Los Angeles Galaxy

175px
Full name	Los Angeles Galaxy
Nickname(s)	Galaxy, Los Galácticos
Founded	1995
Stadium	The Home Depot Center Carson, California (Capacity: 27,000)
Owner	Philip Anschutz (AEG)
Head Coach	Bruce Arena
League	Major League Soccer
2011	Western Conference: 1st Overall: 1st Playoffs: Champions
Website	Club home page
Home colors Away colors Third colors
Current season

The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional soccer team, based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California, which competes in Major League Soccer (MLS). It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, and the league's second most-decorated club, after D.C. United.

The Galaxy are the reigning MLS Cup and MLS Supporters' Shield champions. They have won the MLS Cup three times (2002, 2005, 2011), the MLS Supporters' Shield four times (1998, 2002, 2010, 2011), the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup twice (2001, 2005), and is one of just two MLS teams to win the CONCACAF Champions' Cup (now replaced by the CONCACAF Champions League) which they accomplished in 2000.

Initially, the Galaxy played their home games at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, but since 2003 they have played at The Home Depot Center in Carson, which they share with their rival, Chivas USA. The club's current head coach is former US national team coach Bruce Arena. The team holds a fierce rivalry with the San Jose Earthquakes in the California Clasico, which is regarded by many as the biggest rivalry in American soccer.

In January 2007, the club made international headlines by signing English superstar David Beckham from Real Madrid in a deal potentially worth $250 million, which was the highest-profile signing in the history of MLS.

History[link]

1955–1996: Los Angeles soccer heritage[link]

Los Angeles is home to a storied soccer tradition. The first professional soccer team in the Los Angeles area was the Los Angeles Kickers, formed in 1955 by the former owner of the Fall River Marksmen, Sam Mark.

Prior to the launch of Major League Soccer in 1996, teams from Los Angeles played in the Western American Soccer League, the North American Soccer League and the American Soccer League/A-League, winning ten league championships (1955, 1957, 1958, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1974, 1976), seven Lamar Hunt US Open Cups (1958, 1964, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1981), four regional championships (1955, 1956, 1958, 1961) and one international championship (1975). George Best, Johan Cruyff, and many other notable players graced the soccer field during this period in Los Angeles soccer history, for clubs such as the Los Angeles Aztecs, California Surf and the Los Angeles Salsa.

Los Angeles officially adopted and recognized the city's soccer heritage during the opening of the Home Depot Center in June 2003.^{[citation needed]} In addition, the stadium features several tributes recognizing the soccer tradition in Los Angeles.^{[citation needed]}

1996–2005: Decade of success[link]

Cobi Jones playing for Galaxy in 2003

Major League Soccer was founded in 1993 as part of the United States' bid to host the 1994 FIFA World Cup.^[1] The first season took place in 1996 with Los Angeles being one of the ten founding teams. The name "Galaxy" was derived from Los Angeles being home to the "stars" of Hollywood.^[2] Los Angeles began well by clinching 1st in the Western Conference and finishing second in the MLS Cup after losing to D.C. United in the final. The 1997 season started out 1–7 after 8 games, but they went 15–9 for the rest of the season to qualify for the playoffs. The Galaxy ended up 2nd in their conference by losing to the Dallas Burn. In 1998, the Galaxy left off on a streak, eventually finishing 24–8. The Galaxy defeated the Dallas Burn, 9–3 on aggregate. They lost in the final to the Chicago Fire, 2–1 on aggregate.

The Galaxy again finished first in the Western Conference in 1999, with a final record of 20–12, with a win in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, but they lost to United again 2–0. The 2000 season had the Galaxy in 2nd in the Western Division, at 14–10–8. Despite this, they lost to the Kansas City Wizards after a tied aggregate and a sudden death game. 2001 was another successful year for Los Angeles, winning the Open Cup and scoring 1000 all-time points, and with Cobi Jones scoring the 300th goal, but again they fell short by being defeated by Landon Donovan and the San Jose Earthquakes. Again the club clinched first in the Western Conference with a 16–9–3 record, their fifth time being first. In 2002, the Galaxy won their first MLS Cup in four tries by defeating the New England Revolution 1–0.^[3] 2003 was a poor year, with L.A. finishing 4th because they were forced to play away games due to stadium construction, though they got a good rhythm and finished 9–12–9. The Galaxy bounced back by gaining 2nd with a 11–9–10 record. They lost to the Wizards in the final, 0–2. With 2005 came on of the Galaxy's most recognized players, Landon Donovan. The club won the Open Cup again ending with a record of 13–13–6 to cap off their first decade. The Galaxy has a distinction of making the playoffs in all of the league's first 10 seasons.^[4]

