SB Nation Denver: All Posts by Pat Johnston

Assessing the Galaxy's Pablo Mastroeni, Baggio Husidic moves

2013-06-18T21:37:27Z

The LA Galaxy made another surprising trade this season when the club acquired Pablo Mastroeni and the rights to Baggio Husidic from the Colorado Rapids in exchange for an international roster spot and a second round 2014 MLS SuperDraft pick.

Assessing what the Galaxy gave up will take some time given we don't know what Colorado will do with the international spot and the draft pick. However, what the Galaxy got out of the deal is not so straightforward either. Mastroeni captained the Rapids to their 2010 MLS Cup title and even scored a game-winning goal on the run to the MLS Cup but has been limited to nine matches since the end of 2011 due to injury. The veteran 36-year-old midfielder also made 65 appearances for the U.S. Men's National Team and was a part of two Gold Cup winning squads. Husidic, a midfielder who played for the Chicago Fire from 2009-2011, is currently playing for Swedish second division side Hammarby after refusing to make a move to the Rapids in 2012 following the Re-Entry Draft. As of yet, the Galaxy have not contacted Hammarby about signing Husidic.

Looking at the MLS career Match Impact Ratings for the two players does not give much confidence that either player would be on the scoresheet much. Mastroeni has an MIR of 13.7 and Husidic has a 24. Mastroeni only averages two points per season and 0.11 points per 90 minutes while causing 1.56 fouls per 90 compared to 1.22 fouls drawn. What Mastroeni has the most potential to provide, if he's healthy enough to play, are tackles that are also fouls and veteran leadership. The Galaxy don't really need more fouls from midfielders as Marcelo Sarvas (#1) and Juninho (#14) are both in the Top 15 this season in fouls committed. Mastroeni could also possibly see time on the backline as injury and national team duty have taken regular starters out of the lineup.

Husidic scored all five of his MLS goals for the Chicago Fire during what appeared to be a breakout 2010 season. The young midfielder's play during that season could be described positively as opportunistic, grabbing four goals at home, usually cleaning up a loose ball in the penalty area. If the Galaxy want to pursue Husidic after his contract ends in November, getting him back to 2010 form would make the trade a steal. His MIR that season was a solid 31. Husidic was third on the Fire with the five goals, and at 0.30 goals per match, they came almost as frequently as those of team leaders Brian McBride and Marco Pappa. Husidic scored on a fantastic 22.7% of his shots in 2010 and added three assists which boosted his points per 90 minutes to 0.48.

MLS creates MLS+ content and distribution group

2013-06-18T18:05:40Z

MLS announced on Tuesday that it has created a content and distribution group called MLS+. The group will have partnerships with television and digital outlets, SB Nation included.

MLS' Chief Marketing Officer Howard Handler made the announcement at the Cynopsis Digital summit in New York.

"Soccer in North America and MLS are soaring," Handler said. "To build on this momentum and inspire the next wave of fans, MLS+ will create hundreds of hours of premium programming per year. MLS+ will also deliver new opportunities to leverage the relationship between our fans and the commercial community."

MLS+ will produce new television shows, digital series, mini-documentaries, mobile applications, lifestyle features, user-generated content, viral video stunts and more. A weekly show called MLS Insider will debut on NBC Sports Network on Friday, June 21, at 7 p.m. Eastern. MLS Insider will not be a highlight show, but instead will contain features. This Friday's show has features on Tim Cahill of the New York Red Bulls, the Sons of Ben (Philadelphia Union supporters group) and LA Galaxy midfielder Robbie Rogers. Another show, called MLS 36, will also appear on NBC Sports Network as part of MLS+ and will highlight star players in their lives off the field. The first episode is this Thursday, June 20, at 10 p.m. Eastern and will give you an in-depth look at Houston Dynamo midfielder Brad Davis.

What would you like to see come out of MLS+? Would you take part in a "viral video stunt"?

Fan voting open for 2013 MLS All-Star Game, Marcelo Sarvas snubbed

2013-06-11T18:16:46Z

The fan ballot for the 2013 MLS All-Star Game is open and you can vote for you All-Star Fan XI today in one of several different ways. The "traditional" options are still available: texting, Twitter and online voting. But this year's fan voting gets even more interactive than before by tying in the FIFA Soccer 13 Ultimate Team.

In addition to the 10 players selected to the All-Star Fan XI by having the most votes from the text, Twitter and online votes, a forward will be selected using the Ultimate Team using the AT&T MLS All-Star "In the Game" Challenge. Whichever forward is used to score the most goals with in the Ultimate Team mode will be selected to the All-Star Game. The one hitch is that the forward has to be among the voting pool selected by media members.

For the Galaxy, the following six players have been nominated for All-Star voting:

G-Carlo Cudicini
D-Todd Dunivant
D-Omar Gonzalez
M-Juninho
F-Landon Donovan
F-Robbie Keane

Where is Marcelo Sarvas you might ask? Who the heck knows. As we pointed out yesterday, Cudicini has no business being on any potential All-Star list given his poor performance this season. As for Juninho, we wonder if the writers got him confused with that other Juninho playing for the New York Red Bulls who is averaging 0.37 assists per 90 minutes. The Galaxy's Juninho has one assist while Sarvas is tied with Keane for the team lead with four helpers. Sarvas also leads the team in tackles (4.7 per 90 minutes) and fouls suffered (nearly 2.5 per 90 minutes) by a large margin, 33-15, over A.J. DeLaGarza.

