The first reviews of the year are in for the Galaxy, which played its lone preseason match against a fellow Major League Soccer team on Saturday night and managed only a 0-0 tie at FC Dallas.
The Galaxy spent a large chunk of its preseason in Hawaii and Asia, and now, only 12 days from its season opener against the Colorado Rapids in Denver, it has been brought back to reality with a jolt.
This league is not easy, and preparing against mediocre and sometimes makeshift teams on the other side of the globe might not have been the best of ideas.
Veteran soccer writer Steve Davis was at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas, on Saturday and in his assessment for ESPN Soccernet did not make encouraging reading for Los Angeles fans.
"You look at the Galaxy roster these days and there's only one thing to say: Is that it?" Davis wrote.
"It's [David] Beckham, Landon Donovan, Carlos Ruiz and about three or four other guys who truly can be classified as quality professionals and, well, that's about it. The remainder of the roster is a selection of MLS day laborers. There will be six to eight names on the Galaxy's opening day roster that the very best MLS fans will not recognize.
"It's clear that Beckham, Donovan and Ruiz must be miracle workers every night out or this side will go nowhere."
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Why else might it take the Galaxy a while to settle down in 2008?
Here's one reason: In six preseason games, the big three of Beckham, Donovan and Ruiz have yet to appear on the field together. Donovan did not play in Hawaii and missed the Asian tour because of tendinitis in his knee. Ruiz skipped the game in Dallas because of a hamstring strain.
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On the international front, look for former Real Madrid coach Vicente del Bosque to become the coach of Spain once the June 7-29 European Championship ends. Current Coach Luis Aragones will step aside after Euro 2008.
Also, Germany's national team, in a rare nod of appreciation toward one of its former great players, will play Bayern Munich on Sept. 2 in a farewell match for iconic goalkeeper Oliver Kahn, who is retiring.
Argentine Coach Alfio Basile, missing the injured duo of Lionel Messi and Hernan Crespo and with Carlos Tevez asking for a rest, has called in forwards Fernando Cavenaghi of Bordeaux and Sergio Aguero of Atletico Madrid for a high-profile friendly against African champion Egypt in Cairo on March 26.
