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Remember kids, it's all about staying focused (viewer discretion advised):

Thanks to loyal 100 Percent Soccer reader Studs Up for the heads up on this one.

Who should be familiar to Southern Californians.

Romero has eight goals in 37 appearances for his country, including five last year in Southern California, according to the Chivas USA press release: One in a Feb. 6 friendly against Peru at the Coliseum, two in a 3-1 friendly victory over Ecuador on May 27, also at the Coliseum, and two in the 2-1 Gold Cup win over Costa Rica on July 3.

"Osael is a perfect fit for our club this season, and we're excited to have him at Chivas USA," said Chivas USA Coach Martín Vásquez. "He's a young, talented player, and we've all seen his accomplishments with the El Salvador National Team. We look forward to having him play a big part for us in 2010."

Romero, 23, is on loan from Vista Hermosa in El Salvador and was acquired from FC Dallas, who held a discovery claim on the player, in exchange for an unspecified amount of cash.

"I'm happy to have this opportunity with Chivas USA," said Romero. "I'm looking forward to the challenge of playing in MLS, which is a very competitive league. I'm familiar with the Los Angeles area, where I had the opportunity to score with the El Salvador National Team in tough international matches. I'm excited to be back in a community that has always supported me and my national team."

Marketing is also a consideration in the deal, not coincidentally:

"Osael is an exceptional player, and his presence will be great for our club both on and off the field," said Chivas USA President and CEO Shawn Hunter. "He can make the difference as a player, and his importance for his national team will help us connect with Salvadoran fans across Southern California."

Check out the YouTube complilation here:

A brief one I'm afraid because I have a column to write, a profile of Galaxy center back Omar Gonzalez who capped a remarkable rookie year with a call-up to the annual national team camp at Home Depot Center.

And that meant I spent an extended period of time interviewing Gonzalez and was therefore unable to chat with Coach Bob Bradley (who I don't think was talking to media today anyway) or any other players.

Aalborg striker Marcus Tracy remained sidelined with tendonitis, but Sacha Kljestan and San Jose's Brandon McDonald were back out on the practice field for the morning session after suffering minor knocks last week. Robbie Rogers also sat this one out (nothing serious I was told).

Bradley did not sound happy with the level of passing on display and perhaps as a result of that ended the session with a running drill (as if to say "if you guys aren't going to get the fun part right, I'll inflict a little pain"). And there's more pain to come: two a day sessions will continue at least through Thursday (maybe they''ll get Friday off if the passing improves, one assumes).

Gonzalez and veteran Jimmy Conrad (as well as McDonald) manned one back line together and the big Galaxy rookie did not look out of place marking Conor Casey, although former Galaxy striker Robbie Findley scored the only goal of the morning on that team with a nice little near post run. Veteran Jeff Cunningham looked lively, too.

The big debut of the day? The Nike Total 90 Ascente ball, which the team used for the first time. It is, apparently, an improvement over the last ball the team used, which featured a design that created an optical illusion that made it appear not perfectly spherical, which some players found a little off-putting.

Someone apparently told Nike because the Ascente promises "a flicker effect as the ball rotates, making the ball easier to spot."

I should think so, too, for a ball that can apparently cost up to $140.

Equipment geeks can revel in this:

For earlier camp news, click here.

Although EPL types don't really count assists.

The final score: 2-2 with Arsenal equalizing in second half stoppage time.

The Galaxy's Donovan looks good in blue. Here Arsenal's Andrey Arshavin attempts to hold him off in today's game in London, one of the few to survive England's deep freeze. (AP Photo).

Landon Donovan started, lasted 68 minutes and got his assist off a corner kick. Check out his role in Everton's opening goal here.

Full disclosure: I didn't watch the game on the Internet, so for some (unedited) instant analysis on Donovan's performance in the first 45 minutes, let's turn to L.A. Riot Squad member Dan Schuette:

"Not a bad first half. Donovan took a bit to settle in as could be expected. Looked a bit slow to start but eventually, slotted in well. Tracked back well on several occasion and showed his speed doing so on one particular break by Arsenal.

