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CARSON -- About 24 hours after Bruce Arena told media that Leonardo would be activated “soon” while refusing to be more specific, the Galaxy made the move, on Friday pulling the 24-year-old Brazilian defender off the MLS Disabled List.

He'll be available for Saturday's SuperClasico against Chivas USA at Home Depot Center.

Fellow center back Andrew Boyens was placed on the DL with a sports hernia, will undergo surgery next week and faces four to six weeks on the sidelines, the club reported. The New Zealander must sit out at least six games before he can be activated for Major League Soccer play -- he could return for the June 30 game at San Jose -- although he can participate in U.S. Open Cup and MLS Reserve League matches and friendlies.

Leonardo, who was acquired in February on a free transfer after spending the last two seasons with L.A. on loan from São Paulo, started the first seven games last season before shredding several knee ligaments -- including the anterior cruciate and lateral collateral -- in the closing moments of a mid-April victory in Chicago last season. He underwent a second surgery late last fall and has been working steadily the past couple of months to return.

He made appearances in two reserve matches, going 11 minutes in an April 24 victory over the L.A. Blues and all of the first half in last week's MLS Reserve League tie with San Jose.

Arena on Thursday was asked why the Galaxy hadn't looked into acquiring veteran center back Danny Califf, who began his pro career with the club and was traded to Chivas USA.

“We have two center backs [Leonardo and Omar Gonzalez] coming back [from injuries] that are pretty good center backs,” Arena said. “Last thing we need is to fill the locker room with more center backs. We have two good ones that are hopefully going to play this year.”

He added that “Leonardo's real close” but wouldn't specify a target date to pull him off the DL, saying only that it would happen “soon.”

Leonardo has made 17 MLS starts while with the Galaxy, seven of them in shutouts.

Boyens, 28, was acquired in December's re-entry draft from Chivas USA, started three of the first five games of the season and has seen only reserve-team action since. He last played in last week's reserve game against San Jose.

The Alessandro Del Piero-to-the-Galaxy rumors have been around for some time -- the Italian legend mentioned it himself a year ago -- but now there's a report that a deal is done and he'll be arriving once the summer transfer window opens June 27.

Montreal-based website Soccer Plus cited “sources close to negotiations” in reporting Thursday that Del Piero, a 37-year-old striker leaving Juventus after 19 years, will join L.A. and finish his career in the United States.

The Galaxy, which does not comment on potential acquisitions, has all three of its Designated Player spots filled -- by David Beckham, Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane -- so Del Piero's arrival would require that one of them departs or that his salary comes in below the DP figure of $350,000, whether through contractual mechanisms or if paid down by allocation money. L.A. would have to discard at least one player to open a roster spot and free up cap space.

Del Piero is a beloved and universally respected figure in the Italian game -- he scored a club-record 289 goals in 704 games for Turin-based Juventus and played 91 times for Italy's national team, scoring 27 goals and winning the 2006 World Cup, in which he netted the second overtime goal to beat Germany in the semifinals -- and he's made no secret of his desire to play in America.

He told Sky Sport 24 in May 2011 that he might join the Galaxy when his Juve contract ran out this year.

“It could be a possibility,” Del Piero said. “It's a country I love so much, and I could also take the opportunity to go see the Lakers.”

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CARSON -- Leonardo got a full half and Brian Perk played for the first time since preseason, substantial developments both, as the Galaxy and San Jose Earthquakes traded penalty kicks in an MLS Reserve League game Tuesday.

More significant, perhaps, was Hector Jimenez's performance in a new position.

The second-year winger from Bell Gardens was terrific as right back, teaming with Michael Stephens on the flank as L.A. dictated terms nearly the entire match before settling for a 1-1 draw on the Galaxy's training field at Home Depot Center.

Jimenez, who would be playing decent first-team time with a lot of Major League Soccer clubs but is caught behind L.A.'s deep, veteran midfield core, said he'd played as an outside back “toward the end of last year in a reserve game for a few minutes” but that this was otherwise a debut.

