COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The LA Galaxy will hope to start their two-game road trip in a winning way on Saturday when they take on the Columbus Crew at Columbus Crew Stadium.
Below are a series of links, matchups to watch and a predicted score of the match.
LINKS:
The match against the Crew will mark the start of a week-long road trip for the Galaxy that the club hopes will foster the type of bonding that will strength the club down the stretch run.
Retiring Galaxy star Landon Donovan will be honored prior to Saturday's match at Columbus Crew Stadium. Marvelous at the venue for the U.S. national team, will he be able to score his first goal at Crew Stadium in a Galaxy uniform?
Former Columbus midfielder Robbie Rogers admits that it will be "weird" to return to Crew Stadium for the first time since returning to MLS last year.
New Galaxy acquisition Alan Gordon has traveled with the club to Columbus, but will the target forward make the impact that he's hoping to in his second stint with LA?
*Lastly, LAGalaxy.com's Larry Morgan provides a preview of the match that focuses on the Galaxy taking on former teammate turned Crew head coach Gregg Berhalter.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH:
Juninho vs. Fredrico Higuain
Perhaps the most important matchup of the evening, Juninho -- and midfielder Marcelo Sarvas -- must be mindful of the dynamic Argentine who will seek to pull the LA midfielder out of position and create offense for the attack-minded Crew.
Gyasi Zardes vs. Michael Parkhurst
A battle of blistering speed and intelligent defensive positioning. Look for Zardes to attack Parkhurst early and often as he works in tandem with Robbie Keane to create space in the Columbus defensive end.
WHAT THEY SAID:
"It’s going to be an interesting matchup for us. They like to throw a lot of numbers into the attack and we like to as well. It’ll be important for us to maintain a good shape defensively and pick our spot where we can go at them." - Galaxy right back Dan Gargan on LA's game plan against the Crew.
PREDICTED SCORE:
LA Galaxy 2 (Zardes and Donovan) Columbus Crew 1 (Higuain)
