Premiership clubs, Formula 1, David Beckham and Wayne Rooney are regularly amongst your favourite sports searches. But there's more to the Sport Hotlist than the world's sporting icons and globally watched events. You will find news on the big sport stars but you'll also discover some bizarre and downright weird sporting events sure to get you searching.
Goldenballs is off to Major League Soccer (MLS) in LA LA land to spread to gospel of football to the kids of the United States. But while everyone knows about his former clubs Manchester United and Real Madrid, his new club are somewhat of an unknown quantity to British footie fans. So, to help with the transition, Hotlist presents ten essential things you never knew about the LA Galaxy.1. LA Galaxy are coached by ex-Canadian national team manager Frank Yallop. Despite Canada's absence from World Cups since 1982, Yallop's football pedigree is strong - he played 385 games for Ipswich Town in a professional career that spanned 20 years.
2. New teammate Cobi Jones is one of the most acclaimed American soccer stars. The dreadlocked winger has played for the USA at three World Cups and has more international caps (164) than any other American. Not bad for a Coventry City bit part player.
3. Also listed on the Galaxy roster (surely that should be “squad”) is American World Cup “star” and 2006 team MVP Landon Donovan. Donovan was the team’s top scorer in the 2005 and 2006 seasons, although it's not known how many of these goals were “wormburners”. At least Becks will have the opportunity to crack a quality joke if one of his team mates asks: “Where can I buy some kebabs?” he can reply: “From the Landon Doner-van.”
4. The Galaxy’s first game was a 2-1 win over the NY Metrostars way back in April 1996. Their biggest ever win was an 8-1 away win against the ludicrously named Dallas Burn.
5. The Galaxy's team president and general manager is the bearded slacker scourge of Graham Taylor’s early nineties England team Alexei Lalas. The ginger defender memorably scored in the USA’s friendly victory over the Three Lions in 1993.
6. In trophy terms, the Galaxy are an extremely successful franchise. They famously completed the MLS double in 2005, claiming the MLS Cup and the revered US Open Cup (isn’t that a golf tournament).
7. The Galaxy have two key rivalries. The first is their local derby (the only local rivalry in Major League Soccer) with Chivas United, the team with whom they share a stadium. The second is an historic rivalry with DC United, the team that defeated them in MLS Cup Finals in 1996 and 1999.
8. Drew Carey is the Galaxy’s most famous celebrity fan. In fact, he’s the Galaxy’s only celebrity fan. The Brooklyn native made his name as a stand-up comedian before hosting his own chat show and the US version of Who’s Line Is It Anyway?
9. The Galaxy boast Mexican goalkeeping legend Jorge Campos and American legend Clint Mathis amongst their former players. Campos was briefly toted as the world’s best goalie prior to the 1994 World Cup. Mathis famously sported the Travis Bickle mohawk haircut along with Beckham at World Cup 2002.
10. The Galaxy played at Pasadena’s famous 100,000 seater Rose Bowl stadium until 2003. But with average attendances levelling at the 21,000 mark, the team wisely decamped to their current home, the footballing mecca known as The Home Depot Center.
Hotlist Map - Becks by stadium
Get a close up look at LA Galaxy's stadium plus the cathedrals of football graced by David Beckham throughout his football career.