How about those LA Galaxy?

It's unfortunate but the renaissance summer that is soccer in the US has somewhat bypassed MLS. With all the buzz over the US National team, the World Football Classic and the start of the Premier League the MLS has chugged along down low on the radar, something that's unfortunate since beyond a horror story in New York there's a whole host of positive stories. The clear number one is the runaway success and support of the Seattle Sounders. Not only are they playing in front of massive crowds, there also playing an uptempo and exciting brand of football that's already given them a legion of fans around in the country. Seattle may be the sexy story but the league is also full of a handful of conistently solid teams with strong home support competing well for the sports dollar in their respective cities. In Columbus, Houston, Chicago and LA you have four deep, veteran laden squads representing three of the five largest media markets in the country. Two of those clubs squared off last night in Chicago as the Beckham-less LA Galaxy took on the Chicago Fire.

Heading into the match Chicago was in firm control of second place in the eastern conference while LA is positioned well but fighting with Colorado and Chivas USA for the 3rd place spot in the west. The Galaxy were 6-3-1 since June but were coming off of a 2-0 loss to the Seattle Sounders in a match that say both David Beckham and Eddie Lewis red carded. Heading into Chicago sans veterans Beckham and Lewis as well as forwards Edson Buddle and Alecko Eskandrian was far from the ideal situation for head coach Bruce Arena--- but that's why they play the game...

You have to give Bruce Arena credit. Just about every US Soccer/MLS fan is aware of the situation in LA, chronicled by Grant Wahl in The Beckham Experiment and on a weekly basis on a handful of podcasts and on World Soccer Daily. Team Beckham's hand-picked manager Ruud Gullit had failed miserably and the club was mired in the cellar of the Western Conference. The club was pathetically top heavy with little depth and a horrendous defense. After fighting through the second half of last season Arena had to deal with the prolonged Beckham loan saga to AC Milan and the endless questions on whether he'd return. So what happened?

Arena quietly and confidently has built a consistent and disciplined team with an adequate and well organized defense, a veteran midfield and a top attack lead by Landon Donavan, the greatest attacking player the US has ever produced. It's a testament to Arena's ability as a coach but also his man-management ability as he has clearly taken over the team and put his own stamp on it. The Beckham circus is still there but when he's on the pitch it's clear that he's playing for Bruce Arena and not 19 Entertainment. So Kudos to Bruce Arena who has resurrected his career and built in a winner in what was the laughingstock of MLS.

So what about the match in Chicago? A tremendous performance, perhaps a season defining performance, by LA against all odds. Mike Magee comes out of the reserves and displays the outer reaches of LA's newfound depth as he scores in his second goal of the season in the 23rd minute and then hits Landon Donovan on an excellent lead pass for a second goal in the 53rd minute and a 2-0 victory. The guy once sarcastically referred to as "Landycakes" by a US soccer pundit has completed the transformation from a guy with a questionable drive to someone who competes match in and match out both for the US and the Galaxy, someone who will play a major US qualifer with swine flu.

All of this on a Wednesday in front of 20,000 fans without David Beckham in the lineup. A good night for the MLS...and a good night for the Galaxy.