LA Galaxy wearing yellow and blue

[getyourdad]

Los Angeles Galaxy, which usually wears yellow with green trim and green shorts, is wearing yellow with royal blue tonight. The diagonal sash on their jerseys is clearly royal blue, not green, and they are wearing royal blue shorts. Checked mlsnet.com and didn't find any articles mentioning the change, so not sure if this is a one-game-only thing.

After Ante Razov's two very well-taken goals, the Galaxy probably wish they stuck with the green.

[Fred T. Jane]

Los Angeles Galaxy, which usually wears yellow with green trim and green shorts, is wearing yellow with royal blue tonight. The diagonal sash on their jerseys is clearly royal blue, not green, and they are wearing royal blue shorts. Checked mlsnet.com and didn't find any articles mentioning the change, so not sure if this is a one-game-only thing.

After Ante Razov's two very well-taken goals, the Galaxy probably wish they stuck with the green.

Well, the Galaxy have just cut the lead in half. I'd hold on the bad luck just yet.

[totc]

Perhaps it's because the Eagles of Club America (Chivas of Guadalajara's main rival) wears gold and blue.

[pointguard4519]

I noticed the exact same thing. At first I thought it was just my TV, so I went and checked the other one - but they were definately wearing blue.

[Frankie]

Could it be a result of having a new manager, Frankie Yallop, who wanted to have some resemblance of the San Jose team he coached?

[KeeperEUSC]

[IronChefShark]

Perhaps it's because the Eagles of Club America (Chivas of Guadalajara's main rival) wears gold and blue.

that has to be the reason behind it. Chivas-America is to Mexico what Yankees-Red Sox is here in the USA.

[Saturn]

Doesn't look half bad.

[Bleujayone]

This is yet another instance of American soccer ripping off someone else's soccer traditions to subplant their own - or complete lack thereof. At least this tradition was a little closer to home. Honestly though, if they keep aping someone else's traditions how are they ever going to make any of their own? One of the things that makes soccer unpopular as a profesional spectator sport in this country is that adopting all of these other contries nuances, makes the game seem that much more alien. The names, uniforms, atitudes, and now a forced rivalry, make it seem all the more fake. Soccer clubs in other countries have their own identities just as teams in other sports have here, simply borrowing them is as impersonal as any other work of fiction. You cannot imitate someone else's rivalry to create an actual rivalry, any more than taking on an established team's identity will get you the same success of that team.

You'd have thought after 10 years there would have already been a few naturally grown rivalries. I would have thought New England/ New York, Colorado/Kansas City, or DC/ Chicago would have come up by now, but I just don't see the same bad blood between fans as I would for other sports we have here. For that matter it sometimes feels like the league is being kept alive past its point. That is to say that after a decade of operation, I was expecting it to run much smoother than it is. The league has lost more than $215 million since its been started. Going Euro I think has hurt it more than its helped because there not as much for fans to personally identify with. I once heard someone say that it seemed like a lower tiered exhibition from europe. It doesn;t feel like a local team, and so MLS doesn't feel like a part of the local fabric but rather a sporting distraction.

As a sport I like soccer just fine, but there are times when I feel the brand of soccer MLS tries to create seem forced and artificial- this is another one of those times.

[Brian in Boston]

Well put, Bleujayone. Los Angeles taking to the field in a uniform that apes the Yellow and Blue colors of Club America - while abandoning the Galaxy's own traditional Yellow and Green - was absolutely assenine.

I've been a soccer player - and fan - since I was eight years old. I've supported MLS since the league's launch. I was a big backer of the league's move towards playing the game on the field in the same manner as it is contested throughout the rest of the world (clock counting up, no shoot-out, etc). However, I can honestly say that the league's constant prostrating of itself before the "altar" of international-style branding has worn thin with this fan. Names like "Real Salt Lake" were bad enough. This stunt was ridiculous.

[Gothamite]

I think the colors are an improvement.

[Brian in Boston]

I think the colors are an improvement.

You know, it might be true that Yellow and Blue are an improvement over the Yellow and Green that the Galaxy currently wear. In fact, if the team were actually planning - or even contemplating - making a change, I probably wouldn't have minded last night's switch.

However, the sad truth is that the Los Angeles Galaxy aren't, to the best of my knowledge (nor to the knowledge of a friend of mine who deals pretty extensively with the team), planning on making such a change. Last night's display was, in point of fact, nothing more than an abandonment of the team's traditional colors in an effort to ape the palette of traditional Chivas rival Club America.

Have things gotten that bad for MLS and the Galaxy franchise? The former signs off on a move like this in an effort to convince fans that a member-franchise possesses the cache of a storied Mexican side, while the latter apparently believes that it has to ignore its own traditions in a lame attempt to "get in the heads" of Chivas players.

Assenine.

[youcan'tseeme]

the MLS will never have ant tradiation! there only one might be ripping of other leagues tradiations! make your own rivalry's come on, stop trying to turn a profit of a rival league. that being said

Let's go Toronto FC!

[Sport]

This is yet another instance of American soccer ripping off someone else's soccer traditions to subplant their own - or complete lack thereof. At least this tradition was a little closer to home. Honestly though, if they keep aping someone else's traditions how are they ever going to make any of their own?  One of the things that makes soccer unpopular as a profesional spectator sport in this country is that adopting all of these other contries nuances, makes the game seem that much more alien. The names, uniforms, atitudes, and now a forced rivalry, make it seem all the more fake.  Soccer clubs in other countries have their own identities just as teams in other sports have here, simply borrowing them is as impersonal as any other work of fiction. You cannot imitate someone else's rivalry to create an actual rivalry, any more than taking on an established team's identity will get you the same success of that team.

