Galaxy's striker shortage prompts moves

In trying to fix one problem, Los Angeles Galaxy may have created another.

The Galaxy's troubles at the forward position were underscored in a late May matchup versus the Colorado Rapids. The only goal was tallied by Herculez Gomez, who had once been a scrappy and productive forward for the Los Angeles squad, but was deemed superfluous to the team's needs and traded during the offseason.

German Alegria/WireImage

The Galaxy hope that Edson Buddle, left, can solve their striker dilemma.

The Galaxy were in a quandary because the team has lacked a classic striker since Carlos Ruiz was traded away to make room for Landon Donovan in 2005. Donovan is a good finisher, but given his size, making him a target man for crosses isn't a sensible proposition.

Donovan works best as a complementary player, alongside a pure striker who will create enough space and danger to allow Donovan to utilize his more varied skills of passing and finishing.

With no one stepping up to relieve the scoring pressure, Donovan squandered a couple of game-winning opportunities in matches just before he left the Galaxy to help the national team claim the Gold Cup. During his absence, the team continued its downward descent in the league table.

Yallop pointed out that other forward options he had planned on became unexpectedly unavailable.

"I'm not saying Alan Gordon is a world-beater by any means, but he's a good player for us," said Yallop of the Galaxy striker who is recovering from a foot injury.

While Gordon's value can be debated by frustrated Galaxy fans who remember him missing many opportunities in front of the goal, what isn't in question is that he has frequent injuries.

In Gordon's three years with the team, he has missed more games with the Galaxy than he has played. Another striker who is new this year, Gavin Glinton, has just returned to the field from sports hernia surgery, scoring a goal in his second game back as a sub.

Even healthy, neither Glinton or Gordon really seem capable of lifting the Galaxy out of their early season slump. So the Galaxy gambled on a trade to bring in Edson Buddle, giving up veteran defender Tyrone Marshall to Toronto FC.

The move touched off something of a revamping frenzy. Honduran national team striker Carlos Pavon was signed, though he cannot play until his work permit clears. The Galaxy then gave up U-20 prospect Nate Sturgis, a versatile defensive player, and rookie Robbie Findley, a plucky young player with speed to burn, for the experienced Chris Klein. Findley's lack of game maturity made it difficult for the Galaxy to rely on him and he seemed to be more of a project.

However, Findley scored two goals in his debut on June 23 against D.C. United, leading Salt Lake to its first victory this season.

The talented, yet inconsistent Santino Quaranta was the next player on the trade block -- traded this week to the Red Bulls. After seeing how an in-shape Clint Mathis has transformed his game with Red Bull New York, it's hard to believe that any player would allow fitness to hold back his performance, but that's what Quaranta did and it ended his Galaxy tenure.

It's surprising that as sharp a coach as Yallop didn't recognize the warning signs for the team back during their preseason. With Donovan unavailable, due to U.S. national team duties, the team's leading scorer was defender Chris Albright.

Yet the only reinforcements planned early in the season were not forwards. Abel Xavier is another defender, and David Beckham is a midfielder.

In fact, without an effective finisher in front of the net, the Galaxy would be wasting one of Beckham's best talents -- the ability to whip in a game-changing cross. With Real Madrid, nearly every such cross has the potential to be received by the likes of Dutch star Ruud van Nistelroy. The drop-off to the Galaxy's striker talent, Donovan aside, is so steep that Beckham may feel he has stepped off the side of a cliff.

Yallop was no doubt looking to change this when he made the moves for Pavon and Buddle. Yet they may have been changes spurred by panic, leaving the Galaxy unable to build on youth, and leaving fans confused as to whether the squad has a core left.

"We understand that people have high expectations of the Galaxy," said general manager Alexi Lalas. "We have high expectations of ourselves."

With only two wins this season, Los Angeles is falling far short of everyone's expectations.

"It's not easy for players coming in, especially in a team that's not moving the ball as well as it should," Yallop said.

In their haste to shore up the front line, the Galaxy have now sprung defensive leaks. Though Glinton and Buddle scored in the team's last game, the defense gave up three goals, two of them to a ten-man Columbus Crew team.

The Galaxy now face digging themselves out of a points hole nearly as sizable as last season, when for the Galaxy missed the playoffs for the first time in team history.

With the pressure of an unaccustomed media glare, a number of new players trying to get in sync and a lack of cohesion and balance in general, the Galaxy appear hapless right now. Unless both he and Donovan can work together spectacularly to right the ship, Beckham's debut year could have an abbreviated ending.

On the other hand, at least the new players bring an optimism to the Galaxy that might lift the spirits of the struggling team.

"I'm proud to be part of the Galaxy and feel lucky to be here," said Pavon.

"We need to create a foundation here with the fans, so that teams that come here find it very hard to compete," said Xavier.

The Galaxy hope that positive attitude will translate into turning around a difficult season.

Andrea Canales covers MLS and women's college soccer for ESPNsoccernet. She also writes for topdrawersoccer.com, lasoccernews.com, soccer365.com and contributes to a blog, Sideline Views. She can be contacted at soccercanales@yahoo.com.