Thanks for joining us here at Vavel for the 2015 MLS Season Opener. Goodnight.
The Chicago Fire looked like a much better team than they were in 2014. If not for the bad clearance by Larentowicz that led to the opening goal they may have been able to squeeze out a draw. But being down 1-0 required a stronger attack that opened up their defense.
The LA Galaxy have opened their 2014 MLS Cup Championship defense with a win at home. They looked dominate through most of the first half. In the second half they took advantage of Chicago playing higher up the pitch.
93' Full Time is called. LA Galaxy win 2-0 over the Chicago Fire.
91' Shipp called for a foul after taking an LA player down as he falls to the turf.
90' The fourth official holds up the sign for three minutes of stoppage time.
88' Free kick for Chicago taken by Maloney. Zardes nearly breaks the other way on the clearance.
87' Great counter by LA. Juninho opts to take the shot instead of play it and misses wide. Great defensive work by Chicago's Gehrig
87' Foul by LA Galaxy. Free kick to Chicago near midfield.
84' Chicago's Amarikwa gets free up the left, but the ball goes out of ball for a Galaxy goal kick.
83' LA Galaxy Substitution. AJ DeLaGarza replaces Dan Gargan.
81' GOAL LA GALAXY! Great flick by Baggio Husidic to Robbie Keane. Sean Johnson had no chance.
81' Great ball in to Zardes by Keane, but an even better save by Sean Johnson.
79' Great long ball to Ishizaki who can't decide whether to pass or shoot. A wide open Robbie Keane is unable to get a shot. It should have been a goal.
78' Maloney with a push from behind on Ishizaki. Foul is called.
77' Larentowicz loses another ball in the back, but Gherig is there to clear it for the Fire.
75' Chicago Fire Yellow Card. Guly is shown a yellow for a bad tackle.
75' Foul by LA, Chicago plays it quickly. Shipp loses the ball at the top of the box.
74' Fire building up in the Galaxy half.
72' Chicgao Fire Subsitition. Igboananike is unable to continue. Guly do Prado comes on.
70' LA Galaxy Subsitition. Alan Gordon replaces to goalscorer Jose Villarreal.
68' Chicago's Kennedy Igboananike down on the pitch with what appears to be cramps.
67' The Galaxy goal appears to have brought fresh energy. The dangerous balls keep coming.
65' GOAL LA GALAXY! Jose Villarreal capitalizes on a Jeff Larentowicz missed clearance.
64' Amarikwa goes down in the LA Galaxy box. No call is made as the ball goes out for a goal kick.
63' Chicago Fire Substitution. Matt Polster replaces Chris Ritter.
63' LA Galaxy Substitution. Baggio Husidic replaces Kenney Walker
61' LA Galaxy Yellow Card. Walker with a late tackle.
60' Galaxy are finally holding possession in the second half.
59' Igboananike shot in the box is blocked and cleared by LA Galaxy.
58' Johnson saves a shot by Villarreal, but the flag was up for offsides.
57' Maloney plays a great ball to Amarikwa who goes down in the box. Hard to tell if there was a foul, but the referee didn't call it.
56' Chicago substituion. Michael Stephens replaces Matt Watson
55' Foul by Chicago leads to a Galaxy free kick on the right.
54' Ishizaki takes the resulting corner.
54' Ishizaki gets free on the right side for a cross to Zardes. Ball out of play off Chicago.
53' Amarikwa plays it to Maloney but the return pass catches him offsides.
51' Chicago is pressing again. They are dominating the opening moments of the second half.
49' Kennedy Igboananike with a foul in the attacking third.
48' Villarreal with a great run into the box, but he is cut out by two Chicago defenders.
47' A great buildup by Chicago, but they can't get a shot.
46' An early shot by Chicago goes wide right.
The game is back underway.
Chicago Fire rallied near the end of the half after finding a rhythm and playing a few dangerous balls in the LA box.
LA Galaxy with the lion's share of possession and chances in the first half.
The first half ends with the score tied 0 - 0.
45' Shaun Maloney plays the free kick off the wall. Ball goes out for a Chicago throw.
45' Free kick for Chicago. Juninho with a late tackle on Amarikwa.
