Ricketts looking to bring glory to Reggae Boys

Los Angeles Galaxy goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts, who plays for the Jamaican national team, believes that the "Reggae Boys" are due for success at this year's CONCACAF Gold Cup.

“[Jamaicans are] just special people,” Ricketts told MLSSoccer.com's Luis Bueno. “We have a fighting spirit. Once we set our minds to something and we have the right focus, anything is possible.”

Jamaica takes on Grenada at the Home Depot Center on June 6, 2011 to open Group B play. They will then take on Guatemala at Miami's Florida International University Stadium on June 10 before concluding group play against Honduras at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey on June 13.

“Success for anyone would be winning the tournament and playing the best brand of football you can possibly play and seeing how far it takes you,” Ricketts said. “So hopefully we get to the final, if not semifinals.”

However, lifting the Gold Cup is not the Reggae Boys' ultimate goal, Ricketts argues.

“This tournament is for putting players together, seeing where the team is at and seeing if we can find some form of chemistry," Ricketts said. “Next year are the World Cup qualifiers. That’s our ultimate goal. We want to make this World Cup.”

Ricketts was the backup goalkeeper for Jamaica during their 1998 FIFA World Cup campaign.


Saunders, Arena salute the armed forces

Tonight, Josh Saunders will be wearing a special pair of gloves during the Galaxy's match with D.C. United at Victoria Street.

Saunders will wear a pair of camouflage gloves which feature yellow "Support Our Troops" ribbons and American flags, as part of Military Appreciation Night.

“It was something I felt was important, like I needed to do,” Saunders told LAGalaxy.com's Larry Morgan.

Before the match, the U.S. Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines and Navy will be recognized, and thirty Air Force recruits will take the Oath of Enrollment on the pitch. Camp Pendleton's 1st Marine Division Band will also deliver pregame entertainment, culminating with their rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner."

“I think it’s very special,” Saunders said of the occation. “In my family we’ve had a couple of generations of people serving in the military. It’s something that kind of goes unsaid because they’re protecting our freedom.

“Extra effort for this night and for our troops.”

Galaxy manager Bruce Arena supported the gesture the team was doing for the armed forces.

“All I can say is all Americans are indebted to our servicemen,” Arena said. “As I’ve traveled the world the last 20 years, the more you’re glad to come back to our country, the best country in the world. Part of the reason for that is because of our military servicemen and women and the devotion our military has to protecting our freedom.

“So we’re thrilled to be able to make that kind of small gesture on Friday for our service people.”

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Sure, you know U.S. midfielders Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey. 

You've seen U.S. forwards Jozy Altidore and Juan Agudelo.

You can speak to differences between Maurice Edu and Freddy Adu in your sleep.

Congratulations U.S. soccer aficionado. Now it's time to really step your game up in preparation for the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Here's the top 10 non-US players to watch in "The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association of Football."

Yeah, CONCACAF sounds better.

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Every team in the MLS is allowed to sign players outside it's salary cap. These players are called "designated players." 

There are currently 16 designated players in the MLS, out of whom only Landon Donovan is from the U.S. 

Here's a ranking of all the current designated players in the MLS.

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Remember the good ole days when Real Salt Lake were just a goal away from reaching the Club World Cup and forever being branded as the most successful MLS club in history? Remember when the Rio Tinto was not just a stadium full of equal opportunity for both sides, but a 20,000-seat Hell-hole that was destined to only produce one result?

As the rest of MLS tries to forget, RSL fans are trying to hold on to the few memories they still have and use their detective skills to figure out what has been the cause of the team's recent struggles.

Here is a cheat sheet of how to get RSL out of this stunning slump.

Offense was never really a dominating part of RSL’s game, even when the team was nearly on top of the continent, but their recent attack would not scare a self-conscious turtle to get back in its shell. The loss of Javier Morales certainly has played a significant role in RSL’s recent struggles, but Mondaini cannot be solely blamed for the club’s failure.

DP Alvaro Saborio and Espindola have failed to supply constant pressure on opponent defenses and are playing too passive in the attacking third. Kyle Beckerman will also need to become more aggressive in 50-50 duels to produce positive counterattacks. This trio especially needs to start playing to their potential if RSL has any hope of getting out of the gutter.

