Rogondino: Galaxy-Earthquakes rematch finally here

CARSON, Calif. — The rematch is finally here. 

Most LA Galaxy fans have had this Saturday circled on their calendar since June 25, the date of the first meeting between Los Angeles and San Jose that ended in a 0-0 draw. 

If you missed that one, you missed a lot. 

Donovan Ricketts broke his arm, Josh Saunders was red carded, Mike Magee became somewhat of a cult hero and in the process earned MLS Player of the Week honors.  Despite the lack of goals that Saturday afternoon at Buck Shaw Stadium there was plenty of emotions between the two teams, including Galaxy Associate Head Coach Dave Sarachan in one of the most animated face-to-face confrontations between a coach and a player (Steven Lenhart) I have ever seen.  All of these elements added fuel to the fire of an already heated rival between these California clubs.

READ: Mike Magee stint in goal lights up Twitter

So looking ahead to this game, the storylines are amazing.  Let’s start with the Earthquakes. It’s been more then two months since Frank Yallop’s club tasted victory in MLS play, going 0-6-5 in their last 11 games.  San Jose did earn a win in a friendly against West Bromwich Albion during that time, but that result is of little consolation to the Eartquakes, who are in the longest winless streak in club history.

As Yallop has pointed out, the ‘Quakes have had some unlucky bounces go against them during the streak, but which team in MLS hasn’t?  What this long run without a victory means is that San Jose’s window to get into the playoffs is shrinking.  With ten games left on the schedule, they realistically need to win half of them to have a shot at postseason play.  Unfortunately for Earthquake fans, that is the same number of games San Jose has won so far this season.  With teams like Seattle, FC Dallas and Colorado still on the schedule, as well as Saturday’s game against the Galaxy, it is safe to say that the Earthquakes arrive at The HDC with their collective backs against the wall and fighting for their playoff lives.  It will be interesting to see how the Northern California club responds to the pressure.

Meanwhile, the Galaxy are fresh off a win to open up CONCACAF Champions League play.  The final score against Motagua was 2-0, but as Landon Donovan stated to the media in his postgame comments, had the Galaxy been a bit sharper in the match, the margin of victory could have been more.  Playing a mostly first choice starting lineup, LA played well in the game, but similar to what we have seen throughout the season, there were a few moments lacking focus.  That is one thing that concerns me, and in particular because it’s the final stretch-run of the MLS season.  The Galaxy defense needs to tighten up a bit over the next two months before the playoffs come around.  

That defense is likely to be tested on Saturday by San Jose’s newest attacking weapon, recently signed Ecuadorian international Edmundo Zura.  A strong target player that has the ability to both hold the ball and finish chances around the goal, Zura will make a great compliment to Chris Wondolowski, and only make the 2010 Golden Boot winner  that much more dangerous.  The ‘Quakes new addition will also give Yallop a bit more freedom to move some players around in the lineup.  For example, Khari Stephenson has been playing up front in some recent matches, but in my eyes he is much better suited for the central midfield.     

Defensively no player in the Earthquakes back four has the speed to stay with Landon Donovan.  If the Galaxy can find ways to spring their captain in behind the San Jose defense, it will create a lot of trouble and thus opportunities for teammates in front of the net. 

That could mean a chance for Adam Cristman to continue his roll.  Who would have thought at the beginning of the year that Cristman would be contributing at the forward position heading into the final stretch of the regular season?  I will be the first to admit, not me.  Since getting healthy a couple of months ago, Cristman has consistently shown he can hold the ball under pressure, link with other players on the field and finish his chances around the net.

Robbie Keane Press Conference

Finally, I can’t leave without talking about the Galaxy’s newest addition, Robbie Keane.  If this were a poker game, the Galaxy would be saying, “all in!”  The striker position is the one area of the field where LA has not had consistent performances, and Keane can bring that to this team. 

Every league the Ireland captain has played in, he has scored goals in big numbers, and I wouldn’t expect anything different now.  It is normal to expect an adjustment period, which happens with any new player.  But, similar to what David Beckham did last year when he was finally healthy, Keane will start to hit his stride the final few games of the regular season and heading into the playoffs. 

No question it is a big move for LA, but if you are a supporter of this team, you have to love the commitment and dedication to winning a championship that the club has shown.