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MLS LA Galaxy

L.A. Galaxy Weekly

July 29, 2002 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
LA Galaxy News Release


The Los Angeles Galaxy will feature three players in 2002 Pepsi MLS All-Star Game this Saturday, August 3 at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. Kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m. PT, and the match will be televised live on ABC (Ch. 7). Midfielder Cobi Jones and defender Alexi Lalas were named to the U.S. Men's National Team by head coach Bruce Arena while forward Carlos Ruiz was voted part of the starting 11 for the MLS All-Star team.

Ruiz, who is one of five first-timers selected for the All-Star team is leading fellow All-Star teammate Taylor Twellman (15) in goal scoring with a league-leading 16 goals on the season. Jones, who was part of the U.S. National Team in the World Cup and leads team in all-time caps, is the Galaxy current assist leader with seven assists. Lalas, U.S. Soccer's Player of the Year in 1995, last played on the U.S. National Team in 1998 and played in every game of the 1994 World Cup. Lalas spear heads the third rank defense in the league(1.37 GAA ), but also has contributed on the offensive end with two goals and four assists.

GALAXY FACE 'QUAKES IN U.S. OPEN CUP QUARTERFINALS ON AUG. 7: The Los Angeles Galaxy will visit the San Jose Earthquakes in the quarterfinals of the 2002 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday, August 7. The match will be broadcast live on Fox Sports World (FSW) and Fox Sports World Español (FSWE) from Spartan Stadium at 7 p.m. PT. The Galaxy-Earthquakes match-up marks the third consecutive year that the two MLS-rivals will be meeting in the Open Cup quarterfinals. L.A. has twice eliminated San Jose from the Open Cup, winning 10-9 on penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw in 2001 and downing the 'Quakes 2-0 in 2000. The Galaxy kicked off its' quest for a second consecutive Open Cup title with a resounding 4-0 victory over the A-League's Minnesota Thunder. The Earthquakes narrowly escaped the Seattle Sounders with a late sudden death overtime goal after drawing 3-3 in regulation to advance.

PILAR MONTENEGRO TO PERFORM AT GALAXY'S "HISPANIC HERITAGE NIGHT": Pilar Montenegro, one of the most popular Latin artists, will perform at the Los Angeles Galaxy's "Hispanic Heritage Night" at the Rose Bowl on Saturday, August 10, following the Galaxy's match versus the New England Revolution. "Hispanic Heritage Night" is being sponsored by Budweiser. The Galaxy vs. Revolution match will kickoff at 7:00 pm (PT) and will be followed by a concert from international sensation Pilar Montenegro immediately after the game. Pilar Montenegro will entertain the fans with her record-breaking hits "Quítame ese hombre" and "Cuando estamos juntos" from her latest Univision Music label album "Desahogo", which spent twenty-seven weeks on the Latin Bill Board charts. In addition, "Quítame ese hombre" topped the charts for thirteen weeks, setting a new record for a Latin female artist.

GALAXY IN THE HUNT AS PLAYOFFS APPROACH: The Galaxy is currently tied for 3rd in the Western Conference and has the third best record in MLS as well as fifth spot in the overall MLS standings. The Western Conference of MLS has dominated play this season. No Western Conference team has a losing record, while no team in the Eastern Conference has a winning record.

RUIZ RE-CLAIMS LEAGUE GOAL SCORING LEAD: The L.A. Galaxy's Carlos Ruiz moved back into the top spot on MLS' goal scoring leader board with 16 goals. Ruiz, who scored two goals in the club's 2-1 win over the Crew on Saturday, scored his league leading 16th goal of season. Ruiz trails only New England's Taylor Twellman (34) for MLS' top spot in points with 32. In addition, the 22-year-old striker holds MLS' golden boot as the league game-winning goal leader with five strikes this season. He also ranks third in points-per-game (PPG) with a 1.74 PPG average.

GALAXY GOT ITS SCORING JONES BACK: After helping the U.S. World Cup squad to its best finish in 72 years, Cobi Jones has earned six assists in three games since returning to the Galaxy. Jones, who matched his career high of three assists in one game on 7/13 at Colorado, extended his assist streak to three-games (7/13-7/27). On Saturday, Jones assisted on both of the Carlos Ruiz's goals, moving him into a tie for 6th place on the league's leader board with seven assists on the year.

GALAXY DOUBLEHEADER KICKOFF PUSHED BACK AN HOUR: The Los Angeles Galaxy will play a doubleheader Saturday, September 14 with the Philadelphia Charge and San Diego Spirit of Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA). Eight of the players that participated in "The Greatest Moment in Women's Sports History" (voted recently by ESPN.com readers) will return to the Rose Bowl pitch to compete for the first time since that memorable day. Due to this momentous event, the Galaxy's game time has been changed to accommodate both games. The Charge/Spirit game will begin at 5:00 p.m. (PT) followed by the Galaxy/Earthquakes at a new game time of 8:00 p.m. (PT). September 14th will be second and last regular season appearance of Landon Donovan and the San Jose Earthquakes at the Rose Bowl.

L.A. GALAXY NOTES:

* The Los Angeles Galaxy earned a 9-7-3 record (30 points) and is tied for third place with the Colorado Rapids. The Galaxy now its one point out of second place and eight points out of first place. In addition, the Galaxy has played 19 games on the season, while the Rapids are at 21 games played.

* Among all MLS teams, the Galaxy leads the league in shots (297) and shots on goal (136).

* While leading the league in shots and shots on goal, the Galaxy's defense and goalkeeping also have a feather in their cap with a goals-against-average of 1.37, third in MLS only to the San Jose Earthquakes (0.56). This is doubly meaningful as the Galaxy lead the league in shots against (211).

* The Galaxy has excelled at home, with a record of 6-1-2, tied for second best in MLS

* Defender Danny Califf will return for the Galaxy's next game against San Jose on Aug. 7 after serving a one-game suspension for caution accumulation from last year's U.S. Open Cup tournament. Califf, who received the red card on 7/20, will return to MLS action on 7/27.

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Major League Soccer Stories from July 29, 2002


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