CARSON, Calif. – The LA Galaxy’s Mike Magee often thinks back to his youth soccer days in Chicago and remembers then-Fire veteran Jesse Marsch treating him well when they would train together and, in Magee’s words, “taking him under his wing.”
The two old friends will be meeting up again on Saturday in front of a standing-room only crowd at Olympic Stadium in Montreal, where the struggling Galaxy (3-5-1, 10 points) take on the expansion Impact (3-5-2, 11 points). Game time is set for 1 p.m. (KDOC, KWHY, lagalaxy.com/gamedaylive).
“He’s always been great to me,” Magee, now 28, said of Marsch. “He’s a first-class pro, and I’m sure he’s the same as a coach.”
READ: Sarachan on Montreal head coach Jesse Marsch
The Impact recently handed Sporting Kansas City its first home loss of the season, 2-0, on May 5, and Magee is not surprised at Marsch’s effect on the club at this early stage of the season.
“He always played with 100 percent effort and heart,” Magee said of the 38-year-old Marsch, who retired in February of 2010 and became an assistant with the U.S. Men’s National Team before taking the job with the Impact last Aug. 10. “He played every play like it was his last.
“I’m sure he’s implementing the same things with his players.”
Galaxy associate head coach Dave Sarachan also goes back a long way with Marsch, to when Sarachan was head coach at Cornell University and Marsch was an All-American at Princeton.
“He always analyzed and really liked to talk about the game,” Sarachan said. “He had an eye for the game. It’s been documented he spent a lot of years with Bob (Bradley), and he always took the game very seriously.
“He was just a guy that sees the big picture and doesn’t really get caught up in the short-term. He has the right temperament to keep that group going.”
The Impact, coming off Wednesday’s 2-0 loss to Toronto FC in the semifinals of the Amway Canadian Championship, are led by Bernardo Corradi’s three goals and Sinisa Ubiparipovic, who has two. There also is Sanna Nyassi, who leads the club with 21 shot attempts.
The defending MLS Cup champion Galaxy, who have been shut out in consecutive losses to Seattle and New York and are seventh in the Western Conference, also will see a familiar figure in front of the Montreal net in goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts, who was traded to the Impact during the off-season. Ricketts has two shutouts and a 1.50 goals against average.
READ: LA's Arena on Impact's Ricketts: "Best 'keeper in MLS"
“I think he’d certainly like to get a shutout against us,” defender Todd Dunivant said with a grin. “Knowing Donovan, he’s going to come to play. He’s one of the best in the league, without a doubt.
“It will be good to see Donovan. He was a huge part of this team for three years. He was part of our championship run.”
Said Magee, “Donovan’s a great goalie, and you never want to face good goalies.
“I’d rather shoot on myself.” #mikemageefacts