2006–present[link]

The 2006 season began on March 16 with the sudden death of Doug Hamilton, the team's 43-year-old general manager, who suffered a heart attack on board a plane carrying the team back from Costa Rica where they had played Saprissa in the CONCACAF Champions' Cup.^[5] The team finished fifth in the Western Conference, eliminating them from playoff contention for the first time since the league's inception. Midway through the season, Steve Sampson was sacked as Head Coach,^[6] replaced by Frank Yallop.^[7] The team managed to make a run to the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup final, but lost 3–1 against the Chicago Fire.

David Beckham playing for Galaxy in 2007

In March 2007, Herbalife signed a five-year deal, worth between $4–5 million a year, with Los Angeles to be the primary shirt sponsor.^[8] Four months later, the club signed David Beckham from Real Madrid. His debut was made at The Home Depot Center before a record crowd of nearly 35,000,^[9] including many celebrities,^[10][11] coming on in the 78th minute in a 1–0 loss to Chelsea in a match during the World Series of Football tournament. The match brought unprecedented TV coverage from ESPN, who used 19 cameras to cover it, including one trained only on Beckham, even when he was on the bench.^[12] The match set an all-time record high for TV ratings for MLS on ESPN.^[12] In that season's SuperLiga Los Angeles reached the final, but lost to Pachuca on penalties after extra time. Los Angeles nearly made the end-of-season play-offs, but were eliminated following a 1–0 loss to the Chicago Fire. In the off-season, Cobi Jones retired and, amidst rumors that he was going to be sacked, Yallop resigned as head coach following a friendly match at Home Depot Center. The San Jose Earthquakes, bought out his contract and offered a 3rd round draft pick to the Galaxy to make Yallop their new head coach.^[13] Yallop was replaced at Los Angeles by Ruud Gullit, who signed a three-year contract with the club which made him the highest paid coach in MLS history.^[12] Cobi Jones returned as assistant coach. Los Angeles went on a promotional tour of Australia and New Zealand, setting attendance records in both countries. 80,295 people showed up at Stadium Australia for the match between Sydney FC and Los Angeles Galaxy, which the home side won 5–3.^[14] They also played a tour of Asia, and competed in the inaugural Pan-Pacific Championship in Honolulu, Hawaii,^[15] finishing third after beating Sydney 2–1 in the third-place match.^[16]

In the 2008 MLS season, Los Angeles went on a seven-game winless streak which saw them drop from first place in the Western Conference to outside playoff contention, prompting the resignation of manager Ruud Gullit and firing of general manager Alexi Lalas.^[17] Gullit was replaced by Bruce Arena, but he was not able to lead Los Angeles into a play-off spot, for the third-straight season.^[18]

In the following off-season both club captain David Beckham and vice-captain Landon Donovan were involved in loan deals with European clubs until the beginning of the new MLS season; Beckham to A.C. Milan in Italy and Donovan to German club FC Bayern Munich. Donovan was seeking a permanent transfer to Munich, while Beckham was expected to return to L.A. in March, prior to the 2009 season.^[19] Beckham went on to seek a permanent transfer to Milan, in a bid to sustain his England career through the 2010 World Cup,^[20] and Milan made a bid for the player, which was rejected by Los Angeles.^[21] One day before his loan deal was to expire, Milan and Los Angeles reached an agreement to allow Beckham to stay in Italy until the conclusion of the Rossoneri's season in June, before returning to Los Angeles in July.^[21] Donovan was not offered a contract by Bayern, and returned to the US in time for the beginning of the 2009 MLS season.^[22] In the book The Beckham Experiment by Grant Wahl, Donovan openly criticized Beckham for his handling of the loan deals. Beckham and Donovan would later reconcile upon Beckham's return to Los Angeles in July.^[23]

Los Angeles finished the 2009 season top of the Western Conference, and runners-up in the MLS Supporters' Shield, qualifying for the 2009 MLS Cup. They reached the final by beating Chivas 3–2 on aggregate in the quarter-final, and Houston Dynamo 2–0, after extra time, in the semi-final. In the final they drew 1–1 with Real Salt Lake at Qwest Field in Seattle, Washington, but lost 5–4 on penalties. By reaching the final they qualified for the 2010–11 CONCACAF Champions League Preliminary Round.