Hasn't had much to work with but when they did attack from the right, it showed the most potential and fluidity. Traore has been horrible yet Everton continues to attempt to ignore their best options by seeming to attack from the left. Gallas, Sagna, Traore all look sketchy.

Arsenal has had virtually no attack or build up. Everton look much the better team but can't seem to put together a few, sustained passes. I expect Everton to exploit the right side a bit more in the second half.

Landon looks good ! Better than what I would have thought.

And here's Galaxy Assistant Head Coach Dave Sarachan's assessment via Twitvid from a local pub (from MLS Insider):

Updated:

A complete game story and roundup of games from around Europe is here.

From the U.S. camp in Carson:

*And then there were 29. Uncapped New England Revolution midfielder Jeff Larentowicz lasted all of two days before calling it quits Thursday; he had been rehabbing a right knee injury anyway. No replacement will be named.

*Charlie Davies made a surprise visit to the team hotel Thursday afternoon in the South Bay to say hi; he's "walking on his own," U.S. Soccer officials said, and returning to Delaware to continue rehabbing.

*Interesting to hear how good friends Robbie Rogers and Sacha Kljestan (who both knew each other growing up in Huntington Beach) kept fit before the U.S. camp started. They used the Home Depot Center for pick-up games with an all-star cast of other players including Landon Donovan and Omar Gonzalez.

*Chivas USA forward Justin Braun sounds like he's making the most of his national team experience when he tweeted late Wednesday:

"National camp has been awesome so far! Just trying to go in every day and prove myself..next 3 weeks is going to be sick!!"

From Chivas USA:

*Defender Mariano Trujillo worked out today with his former team, Atlante, who are in Carson for InterLiga.

*Jorge Flores and Jesus Padilla (the latter on loan from CD Guadalajara) have been training in Mexico this week with the mothership; teammate César Zamora has joined them today, too.

*One player no longer training with CD Guadalajara though is long-time midfielder Ramon Morales, who has been with the team since 1999 and now appears surplus to requirements. He reportedly left the training ground in tears today and will sit for at least six months (which is what he has left on his contract) before deciding on his next move.

He won't be coming to Chivas USA though. The club tweeted (in Spanish) that quoted him as saying something along the lines of (very roughly translated)

"Chivas USA is a club that deserves all respect ... but I chose not to take the proposal to Chivas USA."

From the Galaxy

*Edson Buddle doesn't look like he's killing himself to stay fit in the off-season. He made a five minute video of his workout and the first two were of him um, walking. Pretty slowly. While a loooong musical intro played.

*Finally, Lawndale's Kei Kamara kicked back in an unusually foggy South Bay Thursday night and tweeted around 11 p.m.:

"Yo its so Foggy out not safe for driving happy I made it home safe...I passed out at the movies lol super tired."

The heaviest snow in England for decades prevented the Galaxy stars' introduction to the English media from happening today as his 10-week loan to EPL club Everton begins.

So Landon Donovan had to be content with an interview with the club's Web site (which is behind a pay wall).

However, Donovan reportedly said that U.S. and Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard had helped him settle in and that "going into a World Cup year this experience will keep me sharp."

Everton needs Donovan's firepower: The team has 26 goals in 19 matches and is in 11th place in the EPL.

The bad weather has already forced the postponement of some English games scheduled for today.

And will we see LD make his possible EPL debut this weekend on U.S. TV?

Um, maybe but it's complicated.

Maybe Donovan should have headed to Mexico after all, although this may not be the best way to do that:

I took Monday off.

And although the result of the poll asking readers to pick the year's most influential soccer figure in Southern California seems a foregone conclusion, I'm extending the voting period through New Year's Day to give those preoccupied with the holidays an opportunity to vote.

Cast your vote here.

To make up for the lack of a column check out this YouTube video of some of soccer's silliest moments of 2009 (viewer discretion advised due to the nature of some songs on the soundtrack, BTW):

Which caps a fantastic week (and year) for the Redlands native.