“I felt good,” he said. “I thought offensively I got involved a lot, it's just the defensive part, where I need to get used to checking the [restraining] line and stuff like that, but I thought I played good for the 90 minutes.”

Galaxy assistant coach Curt Onalfo, who runs the reserve side, agreed.

“The interesting thing sometimes in sport is when through injury and that sort of stuff you end up shifting things around, and sometimes all of a sudden something pops up that maybe you haven't seen. And I think that's the case.

“If you look at his game and you compare it to when he plays in midfield, he had just as much an influence going forward -- or maybe even more. The combination of Mikey Stephens coming inside and [Jimenez] overlapping, I thought was good. Would have liked to see more goals from it. It was a game where we possessed and had really the majority of possession, the majority of play. It's a game where you think you're going to get three points from.”

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CARSON -- Leonardo hadn't made a game appearance in more than a year, and if he's not quite ready to jump back into battle, he deserves some reward for the work he has put in rehabbing a nasty knee injury.

So the Galaxy's Brazilian center back was given a little more than 10 minutes in a closed-door friendly Tuesday against the L.A. Blues, his first action in an actual match since shredding all of his ligaments in his right knee -- anterior cruciate and lateral collateral ligaments, the two worst to tear, included -- a year and a week earlier.

“Psychologically, it's great for him,” reserve-team coach Curt Onalfo said after his side held on for a 3-2 victory over the Blues on the Galaxy's training field at Home Depot Center. “He had trained earlier [with the first team], and we wanted to get him in just so, psychologically, [we] can help him progress. It's been a long road, and he's really made progress, so it was good to see him out there for 10 minutes.”

Leonardo, who came on for Tommy Meyer in the 35th minute and played until halftime, is eligible to come off the disabled list for Saturday night's Major League Soccer match against FC Dallas at HDC, but he's still several weeks away, so the club is not ready to make that move.

“We're going to see how he progresses,” Onalfo said. “He's made significant progress, and now the next step is for him to train consistently and start getting more minutes and just more 11-v-11 type stuff. He's doing a good job. ... We want to get him back as quickly as possible. So hopefully in the next month we can incorporate him more and more in the stuff we do as a reserve team so he gets himself prepared to be with the first team.”

Leonardo, who was acquired on loan from Sao Paulo in 2010 and purchased outright before this season began, started the first seven games in central defense for the Galaxy last year. He tore up his knee while challenging Dominic Oduro in the closing minutes of a victory April 17 at Chicago, underwent surgery a week later and required an additional procedure last November after his rehab in Brazil hit a snag.

He returned to training with the first team last month and has several steps to take before he can begin battling A.J. DeLaGarza, David Junior Lopes, Meyer and Andrew Boyens for time in central defense. This appearance was a significant step.

“I think it was a very important 10 minutes,” Leonardo, whose target to return to the first team is “maybe next month,” said in Spanish through an interpreter. “I need more playing time. I need more time on the field to get back. ... It's very different when you're out there 11 on 11 on the full field as opposed to the small-sided games I've been doing.”

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CARSON -- David Junior Lopes arrives from down the hall ready to give the Galaxy's backline something it desperately needs, but as Landon Donovan noted following the big Brazilian's first training session with the team Thursday: “We didn't bring in a savior, so we need to keep it all in context.”

Lopes, acquired in a trade Tuesday with Chivas USA, is a stop-gap measure for the Galaxy, which is awaiting the returns of center backs Omar Gonzalez and Leonardo from knee injuries.

Head coach Bruce Arena said as much.

“We're a little behind with Leonardo coming back,” Arena said after Thursday's practice at Home Depot Center. “Our plan was he was going to be ready in March, but he's going to need more time. ...

“He's a player if he gets back to where he was, we've got a good young center back in the league. You know, we have him under contract now [after he was with L.A. last year on loan from São Paulo]. Sometimes you have to do things for the long-term. I think Lopes is a solution for the short-term.”

Lopes is big (6 feet 3 and muscular) and strong and athletic and physical, and those qualities have been missing on the Galaxy backline with Gonzalez out likely until mid- or late summer because of a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Arena, who called Lopes “an interesting player,” said a decision would be made Friday as to what his role, if any, will be for Saturday night's game against the Portland Timbers at Home Depot Center.