Fans will also need to help get this club back on the right track.

Losing in the CCL final was heartbreaking, but that doesn’t mean the Salt City supporters can mourn the next couple of months. With the Western Conference stacked from head-to-toe this year, RSL needs avid fan support for every tough home game if they have any chance at capturing the Supporter’s Shield. Losing home games could be the difference between winning the Shield and missing the playoffs for RSL.

Overall, RSL fans and players just need to relax. Panicking this early in the season will not make their road to glory any easier.

And trust me, that road is not a walk in the park as it is.

The club will lose MLS All-Star Nick Rimando, DP Alvaro Saborio, Will Johnson and Arturo Alvarez to Gold Cup duty next month in a difficult part of the schedule. If the offense gets back on its feet, and the fans finally regain their balance after coming back down to earth, maybe the tide will reverse as quickly as it did last month.

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Despite boasting the third best record in Major League Soccer and holding onto the number one spot in the Eastern Conference since pretty much opening day, it has taken the Philadelphia Union almost 11 games to get their first MLS Player of the Week Honoree.

No, it wasn’t team leading goal scorer Carlos Ruiz, or 2010 Team MVP Sebastien Le Toux. Heck it wasn’t even dynamic young forward Danny Mawanga. Considering his two goal performance in Sundays 6-2 win over Toronto, Danny was certainly a candidate.

The answer is Philadelphia Union midfielder Justin Mapp, as voted by the North American Soccer Reporters for his two-goal performance in Sundays win over Toronto.

“It’s an absolute honor to accept this award and I’m very pleased about it,” said Mapp in a posting on the team's website. “However, the biggest accomplishment this weekend was for the team. It was very important for us to have gotten the three points on the road and to have scored all those goals. It was a key win for the team, and even though I’m pleased about the award, I’m just proud of the team’s performance this weekend.”

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On an 87th-minute goal by substitute Colin Clark, the Houston Dynamo (3-4-6, 15 pts) tied FC Dallas (6-3-4, 22 pts) 2-2 in Game 1 of the Texas Derby before 16,709 soccer fans at Houston’s Robertson Stadium.

Game 2 and possession of El Capitán will be played at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco on September 24.

FC Dallas struck first on an unassisted header goal by midfielder Andrew Jacobson in the 27th minute.

Forward Fabian Castillo fired a shot off the cross bar which found Jacobson in position to hard the ball into the empty net to make the score 1-0.

Five minutes later, Dynamo defender Jermaine Taylor got into the box and crossed over to Cam Weaver, who hit the ball to Will Bruin.

Bruin than chested the ball back to Weaver, but he could not get a off a shot.

The Dynamo quickly rebounded and after some spirited play, found the goal in the 42nd minute to tie the score.

Dynamo captain Brad Davis kicked a cute chip to Weaver who volleyed the ball into the net from eight yards out.

Davis was credited with an assist, his seventh of the season.

Dallas got the lead back in the 70th minute as Ugo Ihamalu headed home a Marvin Chavez corner kick to up the score to 2-1.

Things fell apart for the Dynamo in the 72nd minute when Kofi Sarkodie picked up his second yellow. He was previously issued a yellow card in the 57th minute.

He headed for that locker room, leaving the Dynamo with only 10 players on the field.

Things seemed bleak for the Dynamo until the 87th minute when Davis got possession of the ball and played it forcefully to Colin Clark.

Clark quickly fired the ball past Dallas goalkeeper Kevin Hartman to tie the score at two all.

Houston will next face the San Jose Earthquakes on June 4 on the road while FC Dallas will face the New England Revolution at home on the same day.

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In the anime series "Angel Beats!", there is a character by the name of TK that is known for eccentric English phrases. One of them is his catch phrase, "Get Chance And Luck."

It could not have been any more true for Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy, who made the most of the chances, denied the chances Steve Nicol's New England Revolution had in front of them, and rode on a little bit of luck from the crossbar in their 1-0 victory over New England at Gillette Stadium.

The second minute of stoppage time featured some tenacious defending from the Galaxy, who need to make these types of stops.

