Summary: Los Angeles Times columnist Kevin Baxter joins this edition to take a first look at two Major League Soccer franchises moving in absolutely two different directions, Los Angeles Galaxy and Chivas USA, both of whom went through very important off-seasons but have reinforced many perceptions about where each club is headed in 2013 and beyond. We begin with the task of resetting the Los Angeles Galaxy by Bruce Arena who has appeared to have reloaded with a healthier and more confident backline, a midfield engine works made in Brazil, and the always underrated Mike Magee, which in concert seems to be enough to supplant the loss of David Beckham and Landon Donovan on sabbatical. This edition of the Galaxy appears to have more balance that last season and some emerging young players will also provide the an additional spark as the team looks to compete on all three fronts, MLS, US Open Cup and CONCACAF Champions League. Set to the polar opposite of the spectrum is Chivas USA which has undergone yet another transformation in search of an identity that ultimately might be a pragmatic decision based on its own history as a football institution, essentially becoming a farm club for its more powerful heritage at Chivas de Guadalajara in the Mexican first division where the goal is much simpler, finding Mexican-American talent to fill its coffers and give some of its youngest players a destination to get first team football. In the crosshairs that leaves MLS Commissioner Don Garber who might just be faced with the task of addressing this situation officially as the Chivas USA franchise has become the weakest link in a league trying to earn respectability across North America and outside the region. We examine the decision to brand Chivas USA, why it has failed and how the club is viewed inside the marketplace both in general and within the Latino marketplace, apparently failing miserably with each passing season.
