Starting XI
Brian Rowe; Robbie Rogers, Daniel Steres, Jelle Van Damme ©, Ashley Cole; Baggio Husidic, Sebastian Lletget; Landon Donovan, Giovani dos Santos, Emmanuel Boateng; Alan Gordon
Substitutions
Clement Diop, A.J. DeLaGarza, Rafael Garcia, Jeff Larentowicz, Steven Gerrard, Mike Magee, Robbie Keane.
Lineup notes
- The semifinals are here! The Western Conference Semifinal Series kick off Sunday, and for just the second time this season, LA Galaxy Head Coach and General Manager Bruce Arena will trot out the exact same XI in consecutive matches.
- Money time. Brian Rowe makes his second-ever playoff start in MLS Sunday against Colorado. Rowe has been a real stud in net this year for the Galaxy, going 13-5-14 with a 1.05 GAA and nine shutouts (third most in MLS). In his last three matches, Rowe has allowed just one goal, and it was a kind-of-soft penalty call, so does that really even count?
- On the right, the two-time MLS Cup winning Robbie Rogers makes the start. Since making the move to defense full-time with a start against Chivas USA on June 8, 2014, Galaxy have gone 32-13-22 in all MLS competitions in which he has appeared, including MLS Cup Playoffs and the 2014 MLS Cup Final. In addition to being good at soccer, Rogers is also good at getting stylish shoes for his son, Caleb.
- Daniel Steres gets the nod in central defense in his second-ever MLS Cup Playoff match. Steres has been a steady and reliable defender for Bruce Arena after signing this offseason after joining from LA Galaxy II. He made 31 appearances in the regular season, tied for tops on the LA Galaxy.
- Big, bald, beautiful, boisterous, buff, beloved, big-hearted and Belgian. Jelle Van Damme, who has been arguably Major League Soccer’s top defender this season, will again captain the side. The central defender has been a beast along the LA Galaxy backline since joining this offseason and gives super inspiring pregame speeches.
- On the left, the veteran, experienced, beach-loving Ashley Cole makes his second postseason start. Like JVD, Cole has been among the top players in MLS at his position this year. Even Ronaldinho loves the guy.
- In the center of the field, the reliable, leaf-eating vegan midfielder Baggio Husidic again starts. Husidic has been an unsung contributor for the Galaxy since 2014, a year that saw him appear in every match en route to the Galaxy’s MLS Cup triumph, and his experience and chemistry will make him an asset during this postseason run.
- Next to Husidic is Da’ Boy Sebastian Lletget, who has thrived in the center of the field under Bruce Arena. In addition to his ability to push the attack, Lletget has turned into a solid distributor, quietly picking up eight assists on the season.
- Out wide on the left, Emmanuel Boateng makes his second-ever playoff start. His first one went OK: he scored twice in the first half, including the game-winning goal in the Galaxy’s 3-1 win over RSL. Here is also a very-detailed report straight from Colorado’s scouting department: he is very fast.
- In the center of the pitch, the undeniably-charming Mexican International Giovani dos Santos will look to pull the strings of the LA offense. Gio recorded one of the best seasons of any player in MLS this year, racking up 14 goals and 12 assists – only he and Sebastian Giovinco reached 10+ goals and 10+ assists this season.
- On the right, Landon Donovan gets the start, his 43rd in the MLS Cup Playoffs. On Wednesday, he set a new record for postseason assists with 15. In all, he’s got 25 goals and 15 assists and a lot of MLS Cups in the playoffs, so you would have to imagine that he is a fairly good soccer player. We will be able to examine that claim further on Sunday.
- Up top, you know him and you love him and you admire him: the net-shaking Alan Gordon again gets the start. On Wednesday, Gordo made his first-ever start in the MLS Cup Playoffs (what?!) and tallied the game’s opening goal.
Game notes
- The Galaxy start the same lineup in consecutive games for just the second time this season.
- ]The only other time the Galaxy fielded the same XI players, they recorded a 4-1 road win over Houston (July 15, 2016).
- This year at home, the Galaxy have gone 9-1-8 at StubHub Center, scoring 35 goals and allowing just 19 for a +16 goal differential (regular season and playoffs)
- All time in MLS Cup Playoffs, the Galaxy have gone 43-21-7 while scoring 121 goals in their 71 previous playoff matches.
- All time, Head Coach Bruce Arena is 31-11-5 in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
- During postseason, in matches that his team scores first, head coach Bruce Arena is 22-1-2. That is very good.
- All time against Colorado in the playoffs, the Galaxy are 6-1-0, including 3-0-0 at StubHub Center.
Storylines
- Can the same starting XI keep momentum going for the Galaxy?
- Can the Galaxy build a healthy lead against Colorado heading into the second leg of the series?
- Will Emmanuel Boateng produce another top performance?
- How will Lletget and Husidic pair again together in the midfield?
- Will Landon Donovan score a goal on Tim Howard?
- Can the Galaxy break down Colorado’s MLS-best defense?
- Why does the word “monosyllabic” have five syllables?
Quick hits