Watch Landon Donovan describe his beauty against Brazil last summer here:

And watch the goal here:

This is not what I mean:

I'm talking about our annual holiday ball drive, which kicks off today.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Donovan's goal came in the Aug. 8 game against New England and was one of 12 he scored during the regular season.

His stunning left-footed volley beat out an Alecko Eskandarian effort and eight other finalists. It's the first time a Donovan goal has received the award.

Compare the 10 best strikes (as voted by fans) here:

8 p.m. Western Conference Final Galaxy-Houston Dynamo Home Depot Center or ESPN2.

Tickets are still available and the Galaxy are selling the upper deck and "hoping for another sellout", according to a club official who e-mailed me this morning. Call 1-877-3GALAXY for tickets.

Actual kickoff is 8:25 p.m., BTW, so fans have a little extra time to get to the game and those who use 190th Street in Torrance should be aware of a possible road closure (although hopefully things will be fixed by tonight)..

Required reading:

* Game preview.

* How the Galaxy got here.

* How the teams match up.

* The dynamic Dominic Kinnear.

* The Galaxy counter with the MLS Coach of the Year.

* The Galaxy also boast the MLS Rookie of the Year.

* The Galaxy strike back.

Required viewing:

Let's hope the Galaxy have a superior performance tonight than the last time these teams met last month.

I plan to blog from the HDC as usual tonight, so join me then.

And if that's what you came here for, scroll down.

With just over 24 hours to go until the Galaxy-Chivas USA Western Conference semifinal second leg (4:30 p.m. Sunday ESPN2) and the teams deadlocked at 2-2 halfway through what is essentially a 180 minute game (although, of course, it could go longer) here's press box colleague Luis Bueno on the pressure on Chivas USA.

Ives Galarcep reaches a similar conclusion here.

Oh, and happy birthday to Chivas USA defender Jonathan Bornstein (who turns 25 today).

Friday's women's college games
Washington 1 UCLA 2

Friday's men's college games
UCLA 1 Oregon 1

Loyola Marymount 2 Gonzaga 1

Cal State Dominguez Hills 2 Cal State San Bernardino 1

Washington State 0 USC 0

And finally, they throw you out of the soccer bloggers club if you don't post this video. If you're one of the three people in the country who have yet to see this check it out:

For perspective, here's the view of Los Angeles feminist soccer blogger Jennifer Doyle.

Two days until the Galaxy-Chivas USA Western Conference semifinal from Carson's Home Depot Center (4:30 p.m. ESPN2) and the Galaxy blog reports tickets are going fast and the club is considering opening up the grass berm.

Don't have yours yet? Click here.

Suggested reading/listening/viewing:
*Reporter Phil Collin has more on the game here.

*The Galaxy's Chris Birchall, a mid-season signing, is fast becoming a regular on the starting XI. Did he expect that?

*Former Chicago Fire player Jared Montz talks to Chivas USA's Jesse Marsch in a podcast on his blog.

*Can the Galaxy get a goal or two past the reigning MLS Goalkeeper of the Year?

I'll have more on the game Saturday.

Plenty of other soccer to watch this weekend on TV (click to the right for a full listing).

Saturday's games
6:54 a.m. ESPN2 Tottenham Hotspur-Sunderland
7 a.m. Fox Soccer Channel Aston Villa-Bolton Wanderers
9:30 a.m. FSC Wolverhampton Wanderers-Arsenal
12:45 p.m. ESPND Athletico Madrid-Real Madrid
5:30 p.m. FSC Chicago Fire-New England Revolution
7 p.m. KVEA Atlas-CD Guadalajara

Sunday's games
6 a.m. FSC Lazio-AC Milan
8 a.m. FSC Chelsea-Manchester United
11:30 a.m. FSC Inter Milan-Roma
Noon TeleFutura Houston Dynamo-Seattle Sounders
2 p.m. KMEX Club America-Monterrey

In local college action:
*Cal State Dominguez Hills (stars and all) is in action today.

*But the season is over for the Cal State Northridge women's team after dropping a 2-1 decision to UC Santa Barbara Thursday. Still, the Matadors finish the year with a 10-10 overall mark and a 6-2 league record that's tied for the best conference result in school history.