Whatever happens Saturday, Lopes will be asked to contribute quickly. He says he's coming into camp looking for a starting job.

“Absolutely,” Lopes said in Spanish through an interpreter. “The Galaxy is a great team, a team that's always winning, always getting good results. ... They have very good players and players with worldwide recognition, like David Beckham, Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane -- they're obviously here because they are quality, and that's why I'm here, because I have some quality as well. I just need to get better every day so I can play for the club.”

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CARSON -- The Galaxy's backline travails finally prodded Bruce Arena to make a move, but Tuesday's trade to acquire Brazilian veteran David Junior Lopes from Chivas USA isn't the blockbuster fans were hoping for.

After trolling Europe and South America following Omar Gonzalez's knee injury in January -- and after (we might expect) combing for viable options within Major League Soccer -- the Galaxy has settled, it appears, for a rookie and two rejects from down the hall.

If that's harsh, it's also true. Andrew Boyens' option was declined in December by Chivas, and his pickup in the re-entry process -- based on salary as much as anything -- was about adding depth after Gregg Berhalter's retirement and with Leonardo rehabbing a knee injury that will keep him out until at least the end of April. Lopes, who joined the Goats last August after stints in Croatia, Russia, Spain and Romania, had slipped to fourth or fifth on Chivas' depth chart at center back and wasn't on the game-day roster the past three matches.

They're the two most experienced options for the Gonzalez slot, but neither can step into the big Texan's shoes. Neither can Tommy Meyer, selected out of Indiana University with the final pick in the first round of January's MLS SuperDraft -- he has the most upside but the greatest learning curve.

Gonzalez's target date to return is early September, although he hopes to be back earlier, perhaps as soon as July. Until then, the Galaxy (1-3-0 in MLS action, 1-4-1 in all competitive matches) must make do -- and come through.

Arena called Lopes, acquired in exchange for Argentine midfielder Paolo Cardozo, “a big, strong center back” with “good athletic ability” who will provide “a little bit more physicality in that position that we haven't had.” All of that is so, and it's what could make the 29-year-old defender a valuable addition, even if he can't provide the kind of mastery of the position that has brought Gonzalez ample reward: MLS Defender of the Year last season, MLS Rookie of the Year in 2009, Best XI selections in 2010 and 2011.

Lopes is a specimen unlike any the Galaxy have at hand -- 6 feet 3, solidly built, with a physical side to his game that only Gonzalez can exceed. He's outstanding when he's on his game, but his decision-making isn't crisp and he too often commits dumb fouls.

He was ahead of Boyens in the pecking order at Chivas -- Lopes started seven of the Goats' final 11 matches after arriving from Romania's Universitatea Craiova; Boyens, who at 6-4 is taller than Lopes but has not nearly the bulk, saw 45 minutes across 19 games before an injury to Heath Pearce provided starts in the final four games.

Boyens and Meyer have split time next to A.J. DeLaGarza, Gonzalez's usual partner, with less that satisfactory results, although the rookie fared fairly well in last weekend's loss at Sporting Kansas City. One of them figures to get the start Saturday night against Portland at Home Depot Center, but Lopes' physical dimensions probably win out going forward. At least until Leonardo has recovered his form.

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CARSON -- Chad Barrett's sharpness in front of the net was the biggest plus for the Galaxy in their loss to Chivas USA in Monday's MLS Reserve League opener, and it opens the door to changes that might ignite L.A.'s attack in the real games.

Barrett, who started 27 first-team games last year but missed the MLS Cup final after a gruesome foot dislocation, tallied twice from Adam Cristman feeds in the 4-2 defeat and came close to a hat trick in the closing minutes.

“Just feels good to hit the back of the net in the run of play again,” Barrett said following the game on the Galaxy's Home Depot Center training field. “Haven't done a lot of that since I got back. Just getting the confidence and striking it. … Little disappointed didn't [get the third] at the end, but it wouldn't have changed the outcome.”

