007-2008) Cobi Jones (interim) , (2008) Bruce Arena, (2008-present)

Team records

• Games: Cobi Jones, 306
• Goals: Cobi Jones, 70
• Hat Tricks: Cobi Jones; Edson Buddle, 4
• Assists: Cobi Jones, 86
• Cleansheets: Kevin Hartman, 62

MLS regular season only, as of 21 September 2008 ^[42]

Most Valuable Player

Year	Name	Country
2008	Landon Donovan
2007	Chris Klein
2006	Landon Donovan
2005	Herculez Gomez
2004	Kevin Hartman
2003	Kevin Hartman
2002	Carlos Ruiz
2001	Ezra Hendrickson
2000	Simon Elliott
1999	Kevin Hartman
1998	Cobi Jones
1997	Mauricio Cienfuegos
1996	Eduardo Hurtado

Golden Boot Winner

The Golden Boot Winner is the leading goal scorer at the end of the season (only goals in MLS count). Did not exist from 1996 to 2004. MLS Scoring Champion Award included both goal and assist totals those years.

Year	Name	Country	Goals
2008	Landon Donovan		20
2007	Landon Donovan		8
2006	Landon Donovan		12
2005	Landon Donovan		12

Defensive Player of the Year

Year	Name	Country
2008	Sean Franklin
2007	Ty Harden
2006	Chris Albright
2005	Tyrone Marshall
2004	Tyrone Marshall
2003	Danny Califf
2002	Alexi Lalas
2001	Greg Vanney
2000	Danny Califf
1999	Robin Fraser
1998	Robin Fraser
1997	Robin Fraser
1996	Jorge Campos

Home stadiums

• Rose Bowl (1996–2002)
• The Home Depot Center (2003–present)

Year-by-year

Year	Regular Season	Playoffs	U.S. Open Cup	CONCACAF Champions League	SuperLiga
1996	1st, West	Final	Did not enter	Did not enter	Started in 2007
1997	2nd, West	Quarterfinal	Did not enter	Final
1998	1st, West*	Semifinal	Did not enter	Qualifying playoff
1999	1st, West	Final	Quarterfinal	Did not qualify
2000	2nd, West	Semifinal	Semifinal	Champions
2001	1st, West	Final	Champions	Not held
2002	1st, West*	Champions	Final	Did not qualify
2003	4th, West	Quarterfinal	Semifinal	Quarterfinal
2004	2nd, West	Semifinal	Fourth Round	Did not qualify
2005	4th, West	Champions	Champions	Did not qualify
2006	5th, West	Did not qualify	Final	Quarterfinal
2007	5th, West	Did not qualify	Third Round	Did not qualify	Final
2008	6th, West	Did not qualify	Did not qualify	Did not qualify	Did not qualify
2009			Did not qualify	Did not qualify	Did not qualify

* Won MLS Supporters' Shield

Year-by-year stats

Season	League Record							Top Scorer
	P	W	L	D	F	A	Pts	Name	G
1996	32	19	13	0	59	49	49	Eduardo Hurtado	21
1997	32	16	16	0	55	44	44	Welton	11
1998	32	24	8	0	85	44	68	Cobi Jones	19
1999	32	20	12	0	49	29	54	Cobi Jones/Carlos Hermosillo	08
2000	32	14	10	8	47	37	50	Cobi Jones	07
2001	26	14	7	5	52	36	47	Luis Hernández	08
2002	28	16	9	3	44	33	51	Carlos Ruiz	24
2003	30	9	12	9	35	35	36	Carlos Ruiz	15
2004	30	11	9	10	42	40	43	Carlos Ruiz	11
2005	32	13	13	6	44	45	45	Landon Donovan	12
2006	32	11	15	6	37	37	39	Landon Donovan	12
2007	30	9	14	7	38	48	34	Landon Donovan	08
2008	30	8	13	9	55	62	33	Landon Donovan	20
Total	398	184	151	63	642	539	594	Cobi Jones	70

