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Los Angeles Galaxy is a professional football club based in Los Angeles, California that participates in Major League Soccer. The name "Galaxy" refers to Los Angeles being the home of many Hollywood 'stars.' [1] The team colors are gold and green. The home shirts are gold with a green sash and some minor black accents.
The Galaxy was one of the ten founding members of Major League Soccer, that began play in 1996. The club played their home games at the Rose Bowl from 1996–2002 until they moved into their own soccer-specific stadium, The Home Depot Center in Carson, California, in 2003. Since the 2005 season, The Home Depot Center has been shared with Chivas USA. The Galaxy has the highest all-time attendance in league history and is the first MLS team to make a profit in a season. The Galaxy has two main supporters clubs known as The Galaxians, and the Los Angeles Riot Squad. Their mascot is known as "Cozmo," a frog-like extraterrestrial.
Recently, the Galaxy were in the news for being the first MLS team to take advantage of the Designated Player Rule, also known as the "Beckham Rule," by signing the rule's namesake David Beckham to a contract worth approximately $50 million a year for 5 years. [1].
The Galaxy advanced to the MLS Cup final five times in 1996, 1999, 2001, 2002, and 2005—winning in 2002 and 2005. In 2000 they won the CONCACAF Champions Cup and in 2001 the US Open Cup. They won the Open Cup again in 2005 as part of winning the domestic double, the third time a team has done so in MLS history. Their 2005 MLS Cup victory was the first time that the team with the worst record entering the playoffs won the championship.
In 2005, after an unsuccessful stint in Germany's Bundesliga, Landon Donovan returned to the MLS to play for Galaxy. In his first season with Galaxy, Donovan scored 12 league goals and 10 assists and added four goals and an assist in the playoffs, leading the Galaxy to a victory in the 2005 MLS Cup.
The 2006 season was considered as the worst in 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. It was also the season where Doug Hamilton, the team's general manager, died of a heart attack on board the plane carrying the team back from Costa Rica after their loss to Saprissa in the CONCACAF Champions Cup on March 16. Hamilton, who was only 43 years old, was also the GM of the Los Angeles Riptide of Major League Lacrosse.
On 11 January 2007 Reuters reported that former England captain David Beckham will leave Real Madrid at the end of the season and sign a five-year deal with the Galaxy. The 32-year-old, who joined Real from Manchester United in June 2003, is the most well-known player to sign up for Major League Soccer since it began play in 1996. Beckham is the fifth most capped England player of all time, has twice been the runner up in the FIFA World Player Of The Year Award (in 1999 and 2001), and was a member of Manchester United's 1999 UEFA Champions League winning team. After news of the signing broke, club spokespeople stated that the primary motives were two-fold: (a) securing a world class player, and (b) securing a player who is also popular outside of the soccer world, and who, as AEG president Timothy J. Leiweke put it, "[can help] build the 'bridge' between soccer in America and the rest of the world." [2] On a secondary level, the player's personal ethicism will also reflect well on the club. Examples of this ethicism include: (a) his role as a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 2005; (b) the Soccer Academies he founded in London and California; and (c) charity fundraising, such as the 'World Cup 06 Party - Full Length and Fabulous' at his Hertfordshire mansion.
It has been reported that in early 2007 the Los Angeles Galaxy plan to unveil the team's new shirt design in an attempt to make the Galaxy brand more global in its appeal. It is believed that the new shirts will be dark blue and/or black.[2] In March 2007 it was announced that Herbalife would be the primary shirt sponsor of the Galaxy in a five-year deal worth between $3.5 million and $5 million a year through 2011.[3]
On 18 April 2007, Rangers manager, Walter Smith announced that talks between the two clubs were underway, with regards to a player link deal. This deal would allow Galaxy to use Ranger's world class training facility, Murray Park. Rangers would be able to take Galaxy youngsters on trial, and allow them a greater exposure to the US market.
The Galaxy's biggest rival in the 1990s was D.C. United, where 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.
The Galaxy's biggest rival in the early 2000s was the San Jose Earthquakes until they were relocated to Houston, Texas following the 2005 season, becoming the Houston Dynamo. Currently, the league is seeking to re-establish a franchise in the San Jose area. If they are successful, this new version of the Earthquakes will likely return to the Galaxy's list of closest rivals.
The Galaxy's chief rival is now the lesser Chivas USA, with whom they share a home stadium. The Galaxy–Chivas USA game is the league's first and (thus far) only 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 has increased the popularity of the SuperClasico.
Galaxy matches are televised locally by FSN West. Max Bretos and Allen Hopkins are the English language announcers, while Jaime Motta and Elmer Polanco announce in Spanish.
Matches are broadcast on radio by XEPE "CASH 1700 AM" in English and in Spanish on KMXE "Radio Visa". Joe Tutino does the English play-by-play while Troy Santiago does the same in Spanish.
As of April 9, 2007 (Captain)[4] Source: http://web.mlsnet.com/players/roster.jsp?club=t106
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The Golden Boot Winner is the leading goal scorer at the end of the season (only goals in MLS count).
regular season/playoffs