42' Robbie Keane with a cross body shot that goes wide left.
41' LA Galaxy with a great sequence. Ishizaki with a great cross in front of the goal. Keane and Zardes both fail to make contact.
40' Ishizaki with a low hard cross to Villarreal who shoots it high.
39' Robbie Keane to Villarreal who crosses it. Headed clear by Gherig.
38' LA Galaxy with great buildup and long possession. Several threatening balls but Chicago is there.
35' Robbie Keane finds and open Zardes on the left side of the box. Zardes unselfishly crosses the ball to Ishizaki who can't get a touch.
34' Zardes goes it alone, but the shot is blocked.
33' Chicago is finally getting into the game, but some great defending by the Galaxy stops the attack.
32' Palmer down the ride side with nowhere to go. He plays it off a Galaxy defender for a Chicago throw in.
31' Juninho tries a long ball to Keane who is offsides.
31' Chicago starting to build. Cross by Palmer is headed the wrong direction.
30 minutes into the game, LA Galaxy are leading with 80% of the possession.
28' Larentowicz with a poor clearance. Ishizaki fails to score a beauty from just outside the box.
27' Another turnover by Chicago leads to more Galaxy pressure.
25' Amarikwa gets a cross in for Chicago, but Rowe is there to grab it.
23'Sean Johnson way out of his box. Thankfully the defense was there to cover for him.
22' Shaun Maloney Yellow Card! A bad tackle from behind that stops a promising attack is rewarded with a card.
10:43pm Galaxy play quickly out of the back and up the left side. Ball is crossed but no one is there.
20' Robbie Keane open at the top of the box on a set piece, but fails to get a shot. Palmer with the clearance.
18' LA Galaxy with another breakout run. Lovell Palmer with a great header to Sean Johnson to stop the attack.
16' More pressure by LA, but a bad pass leads to turnover.
14' Ishizaki takes another corner kick for LA Galaxy.
13' LA Galaxy are keeping up the pressure, another cross blocked out.
13' Chicago is struggling to settle into the game. They are unable to hold possession.
11' Ishizaki plays it off Chicago. Ball goes out for a corner. Foul against LA on the restart.
10' Johnson pushes the ball out to Ishizaki who misses just wide
10' Free kick saved Johnson, who bobbles the ball.
9' Fire's Ritter fouls Robbie Keane outside the box. Free kick for the Galaxy.
8' LA Galaxy keeper Brian Rowe plays a clearance off Amerikwa. Very lucky the ball went wide.
10:28pm Robbie Rogers goes down on the challenge by Palmer. Foul called on Chicago.
5' Harry Shipp attempts a long shot for Chicago, but it goes wide.
4' Villarreal with a cross, but Johnson snags it out of the air.
3' Gyasi Zardes with a cross, but no one is there.
3' Chicago settles in with some possession, but losses the ball on a long pass.
2' Early foul by LA Galaxy, Chicago with the restart.
1' Both teams play the ball to the other to start the game.
10:22pm LA Galaxy get the opening kickoff. MLS 2015 is officially underway!
10:19pm Both teams are taking the field.
10:16pm Here's the National Anthem
10:15pm LA Galaxy and Chicago Fire are making their way onto the field.
10:13pm LA Galaxy with a spectacular onfield display of fives stars.
9:56pm Brian Rowe is getting his eighth MLS start tonight against Chicago. He started three games in 2014 for a 1-0-2 record.
9:51pm LA Galaxy's Jaime Penedo is on the bench tonight, his exclusion does not appear to be medically related.
9:42pm LA Galaxy - Chicago Fire are warming up.
9:36pm Jaime Penedo is absent from the Galaxy starting XI.
9:34pm Chicago Fire Starting XI: Johnson, Palmer, Gehrig, Larentowicz, Jones, Watson, Maloney, Ritter, Shipp, Amarikwa, Igboananike
9:30pm LA Galaxy Starting XI: Rowe, Gargan, Gonzalez, Leonardo, Rogers, Ishizaki, Walker, Juninho, Villarreal, Keane, and Zardes
Lineups have been announced for both sides.