If Omar Gonzalez or Donovan Ricketts is beat, A.J. DeLaGarza is there to lay his body and clear it off his line. If a deflection of the crossbar finds the feet of Shalrie Joseph, Gonzalez, Donovan Ricketts and Landon Donovan are there to clear as one.

At the same time, this just goes to show you how much the Galaxy are going to miss the two Donovans in June. They pose a strong defensive presence, and while this June will be Josh Saunders's time to shine, someone will need to step up in Landon's absence.

The good thing is that David Beckham and Juan Pablo Angel are still around. Beckham will get the captain's armband this coming month. And he may have found his newest option when playing the set piece slot machine on the pitch.

Let me take a deep breath, clear my throat, and say this. Boston: say hello to Miguel Lopez. This young Argentinean was the beneficiary on a delivery from Beckham that did see paydirt.

This is not going to be his last goal, either. There will be more on the way from this star, who is currently on loan from Quilmes Athletic Club.

But back to the stoppage time extravaganza. The adage reigns true. Defense wins championships. If you prevent a score, and you've already scored, you'll not only win the battle, you'll win the war.

Bruce Arena's side may not have some of the most entertaining football in the league. That honor can go to either Real Salt Lake or the New York Red Bulls, take your pick (I'm picking RSL)

But when it comes to getting the result on the pitch, there won't be much complaining from the fans in Los Angeles (Maybe some donning the red and white, but you never know).

Of course—and let me clear my throat when I say this—in a perfect world, Bruce Arena will have literally stolen Josep Guardiola's style of football and successfully implanted such style into the players of the Galaxy. In short, it's the Barça way or the highway.

That, unfortunately, is not the case. But it has worked for them this May. Four wins, two draws and only one defeat. Not a bad month, and it's capped off with as four-game winning streak.

As Bruce Arena's men return home for some Victoria Street home cooking, the questions that must be answered include who will fill Landon Donovan's big shoes and if the depth will win the day for the Los Angeles Galaxy.

(Sorry, Chip Kelly of Oregon. I had to borrow that phrase. You know what I'm talking about.)

All these and other questions will be answered when Mr. Beckham and company take on D.C. United on Friday, June 3. Kickoff at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. PT/11:00 p.m. ET and will be televised by Fox Soccer Channel.

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Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy are looking to continue their winning ways when they take on Steve Nicol’s New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

The Galaxy are 7-2-5 (26 points), and are first overall in the league, while the Revolution are 3-4-4 (13 points), good enough for fifth in the MLS Eastern Conference. However, they have three games in hand over Los Angeles.

Today will be the last game for a number of players on both sides before they take part in national team duty ahead of the Gold Cup: Landon Donovan and Donovan Ricketts for the Galaxy; and Shalrie Joseph and Benny Feilhaber for the Revs.

Keep it right here on Bleacher Report for continuing coverage of the 2011 Major League Soccer season.

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As the Houston Dynamo prepare to take take on FC Dallas in the first game of the Texas Derby, the local flavor of the game becomes clearer to those who follow soccer in Texas.

Nearly one-third of the Dynamo's Roster has close ties to the Lone Star State, with six players being native Texans and two having related ties to Texas.

Let's look at these players up close and personal.

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Whoa, stop the bus! Riordan for Houston Dynamo? 

If media reports are to be believed, Scotsman Derek Riordan may be moving to the MLS with the Houston Dynamo.

The Scotland and Hibernian star is out of contract this week at the Edinburgh SPL side but would be a great acquisition for the Texas side, giving them a 20-plus goals a season striker.

With only three wins in 12 MLS outings this season, the Dynamo could do with an additional proven goalscorer to bolster the forward line, and Riordan could certainly do that for them as he certainly fits into that category.

English side Blackburn Rovers may scupper any deal being thrashed out though as the Scottish Daily Record reported today that there has been an interest shown in the striker as well.

Should Houston and Riordan finalise a deal it won't take place until the MLS transfer window opens in July which would give Riordan an unexpectedly long summer break from soccer.

Hibs, Houston and Blackburn have yet to respond to correspondence from us.


Marc Roseblade is a contributor for Bleacher Report as well as the Not Just Scottish Football reporter and youth development reporter for Ayr United Football Academy. All quotes are obtained first-hand unless otherwise stated.

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