In an interview that was obviously conducted before L.A.’s 4-0 opening day drubbing in Colorado, Los Angeles Galaxy General Manager Alexi Lalas says he’s “very happy” with the team’s progress, although he admits its “experiencing some massive growing pains.” Lalas doesn’t elaborate, but one would assume he means on the field. As several columnists have noted, L.A. has three marquee players that command half the team’s salary cap, leaving the Galaxy with little in the way of a supporting cast.
Whether it’s the threat of under-delivering on the field or the possibility that the David Beckham hype will die down, ESPN interviewer Kristian Dyer wonders whether L.A. and U.S. soccer fans are “primed for a letdown.” Lalas replies, diplomatically, that he believes the team can sustain and improve on the attendance gains and strong TV numbers brought on by the Beckham hype. “We are encouraged by the season ticket numbers that we’re seeing, and HDC will once again be the packed in 2008,” Lalas says.
But what if Saturday’s 4-0 thrashing is just a portent of things to come? Dyer, for example, suggests the Galaxy was merely a circus in 2007, to which Lalas replies: “There’s nothing wrong with the circus. To be honest, the alternative is a boring situation where nobody cares one way or the other. We will continue to be provocative and progressive. Winning is always the fundamental part of the equation, but I make no apologies for the circus and I’m proud to be the ringmaster.”