DC United gets their own Beckham

He's a great reader of the game, smart with his passes and can kill you on dead balls and he's now part of DC United. Marcelo Gallardo has joined the club as the league's newest Designated Player.

He might not have the hair, fashion or following of Beckham, but Gallardo will be called upon to perform the same basic role of central playmaker. The question now is does he have it in him?

During his recent time with Paris-based club Paris-Saint Germain, he saw limited playing time, but his earlier stint with River Plate (2003-06) showed him to still be a force. Overall, Gallardo should be able to bring some solid technical skills to the team and match up well with Jaime Moreno and Franco Niell.

DC signed Gallardo to a two-year deal for an undisclosed sum (probably around $1.5m a season). This move strongly suggests that Christian Gomez is soon to be playing elsewhere (Gallardo will wear Gomez's old #10), which will surely upset some fans and increase the pressure on Gallardo to perform quickly.

On a different subject all together, is DC looking to be the shortest team in the league. First they go with 5'4" Niell, now they sign 5'6" Gallardo. Must make 6'2" Marc Burch and Zach Wells feel like giants. Also, if this turns out to be a good thing, DC will need to thank none other then the New York Red Bull's Juan Pablo Angel as he encouraged Gallardo to come to MLS. Then again, if it all goes wrong, it is yet another reason to hate the Bulls of New York.

Thursday Night Soccer - LA vs. Chivas - No matter what happens, Jaime Moreno is still king

Chivas USA (9-6-3) vs. Los Angeles Galaxy (3-8-5)
10pm ET/7pm PT
TV: ESPN 2

The Super Clasico comes to ESPN2 tonight as the teams from LA fight for city pride (but will Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa cheer for his beloved Chivas side or will he wear the Beckham jersey?). In the past, this series has not been so super, however this year things are looking a little different.

The goats, after getting laughed at for the first two seasons of this series now have a good chance of changing things. LA comes into the game hurt and in bad form. They have not won a league match since July 4, and even though their play has picked up since Beckham took the pitch, they are still a low level squad. With both Donovan and Beckham fresh off the plane from Europe, who knows where the Galaxy will turn to jump-start their attack.

Chivas is the quiet team with no real big names that is lurking. With their improved finishing skills and road play starting to look like their outstanding home play, the goats stand an excellent chance of being the out-of-nowhere club for 2007. As far as this match, if Chivas can beat LA, they pretty much kill off the Galaxy's playoff hopes. How sweat would that be for the club?

So what is going to happen? If history is to be a guide, LA will find a way to top their neighbors. Chivas is perfect at homes with the exception of one tie. LA got that tie.
Predictions: Me LA 2-0 CV, Wife LA 3-1 CV

One last note, a big congratulations to DC United's Jaime Moreno for getting his 109th goal last night against New York. It is fantastic that such a classy player holds the record for most goals in MLS play. His playing days might be coming to an end, but he is still fun to watch.

Thursday Night Soccer - LA vs. DC - Will history be made

Los Angeles Galaxy (3-5-5) vs. DC United (8-6-3)
7pm ET/ 4pm PT
TV: ESPN2
Could this finally be the match that sees it happen and will it happen in front of 45,000 fans? Can Jaime Moreno become the all-time MLS goal scorer? Wouldn't that be fun to watch? Perhaps the thousands who come to this match to see just one man will not feel cheated if that happens and that one man does not take to the pitch. Not that they should feel cheated, but how one should feel and how one often does feel are two different things all together.

Anyway, LA comes off a match where they looked pitiful against Toronto while United clamped down on every little mistake New England made. If it weren’t for their success in the SuperLiga, there would be nothing for LA to hand their hat on. So what will happen tonight? LA will beat DC at RFK. Why? Because that is just the way it seems to go for DC on their home field against the team from la-la land.

Earlier in the season, LA was defined solely by Landon Donovan. If he was on, they had a chance and if he was not, they were finished before the opening whistle blew. Thanks to some trades, it is not as bad today but Donovan is still the major part of the Galaxy equation. If Landon can get going in this one (and he normally does in big MLS match), United is in trouble.

DC has improved their backline from the laughter that was their first few weeks but it is still prone to make errors, so the midfield needs to cover Donovan close. Having Fred play in the middle of things could be the step that keeps LA from breaking out.

The wife thinks I'm crazy for picking LA in this one and she is probably right, like normal, but I just think something is going to break for the Galaxy. Put who knows, maybe 45,000 people cheering for DC can break the spell LA has over RFK.

Predictions: Me LA 3-2 DC, Wife LA 0-3 DC
Will Beckham play: Me Yes, Wife No