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CARSON -- The action meandered for most of the Galaxy's MLS Reserve League game Monday against Seattle, L.A. patiently trying to break down an organized Sounders defense without a whole lot of success.

Then a tête-à-tête on the flank saw Seattle midfielder Christian Sivebaek sent off, and the insertion of three of their brightest young players sparked some life into the Galaxy attack. Reward arrived at the end, with rookie Rafael Garcia's diving header in the 90th minute delivering a 1-0 triumph on Home Depot Center's University Field 1.

The triumph offered a tantalizing glimpse at L.A.'s future, with Garcia -- a former Canoga Park High star taken out of Cal State Northridge in January's supplemental draft -- Home Grown Player Jose Villarreal (Inglewood/Leuzinger HS) and Academy standout Raul Mendiola (San Bernardino/Rialto HS) skillfully carving open the Sounders to create a flurry of chances before the goal arrived.

The Galaxy is high on all three. Assistant coach Curt Onalfo, who guides the reserve side, spoke about each in his postgame scrum with reporters.

• On Mendiola: “He's got great instincts going forward. He reminds me a little of [2010 MLS Rookie of the Year] Andy Najar, when I was [head coach] in D.C. Guys like that, you've got to let them play with their instincts and just create things, and that's certainly what he did when he came into the game.”
• On Villarreal: “Instinctally, he's very, very good, very comfortable on the ball. He's got to continue to develop to the speed of play, and when they do that consistently, that's when you see more success.
• On Garcia: “I love him, I have to say. I’ve always liked him. I loved him in college and was just glad we got him. Sometimes it’s difficult for me and for him, because we’ve got other guys who need to get minutes. Today [Marcelo] Sarvas needed minutes, which meant [Garcia] was coming off the bench. He deserves to be on the field. My message to him was to make the most of your opportunity. Sometimes playing 30 minutes is more important than playing 90, and certainly that was the case today.”

Villarreal, who returned a couple of weeks ago following preseason leg surgery, came on in the 70th, moments after Sivebaek was red-carded for a retalitary foul on rookie left back Bryan Gaul, and provided instant offense, forcing Sounders goalkeeper Bryan Meredith to make a diving save in the 75th, then forcing a tough stop about a minute later, with Kenney Walker's rebound deflecting past the post.

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CARSON -- Chivas USA's offensive problems, Robin Fraser believes, come down to mindset. The Goats need players willing to “go for it” if they're going to score goals and win games.

Cesar Romero has a message for Fraser: He can be that guy.

The first-year forward from San Diego scored a second-half hat trick Monday to lead Chivas past the Galaxy, 4-2, in an MLS Reserve League opener on L.A.'s training field at Home Depot Center, and after humbly noting that it “feels very good to win” and that he needs to “keep working hard to win my spot, try to win my time,” a little of his swagger crept through.

“When I'm coming into the game, in my head I'm like, 'When I'm going to score?' ” Romero said. “And if I get a chance, in my head, you know what? It's going to be in the back of the net. That's my confidence.”

He sparked the Goats to a 3-0 lead, crossing for Miller Bolaños' header in the 54th minute, finishing from Bolaños' feed five minutes later, then volleying a Blair Gavin cross in the 64th. He scored his third in the 86th after Chad Barrett had pulled two back for L.A.

“Cesar, he's a dangerous player,” Fraser said. “He makes good runs in behind, and if he continues to do that, I think he'll score goals in this league.”

Chivas (1-3-0) could use goals. They've scored just one (from just eight real chances) in their first four Major League Soccer outings, wasting outstanding defensive performances in three 1-0 losses.

“Are we producing enough opportunities? Absolutely not. Absolutely not,” Fraser said. “But a little bit of it, I think, is a shift in our mindset. To create goalscoring chances, you've got to just go, you've got to go for it. And I felt like today we did a decent job of that. We did a decent job of looking to play in behind, guys running in behind, and we have talented players. So we put ourselves into position where we can make plays, where we can make half-opportunities into whole opportunities.

“So I think the lesson to be learned for us is we've talked about being aggressive -- for a long time we've talked about it -- but really when you see it in practice and you just go for it, you just create more chances and you have to be willing to do it.”

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CARSON -- Michael Stephens is expected to be back on the training field Thursday with the Galaxy, and his teammates know it's not where he wants to be.

Stephens was a late substitute in the United States' devastating defeat in an Olympic qualifier Monday night, sent on to help kill off the game. Instead, the Americans surrendered a goal more than four minutes into stoppage, and a 3-3 draw with El Salvador eliminated them from contention for this summer's London Games.

“It's disappointing for everyone,” defender Todd Dunivant said following the Galaxy's practice Tuesday morning at Home Depot Center. “Shows you can't take those things for granted.”

Stephens, a former UCLA star, had not played in the U.S. under-23 national team's first two group games in Nashville. He came on for Joe Corona in the 88th minute of the Group A finale in CONCACAF's qualifying tournament.

“I would have loved for Mikey to play in the Olympics,” said midfielder Mike Magee, who watched the game on television. “That was no way to leave the tournament. It was definitely frustrating when that last goal went in.”

