By ADAM SERRANO
The Los Angeles Galaxy have signed Juan Pablo Angel as the club's third Designated Player, the team announced on Wednesday. Angel was chosen by the Galaxy in the Major League Soccer Re-Entry Draft last December.
Los Angeles is in dire need of a forward after the recent departure of Edson Buddle to the German second division and the trade of Tristan Bowen to Chivas USA. Angel joins recent acquisitions Chad Barrett and Adam Cristman, as well as Mike Magee and Johan Kirovski in the Galaxy forward corps.
Angel scored 13 goals in 2010 for the Red Bulls and finished his time in New York with a final tally of 58 goals scored in MLS league play, the most by any player over the past four years.
The Galaxy will need Angel to increase his production in order to make a run at MLS Cup. The 35-year-old will be bolstered by service from Galaxy midfielders Landon Donovan and David Beckham, as the club seeks to return to the cup final for the second time in three years.
"I hope that I can fit into the club as soon as possible, so I can do what I've always done with every club that I have been to," Angel said. "With the service that Donovan and Beckham provide, there's a good chance that I can finish those chances."
—————-
Do you think Angel will succeed in Los Angeles? Does his signing make the Galaxy favorites for MLS Cup? Does the club need more help up top?
Share your thoughts below.
we are screwed galaxy just made the worst trades ever
Funny…”first time since 2009.” Ah, those poor long-suffering Galaxy fans.
Win/lose.
We still don’t have the depth nor the striking support for JPA. We’ll do well, but gas out towards the playoffs and sputter off without the cup.
I think Angel is going to benefit from Donovan taking a lot of attention away from him on the field, not to mention the natural grass surface. If Angel can contribute 10-15 goals, it’ll be a success.
Old team with a ton of skill, but boy do I wish they still had Buddle, they would be even more fun to watch.
I feel that they struggled against faster teams last year, and haven’t really addressed that this year, other than Landon pretty much all their good players are quality but on the slow side.
I also came away with the same impression. That 2009 MLS Cup game was forever ago!
The Galaxy are by far the oldest team in the league. If they don’t win the Cup this year then it’s going to be a long time until they have another shot.
Personally, I had hoped to see JPA and GBS on the same team.
What trade? NY did not get anything out of this. Red Bulls let him go on free after his contract expired.
Good luck JPA, and There IS only Juan Pablo Angel! (We will cheer you at RBA until the whistle blows for kickoff)
Angel is a good player, but not having Buddle hurts. Then giving away Bowen was stupid.
From a RBNY fan, good luck JPA. It’s good to have someone with his class still in the MLS.
Except that the core of our backline is made up of guys under 25. Heck, Beckham and Angel are the only starting XI players over 32.
The only problem with this deal for LA is that it is multi-year. Hopefully for them after the first year it is their option whether to continue. To me JPA is the best striker in the league the past 4 years but at 35 you never know how long it will last. I will miss watching him in a RBNY uniform. Hopefully Henry lives up to the hype this year.
Good point. I actually think the Galaxy have a good mix of old & young.
Go ask the San Antonio Spurs about having a team that’s “too old.”
Angel had good service and natural grass and couldn’t put it together in the second half of the year. He is too slow, can’t take on defenders and was only able to score one goal from the run of play from August on. Dude is just washed up. Henry should have been enough to take attention off of Angel, and he wasn’t.
So is this the “big announcement” alluded to during the draft about the Galaxy? Because this doesn’t seem that big or much of a surprise.
Speaking of the Spurs, I think you hit on the perfect analogy! The Spurs just like the Galaxy — Best record in the regular season. Come playoff time, fizzle out.
Maybe should have made that 3rd DP Buddle… He’s years younger and has been scoring much more than the PKs Angel has. That being said, I do like Angel.
You mean the second half of the season, after NYRB essentially told him to go kick rocks? Yeah, I’d be real motivated too.
Plus, I’d say that the service he’ll receive from Beckham/Donovan will be 1000x better than whatever Dane Richards manages to toe poke towards him.
If that means the Galaxy keeps picking up Supporters Shields and automatic spots in the CCL, I’d take it.
Sad thing is that Angel would manage to miss those topokes dane gave him, so Dane became selfish and started scoring himself. Galaxy fans are in for a surprise if they think its service Angel was lacking in NY.
its only a surprise they used a DP on him. I wonder how much hes making now….
I predict Angel has one great year for LA(15-20 goals) and then one forgettable year after which he’ll retire.