International competition

1997 Champions' Cup * Qualifying Playoff v. Santos Laguna -- 4:1 * Quarterfinals v. C.D. Luis Angel Firpo -- 2:0 * Semifinals v. D.C. United -- 1:0 * Final v. C.D. Cruz Azul -- 3:5 1999 Champions' Cup * Qualifying Playoff v. Club Necaxa -- 1:1 (Club Necaxa advances 4-3 on penalties) 2000 Champions' Cup * Quarterfinals v. Real C.D. España -- 0:0 (Galaxy advance 5:3 on penalties) * Semifinals v. D.C. United -- 1:1 (Galaxy advance 4:2 on penalties) * Final v. CD Olimpia -- 3:2 2003 La Manga Cup * Group Stage v. Lyn Oslo -- 5:0 * Group Stage v. Torpedo Moskva -- 3:0 * Group Stage v. Odd Grenland -- 0:1 * Third Place Match v. Viking -- 3:0 2003 Champions' Cup * First round v. C.D. Motagua -- 2:2, 1:0 (Galaxy advance 3:2 on aggregate) * Quarterfinals v. Club Necaxa -- 1:4, 1:2 (Club Necaxa advance 6:2 on aggregate) '''2003 Peace Cup * Group Stage v. Nacional -- 0:0 * Group Stage v. 1860 München -- 0:0 * Group Stage v. PSV Eindhoven -- 1:4 2006 Champions' Cup * Quarterfinals v. Deportivo Saprissa -- 0:0, 2:3AET (Saprissa advance 3:2 on aggregate after added extra time) 2007 SuperLiga * Group Stage v. C.F. Pachuca -- 2:1 * Group Stage v. C.D. Guadalajara -- 1:2 * Group Stage v. FC Dallas -- 6:5 * Semifinals v. D.C. United -- 2:0 * Final v. C.F. Pachuca -- 1:1 (Pachuca win 4:3 on penalties) Pan-Pacific Championship 2008 * Semifinals v. Gamba Osaka - 0:1 * Third Place v. Sydney FC - 2:1 Pan-Pacific Championship 2009 * Semifinals v. Oita Trinita - 2:0 * Final v. Suwon Bluewings - 1:1 (Suwon Bluewings win 4:2 on penalties)

Other Major International Matches (since 1996) * 1996 vs. Necaxa - 1:2 * 1996 vs. Deportivo Cali - 2:3 * 1997 vs. Aston Villa - 1:1 * 1997 vs. Santos Laguna - 4:1 * 1999 vs. Guadalajara - 3:1 * 2000 vs. Guadalajara - 1:1 * 2000 vs. Puebla FC - 3:1 * 2001 vs. Nacional de Tijuana - 2:1 * 2001 vs. Tokyo Verdy 1969 - 2:3 * 2001 vs. Urawa Red Diamonds - 1:2 * 2001 vs. Guadalajara - 2:1 * 2001 vs. Necaxa - 2:2 * 2002 vs. CD Magallanes - 3:1 * 2002 vs. CSD Colo Colo - 2:2 * 2002 vs. CF Universidad de Chile - 2:0 * 2003 vs. CD Universidad Católica - 1:0 * 2003 vs. CD Unión San Felipe - 3:0 * 2003 vs. Cruz Azul - 1:0 * 2003 vs. Shanghai Shenhua - 3:0 * 2004 vs. Istres - 0:2 * 2004 vs. Saint-Raphael - 2:1 * 2004 vs. OGC Nice - 1:0 * 2004 vs. Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara - 1:1 * 2004 vs. Hannoverscher SV 96 - 0:2 * 2004 vs. Necaxa - 3:1 * 2004 vs. Sao Paulo FC - 0:1 * 2005 vs. CA Osasuna - 2:2 * 2005 vs. Real Madrid - 0:2 * 2005 vs. Yokohama F. Marinos - 0:2 * 2005 vs. Dandy Town SC - 10:0 * 2006 vs. Hammarby IF - 2:0 * 2006 vs. Necaxa - 0:1 * 2006 vs. CD Cartaginés - 3:1 * 2006 vs. Crystal Palace FC - 1:1 * 2006 vs. Cruz Azul - 1:4 * 2007 vs. UANL Tigres - 0:3 * 2007 vs. Chelsea - 0:1 * 2007 vs. Sydney FC - 3:5 * 2007 vs. Wellington Phoenix FC - 4:1 * 2008 vs. FC Seoul - 1:1 * 2008 vs. Shanghai Hong Kong - 3:0 * 2008 vs. Hong Kong Union - 2:2 * 2009 vs. Club Sport Herediano - 1:0 * 2009 vs. AC Milan - 2:2 * 2009 vs. Barcelona - 1:2

