View from the Booth: Galaxy Can Extend Win Streak

Mark Rogondino

It wasn’t pretty, but it got the job done.

That is the best way to put the LA Galaxy’s win over the Houston Dynamo on Wednesday night. The match never really got out of third gear. Look no further than the three shots on goal from LA, and just one recorded for the Dynamo as an indication of how slow the match truly was.

At the end of the day, earning the three points and keeping a five point gap in front of FC Dallas was achieved. Now, the focus shifts to a trip to the Boston area to face the New England Revolution for the second and final time in the MLS regular season.

The first go around at The Home Depot Center was a match LA should have won. In addition to creating numerous scoring chances, the Galaxy did put the ball in the back of the net more than once, only to see the goals waved off.

When the final whistle was blown, LA had to settle for a 1-1 draw. Settle is the perfect word to describe it, because given all of the opportunities LA had to score, even earning a single point had to be pretty disappointing.

From a Revolution perspective, I think Steve Nicol and his squad were more than happy to escape The HDC with a share of the points.

Despite being on the road this time around, the Galaxy will be heading into Saturday’s affair looking to take all the points.

The strongest aspect of the Revs lineup is the midfield. Shalrie Joseph has always been the constant for New England, but no longer the lone talismanic midfielder on the field.

The recent addition of Benny Feilhaber has given the Revs another technical and intelligent player. Feilhaber is not a player that is going to overwhelm you, but he brings a solid skill set to the pitch. Excellent vision, smooth on the ball and with the ability to finish a scoring chance when called upon, he is a player defenses have to keep a close watch on.

The U.S. National Team member will make his sixth start since he join New England, and then, like Landon Donovan, will leave his club to prepare for the upcoming CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament.

Speaking of Donovan, the guy continues to find a way to score. One might argue that three of his eight goals have now come from the penalty spot, but there is no doubting that when Donovan is on the field he is clearly the most dangerous with the ball at his feet. As I mentioned above, Saturday’s game will be his final appearance with LA until the Gold Cup comes to an end, and Donovan will want to leave on a high note.

How does another Donovan brace and three points sound to you?

Finally, this would be a great game for LA to display their growth so far this season. For the third time this year the Galaxy is playing three games in eight days. Each of the previous two times, LA has taken five of a possible nine points, but this time they have the chance to take all nine. It would be very easy to get complacent and settle for a draw. But this is a match that appears to be winnable on paper.

David Beckham will return to the lineup, giving the team a boost, and I get the sense things are just on the verge of really clicking. Some of the players even commented after the win against Houston how the Galaxy did well to get into the final third of the field, but couldn’t quite weight or deliver the final pass or finish.

I would agree with those sentiments.

But the important part is that this team is close to reaching the level of play many of us envisioned back in March. So hopefully this time around against New England it will be pretty and it will get the job done.