I feel the same way. I like Angel a lot, but they would have gotten more out of keeping Buddle.
plus + a slap in Buddles face, to sign an old past prime player who is not a penalty taker to a a multi year dp contract. and refused to pay buddle his worth .
I like JPA but not crazy about using the 3rd DP slot on him. Hopefully the Gals give it another good run before Becks departs and LD moves to Merseyside.
Good pickup, but I definitely don’t think he is worth throwing away a designated player slot. He’s a solid player, but they lost more with Buddle gone than they will gain with him.
What a waste. The Galaxy are getting Old. They should have kept Bowden and gone after I younger forward
Why did they sign him especially as a DP? Then why not make Buddle a DP?
Is it because Bruce thinks he can revitalize JPA and make him play like when they where both at NYRB?
“For the first time since 2009″
LOL give me a break
May he score goals for LA and be subbed off at the half against RBNY.
I think this is right on. Angel was looking way past prime and missing some real sitters. Maybe he’ll find a fountain of youth for half a season, but not likely.
Red Bull is a joke- they thought JPA was NOT one of the ten best players on the team, and treated him as such. Henry & Marquez were both getting 4x his salary, and what did they have to show for it? Nothing. They are mailing it in. Angel has heart. He is pure class, with clinical finishing ability, in the air and on the ground. I hope he lights up RBA, like he intended, too bad if its in a LA kit.
Bruce Arena is the George Allen of the MLS. He manages to get the most out of the old geezers and the young guns.
I suspect that Angel will not be a full 90 minute player for every game. The NYRB depended upon Angel for most of it’s offense and when you look at the Galaxy, the fact that Buddle had a career year does not take away the fact that the Galaxy still have Landon Donovan, who is a perennial 15+ goal scorer when asked to be one,and of course ther is DB, who is no slouch either.
I suspected the Galaxy may have gone for a European or SA name for the third DP, but with strikers at a premium in Europe, Angel and his familiarity with the MLS game is a good fit.
That is because the Bruce Arenas tactics is to always go with players near the twilight of their careers, he just doesn’t trust the youth, which is 10 times better than what was coming out back when he coached the National team….I mean look at his roster for goodness sake, he almost has the whole 2002WC roster on his team (Not including eddie lewis and mathis who just retired: berhalter, hedjuk, kirovski, donovan. Not to mention half of the team is close if not passed their 30′s.
So LA can get crushed by a second division side again?
You guys are crazy if you think JPA is washed up! It’ll be funny when he scores 13+ goals and you guys change your story! The same people that are on here talking smack will be his biggest supporters. Your telling me that with Becks and Landy serving this guy up proper he’s not going to tickle the back of the net!? One word for you guys….Dillusional
I will always respect JPA. He always represented the club so well both on and off the field, certain people you should hang on to as long as you can. Handled his situation with dignity. I’ve asked for a RBNY Angel jersey for the my birthday cause i respect him that much. (Yes a middle aged man with a birthday list is just a bit lame.)
Ya, he really missed a lot in NY. Which Angel were you watching?
At 35 and on 1 leg, JPA is better than Buddle…It would have been nice to see them together though
Good Player? Best Striker in MLS history, my friend. 2nd best at Aston Villa also.
Well said Ben… Good Luck Juan Pablo except when you play the Red Bulls!
Agree…RBNY won’t know what they are missing until they play a few games. This rivalry looks ready to heat up!
Actually, only 1/3 (7 out of 21) of the team is at age 30 or above (including JPA and not including new draft picks). That includes Todd Dunivant at 30 and Ricketts at 33 (which is prime for a GK).
True…Wonder what took them so long to sign him. He’s going to make Donovan even better also.
Yeah, in the USOC. Supporters Shield > USOC.
Angel is old but I predict a bounceback year, it certainly can’t hurt that Donovan and Beckham will be getting him the ball.
Trading Bowen away was eating the seed corn. Bad move.
Who’s the 3rd DP?
Well at least we got Barrett and Cristman. Along with Magee and Kirovski, that makes 4 mediocre forwards that we can now combine into one super forward that breathes fire. That’s how it works, right?
I love Angel, but he’s pretty damn diminished in quality. They made the right move.
Hey the quote disappeared! I kinda liked it.