Barrett, who scored eight goals in competitive matches last season, returned to training in February and played in the final two preseason matches. He has started once and come off the bench in the other four Major League Soccer and CONCACAF Champions League matches this year. These were his first goals against opposition.

He might be the answer for a disconnected Galaxy attack. Despite Robbie Keane's public protests to the contrary, Edson Buddle has not built much chemistry with the Galaxy's Irish star, who had a nice on-field relationship with Barrett last year.

Buddle, who returned at the end of January after a year in Germany, delivered a superb through ball for Keane's goal in Saturday's loss to New England, but that kind of connection has not been evident often. One of the defining images of the 3-1 defeat was Keane angrily responding when Buddle, on a breakaway, fired wide from the top of the box with Keane open for a simple finish just to his right.

The problems up top are secondary to the troubles at the back, which were further illuminated by four Chivas goals -- three by Cesar Romero, who teamed with Miller Bolaños to dominate rookie center backs Tommy Meyer and Bryan Gaul -- after L.A. gave up 11 in their first five first-team matches.

“I wish I had a remedy for it. Unfortunately, I'm on the other -- attacking -- side ...,” said Barrett, who noted the Galaxy's defensive approach involves all 11 players on the field. “Right now it seems we've got a little but of lack of communication, lack of a sense of pride, both in the reserve game and the other games. We just don't have that same mentality, that same charisma we had last year, and that's something we need to find quick or we'll find ourselves at the bottom of the table, like we are now.”

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CARSON -- The best news the Galaxy could hope for cropped up Sunday afternoon on Twitter.

“Great news!!!” defender Omar Gonzalez tweeted. “Rehab has been going so well that they moved up my return date: May 1st! #omarscomin' #ballin'”

Remember what day it is.

The Galaxy wishes Gonzalez could come back, good as new, a month from now, but it will likely be late summer at the soonest that the big center back, rehabilitating a torn anterior cruciate ligament, again steps onto the field.

Until then, who knows what happens. Gonzalez's tweet was a cruel joke: L.A. is in crisis without Major League Soccer's reigning Defender of the Year, as Saturday night's 3-1 loss to the New England Revolution so graphically illustrated.

The Galaxy won the Supporters' Shield and MLS Cup titles last year for several reasons, but the biggest was how well they defended all over the field. They've shown little ability to do so without Gonzalez, bleeding goals during preseason and conceding 11 already in five competitive matches. L.A. needed 11 games to surrender 11 last year, and four of those came in the debacle at Real Salt Lake.

“What's different is that we're not scoring and we're not keeping the ball out of our nets,” said center back A.J. DeLaGarza, whose failure to deal with Kelyn Rowe on New England's 10th-minute opener started the Galaxy toward their third loss in four Home Depot Center matches this year. “On both sides of the ball, we’re not clicking. They had three crosses and they had three goals, so that’s unacceptable and is something that we’ve been working on in practice over the last two weeks, 'cause we know we haven’t done well in the first 3-4 games. But today, it didn’t pay off.”

The Galaxy was utterly, curiously listless against the Revs, showing none of the spirit and little of the advertised advances they've made in their game in the two weeks since their lone victory in five games, over D.C. United. The interim was supposed to correct the problems exploited by Toronto FC in the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal and by Real Salt Lake in the MLS opener.

“Two weeks off, 10 days off, six weeks -- it doesn't really matter,” said forward Robbie Keane, the Galaxy's captain in Landon Donovan's absence (because of a quadriceps strain). “Regardless of two weeks. If you have two weeks off or three days off or two days off, we shouldn't be conceding goals the way we've been conceding them. We have to rectify that, and we have to rectify that very, very quickly, because the goals we've been conceding are very, very similar to previous games.”

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CARSON -- Things aren't particularly complicated with the Galaxy. They're expected to win, and anything less isn't acceptable, not after three straight Western Conference titles, back-to-back Supporters' Shields and last November's triumph in the MLS Cup title game.

