One down...up to four, maybe five, to go?

Well, it is safe to say, readers on the View from Victoria Street and Bleacher Report that the Los Angeles Galaxy will not end 2012 without at least one trophy to their name. Sure, it's only a preseason cup, but winning preseason hardware equals massive momentum, according to the mindset of this columnist.

And for Bruce Arena's Galaxy, they got it in the form of a 4-2 penalty shootout victory over the New England Revolution in the Desert Diamond Cup Final in Tucson, AZ.

The shootout came on the heels of what was an abysmal day of finishing. The player that is going to have to endure his share of misfortunes the worst: Jack McBean.

This young man had an embarrassment of chances on goal, and he was unable to finish. Now, it may only be his second year, but McBean has to get one on net if he expects to earn more minutes when the real business begins in a few days.

Also, Michael Stephens did not look sharp. The passing is not even USL Pro-worthy, and he is on the Galaxy's first team. I like to see Stephens work on his passing skills in the Reserve League, because he put on a subpar first-half effort on Saturday.

The upside: the kids. And they are all right, to quote the Offspring. Actually, in that song, they aren't, but that's a different story.

Rookies like Tommy Meyer and Bryan Gaul were in good form, executing the basic fundamentals while creating chances and stopping the Revs' offensive sequences. New England was lucky to have this game go to penalties, because if the Galaxy forwards had finished, the match would have degenerated to a mere formality by halftime.

But the ultimate revelation was Brian Perk. The young man knows how to make stops. That's why he is the backup goalkeeper behind incumbent netminder Josh Saunders. Benny Feilhaber knows how to make a bicycle kick pop, but he sure doesn't know how to convert a penalty when it matters.

Come to think of it, this is the second straight penalty shootout Los Angeles has won, going back to the decider against Melbourne Victory. Are the Galaxy suddenly making a habit of penalty shootouts?

If that's the case, rest assured, this Galaxy team will be able to convert penalties should the situation arise in the next aggregate series, the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal against Toronto FC.

The first leg is scheduled for Mar. 7 at Toronto's Rogers Centre. Kickoff is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. PT/8:00 p.m. ET and will be televised by Fox Soccer Channel. A preview of this match will be posted this week on the View from Victoria Street and Bleacher Report.

Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

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