The referee for tonight's match is Jair Marrufo with assistants Frank Anderson and Corey Rockwell. The fourth official for the match is Alejandro Mariscal. The match starts at 10:00 PM EST, so stay with us throughout for the full coverage of Los Angeles Galaxy - Chicago Fire LIVE.
Both teams have added some significant talent to their roster as well. Liverpool legend, Steven Gerrard will be joining LA in July after finishing his final English Premier League campaign. It was also announced earllier today that form striker, Edson Buddle has officially rejoined the Galaxy after a successful preseason trial. The Fire have added David Accam from Helsingborgs and Shaun Maloney from Wigan Athletic. This two players are expected to have an immediate impact and hopefully turn the myraid of draws from 2014 into wins.
Besides the retirement of Landon Donovan, the only other notable roster change will be the absence of Marcelo Sarvas who was traded to Colorado for allocation money and Colorado's third spot in the allocation order. The midfielder was not getting the right amount of playing time with LA. Stefan Ishizaki and Baggio Husidic are ready to step up. Two big names from Chicago have also departed. Logan Pause decided to retire at the end of 2014 after eleven seasons with the Fire. Benji Joya's loan expired this season and he was not sent back. Many had high hopes for the young midfeilder, but Santos Laguna had other ideas for him in 2015.
Like last year, these teams will only meet once this season without both making a run to MLS Cup. The previous meeting in Toyota Park saw Jeff Larentowicz score in midway through the second half, before Donovan leveled it at one apiece. The 1-1 draw was one of many in Chicago's league leading string of ties in 2014. With 18 level games, Chicago led MLS in draws, but failed to make the playoffs. Chicago is 0-4-2 in their last six meetings with their last win coming in 2010 at the Stub Hub Center in 2010. The Galaxy coming into the match with a 15 game home unbeaten streak. Their last loss at home came in the 2014 season opener against RSL.
Chicago isn't without their major hole either. Former Galaxy member and team leader Mike Magee is out for a good portion of the season with an injury. Magee was traded to Chicago for Robbie Rogers in what appeared to be a bizarre move that didn't benefit the team. Magee has been productive with Chicago and his absence will be felt.
For the Galaxy, this game marks the beginning of a new era. With the legendary Landon Donovan gone, it's time for the young Gyasi Zardes to step up and fill the void. Donovan ended his career as MLS' all time leading scorer and atop the assist charts. Although he had a rough start to 2014, he found his groove and propelled the team through the playoffs. Zardes will be starting at Landon's forward spot this season instead of midfield. This change better suits his skills and playing closer to Robbie Keane will likely be a major benefit.
The Fire have a monumental task in front of them tonight having not won against the Galaxy since 2010 when they beat LA 3-2 in Carson City. The Galaxy are looking to start their title defense the right way while playing their first game since the retirement of Landon Donovan.
The lead up to the beginning of the season was not dominated by endless analysis of mouth-watering early season matchups or exciting acquisitions. No, these things were all overshadowed by the potential of a player striker given the lack of a Collective Bargaining Agreement. The league's previous CBA expired in January, and the players and owners were steadfast in their demands for a new CBA, which centered over whether or not it would be good for the league to incorporate free agency. The players were unequivocal in their desire for free agency while the owners refused to give, and as recently as Tuesday it seemed a strike was imminent. However, at the 11th hour, all parties involved agreed to a moderated form of free agency under which players who are at least 28 years of age and have played in MLS for at least eight years will qualify to be free agents, and we not have a season to begin.
Tonight we celebrate First Kick and a return to this incredible, wonderful and crazy league which we all love so much. MLS is about to enter its 20th season, and it promises to be the most successful one they have ever had. Players such as David Villa, Kaka, Frank Lampard, Sebastian Giovinco and Steven Gerrard either have or are going to be making the jump from European super clubs to MLS, and the talent pool has never been greater. However, we came very close to not having an MLS season to talk about let alone be bringing to you LIVE.
Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the 2015 MLS Season Opener! Tonight's matchup features the defending MLS Champion Los Angeles Galaxy and the Chicago Fire. The five time champions have the honor of hosting the first game of MLS' twentieth season tonight at the Stub Hub Center in Carson California. The match is set to kick off at 10pm Eastern.