I think Angel still has some finishing left in him. That said, LAG just might have the slowest frontline in the entire MLS. And speed is capable of stretching defenses and getting cheap goals (on breakaways, defensive mistakes and counters). So it’s going to be interesting to see how this plays out.
ive watched perhaps all but 3 games JPA has played in for RB the past 3 years and many of them in person since ive been a season ticket holder for a while. JPA cant move anymore. This whole notion that he lacked the service in NY last year is comical. RB had a very strong team last year. Bruce is making the same mistake he made with Reyna when he signed him for a 2 year DP deal a few years ago with RBNY.
Hejduk won’t start?
Seems to be a very lazy management decision on LA’s part. Very lackluster signing for LA and the league.
Donovan
Beckham
JPA
Agree, JPA looked glacial last year especially near the end of the season. Throwing his arms up in the air in disgust every time he didn’t get the ball served exactly where wanted it really was annoying.
Either way Galaxy still hold the rites to buddle when he heads back to MLS in the summer(after his german team gets relegated and he can’t get a work permit). Hopefully all this salary cap room they’ve traded for can get him back on the team without a DP slot.
The league is lucky a player like this chose to stay!…Let the haters hate!
1st comparing Bown to Angel…now Reyna…you guys are ridiculous!
The question is: Who are they going to play alongside him? Chad Barrett? Please
What is this I hear about Altidore to Sporting Gijon? Any truth to this Ives
When did Donovan become DP? Thought he was GF
(SBI-That changed under the new CBA. He’s a DP now.)
They certainly could use him since their strikers stink and they are currently above the relegation zone only on goal differential.
Wait.. what? Are you saying JPA is not a penalty taker? If so, do you realize how many of his goals over the last 3 years were from the penalty mark?
Waste of a DP slot for LA which is great for the rest of the Western Conf. Angel is a class player but Buddle seemed to be hitting the peak of his career (hence the move to Europe) while JPA is on the downside of a good career.
A 35 year old DP/w a multi year contract……not a good move
I know, if only Angel was going to a team that had perhaps one of the best pin-point passers of all time….
Slowest? Don’t be surprised to see Donovan move up top to partner with JPA. That’ll increase the front-line speed.
RB didn’t have Beckham or Donovan quality service, personally I feel like JPA can still score goals even if he isn’t as mobile.
If they win an MLS Cup or manage to actually manage get past a second division and make a good run in the CCL then they may look like geniuses.
I’m not holding my breath but it just might work.
Yep, that would. But I’m not sure I’d make that move–Donovan is a world-class outside mid and seems to have found a good home in that role. Personally, I think Donovan is not only stronger at MF but the team is better with him in that role given his skill and engine. But hey, Bruce Arena doesn’t consult me.
You better hope that Chad Barrett can actually finish his chances. If JPA can stay healthy, then he should have 15 goals this season. But if they don’t pan out, the Galaxy are in for a long season.
Yep, Angel isn’t very mobile anymore. But that’s not why he’s being brought in. And yep, he has injury problems. So you need to manage his time wisely. You figure you aim for 20-22 games out of him (where in some of those games he’s coming out in the 75th minute). He avoids mid-week games. Maybe doesn’t play on turf.
But in return you get a good finish (albet one who isn’t mobile). You get a guy with pedigree who can perform at big moments.
I suspect that LAG is viewing this year as likely the “last hurrah.” And Angel was the fallback option. They went after Ronaldinho serious it appears like, didn’t get him and had budgeted for a DP. They weren’t counting on Buddle leaving (though it might happen but didn’t expect it) and probably figured it was worth taking a flier on Angel with the possibility he might sign for non-DP money. But Buddle leaves, Ronaldinho just flirts with LAG so now a proven finisher who knows MLS becomes a priority. So they go for a championship this year and then much of the team gets broken up (either choosing to leave or intentionally reconfiguring the team). I also suspect Arena is under a little pressure (he’s a great coach but when was the last time he’s won a championship?). So this is a “win now” scenario.
Jozy’s loan to Sporting Gijon looks like its gonna go through.
Could be a good move for him, especially if he gets regular minutes.
No matter how much money they spend, the LAG still won’t win a trophy.
Becks, TH14 and Rafa came in mid-season and not fully fit. JPA was offside a TON, lost a step, and showed none of that “finishing ability” last year. He just wasn’t worth the DP money. While I love all he has done for RBNY, this was the right move. I hope he does well in LA, but I’d thrilled to have TH14 and Agudelo up top at this point.
Angel didn’t play that well, and still managed to score a bunch of goals. I think he’ll do just fine in LA and will score his share of goals.
Juan Pablo Angel with service from Donavan and Becks????…..Sick, absolutely sick. They dont call him “the artist” for nothing and in 2011…with something to prove…wow.