After the 2009 success, both Donovan and Beckham again went out on second loan spells. Donovan went to Everton FC, while Beckham returned to AC Milan, where he ruptured his achilles tendon and therefore missed his chance at playing in the World Cup for England and subsequently missing most of the Galaxy's 2010 season.

In 2010, the Galaxy stayed at the top of the table and won the Supporters' Shield, the first time MLS played a balanced schedule. They then lost to Dallas in the Western Conference Final one game away from making another appearance at MLS Cup.

In 2011, a year in which they added the Republic of Ireland's all-time leading goalscorer Robbie Keane, they won their fourth Supporters' Shield with 2 games remaining, becoming the third straight team to win consecutive Shields while amassing the second best points total in MLS history. They followed this up with their third MLS Cup, defeating Houston Dynamo 1–0 in the final.^[24]

In January 2012, after much speculation, David Beckham signed a new two-year deal with them to secure his short term future at the club.^{[citation needed]}

Colors and badge[link]

Carlos Ruiz wearing Galaxy's old gold-and-green uniform

The Los Angeles Galaxy's current colors are white, dark blue and gold, and were adopted to coincide with David Beckham's arrival with the team in 2007 as part of an overall rebranding exercise. Prior to 2007, the Galaxy played in various color combinations, usually comprising gold, teal green and white with black accents, and often highlighting an iconic 'sash' design from the left shoulder and across the chest.^[25] Their original jersey, used in the inaugural 1996 MLS season, featured black-and-teal halves, black sleeves with gold and red accents, black shorts and black socks.^[26]

The Galaxy have had two logos to date. The original brand was gold, teal and black, and featured the Galaxy wordmark superimposed over a golden swirl, with a stylized black outline. The logo was changed in 2007, again to coincide with David Beckham's arrival, and now features a blue shield with a gold border, the LA Galaxy team name, and a star at the top of the crest.

• Los Angeles Galaxy logo (1996-2007).svg

  Galaxy logo 1996–2007

• Los Angeles Galaxy logo.svg

  Galaxy logo 2007–present

Stadium[link]

The Home Depot Center, Los Angeles Galaxy's home stadium since 2003

• Rose Bowl; Pasadena, California (1996–2002)
• Titan Stadium; Fullerton, California (1999–2011) 10 games in US Open Cup
• The Home Depot Center; Carson, California (2003–present)

From 1996 to 2002, the Galaxy played their home games at the 107,000-capacity Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, but often held Lamar Hunt US Open Cup games at Titan Stadium on the campus of Cal State Fullerton. The Galaxy played ten games in total at Titan; the US Open Cup Final was held there in 2001 when Galaxy won the tournament.

In 2003 they moved to The Home Depot Center, on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills in Carson, California, approximately 10 miles south of downtown Los Angeles. The venue's title sponsor is home-improvement retailer The Home Depot. The "HDC" is a 27,000-seat soccer-specific stadium, the second of its kind in the MLS,^[27] but has hosted other sports such as rugby and football. Galaxy fans sometimes refer to the stadium as The Toolbox and Victoria Street, the latter after one of the main streets in Carson which runs past the northern side of the stadium. Since the 2005 season, the Galaxy have shared the stadium with league rivals C.D. Chivas USA, with whom they compete for the Honda SuperClasico.

Club culture[link]

Cozmo entertaining the fans

Supporters[link]

Galaxy has three organized groups of supporters: The LA Riot Squad, the Angel City Brigade, and the Galaxians.

Mascot[link]

The Los Angeles Galaxy's mascot is "Cozmo", a frog-like extraterrestrial. It is said that Cozmo was beamed down to The Home Depot Center from his intergalactic spaceship on June 7, 2003. The team's website also claims that Cozmo is also "universally known as a goalkeeper who can stop shots traveling at the speed of light," but also possesses the speed and skill to play forward for any team on the planet.

Cozmo is loved for his antics while entertaining fans during games. In addition, he makes special appearances throughout Southern California, representing the team and is known for teaching kids the basics of soccer.

