United...even when fallen

About a month ago, on the eve of a World Cup birth, United States striker Charlie Davies was involved in a car accident that claimed the life of a passenger and sent Davies to the hospital in serious condition. Davies is one of the States' brightest new stars and had scored 4 goals in 17 international appearances. A few days after the accident, American fans and his fellow teammates showed their appreciation and support of the player at the US clinched the Concacaf in a dramatic tie against Costa Rica, with signs and pictures.

Davies is expected to be out for about a year and will miss the upcoming World Cup. But Davies' injury reminds us of a few things more meaningful. First, is the importance of life. As cliche as it is, it takes a great tragedy to remind us of the simple pleasures. The prominence of Davies as a sports star brought this truth to light for thousands of fans around the country. Second, is the bond that sports create. The unity of fans that night and the emotion showed by the players is a symbol of how closely connected we can all become.

Charlie Davies was released from the hospital yesterday and is on the road to recovery. We are glad he is well and hope he makes a full recovery to re join the squad as soon as possible. And although he will not be playing in South Africa, he can be proud on the mark he made on American fans and the motivation he is bringing to his teammates.

LA SCORES on the field at HDC

4 of our LA SCORES students and Executive Director David Joseph took to the field at the Home Depot Center this past Sunday. They were able to spend some time on the sidelines as the Galaxy got ready for the second leg of the Western Conference Semi-finals against Chivas USA. Emiliano, Nestor, Juan and Miquel were able to watch some of America's best players warm up right in front of them as they prepared for the biggest game of the season thus far. Our kids were extremely excited to have the opportunity to be so close to the likes of David Beckham and Landon Donovan and be present for such an important match.


Once the match started they were able to watch from some amazing center field seats and contribute to a great playoff atmosphere at the HDC. The game was tightly contested but a penalty kick by Donovan in the 70th minute proved enough to lift the Galaxy to the Conference finals for the first time since 2005, when they last won the MLS Cup.

We want to thank the Galaxy for giving us such a great opportunity and will rally behind them as they seek their third MLS Title!

Real world sportsmanship

At LA SCORES we try to teach our students the importance of sportsmanship. One of the best ways to impart this lesson upon them is by practicing it ourselves. An even better way for our kids to learn this is by seeing high level athletes exhibit traits of good sportsmanship on the field and on TV. Below I have included two videos of professional and college athletes performing great acts of sportsmanship in some of the most competitive arenas in the world.

***If you have stories of good sportsmanship you would like us to share on the blog please e mail them to edelapeza@americascores.org and we will post them next week. Also, if you know of any other videos you think we should share, email or comment with the link and we will post them as well.***

Until then, lets keep promoting good sportsmanship and take our hats off to those who set a great example.

Split decision

LA is blessed with having two professional teams in the MLS, the LA Galaxy and Chivas USA. Both teams share a home field at the Home Depot Center and are at the center of one of the most intense rivalries in all the league, the Super Classico.

The Galaxy have been in the league since its inception in 1996, originally playing in Pasadena at the famous Rose Bowl. People like Cobi Jones, Jorge Campos and Mauricio Cienfuegos and are now joined by international stars like Landon Donavon and David Beckham on the list of players who have donned the LA crest (who remebers this crest?). They have a legacy of success, appearing in the first ever MLS cup in 1996, although falling to DC United. Since then, the Galaxy have claimed the cup two times-- in 2002 and 2005-- and have appeared in the Championship match two more times in 1999 and 2001. The have become the symbol of soccer in LA and have a loyal fan base, many of whom have been with the team for over10 years.

Similarly, Chivas USA boast one of the largest fan bases in North America-- due primarlity to their connection to C.D. Guadalajara in Mexico-- even though they did not join the leauge until 2004. Chivas Guadalajara owns the most championships in the history of the Mexican Premier Division and their success carried over to the American counterpart when in 2007 Chivas USA finished on top of the Western Conference. Though they are still seeking their first Championship birth they are becoming a main stay in the MLS playoffs.

At present the Galaxy and Chivas are, fittingly, deadlocked in the middle of a two game cumulative playoff bout. The first game ended in a 2-2 tie with Chivas being the home team at the shared stadium. Sunday is the final match to determine who moves on, but until the final whistle LA soccer fans are split. The game is sure to be an exciting match and who ever wins we hope an LA team will be making the flight to Seattle to play in the MLS Cup on November 22nd.