Head over to MLS Soccer.com for more information on voting and to do your part in voting for the Fan XI to take on Serie A's AS Roma on July 31 at Sporting Park in Kansas City.

Vote Landon Donovan for Week 15 MLS Goal of the Week

2013-06-11T00:53:02Z

The LA Galaxy have not enjoyed the best form in their last eight matches but it is time for some good news. Landon Donovan's volleyed goal against Real Salt Lake on June 8 is a Week 15 MLS Goal of the Week nominee.

See Donovan's right-before-halftime goal which tied the match up at 1-1 and the rest of the entries by the nominees (Conor Casey, Philadelphia Union vs. Columbus Crew; Diego Valeri, Portland Timbers vs. Chicago Fire; Ben Zemanski, Portland Timbers vs. Chicago Fire; Daniel Paladini, Chicago Fire vs. Portland Timbers) below.

Donovan's goal was unassisted and was his third of the season. The goal, which was the 127th of Donovan's MLS career, was also his ninth career tally against Real Salt Lake. No Galaxy players have won MLS Goal of the Week honors this season although Donovan was nominated already in Week 8 and Jose Villarreal was nominated in Week 5.

Vote for Landon Donovan's goal online or by texting Donovan's goal code "G5" to 22442.

Landon Donovan's impact not enough vs Real Salt Lake in loss

2013-06-10T17:07:09Z

Landon Donovan bagged his third goal of the season with a well struck volley from the top of the penalty area in the 46th minute against Real Salt Lake on June 8. Donovan's goal brought the match level at 1-1 but two RSL goals after the 80th minute spoiled the draw for the LA Galaxy.

Donovan's goal was one of only two shots on target as the Galaxy offense sputtered again without Robbie Keane who is currently dominating matches for Ireland. Donovan finished with the top Match Impact Rating on the Galaxy in the game with a 56.5. In addition to the goal, he suffered two fouls (one drew a yellow on RSL defender Chris Wingert) while only committing one.

No other Galaxy player finished with better than a MIR of 20. The 20 rating came from defender Tommy Meyer who drew two fouls and committed none. Juninho had another game in the red at -0.75 for his three fouls committed.

The biggest story of the match again is not what happened on the pitch but what was missing from it. To say Carlo Cudicini has been a disappointment in net is a severe understatement. Of goalkeepers in MLS who have played at least 10 matches this season, Cudicini is dead last at 19th with a save percentage of 54, a full seven percent lower than Toronto FC's Joe Bendik. Of that same list, Cudicini is tied for 10th in GAA at 1.25 goals allowed per match. The veteran did not make the trip to Rio Tinto and Brian Rowe got the start in net.

Keane, as we've already mentioned, is on a tear for Ireland and has scored five goals in three matches. The captain had also scored a hat trick in his last match for LA before going to Europe.

Robbie Rogers is still working back into match fitness and has seen a mere 82 minutes of action with the Galaxy. Mike Magee, who was swapped for Rogers, still leads the Galaxy in goals at six and is already tied for the Chicago Fire lead with two goals. Magee also added a goal and an assist in the Fire's U.S. Open Cup win over the Charlotte Eagles. Last but not least, Omar Gonzalez and Todd Dunivant are missing from the backline with national team duty and injury, respectively.

The only good news is that there are no matches for the Galaxy until June 19. The side could use a mental break from the bad results.

Gyasi Zardes had most impact for Galaxy in bad loss vs. Revolution

2013-06-04T22:40:03Z

Gyasi Zardes had another solid performance for the LA Galaxy on June 2 but it alone was not going to help the Galaxy overcome the massive impact of the New England Revolution's key players in a 5-0 victory.

Usually in the postgame Match Impact Rating breakdown we don't get into the ratings of the opposition, but it certainly seems necessary after a 5-0 drubbing. Gyasi Zardes had the top MIR on the Galaxy at 40.9 during his 88 minutes, drawing four fouls (three offensive zone and one in the midfield zone). Three Galaxy players turned in negative MIRs for the match: Sean Franklin (-.25), Tommy Meyer (-.75) and Michael Stephens (-.34). The LA backline committed five fouls and only drew one while the Revs defenders totaled one assist and eight fouls suffered while committing four fouls.

The top performance of the match, as expected, went to New England's Diego Fagundez who had a 117.6. Saer Sene had a 94.6 and Lee Nguyen had a 75.5. Each of the trio scored a goal on their only shot of the match and Sene and Nguyen each drew two fouls. Former Galaxy forward Chad Barrett also scored on his lone shot on net. Barrett and Kelyn Rowe did not log enough minutes to have a MIR but did combine for five points in 35 minutes of play, however. All five of New England's shots on target went in the net which means Galaxy keeper Carlo Cudicini didn't make a single save in the match. All around, it was just a brutal match for the Galaxy.