Cozmo replaced the Galaxy's original mascot, "Twizzle", who also looked like it was from outer space but was more humanoid in form, wearing a space-man's helmet and cape.^[28]

Rivalries[link]

[edit] California Clasico

The Galaxy's chief rival is the San Jose Earthquakes, which is known by the fans and media as the California Clasico. It is considered by many,^[who?] the biggest rivalry in American soccer.^{[citation needed]} The intrastate rivalry dates to the founding of MLS, and their encounters in the MLS Cup playoffs and final. Some also cite that the rivalry developed in reflection of traditional Northern California vs Southern California sports rivalries.^[29]

[edit] Honda SuperClasico

Their crosstown rivals, are C.D. Chivas USA, whom they compete with in the L.A. Derby.^[30] The derby has been heavily dominated by the Galaxy, who have won nine of the 15 encounters between the two sides. Chivas USA has not won the derby in four years.

The Galaxy share an out-of-conference rivalry with D.C. United, who are the only MLS club to have more success than the Galaxy in terms of major trophies and awards won. The rivalry is claimed to have started in the inaugural MLS Cup, as each side has jockeyed on another as the flagship franchise in MLS. The two clubs share the largest fan bases in the league.^[31]

In recent years Real Salt Lake has developed as a formidable rival, as RSL beat the Galaxy in 2009's MLS Cup and the Galaxy beat RSL in the semifinals on the way to winning MLS Cup 2011.

Broadcasting[link]

At the end of the 2011 season Galaxy announced a ten-year, $55 million deal with Time Warner Cable, to begin at the end of the 2012 MLS season.^[32] It is, by far, the most lucrative local media contract in MLS history. Previously, Galaxy matches were televised regionally in English on Fox Sports West and Prime Ticket alternatively.^[33] While awaiting the launch of those networks, all 2012 English-language matches will be split between local outlet KDOC, NBC Sports Network and ESPN, with one match showcased on Time Warner Cable SportsNet near the end of the season. Commentary is handled by Mark Rogondino and former Galaxy player Cobi Jones. In Spanish, 2012 matches will be shown on independent outlet KWHY with Adrian Garcia Marquez and Francisco Pinto commentating.^[34]

Radio coverage of regular season matches are broadcasted on KLAC AM 570 (Los Angeles/Orange County) & KTLK 1150 AM alternatively in English and in Spanish on KWKW 1330 AM (Los Angeles). Joe Tutino does the English play-by-play while Rolando "El Veloz" Gonzalez (Play-By-Play) and Armando Aguayo (Commentary) handle the Spanish broadcasts.^[35]

Players and staff[link]

Current roster[link]

Where a player has not declared an international allegiance, nation is determined by place of birth.
Squad correct as of February 13, 2012.^[36]

No.	Position	Player	Nation
1	Goalkeeper	Gaudette, BillBill Gaudette	United States
2	Defender	Dunivant, ToddTodd Dunivant	United States
3	Defender	Lopes, DavidDavid Lopes	Brazil
4	Defender	Gonzalez, OmarOmar Gonzalez	United States
5	Defender	Franklin, SeanSean Franklin	United States
6	Defender	Jordan, BryanBryan Jordan	United States
7	Forward	Keane, RobbieRobbie Keane (DP)	Ireland
8	Midfielder	Sarvas, MarceloMarcelo Sarvas	Brazil
9	Forward	Barrett, ChadChad Barrett	United States
10	Forward	Donovan , LandonLandon Donovan (DP / Captain)	United States
11	Forward	Noonan, PatPat Noonan	United States
12	Goalkeeper	Saunders, JoshJosh Saunders	Puerto Rico
14	Forward	Buddle, EdsonEdson Buddle	United States
15	Midfielder	Keat, DanDan Keat	New Zealand
16	Midfielder	Jiménez , HéctorHéctor Jiménez	United States
17	Forward	Cristman, AdamAdam Cristman	United States
18	Midfielder	Magee , MikeMike Magee	United States
19	Midfielder	Juninho , Juninho	Brazil
20	Defender	DeLaGarza, A. J.A. J. DeLaGarza	United States
21	Defender	Meyer, TommyTommy Meyer	United States
22	Defender	Leonardo , Leonardo	Brazil
23	Midfielder	Beckham, DavidDavid Beckham (DP / Vice-Captain)	England
24	Goalkeeper	Perk, BrianBrian Perk	United States
25	Midfielder	Garcia , RafaelRafael Garcia	United States
26	Midfielder	Stephens , MichaelMichael Stephens	United States
28	Midfielder	Nakazawa, KyleKyle Nakazawa	United States
29	Defender	Boyens, AndrewAndrew Boyens	New Zealand
32	Forward	McBean, JackJack McBean (HGP)	United States
33	Midfielder	Villarreal , JoseJose Villarreal (HGP)	United States
34	Midfielder	Walker, KenneyKenney Walker	United States
35	Defender	Gaul, BryanBryan Gaul	United States

Reserve team players[link]

This list shows players who have played for the team in official 2011 MLS Reserve Division games, but are not part of the senior roster.^[37]

Where a player has not declared an international allegiance, nation is determined by place of birth.
Squad correct as of February 5, 2012.