The aim is the same and the side -- on paper, at least -- appears superior in every way except one, maybe two, with the returns of striker Edson Buddle and central midfielders David Beckham and Juninho, the additions of Brazilian midfielder Marcelo Sarvas and a few more veterans, plus the experience Robbie Keane gained in his first go-round in this most different and difficult of leagues.

Major League Soccer's hardware is again there for the taking, but the added firepower up front can't mask the big hole at the back. Backline leader Omar Gonzalez, the tall, terrific Texan who deservedly won the league's Defender of the Year honor in 2011, is out until at least September because of a torn anterior cruciate ligament, and effectively replacing him likely will be the cardinal determiner in whether this year's group can be as successful as last year's.

The mission, says Beckham, “hasn't changed. We want to be champion at the end of this season like we were last season. … You always have goals. You want to better the season before, and to do that, we have to go all the way again.”

The Galaxy went 19-5-10 in last year's regular season, then sprinted to four playoff victories -- capturing the title with a one-sided 1-0 victory over Houston at Home Depot Center -- to cap the club's finest campaign with its third MLS Cup championship. Only two teams, Galaxy coach Bruce Arena's D.C. United in 1996-97 and Houston in 2006-07, have repeated.

“It's always tough to keep hold of a championship and retain that. It's going to be no different for us,” Beckham said. “As long as we play our game and work like we did last season, then we have a chance.”

The additions of Buddle, back after a year in Germany, and Sarvas are significant, but other arrivals -- forward Pat Noonan, defender Andrew Boyens, midfielder Kyle Nakazawa and goalkeeper Bill Gaudette -- have added to L.A.'s depth. Buddle and Keane could be the most potent frontline partnership in the league, especially with Beckham's service, Donovan's contributions and right back Sean Franklin's advancing attacking acumen.

“Getting Edson back, there's not many teams that are going to make a better acquisition than that,” Donovan said. “And we were under the impression that we had lost Juninho [in a loan recall by São Paulo], and to get him back is a big plus, too. [We're] not a front six of guys that I would ever want to play against if I was an opposing defender.”

Replacing Gonzalez is key and quite tricky. The would-be replacement, Brazilian Leonardo, is still rehabbing his knee injury from last year. Boyens took the spot next to A.J. DeLaGarza, who must have a huge campaign, in Wednesday night's CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal first leg at Toronto FC. Top draft pick Tommy Meyer will be groomed to replace Gonzalez, who would soon be heading to Europe, injury or no injury.

Solidifying the backline will “be an ongoing challenge,” Arena acknowledges, but that's what must be done, especially with so many competitions -- they're trying to win one Champions League at the moment, and another starts in August -- on a thick schedule.

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Galaxy opponents are afraid to commit fouls anywhere near their box when David Beckham is on the field, for obvious reasons. When he's not, it's no big thing.

After Marcelo Sarvas' piece of brilliance Wednesday night, they might be rethinking that philosophy.

Sarvas, on for Beckham with 25 minutes to go in the Desert Diamond Cup group finale against New York, whistled a free kick from inside the semicircle above the box past Red Bulls rookie goalkeeper Ryan Meara and inside the far post to provide L.A. a real highlight in an otherwise disappointing 2-1 defeat in Tucson, Ariz.

Chad Barrett's return to action, for the first time since brutally dislocating his ankle in the lead up to last November's MLS Cup final, was another plus, as was the effort by Canoga Park's Rafael Garcia -- the Cal State Northridge product making a strong bid for a roster spot on the eve of the league's compliance date.

But Omar Gonzalez's absence continues to loom large for L.A., which is just a week from its season opener and continues to struggle without the big man in the back.

Poor defending led to both New York goals, with Kenny Cooper easily broaching the backline to finish rookie Connor Lade's feed in the 31st minute and Thierry Henry running unhindered from midfield to the box, then playing a give-and-go of sorts with Dane Richards and nodding home the return in the 62nd. Rookie Tommy Meyer has great upside, but he's a rookie; Andrew Boyens, his partner on Wednesday, is a reserve, pure and simple. One of them likely will team with A.J. DeLaGarza in central defense, at least until Leonardo is ready to go, and he'll have not played in a year when he's expected to return to the field in April.