The defeat's larger meaning -- and who deserves blame for the Americans' unexpected failure -- was debated Tuesday across the American soccer landscape. Dunivant and Magee noted that missing the Olympics is not the same as missing a World Cup, for which the U.S. last failed to qualify in 1986.

“I don't think anyone feels devastated,” Magee said. “Obviously, it's not what you want, but the main thing for soccer is definitely the World Cup. We want our young players to do better, and we want to go through [to the finals] at every level, but at the end of the day, it really doesn't matter in terms of the sport in our country.”

Dunivant saw another side.

“Ask any of those guys who were on that field whether this was a big deal or not,” he said. “Those guys had a chance to be in the Olympics, and how many athletes have said they've done that. Any of us would want that. Is it the end of the world? No. But it's certainly a black mark on U.S. soccer right now.”

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Sporting Kansas City on Monday signed supplemental draft pick Shawn Singh, boosting UCLA's presence in Major League Soccer and adding to the 53 local players already on rosters.

Singh, a left back from Bakersfield, is the fourth Bruin rookie in MLS this season, joining Philadelphia's Chandler Hoffman, Seattle's Andy Rose and New England's Kelyn Rowe.

Other local rookies: Cal State Northridge midfielder Rafael Garcia with the Galaxy, UC Riverside forward Cesar Diaz Pizarro with San Jose, UC Santa Barbara midfielders Luis Silva with Toronto FC and Sam Garza with San Jose.

Two new local signings -- Galaxy midfielder Jose Villarreal and Chivas USA midfielder Marvin Iraheta -- started the season sidelined by injury.

Here is a list of local players in MLS (with hometown/local high school in parentheses, with local college following):

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CARSON -- The Galaxy made a significant move in defense of its Major League Soccer titles Wednesday, bringing home striker Edson Buddle from Europe and trading for midfielder Kyle Nakazawa, a former UCLA All-American from Palos Verdes.

Buddle's acquisition is huge, giving the Galaxy the tools to present an attack unrivaled in MLS annals while probably defining, no matter what Bruce Arena is willing to acknowledge, first-choice roles in midfield and on the backline.

How big is this? The Galaxy might have just won another championship.

Buddle, who scored 44 goals in 3½ seasons with the Galaxy before departing a year ago to play in Germany, returned to Southern California on a free transfer after second-tier FC Ingolstadt released him Tuesday from his contract. L.A. had retained his MLS rights.

“It's nice to have Edson back,” Arena said following Wednesday's training session at Home Depot Center. “He's going to be a good addition to our team. ... We've been in contact with Edson's representative for a while, and we've always made him aware of the fact that if the opportunity presented itself where he could come back, we'd sure like to get him back.”

Buddle, 30, scored 94 MLS goals in 10 seasons with Columbus, New York, Toronto FC and the Galaxy, and he was a league MVP finalist and Best XI selection in 2010 after scoring 17 goals as the Galaxy won the Supporters' Shield and two more in the first-round playoff series victory over Seattle. He's twice hit double-figures in goals and scored nine on two more occasions -- and netted nine in 33 appearances for Ingolstadt.

Buddle, who played in the 2010 World Cup, is fast, athletic and, at 6-foot-1, has good size. Throwing him up top with Irish star Robbie Keane (who was acquired in August to replace Juan Pablo Angel, the man who replaced Buddle), with Landon Donovan and David Beckham right behind them, gives L.A. the league's most explosive attack -- perhaps ever.

“Hopefully, it's going to be good,” Arena said. “Obviously, he's not going to have much time to work with Robbie. Robbie's getting here kind of late [joining camp in early March after a loan spell at Aston Villa]. I anticipate over time, it'll be a good group.

“We're real pleased with the [forward] contingent we have here, with [Chad] Barrett and [Pat] Noonan and [Adam] Cristman and [Jack] McBean, as well, so we'll have a number of options there. And we'll need it. For the schedule we have, we'll need to be deep in that position.”

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CARSON -- David Beckham's signing, made official last week, answered the greatest of offseason questions for the Galaxy. As the club heads into preseason training, with its first on-field session slated for Monday morning at Home Depot Center, there's one more gnawing concern: the backline.

It was defense that made the difference in L.A.'s runs last season to the MLS Cup and Supporters' Shield titles, with Omar Gonzalez's exquisite play at center back setting the tone for a club that tied the Major League Soccer record for shutouts, with 17, and added five more in the playoffs and CONCACAF Champions League.

The torn anterior cruciate ligament Gonzalez sustained on Jan. 5, in his first practice following a short-term loan deal to Germany's FC Nuremberg, leaves a massive hole in the middle of the Galaxy's backline, and how they deal with it will have much influence on what they achieve in 2012.

Here's a quick look at the Galaxy as their campaign begins:

• LAST YEAR?

