Galaxy 2 Morelia 1

Donovan starts this one and certainly adds his contribution - Beckham is out with yellow-card accumulation (no surprises there). Galaxy get off to a good start by scoring after 20 minutes through Magee courtesy of Donovan, and end the first half in control.

The Mexicans however, were not ready to lie down and end up with a scrappy goal after a Galaxy defensive fiasco on the hour-mark. Sensing a possible result, Morelia hit The Galaxy with everything they've got and come close to scoring on several occasional. But it's Juninho who has the last say by scoring in the dying seconds to clinch a much-needed victory for The Galaxy.

The Galaxy head to Honduras on Oct. 20 to face Motagua to clinch a spot in the quarterfinals, the Galaxy, Morelia and LD Alajuelense of Costa Rica are all tied on nine points - victory will see LA through to the quarterfinals of the Champions League

Columbus Crew 0 LA Galaxy 1

Donovan starts on the bench, Robbie Keane and Beckham are left out of this one as The Galaxy travel to Ohio. The first half lacked the excitement that might otherwise have been present had at least one or two of the big names had put in an appearance, ending with no goals scored. Donovan joined the fray after an hour replacing Birchall - it was his rasping shot coming back of the keeper that gave Chad Barrett the chance to bury the ball for the only goal of the match in the third minute of stoppage time.

This result serves to consolidate The Galaxy's position at the top of the Western Conference 10 points clear of Real Salt Lake.

Josh Saunders had plenty to deal with, and all-in-all, LA were fortunate to get the points without their star players. LA must now ready themselves for the next CONCACAF match on Wednesday, they have faltered after a good start in the Champions League.

Alajuelense 1 LA Galaxy 0

Plenty of chances in this game, but it was a first half free-kick that left Josh Saunders clawing the air before picking the ball out of the back of the net. The only goal in a game which was a combination of half-decent football and football nonsense.

The Costa Rican side used a mass of silly tactics to slow the game down in the second half, but the fact remains that The Galaxy could not penetrate the goal. In fact Alajuelense scored twice, but the second was a clear offside. This leaves The Galaxy struggling after a decent start having suffered two straight defeats in the CONCACAF. Beckham got himself another booking and will miss the next game next Wednesday. Now The Galaxy must turn their attention to their visit to The Columbus Crew on Saturday.

Galaxy 3 Whitecaps 0

Beckham back in the starting line-up, three goals and not one of them from Donovan.. Josh Saunders takes charge of goal-keeping duties for the evening.

It was almost up to half time (40 mins) before the first strike came, Beckham finding Keane down the left, crosses into the goal mouth to find MaGee running in for a first-time left foot strike leaving the keeper no chance.

The first half closes with the home side keeping their one-goal advantage.

The second half brings a goal for Keane this time as Jordan crosses from the right finding Keane with lots of space in front of the net - Keane meets the ball with a strong expertly-directed header into the right hand bottom corner of the net - again leaving the keeper stranded.

MaGee gets his second from another Jordan cross, he was probably looking for Keane, but MaGee steps across and heads the ball into the bottom left corner beyond the reach of the diving keeper once more.

This game was as much about Jordan being allowed too much space to get into dangerous positions as it was about anything else. Beckham seems comfortable in his now-familiar central mid-field role, he and Donovan were substituted after the third goal - no doubt to preserve them for upcoming games. CONCACAF champions league on Wednesday, Columbus Crew next Saturday (both away games).

Beckham Speculation

Speculation is gathering over what Beckham will do when his Galaxy/MLS contract is over at the end of this season, the options are many and various, and I don't imagine that an early decision will be forthcoming.