It has to be a concern for L.A., which has just one shutout in eight preseason games -- Saturday's 2-0 win over Real Salt Lake -- and has conceded 17 goals, at least two in six games. The five preseason losses, which matters not a whit, is as many as the Galaxy lost all last year in Major League Soccer play, including the postseason.

The Red Bulls were the superior side most of the night, and their victory would have been more pronounced if not for goalkeeper Josh Saunders' off-his-line stop on Richards, who split Boyens and DeLaGarza to run on to Teemu Tainio's superb through ball midway through the first half.

The Galaxy's best chances were, as usual, product of Beckham's right foot, but Meara -- despite a clumsy performance that betrayed his youth -- took care of the most dangerous moments until Sarvas halved the deficit with 12 minutes to go.

The attack, like the defense, is a work in progress. Landon Donovan has not yet trained fully, and Robbie Keane will join the team in the next couple of days, now that his loan deal with Aston Villa is over and Ireland's friendly Wednesday with the Czech Republic done.

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CARSON -- Omar Gonzalez is at peace with his injury, even if it's going to force him to miss the bulk (and perhaps all) of the Galaxy's campaign this year.

Fact is, he has been fine with the news that he'll be sidelined a likely seven to nine months because of a torn anterior cruciate ligament since the moment it happened in his first training session of a short-term loan deal to Germany's FC Nuremberg.

“I really wasn't sad about it for too long,” Major League Soccer's reigning Defender of the Year said Thursday in his first media session since suffering the injury Jan. 5 and undergoing surgery eight days later. “I think maybe the German guys thought I was a little weird, because they were telling me, like, something's really wrong, and I was still smiling. ...

“I'm keeping my spirits up and just thinking of it as it happened for a reason, and I'm taking this time just to take a mental break from the sport and just enjoy my time and really just take the time to appreciate actually playing and getting ready to come back.”

Gonzalez, 23, likely will be out until at least mid-August and possibly not until the MLS playoffs begin in November. He'll not only miss most or all of the Galaxy's bid for a third straight Supporters' Shield, but also the knockout phase of the current CONCACAF Champions League (with the Galaxy seeking a regional title and berth in December's FIFA Club World Cup) and possibly the first stage of next year's edition, which will begin mid-to-late summer.

That's a lot of big games, and it might prod a player to try to rush rehab to return as quickly as possible. Not Gonzalez.

“I'm thinking more of a long-term career thing here, not just about this year,” he said. “If I'm back sooner than [seven to nine months], great. If not, then, you know, it's for the best. I'm not really trying to put too much pressure on me, I'm just waiting to see how my body reacts to everything, and if I'm back sooner, great. I would love to be back on the field with these guys.”

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CARSON -- The Galaxy have two pressing questions as they wrap up their third week of preseason camp: the old one (who's going to step into Omar Gonzalez's shoes?) and the new one (who's going to start in midfield?).

The midfield considerations will work themselves out once Juninho has arrived from Brazil, which apparently will be sometime next week. There's still a month to figure it out, and all of the options -- with David Beckham, Marcelo Sarvas and Juninho likely rotating through two central spots -- are good ones.

It's a tougher call at the back, where rookie Tommy Meyer has been getting the minutes opposite A.J. DeLaGarza with the first team and is showing that he belongs at this level. He gave his best of three preseason-match performances in Friday's 1-0 loss to the Houston Dynamo on L.A.'s Home Depot Center training field and, at the least, appears to be in the mix to fill the giant, empty hole left when Gonzalez suffered the torn ACL a little more than a month ago.

Or perhaps not. The company that owns half of Roman Torres' contract with Colombia's Atletico Nacional told Panamanian daily Critica that the Galaxy had ended discussions to acquire the Panamanian defender because they had sorted out their issues at the back.

That could mean the Galaxy has targeted a different central defender from aboard (or perhaps merely eliminated Torres from its list), or, after taking on Edson Buddle's and Juninho's salaries in the past 10 days, must sit tight with what they have.