No.	Position	Player	Nation
77	Goalkeeper	Guppy, KevinKevin Guppy	United States
—	Goalkeeper	Paldino , VinceVince Paldino	United States
27	Goalkeeper	Lira , CarlosCarlos Lira	Mexico
—	Defender	Howe , GradyGrady Howe	United States
—	Defender	Murphy , DrewDrew Murphy	United States
—	Defender	Tilley , MattMatt Tilley	United States
—	Midfielder	Payares , JeffreyJeffrey Payares	United States
—	Midfielder	Wolfe , RileyRiley Wolfe	United States
—	Forward	Wright , ChristopherChristopher Wright	United States
3	Forward	Le Petit , PaulinhoPaulinho Le Petit	Brazil

Retired numbers[link]

Where a player has not declared an international allegiance, nation is determined by place of birth.

No.	Position	Player	Nation
13	Midfielder	Jones, CobiCobi Jones (1996–2007)	United States

Notable former players[link]

This list of former players includes those who received international caps while playing for the team, made significant contributions to the team in terms of appearances or goals while playing for the team, or who made significant contributions to the sport either before they played for the team, or after they left. It is clearly not yet complete and all inclusive, and additions and refinements will continue to be made over time.

• See also All-time Los Angeles Galaxy roster

Sigi Schmid led Galaxy to their first MLS Cup title in 2002

Coaching staff[link]

Role	Name	Nation
Head Coach	Arena, BruceBruce Arena	United States
Assistant Coach	Sarachan, DaveDave Sarachan	United States
Assistant Coach	Onalfo, CurtCurt Onalfo	United States
Goalkeeping Coach	Feuer, IanIan Feuer	United States

Head coaches[link]

Name	Nation	Tenure
Osiander, LotharLothar Osiander	Germany	(1996–1997)
Zambrano, OctavioOctavio Zambrano	Ecuador	(1997–1999)
Schmid, SigiSigi Schmid	United States	(1999–2004)
Sampson, SteveSteve Sampson	United States	(2004–2006)
Yallop, FrankFrank Yallop	Canada	(2006–2007)
Gullit, RuudRuud Gullit	Netherlands	(2007–2008)
Jones, CobiCobi Jones (interim)	United States	(2008)
Arena, BruceBruce Arena	United States	(2008–present)

Achievements[link]

• CONCACAF Champions' Cup
  • Winners (1): 2000

• MLS Cup
  • Winners (3): 2002, 2005, 2011

• MLS Supporters' Shield
  • Winners (4): 1998, 2002, 2010, 2011

• MLS Western Conference
  • Winners (Regular Season) (8): 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2010, 2011
  • Winners (Playoffs) (7): 1996, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2009, 2011

• Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
  • Winners (2): 2001, 2005

• Minor Trophies
  • California Clasico (10): 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2011
  • Honda SuperClasico (6): 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
  • Puerto Rico MLS-USL Challenge (1): 2007
  • Desert Diamond Cup (1): 2012
  • Hyundai Club Challenge (1): 2012

Record[link]

Year-by-year[link]

* Won MLS Supporters' Shield

Year-by-year stats[link]

International tournaments[link]

Sydney FC playing against the Galaxy at ANZ Stadium in 2007

• 1997 CONCACAF Champions' Cup

Qualifying Playoff v. Santos Laguna – 4:1

Quarter-Finals v. Luis Ángel Firpo – 2:0

Semi-Finals v. D.C. United – 1:0

Final v. Cruz Azul – 3:5

• 1999 CONCACAF Champions' Cup

Qualifying Playoff v. Necaxa – 1:1 (Club Necaxa advances 4–3 on penalties)

• 2000 CONCACAF Champions' Cup

Quarter-Finals v. Real España – 0:0 (Los Angeles advances 5:3 on penalties)

Semi-Finals v. D.C. United – 1:1 (Los Angeles advances 4:2 on penalties)

Final v. Olimpia – 3:2

• 2003 La Manga Cup

Group Stage v. Lyn Oslo – 5:0

Group Stage v. Torpedo Moskva – 3:0

Group Stage v. Odd Grenland – 0:1

Third Place Match v. Viking – 3:0

• 2003 CONCACAF Champions' Cup

First round v. Motagua – 2:2, 1:0 (Los Angeles advances 3:2 on aggregate)