You'd have thought after 10 years there would have already been a few naturally grown rivalries.  I would have thought New England/ New York, Colorado/Kansas City, or DC/ Chicago would have come up by now, but I just don't see the same bad blood between fans as I would for other sports we have here. For that matter it sometimes feels like the league is being kept alive past its point. That is to say that after a decade of operation, I was expecting it to run much smoother than it is. The league has lost more than $215 million since its been started. Going Euro I think has hurt it more than its helped because there not as much for fans to personally identify with.  I once heard someone say that it seemed like a lower tiered exhibition from europe. It doesn;t feel like a local team, and so MLS doesn't feel like a part of the local fabric but rather a sporting distraction.

As a sport I like soccer just fine, but there are times when I feel the brand of soccer MLS tries to create seem forced and artificial- this is another one of those times.

I disagree with you here and I'll tell you why. For about 7 years MLS tried to be America's version of soccer. And they found that no matter how you package soccer most americans will not pay attention to it, watch it on TV, or go to more than one game after their curiosity wore thin. Where the alienation of fans was happening was with their core market, the people who were already soccer fans. The people who were already soccer fans didn't like the new rules or the clock counting down or stopping when the ball went out of bounds. They didn't want to watch this brand of their game either. So in turn nobody was going to the games.

MLS then got smart. They put soccer specific stadiums in Columbus and Los Angeles near latin communities. They change the rules to something that soccer fans were more familiar with. Instead of trying to be soccer, they became futbol. I think LA turned a profit last year, attendance is way up. The MLS is becoming the ultimate niche sport, instead of trying to be the fifth major sport like they were ten years ago. I think what they are doing is brilliant and I agree that you don't need to change your colors to match some other foreign team or call yourself Real Salt Lake. I'm just saying that while they have lost alot of money in the past, they are losing less and less right now. Things aren't as bad in the MLS as they used to be they've gotten a lot better.

[LMU]

I 100% agree about the fact that MLS will never have tradition. It's a victim of the American sports practice of relocation and corporate sponsorship that you will rarely find in Europe (except for Austria, but that was a one time thing). Plus, let's be honest here, how can the league claim to be legit when its season is scheduled so that all of its start players up and leave for the World Cup and the series of friendlies, leaving teams such as the Galaxy changing coaches to try to get back in the win column, when the problem really is that half the team's missing!

[harperdc]

that was a stupid change. Usually I'm all for bringing in the foregin aspects - what league outside of europe *hasn't* at least slightly aped European football? - but this change was terrible. Allow the rivalries to have their own identity, instead of trying to shoehorn in the Mexican league rivalry.

and didn't half of the league leave the NHL for the Olympics? hasn't that happened before, and people aren't upset by it? I think players representing their countries is great - especially so many in the MLS, who would have thought that 10 years ago? - and its a necessary evil that the European clubs face during their regular league seasons as well for WC or Euro qualifiers.

[Krona]

and didn't half of the league leave the NHL for the Olympics? hasn't that happened before, and people aren't upset by it? I think players representing their countries is great - especially so many in the MLS, who would have thought that 10 years ago? - and its a necessary evil that the European clubs face during their regular league seasons as well for WC or Euro qualifiers.

thats different. the NHL shuts down for the olympics. the MLS should just switch to a November to May schedule like the rest of the world.

personally i like the fact that they wore club americas colors. it seems to be more of a bratty shot taken at chivas than an attempt at sparking a rivalry. not to mention, plenty of clubs have thirds that are completely different colors than the primaries

[harperdc]

uh...those aren't completely different colors for the third...black? that'd be a Galaxy third; yellow and blue? attention-grubbing shot across the bow of Chivas USA's ownership that completely failed.

and there's one reason the MLS won't switch to a winter-based schedule: the NFL. too many teams still play in NFL stadiums. sharing them with the NFL would be a nightmare. Plus, they'd compete with the NBA and NHL in that time as well.

[Krona]

uh...those aren't completely different colors for the third...black? that'd be a Galaxy third; yellow and blue? attention-grubbing shot across the bow of Chivas USA's ownership that completely failed.

and there's one reason the MLS won't switch to a winter-based schedule: the NFL. too many teams still play in NFL stadiums. sharing them with the NFL would be a nightmare. Plus, they'd compete with the NBA and NHL in that time as well.

i wasnt saying they had a completely different color, just pointing out that some teams do. i was responding to the "traditional green and yellow" remark that was posted (which would actually be traditional teal and yellow, given the green is only a few years old). as for football stadiums being used for soccer, they do it anyways, it would just be shifted to the end of the season. (ruling out the teams that are building or planning to build soccer stadiums,I count 2 teams that would be sharing football stadium:kansas city and new england. kansas city is all but moved and new england will feel the pinch real soon if they dont get to work on a stadium.) as for the NBA & NHL, they are rapidly losing fans and would be a better target for MLS than baseball. while football is dominant, its only a coupla of days a week.

on a side note, i think winter/spring soccer would much more watchable for tv audiences. MLS day games turn me off with all that sunlight. the field looks washed out. im a much bigger fan of the muggy, dark premiership atmosphere.

[rmackman]

I used to go to Miami Fusion games when they existed. They were fun, but fans never went (hence why the team folded). Now I could be wrong, but the one thing I always felt would help MLS early on is if they had exhibition games against real European teams. New England Revolution vs. Inter Milan, Kansas City Wiz vs. Real Madrid, or Chicago Fire vs. Paris St. Germain. Okay yeah, I know the MLS teams would get pounded 8-0 or something, but maybe it would bring fans? There's got to be a way to get Americans into soccer.