Robbie Keane had a massive impact vs. Sounders

2013-05-28T00:05:37Z

The LA Galaxy torched the Seattle Sounders' defense on May 26 and scored four goals in 44 minutes. Robbie Keane's first Galaxy hat trick and his assist on Sean Franklin's goal came in the first half. Marcelo Sarvas' fine form continued and he recorded an assist on Franklin's goal. The trio would have the best Match Impact Ratings (click here for more info on MIR) on the night.

Before Keane gave way to Jose Villarreal in the 73rd minute, the Irish International had scored his hat trick from the spot (two of which were penalties) and weaved his way through the Sounders before laying the ball over to a wide open Franklin for a tap-in goal. Keane's MIR for the match was a phenomenal 181.5. The stellar performance also lifted his season MIR to a Messi-esque 72.3. Keane is scoring on 27.8 percent of his shots this season and scoring 1.55 points per 90 minutes of play.

The other goalscorer, Franklin, turned in a MIR of 53 as he put one of his two shots in the net and drew a foul. The goal was the first for the defender since he had a brace against Sporting Kansas City in 2011. Sarvas had a MIR of 58.8 for an assist and winning three fouls in the midfield zone.

Another notable performance was that of Gyasi Zardes who had a MIR of 20.6 in his first MLS start. Both of his shots were off target and he picked up a foul and a yellow card for dissent, but Zardes also drew two fouls (one of which led to a penalty shot) and drove the Sounders crazy with his energy.

Robbie Rogers made his debut with the club and went 13 minutes which is not enough to record a MIR. However, during a prematch interview with Alexi Lalas, Rogers said he wouldn't mind going into the match being up 4-0...and then it happened. That is magic.

Assessing Mike Magee and Robbie Rogers

2013-05-27T02:01:15Z

Mike Magee was (and judging from the comments, will be for some time) a fan favorite as a member of the LA Galaxy. It came as a shock when he was dealt straight up to the Chicago Fire for the rights of Robbie Rogers. Matt Doyle already took on the task of evaluating what both teams are getting out of the trade but we wanted to dig deeper into the numbers.

**Mike Magee and Robbie Rogers**
Player	Mike Magee	Robbie Rogers
Age	28	26
MLS Minutes per Season	1350.4	1681
Goals per Season	3.8	2.6
Assists per Season	2.2	3.2
Points per 90 Minutes	0.40	0.31
Shots per 90 Mins	1.98	2.12
Shooting Percentage	12.8	6.6
Fouls Caused per 90 Minutes	1.5	1.2
Fouls Drawn per 90 Minutes	1.7	2.2
Match Impact Rating	31.1	32.4

Rogers has advantages in minutes played, shots, fouls drawn (as well as those he committed) and Match Impact Rating (click here for background on MIR). Magee scores more frequently than Rogers and shoots with more accuracy. But what about Magee's famed clutch factor? From 2009-2013 with the Galaxy, Magee scored at least one game-winner in MLS play in every season and totaled nine game-winning goals during that period, or, 47.4 percent of his Galaxy goals. Rogers scored a game-winner for the Columbus Crew in four of his five seasons and six total game-winning goals, or, 46.2 percent of his total goals for the Crew. Rogers never earned a clean sheet in net for the Crew, but did help Columbus capture two Supporters' Shields and one MLS Cup. Magee was part of two Supporters' Shield winning sides for the Galaxy, as well as two MLS Cups. The difference in the production of the two midfielders is not seen during the regular season, but instead, in November.

**Playoff Performance**
Player	Mike Magee	Robbie Rogers
MLS Cups	2	1
MLS Minutes per Season	264	184.8
Goals per Season	1.33	0.5
Assists per Season	0.17	0
Points per 90 Minutes	0.51	0.24
Shots per 90 Minutes	2.28	2.07
Shooting Percentage	20	11.8
Fouls Caused per 90 Minutes	1	1.2
Fouls Drawn per 90 Minutes	1.1	0.6
Match Impact Rating	31.2	16

Magee's Match Impact Rating performance stays static in the playoffs but his goals per 90 minutes is elevated as are his shot attempts and shooting percentage. Magee's rate of fouls committed drops in the playoffs as well. Rogers' MIR plummets in the playoffs mainly because he doesn't draw fouls at nearly the same rate as the regular season and because he doesn't find the scoresheet with the same regularity. Rogers' shooting percentage does nearly double in the playoffs and one of his two career playoffs goals was a game-winner. Magee has produced two game-winning goals out of his eight career playoff tallies.

Overall, there's no reason to pan the move by either team. There's also no reason to not expect timely goals from Rogers. However, the playoffs appear to be a different story. The change in scenery will hopefully help Rogers. Magee, after all, *only* scored a game-winner on 30.4 percent of his goals for the MetroStars/RedBulls.

In short, we shouldn't expect Rogers to be Magee because we are going to see a different type of game out on the pitch. Nevertheless, Rogers should still provide some great moments of his own as he did for the Crew.