One of the central spots falls to DeLaGarza, Gonzalez's primary partner last year. Candidates to join him in the starting XI, among those on the roster, are Meyer, Chivas USA castoff Andrew Boyens and Brazilian Leonardo, who is still rehabbing torn knee ligaments from last year and won't be back until April earliest.

Boyens has an edge in experience, with New Zealand's national team and with the Goats, New York and Toronto FC, but Meyer's upside appears far higher.

“He's been consistent, and that's what you like to see ...,” said DeLaGarza, a versatile defender whose best position is right back. “He's a young player, he's composed on the ball. You like that as a young player. He's doing well right now. Can't complain.”

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CARSON -- Edson Buddle made his first game appearance in a Galaxy shirt in 15 months Tuesday, and although he never got a real sniff at goal -- and L.A. was beaten rather handily -- it was a good day all around.

The big striker, re-signed last week after a year in the German second division, is going to add to the Galaxy's suddenly league-best attack, but his best chance in a 4-1 loss to Portland on L.A.'s training field at Home Depot Center was a looping, off-balance header that didn't trouble Timbers goalkeeper Troy Perkins in the least.

Nothing really bothered Portland, which was 2-0 up by the 10th minute, and was cruising toward a shutout before Dan Keat's bicycle kick after a corner kick wasn't cleared in the 80th minute.

The score was immaterial -- preseason is all about “building fitness” and “evaluating players,” says Galaxy coach Bruce Arena -- but stung nonetheless.

“I've never really been a big fan of preseason friendlies ...,” said David Beckham, who played the first half after missing the Galaxy's preseason opener Friday, a 7-2 rout of the L.A. Blues. “Today's was one of those games where the result's not great, but I think, more importantly, it's about getting our fitness. The big games start in a month or so. We should be back to fully fit by then, but you still want to do well in these games.”

Buddle, who scored 19 goals for the Galaxy in 2010 and netted nine in 33 games last year for FC Ingolstadt, looked fit and confident atop the Galaxy's customary 4-4-2 alignment, but L.A. didn't create many opportunities.

“It felt good. It's good to see the team; they're moving the ball well,” he said afterward. “The young guys have gotten a lot better, and I'm just happy to be a part of it. A different result, and I would have been in a better mood, but there are things to work on, and that's good.”

Beckham was just happy to see Buddle.

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CARSON -- Marcelo Sarvas' first training session with his new Galaxy teammates primarily involved running. Fitness is the focus as Major League Soccer's reigning champions opened their preseason camp, but the Brazilian midfielder already is looking ahead.

After facing L.A. twice last season while in midfield for Costa Rican power Alajuelense, he's got a decent understanding of L.A.'s strengths and what he believes he can add to the mix.

Sarvas, 30, is the most anticipated arrival among 13 new signings, draft picks and trialists who joined 13 returning players on the rain-soaked field Monday morning at Home Depot Center, where the plan called for a little simple stuff with the ball interspersed with lots and lots of running.

He's got the biggest role, too, replacing Juninho -- David Beckham's midfield partner -- in one of the positions most pivotal to the club's chances for success.

“I know the story of Juninho here in this club,” Sarvas said in Spanish through a translator. “He came and did big things here. I'm not coming here to replace Juninho. I'm here to implement my own game here. ... I'm hoping to win a starting spot and do my own thing here.”

Sarvas is more attack-minded than Juninho, who arrived as a defensive midfielder and in two seasons on loan from Sao Paulo evolved into one of Major League Soccer's elite two-way midfielders, a progression that led his Brazilian masters to call him home. The job, head coach Bruce Arena says, is simple: “Whenever we play David centrally, the player next to David moves off of David.”

Sarvas has no problem with playing deputy to Beckham.

“I think we need more time to get to know each other,” he said. “I did face the Galaxy twice [in CONCACAF Champions League group play], and from seeing those games, David's a player I need to find a way to open up the game for him and give him the ball in spaces where he can create opportunities so we can do good things.”

Arena, when Sarvas signed last month on a free transfer, called him “a good, experienced, two-way midfielder I think is going to help our team. ... I think he's going to be a good addition.”

Beckham also thinks the partnership can be productive.

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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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