I’m not sure if disappointed is the right word to describe my current state of mind, but the LA Galaxy can’t be feeling good after the heartbreaking 2-1 loss to Morelia in Mexicoon Tuesday night in the CONCACAF Champions League. The game was an opportunity to do what Seattle and Dallas had already accomplished earlier in Champions League play, winning on Mexican soil. That opportunity was there only to have it cruelly snatched away from them in the game’s final moments.
The question now becomes, for me at least, how does LA arrive mentally against a team that it should have little trouble with Saturday at The Home Depot Center?
Vancouver is winless on the road in 15 league games this year and Bruce Arena’s side put in one of their best 90 minute performances of the season in the first meeting of the year between these two sides, coming away with a 4-0 victory. The Galaxy scored all four of their goals in the final 30 minutes of that game and something tells me there will be a bit of a hangover effect from Tuesday’s loss in Mexico. So, I wouldn’t be surprised to see it take the home side a significant amount of time to get into gear and start to light up the scoreboard in this one.
Like many expansion teams that have come into MLS, the Whitecaps have struggled during this rookie campaign winning just four times in 27 games. It appears that Director of Soccer Operations, Tom Soehn, who took over as acting head coach midseason when Teitur Thordarson was fired, is still transforming the roster, a process that will no doubt carry through the offseason and into 2012, when Martin Reinne takes the reigns as head coach.
There have been some positives, specifically the play of Eric Hassli who leads the team with 10 goals, including one that will be a solid candidate for MLS Goal of the Year. That particular tally came back in early June against Seattle in a game where Hassli had both of the Vancouver goals on the night that ended in a 2-2 draw.
Another bright spot has been the play of Swiss midfielder, Davide Chiumiento. This is a player with excellent vision on the field, and a unique ability to deliver the perfectly weighted ball onto a player’s foot or into space depending on what the situation calls for. Chiumiento was one of the few players to shine for Vancouver when the teams played in Canada back on July 30.
If you are a young player watching the game this Saturday, pay special attention to the Whitecaps’ Num. 20 and how he finds space away from the ball, as well as how aware he is of where other players are on the field when he has the ball. Both are special qualities that you don’t see everyday from MLS teams.
The Galaxy are still unbeaten at home this season and I expect them to keep that record intact. I imagine that Vancouver will be motivated by the fact that if they are to win one game away from home this year, it would be a small feather in their cap if they did it against the best in MLS, and I’m sure that they would make some friends in the Western Conference by doing just that.
Thus, I expect a pretty good fight from the Whitecaps, but as I said above it is nothing the Galaxy shouldn’t be able to grind through and come away with another three points.
Arena has had to shuffle the lineup lately due to so many games, but I think it has been a good thing. Number one, it is showing how deep the Galaxy bench can go, but number two, players like Frankie Hejduk and Paolo Cardozo, who have not seen a ton of time during recent months, will be fresh when called upon leading up to the playoff charge.
Even with the recent injuries to Gregg Berhalter and Sean Franklin, the Galaxy can feel pretty good about the group of defenders to pick from. Adding another big and physical player in Dasan Robinson will help provide some cover until Berhalter and Franklin are ready to return.
Remember Associate Head Coach Dave Sarachan relied heavily on Robinson when they were together in Chicago years ago, so the Galaxy wouldn’t go after him at this point in the season if they didn’t think it filled a need and was a good fit for the club.
Lastly, it was good to see Donovan Ricketts back on the field, but let’s not forget how incredible Josh Saunders has been. I have said in the past on the air that other teams in MLS must have their eyes on Saunders, because without question he could step in, and start for a number of clubs in the league.
But, thank goodness Saunders has remained with LA, because he has put up career number this year in goal, and is a huge reason why the Galaxy is in the running to win another Supporters’ Shield. Don’t get me wrong, Ricketts getting back to full health will be a big boost for the club, and might be just what is needed to raise the MLS Cup, but it is tough to imagine the Galaxy being in this position without the play of Saunders.
With Saunders and Ricketts available in goal, not to mention Brian Perk who shutout Seattle on July 4 in his MLS debut, the Galaxy have a litany of top goalkeepers at their disposal, which is a major reason that the club has allowed just 26 goals this season and have kept a club record 14 clean sheets in MLS.
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Match Preview: Galaxy host Whitecaps FC on Saturday