Quarter-Finals v. Necaxa – 1:4, 1:2 (Club Necaxa advances 6:2 on aggregate)

• 2003 Peace Cup

Group Stage v. Nacional – 0:0

Group Stage v. 1860 München – 0:0

Group Stage v. PSV Eindhoven – 1:4

• 2006 CONCACAF Champions' Cup

Quarter-Finals v. Deportivo Saprissa – 0:0, 2:3 AET (Saprissa advance 3:2 on aggregate after added extra time)

• 2007 North American SuperLiga

Group Stage v. Pachuca – 2:1

Group Stage v. Guadalajara – 1:2

Group Stage v. FC Dallas – 6:5

Semi-Finals v. D.C. United – 2:0

Final v. Pachuca – 1:1 (Pachuca win 4:3 on penalties)

• Pan-Pacific Championship 2008

Semi-Finals v. Gamba Osaka – 0:1

Third Place v. Sydney FC – 2:1

• Pan-Pacific Championship 2009

Semi-Finals v. Ōita Trinita – 2:0

Final v. Suwon Bluewings – 1:1 (Suwon Bluewings win 4:2 on penalties)

• 2010–11 CONCACAF Champions League

Preliminary Round v. Puerto Rico Islanders – 1:4, 2:1 (Puerto Rico advances 5:3 on aggregate)

• 2011 World Football Challenge

Group Stage v. Real Madrid – 1:4

Group Stage v. Manchester City – 1:1 (Manchester City win 7:6 on penalties)

• 2011–12 CONCACAF Champions League:

Group Stage v. Motagua – 2:0

Group Stage v. Alajuelense – 2:0

Group Stage v. Morelia – 1:2

Group Stage v. Alajuelense – 0:1

Group Stage v. Morelia – 2:1

Group Stage v. Motagua – 1:0

Quarter Final v. Toronto F.C. – 2:2

Team records[link]

Landon Donovan is Galaxy's all-time top scorer, four-time MVP, and six-time Golden Boot winner

• Games: Cobi Jones (306)
• Goals: Landon Donovan (83)
• Hat Tricks: Cobi Jones Edson Buddle (4)
• Assists: Cobi Jones (86)
• Cleansheets: Kevin Hartman (62)

MLS regular season only, as of November 8, 2011^[38]

Most Valuable Player[link]

Year	Name	Nation
1996	Eduardo Hurtado	Ecuador
1997	Mauricio Cienfuegos	El Salvador
1998	Cobi Jones	United States
1999	Kevin Hartman	United States
2000	Simon Elliott	New Zealand
2001	Ezra Hendrickson	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
2002	Carlos Ruiz	Guatemala
2003	Kevin Hartman	United States
2004	Kevin Hartman	United States
2005	Herculez Gomez	United States
2006	Landon Donovan	United States
2007	Chris Klein	United States
2008	Landon Donovan	United States
2009	Landon Donovan	United States
2010	Edson Buddle	United States
2011	Landon Donovan	United States

Golden Boot[link]

The Golden Boot winner is the leading goal scorer at the end of the season (only goals in MLS count). This award did not exist from 1996 to 2004. The MLS Scoring Champion Award included both goal and assist totals those years.

Year	Name	Nation	Goals
2005	Landon Donovan	United States	12
2006	Landon Donovan	United States	12
2007	Landon Donovan	United States	8
2008	Landon Donovan	United States	20
2009	Landon Donovan	United States	12
2010	Edson Buddle	United States	17
2011	Landon Donovan	United States	12

Defensive Player of the Year[link]

Year	Name	Nation
1996	Jorge Campos	Mexico
1997	Robin Fraser	United States
1998	Robin Fraser	United States
1999	Robin Fraser	United States
2000	Danny Califf	United States
2001	Greg Vanney	United States
2002	Alexi Lalas	United States
2003	Danny Califf	United States
2004	Tyrone Marshall	Jamaica
2005	Tyrone Marshall	Jamaica
2006	Chris Albright	United States
2007	Ty Harden	United States
2008	Sean Franklin	United States
2009	Donovan Ricketts	Jamaica
2010	Omar Gonzalez	United States
2011	Omar Gonzalez	United States

References[link]

External links[link]

	Soccer in the United States portal
	Los Angeles portal

• Official website