The LA Galaxy learned their CONCACAF Champions League fixture dates on Monday setting up yet another busy summer and fall schedule for the club.
LA will open group 8 play with two straight matches at StubHub Center against Costa Rican side Cartaginés on August 20 and Isidro Metapán on Sept. 19. LA will round out group play with two matches in Central America against the Costa Ricans on Sept. 25 at the Estadio Nacional in San Jose and Metapán at an undetermined venue on Oct. 24.
Bruce Arena's side were done no favors by the schedule-makers as the three matches fall during LA's jam-packed summer and autumn fixture list. LA will open the tournament just three days after hosting Real Salt Lake on Aug. 17 as part of a three-game in seven day stretch. September, meanwhile, is setting up to be LA's busiest month as the Galaxy will play six games during a 22-day stretch. Three of the club's matches are on the road at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. (Sept.15), Cartaginés in San Jose (Sept. 25), and Portland's JELD-WEN Field (Sept. 29). Finally, LA will round out the group stage and their 2013 MLS Regular Season schedule with trips to El Salvador on Oct. 24 and Seattle three days later. Those two matches are part of a three-game in seven day swing that begins with LA's final match of the regular season at StubHub Center on Oct. 20 against the San Jose Earthquakes.
The Galaxy may have caught a break location-wise, however, as both teams may not be able to host LA in their usual stadium. Cartaginés -- who are the oldest club in Costa Rica and were founded in 1906 -- typically play in the 13,500 seat Estadio Jose Rafael Fello Meza Ivankovich, but according to Costa Rican reports, the stadium's lighting system was not approved by CONCACAF. This might adversely impact atmosphere at the matches as the city of Cartago is a 40 minute drive from the national stadium in San Jose.
Meanwhile, Metapán will host the Brumosos (The Foggers) on August 8 at Estadio Cuscatlán after CONCACAF ruled that the they would be unable to host matches at Estadio Jorge "Calero" Suarez due to the stadium's inadequate field dimensions. If Metapán is unable to fix this issue, it could be a major loss for the Salvadorians as the team's home field is an nearly a two hour drive away -- a drive the Galaxy took during the 2012/2013 group stage -- from the Estadio Cuscatlán in San Salvador.
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