Best Galaxy team in history? Oh, yeah. (Sorry, '96ers.) In MLS annals? Hard to argue. They amassed 67 points (most of the post-shootout era) on a 19-5-10 campaign, was the only club in a remarkably balanced league that conceded less than a goal per game, cruised to the Supporters' Shield (as regular-season champ, quietly the most meaningful of MLS's prizes), then went 4-0 through the playoffs, capping the campaign with a 1-0 triumph over Houston, not nearly so close, in an MLS Cup final played before the home fans.

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David Beckham's proposed move to Paris Saint-Germain is looking iffier and iffier, with the latest reports across the Atlantic claiming he's leaning toward re-signing with the Galaxy.

It's about family, as we always thought it would be, with sources “close to” Beckham telling British tabloid Daily Mail that he is reluctant to relocate his family, which is happily settled in Beverly Hills.

And now there are questions about Paris Saint-Germain's desire to sign the English superstar. French sports daily L'Equipe reports that new PSG coach Carlo Ancelotti would rather bring in Brazilian midfielder Kaká, from Real Madrid, as Leonardo, the club's sporting director, says he's willing to give Beckham more time to consider the offer.

“The question has never been professional but about family. It is a difficult choice to make the whole family move to Paris,” Leonardo said in remarks published by Sky Sports. “We will wait a little. It is a personal choice, and it is not that easy to him. We have some time, and he has some time, too.

"We never stated it has been done. There is no contract. We won't push him -- we respect him a lot. I know him and have an amazing admiration toward him both as a player and as a father. I can understand it is difficult to move. We will leave him in peace.”

Beckham is expected to make a decision after talks with Simon Fuller, whose XIX Entertainment serves as Beckham's agents. His five-year, $32.5 million contract with the Galaxy expired Dec. 31, but L.A. reportedly has offered a rolling one-year contract to replace it. PSG is dangling an 18-month, $18.7 million pact, according to media reports.

KEANE TO VILLA?: Robbie Keane was adamant following the Major League Soccer season that he was not interested in an offseason loan, but there appears to be interest in England to bring him back for a spell.

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Counting down the 11 biggest 2011 stories in Southern California soccer ...

The Galaxy won Major League Soccer's championship. Chivas USA altered its culture, probably for the better. Neither achievement is as important as the steps both clubs are taking to develop talent.

2011 was the year the local teams' emphasis on their academy programs began to make a real impact, with national championships, prosperous partnerships, advancing talent and one massive merger.

The Galaxy, with former midfielder Chris Klein in charge of the academy program, won the title, claiming the U.S. Soccer Development Academy U15/16 championship last July. Then they picked up the cream of Mission Viejo-based Pateadores' U17/18 titlists through a partnership with Todd Saldaña's South Bay Force club. One of those pickups -- Inglewood's Jose Villarreal -- already has signed a Home Grown Player contract with L.A.'s first team, just like Newport Beach's Jack McBean, who joined the Galaxy last season at 16. More appear destined to follow.

Chivas made the bolder move, bringing in under its umbrella the Cosmos West Academy -- the New York Cosmos' Pasadena-based West Coast development center, which the prospective MVP team abandoned to align with league rules. Former pro Teddy Chronopoulos, Cosmos West's director, took charge of Chivas' program, which also benefited from the influence of first-team assistant coach Greg Vanney, who had been running Real Salt Lake's Arizona program. General manager Jose Domene declared that the Goats wanted to build the bulk of its roster, going forward, from their academy.

Both clubs have youth national team-caliber players, some plucked from top clubs in Southern California's talent-rich scene. The ability to offer professional contracts is an advantage the Galaxy and Chivas have over its local rivals.

The academy system is still in its infancy in the U.S., but it's the foundation of soccer's future in this country. The local sides were a little slow to the party -- check out what the Chicago Fire, especially, have been producing for years -- but as MLS player-acquisition rules begin to catch up with developmental philosophies, the impact will surely broaden.

The Galaxy have signed one of their Home Grown Player targets, 18-year-old midfielder Jose Villarreal. He's in his first season in the Galaxy Academy after helping Pateadores, a south Orange County club, to the U.S. Soccer Development Academy U-17/18 title in July.

Villarreal (Inglewood/Leuzinger HS) was part of the U.S. under-23 national team's camp last month in Germany and has played for the U.S. under-18 team.

“He has a tremendous amount of promise and potential, and we’re excited that he’ll be able to continue his development with the first team,” Chris Klein, a former Galaxy midfielder who is senior director of the club's academy program, said in a news release.

Villarreal, in the same release: “It’s been my dream ever since I was little to be a professional soccer player, so to be able to do that and stay close to home so that I can play in front of my family and friends is a dream come true. Growing up here in the area, I’ve always watched the Galaxy and been a fan of the team, so this will be a great experience for me.”

He's the third Galaxy signing under MLS's Home Grown Player mechanism, which permits clubs to sign players from their academies. Tristan Bowen (Van Nuys) was the first, in 2008, and forward Jack McBean (Newport Beach/Corona del Mar HS), who last week turned 17, joined the first team last year.

The Galaxy also have offered a Home Grown Player contract to defender Javan Torre (Santa Monica/Crossroads HS), according to a source familiar with the situation.