Today Los Angeles Galaxy coach Ruud Gullit has resigned from his position, leaving former US National Player Cobi Jones at the helm for the Los Angeles Galaxy. Also leaving the Galaxy is president/GM Alexi Lalas. Maybe this David Beckham idea hasn’t worked out as planned.

Both parties have agreed on mutually agreeable terms to part company, it is an amicable arrangement and we appreciate and respect the issues that Ruud has highlighted with the club and are very grateful for all the hard work he has contributed while with the organization. Hopefully, he has laid the foundations for future success for the Los Angeles Galaxy.

Tim Leiweke, president and chief executive officer of Galaxy

The Galaxy are winless in their last 8 games after a solid beginning to the season. Beckham was dazzling, Landon Donovan was finally working well with the new structure of the team and it seemed as if everything was going right. Becks was filling stadiums and fans left satisfied with a Galaxy victory. Then suddenly everything went south. The team soon looked tired and seemed to be getting outplayed every game. All of a sudden now they are 6-8-5 and in fourth place in the west.

Now Ruud is out. Alexi is out. And Cobi is in. If the Galaxy don’t make the playoffs again this year, what does that say for the MLS and this entire situation involving Beckham? Optimists could say, ‘hey look the MLS is so difficult and so competetive that even with David Beckham and Landon Donovan the Galaxy can’t even make the playoffs’. Pescimests will say, ‘what’s the point of Beckham coming over here if he can’t get the Galaxy in the playoffs, he must not be as good as everyone says he is’. And they’d both be right.

Bottom line is, the Galaxy need to make it into the playoffs this year. But going through all this to make the playoffs certainly would be a great story and a testament to David Beckham’s career. For now, we just have to roll with it.

By Sean Connolly

After 4 years in England Brian McBride is back where he belongs, the MLS. McBride is out of England and back in the States after being traded to the Chicago Fire, McBride’s hometown.

McBride out of England and back in the States

This is great for the MLS as McBride was such an intregal part of the MLS’ development with the Columbus Crew. McBride who has played for the U.S. National team hopefully will begin a trend in which American players return to play club ball in the MLS. In 8 seasons with the crew McBride was an all-star 7 times and scored 62 goals along with 45 assists.

It's been a while since we've seen him in an MLS uniform, but he's back

McBride’s return means a lot to this league. He is an innovator and the quintessential American soccer player. His success in England was amazing but after not seeing McBride in America for 4 years it’s hard not to have missed him after the last time we saw him all bloody during America’s loss to Italy in the 2006 World Cup.

McBride in the 2006 World Cup

McBride retired from international play after the 2006 World Cup so McBride will make his first return to American soccer in two years after he comes back from the Olympics where his serving as an “overage player” and a captain. The Fire gave up a good amount for the hometown kid, trading away Chad Barrett and a first round pick to Toronto FC (they had McBride through an allocation process to get him to the US). The 36 year-old McBride should be welcomed back with open arms as he is a US Soccer legend and a hero to anybody who plays the sport of soccer in America.

By Sean Connolly

They’re not the greatest side, but West Ham is an English Premier League team…and to most of America, that’s all that matters.

The MLS media will try and hype this game up and try to convince America that the MLS can play with the best of them, heck that’s all the post game questions were to David Beckham after his side’s victory. The truth this is just a start for the MLS. They need to continue these winning habits against solid teams who play in legitimate leagues.

But enough about the nuances of the result of the MLS’ victory, let’s talk about the game. For the most part it was a pretty exciting game. For the MLS the majority of the ball went through Beckham…exactly what the crowd, sponsors, and ESPN wanted. Becks played very well and assisted on Cristian Gomez’s goal to tie the game. The goal came within a minute of the game’s first goal by West Ham’s Dean Ashton, which set the tone of the game.

The MLS All-Star squad seemed to be united more than West Ham United as they actually played like they have played together hundreds of times before. They showed heart and determination as they scored right before half with Cuauhtemoc Blanco’s goal(Blanco won the MVP of the game) and again minutes after West Ham scored, Houston Dynamo’s Dwayne De Rosario took it into the box, got fouled, and then drilled and I mean drilled the penalty home. He put as much strength as I’ve ever seen behind a penalty as he rocked it off the bottom of the crossbar and it crossed the line.

Overall, you have to appreciate what the MLS has done. These game will always sell out because there are always going to be supporters of an international battle of some sort. With Barcelona making a US tour this summer, playing Chivas soon, and the Champions League ripoff Superliga actually working, I think its time for MLS teams to begin competing against European teams. The interest garnered in a match between an MLS team and an English Premiership team would certainly help the league. This is another great step for the MLS.