Average attendance

Year	Reg. Season	Playoffs
1996	30,129	29,883
1997	23,626	26,703
1998	21,784	13,175
1999	17,632	21,039
2000	20,400	25,033
2001	17,387	28,462
2002	19,047	24,596
2003	21,983	20,201
2004	23,809	20,206
2005	24,204	17,466
2006	20,814	N/A
2007	24,252	N/A
2008	26,009	N/A
2009	19,379	TBD
All Time	22,390	22,676

The LA Galaxy draw the third highest average attendance of all MLS teams. Toronto FC ranks second, and Seattle Sounders FC rank first.

References

1. Meaning of the Galaxy name
2. Galaxy GM, president Doug Hamilton dies on flight home
3. {{David Beckham | title = Galaxy fires Sampson as coach | publisher = USA Today (AP) | date = June 6, 2006 | url = http://www.usatoday.com/sports/soccer/mls/galaxy/2006-06-06-galaxy-sampson-fired_x.htm | accessdate = 2008-05-11}}
4. Galaxy hire ex-Earthquakes coach Yallop
5. L.A. ‘Galaxy’ Gets Herbalife Lift
6. Galaxy hold off Hoops, advance to semis
7. Galaxy lose duel with Fire for final spot
8. Yallop leaves Galaxy to coach Quakes
9. Galaxy silent on Gullit links
10. Los Angeles Galaxy appoint Gullit as coach
11. LA Galaxy acquire veteran Clint Mathis
12. Galaxy trade Cannon for allocation money
13. Ruiz joins Beckham, Donovan on Galaxy's roster
14. Salary-cap issues cloud club's trip to paradise
15. Revolution acquire Albright from the Galaxy
16. Celestine Babayaro reunited with Ruud Gullit after Galaxy move
17. Babayaro doesn't last with Galaxy
18. LA Galaxy acquire defender Greg Vanney
19. Galaxy can't top Gamba Osaka at PPC
20. Beckham, Galaxy beat Sydney in third-place match
21. Galaxy fall to FC Seoul 2-1 on PKs
22. Ruiz's three goals lead Galaxy to victory in China
23. Beckham, Galaxy tie FC Dallas 0-0
24. Galaxy stumble out of gate
25. Beckham, Donovan lead LA to win over Quakes
26. Coach says Galaxy lacks 'leadership,' even with Beckham, Donovan
27. ESPNsoccernet - MLS - Canales: Beckham shows scoring touch against Wizards
28. The Monday MLS Breakdown: Galaxian Miscues in the Back
29. MLSnet.com Extratime: Episode 59
30. The Monday MLS Breakdown: Decision Time
31. LA Galaxy agree to terms with Dominguez
32. Report: Galaxy coach Gullit resigns; president/GM Lalas out
33. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=616117&cc=5901
34. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=616973&sec=europe&cc=5901
35. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story? id=618899&sec=mls&cc=5901
36. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=619005&sec=europe&cc=5901
37. http://la.galaxy.mlsnet.com/news/team_news.jsp?ymd=20090305&content_id=221945&vkey=pr_lag&fext=.jsp&
38. Donovan unlikely to extend with Bayern
39. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=625776&cc=5901
40. San Jose Earthquakes to return to Major League Soccer in 2008
41. http://web.mlsnet.com/players/index.jsp?club=t106
42. http://web.mlsnet.com/mls/history/alltime_leaders.jsp