View from the Booth: Six points on the table

Mark Rogondino

Let the good times roll! Or maybe I should say, “Let the unbeaten streak continue to roll!”

Either way, the Galaxy are heading north to face two teams below them in the Western Conference standings, and an opportunity to earn six points is on the table.

First up is a match in Canada against Vancouver, followed by a midweek clash with Portland on Wednesday. LA’s unbeaten run stands at 13 games in MLS play, with seven wins and six draws in league play over the past three months. That’s the longest unbeaten streak in MLS this season and more than something to simply hang your hat on.

The Whitecaps present an interesting challenge. This is a team that has just two wins in their first season in MLS. What is cause for concern is the fact that there will be a large crowd at Empire Field, and for a team that really has no shot at being in the post-season picture, this is their Cup Final. This is Vancouver’s chance to show the fans some promise for the future and that means high energy and up & down pace for the game.

Defensively, Vancouver has struggled all year. The Whitecaps have only three shutouts in the 21 MLS games they have played, and of those three, Vancouver has only won once. The expansion club is also winless in their last five league games, having been outscored 8-3 during that time.

Where am I going with this?

I think this will be a chance for the Galaxy to put up a few of goals past former Galaxy goalkeeper Joe Cannon. Credit Cannon for making an amazing recovery after breaking his leg in 2010, but the two-time MLS Goalkeeper of the Year just doesn’t have enough in front of him defensively to slow the Galaxy attack.

In the attacking end, Vancouver coach Tom Soehn has some quality pieces. Designated Player Eric Hassli hit the ground running in his first season in MLS. Hassli scored two goals in his first official MLS game to open the campaign, and recently found the net twice for the Whitecaps in a 2-2 draw with San Jose.

The Frenchman has eight goals in MLS play, two more than Brazilian midfielder, Camilo. Camilo had success in smaller leagues in Europe over the past few years and can feature as a wide midfielder or in a striker role for Vancouver.

Finally there is the unknown commodity, Gambian forward Mustapha Jarju. Jarju made his debut for the club against Manchester City on July 18 and started his first MLS match 10 days ago against San Jose, showing some flashes of what is to come. However, the word I am hearing is that he is not fully fit yet. Soehn even referenced Jarju’s fitness in his post game comments after the match with the Earthquakes saying, “Once we get Jarju fully fit, he will be a handful for defenders to deal with.” If the Galaxy defense can identify and deny those three clear chances on Saturday, they should be in a good position to take the full three points.

Lastly, it is odd that the longer the unbeaten run goes, the more I feel like the other shoe is going to drop so to speak. I know that seems pretty pessimistic, but that is the truth.

Make no mistake; these two games are ones the Galaxy should have little trouble with. Six points is the goal, but returning to Southern California with four will still be a positive.

The gap between LA and the teams close to catching them in the West has shrunk, but a good showing on this road trip will restore a bit of separation from FC Dallas, Seattle Sounders and Real Salt Lake.

Like I said at the start, let the unbeaten streak roll on.