*The Matador men end the regular season at 7 p.m. Saturday at UC Irvine. Cal State Northridge (9-7-2, 4-4-1, BWC) won 1-0 Wednesday at home against Cal State Fullerton in OT, keeping their playoff aspirations alive going into Saturday's game. From the Matadors press release:

A Northridge victory will give the team enough points to clinch the fourth spot while an Anteater victory will bump Cal Poly from their current position as the second seed and drop them to third place in the standings, giving Irvine an opportunity to host a first-round game.

*The UCLA men UCLA (9-3-2, 4-1-2 Pac-10) return home for a three-game homestand to close the regular season. First up is a 7 o'clock game tonight against Oregon State at Drake Stadium. At 1 p.m. Sunday the Bruins face Washington at Drake Stadium in a game that is free for all veterans and active military personnel (who receive four free admissions with proper ID). In addition, Sunday is AYSO/Youth Soccer Day. Youth soccer team members and their coaches will be admitted free if they're wearing their team jerseys. Moreover, UCLA Alumni Association card holders will receive four free admissions with alumni association card. Team posters will be given away Friday, team photo cards Sunday.

*The Loyola Marymount men (7-8-1, 2-5-1 WCC) close out their season this weekend with games at 2:30 p.m. today against Gonzaga and 2 p.m. Sunday against Portland at Sullivan Field.

Enjoy the weekend.

Briefly:

*Don't forget, the second MLS playoff game between the Columbus Crew and Real Salt Lake is scheduled for 5 o'clock today on ESPN2.

*The Cal State Northridge men closed in on a post-season berth Wednesday with a 1-0 victory over Cal State Fullerton with the goal coming in the sixth minute of OT and now hold the tiebreaker over the Titans going into the final game of the regular season Saturday against UC Irvine.

*Riverside's Chad Marshall was named MLS Defender of the Year today (for the second straight year), while referee Alex Prus took the award for MLS officials. The Crew defender is a worthy choice, but I can't help wondering if MLS would benefit from officials like this one:

Well, OK, maybe not.

The big Zach attack. (AP Photo)

Readers of this blog didn't agree, but Chivas USA's Zach Thornton was named MLS Goalkeeper of the Year today, 11 years after first taking the honor with the Chicago Fire.

That time span between awards was undoubtedly one of the reasons the 36-year-old took the honor, beating out the Galaxy's Donovan Ricketts and Seattle Sounders veteran Kasey Keller (both in their first MLS seasons). Thornton equals the feats of Joe Cannon and Pat Onstad in becoming one of only three MLS goalkeepers to win the award twice.

"Whenever you're mentioned in that class of goalkeeper, with [Joe and Pat], you have to feel good about yourself," said Thornton. "To wait this long and to have gone through what I've been through and to be able to win the award again is outstanding."

At one time Thornton was seen as a fading, aging, washed up goalkeeper with youngster Dan Kennedy eagerly waiting in the wings to seize his opportunity.

But Kennedy got injured, Thornton dropped 15-20 pounds at the urging of Chivas USA Coach Preki and all of a sudden Zach was back helped by a very good back four in front of him.

From the Chivas USA press release:

In 2009, Thornton led Chivas USA to a 13-11-6 record and posted a career-best 12 shutouts and 0.87 goals against average, both of which were the top marks in MLS.

Thornton's goals against average this season ranks second all-time in league history behind Pat Onstad's 0.82 in 2007, and his 12 shutouts were one shy of the club record, set by Brad Guzan in 2007.

Thornton became the second Chivas USA goalkeeper to win the award, following Guzan's record-setting campaign in 2007.

Thornton ranks second all-time in MLS in shutouts (70) and wins (125), behind only former Galaxy goalkeeper Kevin Hartman.

So this seems as good as any segue to mention that Thornton's efforts between the posts are among the 32 nominees (he has two of them) for MLS Save of the Year. The top 10 saves will be announced a week from today, with the winner announced Nov. 18.

Watch the video:

Vote here.