Galaxy Will Keep Hurtado and Cut Four Others

The Los Angeles Galaxy today will give four players, including two starters, their unconditional release and announce that leading goal scorer Eduardo “El Tanque” Hurtado will return for a second Major League Soccer season. The four players to be cut are starting midfielder/defender Arash Noamouz, starting forward Jose Vasquez, forward John Garvey and midfielder Felipe Rodriguez.

Noamouz, 29, and Vasquez, 28, started 11 games last season as the Galaxy won the Western Conference title and advanced to the MLS championship game. But they failed to bounce back from midseason knee and foot injuries, respectively.

Garvey, 28, played sparingly as a substitute, and Rodriguez was cut after being acquired from the Colorado Rapids in an off-season trade.

Hurtado, who was not at Occidental College on Monday when the Galaxy began training for their March 29 season-opener against MLS champion Washington D.C. United, will return from Ecuador this week.