The month and change for the L.A. Galaxy have been busy and memorable. With so much going on and fans getting caught in the holidays and New Years, here’s a news review of everything that’s happened since MLS Cup on December 7th.
Reviewing an Active L.A. Galaxy Off-season
Monday, December 8: The half day trade window opened and teams announced their 11 man protected rosters for the 2014 Expansion Draft. The Galaxy made no trades. L.A.’s protected roster most notably left off super sub forward Alan Gordon and defender Dan Gargan, which was concerning.
Wednesday, December 10: The 2014 MLS Expansion Draft. Uneventfully and fortunately, no L.A. Galaxy players were selected.
Friday, December 12: Stage One Re-Entry Draft. Four L.A. Galaxy players were available: Rafael Garcia (CM), Chandler Hoffman (ST), Brian Perk (GK), and James Riley (LB). The Galaxy had the 18th overall pick in the draft. No Galaxy players were selected, nor did the Galaxy select a player.
Thursday, December 18: Stage Two Re-Entry Draft. The same four players were available. Head coach and GM Bruce Arena again selected no players, but Chandler Hoffman was selected by the Houston Dynamo.
Monday, December 22: In a continued effort to grow their international brand, the Galaxy announced a friendly scheduled against Shamrock Rovers FC, to be played in February as part of the Galaxy preseason in Tallaght.. Rovers are one of the most successful clubs in Ireland, collecting the top division title a record 17 times. This has been a dream for Galaxy captain and Irish International Robbie Keane since coming to LA.
Tuesday, December 30: MLS released the 2015 opening weekend fixtures. The Galaxy will play in the first game of the season, hosting the Chicago Fire on Friday, March 6 at 7 PM PST at Stub Hub Center. They will welcome home “Mr. November,” Mike Magee.
Monday, January 5: Tab Ramos names his roster 20 man roster for the U20 CONCACAF Championship. Six MLS players including forward and academy product Bradford Jamieson IV were in the squad. He has features several times at in both the US U17 and U20 teams. Jamieson completed his first season as a professional spending most of his time with L.A. Galaxy II, scoring 6 goals in 18 appearances.
Tuesday, January 6: Alan Gordon was announced to have re-signed with the Galaxy. The substitute #9 made 14 appearances since being traded from San Jose, scoring 5 goals.
Wednesday, January 7: After announcing he would be coming to MLS, and days of speculation and rumors, it was finally announced that Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard signed with the LA Galaxy, signing an 18 month DP contract. He will join the team at the conclusion of the current Premier League season. The question is, how does he fit into LA once he arrives?
Friday, January 9: Jurgen Klinsmann releases his roster for the upcoming USMNT January Camp. Forwards Gyasi Zardes and Oscar Sorto were in the squad. Sorto has four caps combined at the U20 and U23 level for the US. This is Zardes’s first national team call up at any level.
