MLS First Kick: LA Galaxy Defeat Seattle Sounders 1-0

Juninho will now forever be the answer to the trivia question: Who scored the first goal of the 2011 MLS season. It turned out that second half goal was all the Los Angeles Galaxy needed, as the team escaped Quest Field with a 1-0 victory and three points to begin the season. Normally the turf in Seattle result in a very quick and open game, which in some ways it was, but the added complication of a rain storm made conditions at kick off quite daunting. The sellout crowd was loud, as was expected, but in the end, they couldn’t will their team to a goal; a team which must be getting frustrated after repeated loses to the Galaxy.

While Pereira Junior’s goal from well outside the box ultimately decided the match, it was the play of Josh Saunders, filling in for the injured Donovan Ricketts, which held the day for Los Angeles. He made several brilliant saves, and with five Sounder shots from inside the box, those saves were crucial. Steve Zakuani of Seattle also had some great wing play, but Seattle’s finishing was noticeably lacking.

The Galaxy now face New England Revolution on Sunday, in the home opener for the club. Seattle get an even shorter break, heading to New York to take on the Red Bulls on Saturday.

Seattle Sounders

GK Kasey Keller
DEF James Riley
DEF Jeff Parke
DEF J. Kennedy Hurtado
DEF Leo Gonzalez
MID Alvaro Fernandez
MID Osvaldo Alonso
MID Erik Friberg
MID Steve Zakuani
FWD Fredy Montero
FWD O’Brian White

Subs: Terry Boss, Servando Carrasco, Patrick Ianni, Roger Levesque, Lamar Neagle, Zach Scott, Miguel Montano

Notes: Reports are coming out of the Sounders camp that Blaise Nkufo has parted ways with the team, on the day of the home opener.

Los Angeles Galaxy

GK Josh Saunders
DEF Sean Franklin
DEF A.J. DeLaGarza
DEF Leonardo
DEF Todd Dunivant
MID Chris Birchall
MID David Beckham
MID Juninho
MID Landon Donovan
FWD Chad Barrett
FWD Mike Magee

Subs: Perk, Hejduk, Stephens, Kirovski, Cardozo, Lopez, Jordan

Notes: Donovan Ricketts (hamstring), Juan Pablo Angel (sick), and Omar Gonzalez (shoulder strain) didn’t travel. Gregg Berhalter traveled, but as a coach.

Weather: showers, 46 degrees. Field: turf. Quest Field sold out, though time will tell how many brave the storm.

March 15th, 6:30 PM PT, ESPN

In a big day for soccer worldwide – Real Salt Lake and Saprissa meet tonight in the CONCACAF Champions League, and Manchester United and Inter Milan moved on in the UEFA Champions League – Seattle plays host to the MLS season opener, hosting Landon Donovan and the Los Angeles Galaxy. In four regular season meetings between these two clubs, the Galaxy have won 2, lost one and tied one, scoring 8 goals. That stat, of course, includes the Galaxy’s 0-4 drubbing of Seattle last year at Quest Field. Juan Pablo Angel and Chad Barrett have been named as probable starters up front, a completely new look for the Galaxy while featured Edson Buddle and Tristan Bowen up there much of last season. However, with both those forwards off to other pastures, tonight will be Angel and Barrett’s first chance to show Galaxy fans and a national audience that there won’t be any drop off.

“We’re working on it. It takes time to build a partnership. Hopefully throughout the year we get to find that understanding and be good for the team," Angel said. “(Barrett) is a strong guy; he’s a handful and he can score goals. He can run forever. It’s about trying to mix it up and make sure that we offer our best abilities to the team so they can benefit from it.”

The other 9 on the field should be more familiar to Galaxy fans. David Beckham is poised to make just his second appearance in an MLS opening night game, after previous years of the contract were compromised by his time with AC Milan. Gregg Berhalter is listed as doubtful, however it’s Leonardo currently pencilled in next to Omar Gonzalez in the back, not AJ DeLaGarza, despite DeLaGarza having a strong showing at the end of last season. Josh Saunders will likely be starting in place of a questionable Donovan Ricketts, who is impeded by a right hamstring strain.

“Ricketts is day to day,” said coach Bruce Arena. “He took a knock”

The Galaxy concluded their preseason training schedule with a 2-1 victory over UCLA at the Home Depot Center training facility. Juninho and Landon Donovan both scored.

It has been 128 days since the Los Angeles Galaxy eliminated the Seattle Sounders from the 2010 MLS Cup playoffs. The Galaxy had Seattle’s number last year, winning all four MLS matches between the teams. The first meeting was a 4-0 victory at Quest Field, the worst defeat in Sounders franchise history. The Sounders were the Galaxy opponents on July 4th, when the team was welcoming back World Cup heroes Landon Donovan and Edson Buddle. Then at the end of the year, the Galaxy swept the aggregate series to move on in the MLS Cup. Seattle was able to defeat the Galaxy in US Open Cup play, in a game where Bruce had Landon and Buddle stay home, trying to rest up after the World Cup tournament.

When Landon was on the pitch against Seattle, he was playing some of his best soccer. He made four of his league leading sixteen assists against Seattle. He also managed to push across one goal.

In a year where the Galaxy were known for being defensive minded (in the first MLS Cup match against Seattle, some journalists accused them of playing ten men on defense), Los Angeles only gave up two goals all year to the Sounders. Both of them were scored by Steve Zakuani; one goal scored in regular season play, the other in the MLS Cup. Both goals were away goals, scored at the Home Depot Center.

This will be the third straight year that Seattle hosts the league opener. The franchise has had great attendance and support from the beginning, and an educated guess would say that MLS wants to advertise that atmosphere in their first marquee match of the season. They defeated the New York Red Bulls 3-0 in their first game in club history, back on March 19th, 2009. Then last year they defeated newcomer Philadelphia Union 2-0 in front of 36,241 fans.