Sean: Alright, let’s move on to the team and the league. What are your thoughts on the team this year?
Josh Guesman: Bruce Arena always seems to find great players. Ishizaki, Husidic, Friend and Samuel were great finds. But his signing of Jaime Penedo last year was great. Bruce doesn’t always get them right, (Cudicini and Magee Trade) but he hits more than he misses. I’m really worried about our defense– too many injuries and they are very thin on the outside there. They had to get rid of Franklin, I understand that, but with Riley out and Dunivant missing games again, I worry about the depth. And Leonardo is not the answer in the middle.
Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane are the most dangerous pairing in MLS. Goals will come from that. And I love how Bruce has stopped trying to cut players into a wide role and just gone with a narrow diamond– smartest move he made.
Sean: Which new signings have impressed you the most?
JG: Ishizaki is a beast. The man runs and runs. And he matches the work rate of Juninho and Sarvas, which I didn’t think possible. I like Baggio Husidic for what he’s able to bring in terms of passing and possession. And Rob Friend is the ultimate target man. Samuel may be more of a development piece, but I think he’ll pay off for us in the future as well.
Gargan also seems to be a man who’s surprised me. He gets into the attack so well and really opens up the play for that condensed midfield. It’s fun to watch.
Sean: Do you think this team has improved enough to win MLS Cup and possibly make a run at the Supporters’ Shield?
JG: It’s MLS, so anything is possible. This Galaxy team has the talent to be in MLS Cup. They will need to stay healthy though. Not a ton of depth on this team, but I really think LA can do something special. Supporters’ Shield is a complete crap shoot. I really think a decent team from the East will win it. That conference is still pretty weak and they just seem to have an easier route to hosting the Shield. New York Proved that last year.
Sean: CBA negotiations are coming up at the end of the season. What are your predictions as to what is going to come out of them? Think we see a substantial raise in the cap, as some are predicting?
JG: MLS will have a difficult time claiming they don’t have any money. Look at TFC’s roughly $100 million investment in Bradley and DeFoe. That’s real money. I think the players will get a good sized bump in the Salary Cap. But I’m worried it won’t be achieved without some sort of work stoppage. I saw how MLS handled the referees this year, and I just expect it to be the same. MLS will claim they aren’t making any money, but this time, it just won’t fly with most people.
Sean: Since the departure of Tim Leiweke, the Galaxy hasn’t had the same success bringing in marquee DP signings. Last year we threw money at Lampard and Giovani dos Santos, but couldn’t get a bite. Meanwhile, Tim is up in Toronto signing Bradley and Defoe. How much has his departure hurt the team? If Omar leaves after the World Cup, as some are speculating, do you think another huge summer signing is on the way?
JG: Leiweke leaving hurt the team for sure. But TFC was in a much better position to sign both of those guys than the Galaxy. Lampard not coming was unlucky. I don’t even think Leiweke could have saved that one. And good for Frank. He wanted to stay with a coach he admired and was promised, more or less, playing time. You can’t take that away. I really think the Galaxy will make some moves after the world cup. I think that if Gonzalez plays well, he’ll be gone. That seems to be more of a big “if” then it was before. But the Galaxy can make a move once OG departs, and I think everyone is expecting that. I think Galaxy fans will demand it.
Sean: How would you assess the general trajectory of the league as a whole? Think things are moving in the right direction?
JG: I think the league, in general, is doing a great job. The league is growing and attendance is increasing for most teams. I think the focus on Soccer Specific Stadiums really drove the previous round of expansion and that has really paid off. But I worry about the new teams entering and the lack of SSS’s. And I’m not sure all of those SouthEast teams — Atlanta, Miami, Orlando and even NYCFC, will survive. I alway thought that MLS was really smart about expansion, but I don’t see the thriving fan bases, like Portland and Seattle, in the South East.
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