Variants of the options open to Beckham are:

• To take on an MLS franchise - this option was in place at the start of the 5-year contract, and still remains a distinct possibility even if he chooses to play or even manage elsewhere (other than the US of course) - his kids are settled stateside, and he may not want to move them on. Obviously this option has been on the table for a long time, and will probably be a contender although not many speculators are favouring this option.
• Paris St Germaine - Ex-AC Milan boss Leanardo (who bought Beckham to Serie A for a short spell) has voiced his interest in signing Beckham
• Tottenham Hostpur - would probably be the club that Beckham would consider if the Premier League still interests him. Naturally, if he performs at the top of his game in the Premiership, he would be considered for further England appearances, though it has to be said that Cappello is not short of young English talent at the moment.
• QPR - have thrown their hat into the ring, but in all honesty, I don't think they have the profile that Beckham will want - the same goes for any clubs in The Championship - he won't want to give the impression that he is dropping down the 'ladder' in order to get a game.
• Naturally, there are those that would like to see Beckham remain as an LA Galaxy player, and that is certainly an option.
• Arsenal - are in trouble at the moment and he also had a pre-season training session with Arsene Wenger's squad in the past - Wenger may view Beckham as a valuable acquisition, although this would be uncharacteristic - football is a funny game. In any case, it seems likely that if he were to return to the Premiership (and Sir Alex was not interested..) then it would surely have to be to a London club.

Personally, I would like to see him back in the Premiership, which really means him coming to Spurs under Harry Redknapp, this is made more likely by the 'pre-season training' he undertook with Spurs. There has also been speculation about involvement in the UK squad for the Olympics, and coaching/management which could come to fruition under Redknapp's guidance (especially as Rednapp is a strong contender for the England job). I have always thought that it would make sense to take on an MLS franchise, but as a club owner, he would still be free (in theory) to have a 'job' in another league without conflict of interest - this would enable his family to remain in LA.

There are a lot of 'balls' to juggle, and at the end of the day, he must make plans which suit his fitness, his ambitions and his family (not necessarily in that order..)

Morelia 2 Galaxy1

Having established a lead in the second half through some Robbie Keane brilliance, The Galaxy had two goals scored against them in the closing minutes. Beckham missed this game having been listed as 'questionable' with those recurring back spasms.

It was almost 10 minutes into the second half before Keane ghosted past his defender, slipping the ball to the right whilst taking the long way around the left side of the defender meeting the ball with a great strike. Up to then, the play had been fairly even-handed with good chances at both ends. Keane very nearly upstaged Beckham with a shot from his own half which the keeper just managed to scramble over the bar.

Both teams continued the quest for more goals, but it was an error from the Galaxy keeper that ended up with him clutching at the ball as it headed for the goal. In replay, it looks like he has the ball and is bundled over the line by a Morelia attacker, yet the goal is given. Keane scores again, but is somehow deemed offside. He is played onside as the ball is struck, and when the ball bounces off the keeper, he is deemed offside even though no other Galaxy player touches the ball - It was an easy error to make, but at this point it should be 2-1 to The Galaxy - if not 2-0 depending on your view of the Morelia goal. No doubts over the second Morelia goal as a very strong header from a corner kick goes straight through Josh Saunders, who will be very disappointed with his performance.

This leaves both clubs (Morelia and Galaxy) on the same points at the top of Group A in the CONCACAF.

LA Galaxy1 Colorado Rapids 0

Donovan Ricketts returns to The Galaxy after breaking his arm back in June, and keeps a clean sheet proving that The Galaxy have two top class goalkeepers available once more.
Beckham managed to keep himself out of the referees notebook, but did take a knock in the second half, landing heavily on his back which may agitate the back spasm problems which apparently are still a problem. He made his usual contribution of long-range pinpoint balls and clever passes including a telling pass for the only goal of the match (Donovan). Overall, The Galaxy dominated the game although Colorado had a goal struck off for offside. Keane was bought on after 60 minutes having recently returned from international duty. The upshot is that LA are now guaranteed a spot in the play-offs with plenty of games to spare - they should easily top the Western Conference again this year

WESTERN CONFERENCE

	Club	PTS	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD
1	LA Galaxy	55	28	15	3	10	40	22	18
2	Seattle Sounders FC	48	27	13	5	9	42	29	13
3	FC Dallas	46	27	13	7	7	36	29	7
4	Real Salt Lake	42	25	12	7	6	35	21	14
5	Colorado Rapids	41	29	10	8	11	39	37	2
6	Portland Timbers	32	26	9	12	5	33	41	-8
7	Chivas USA	31	27	7	10	10	32	30	2
8	San Jose Earthquakes	26	26	5	10	11	27	35	-8
9	Vancouver Whitecaps	21	26	4	13	9	27	42	-15