CARSON, Calif. -- We're just hours away from the decisive CONCACAF Champions League Quarterfinal second leg between the LA Galaxy and C.S. Herediano.
Below are selection of links, match-ups and predicted lineups to get you to kick off.
Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena offered his thoughts on the CCL Quarterfinal Second Leg following Tuesday's practice.
Marcelo Sarvas has traveled up from Central America to The Home Depot Center before and the Brazilian midfielder knows what to expect on Wednesday from Herediano.
Could we see a forward partnership of Jose Villarreal and Robbie Keane? Possibly.
LA will be focused on stopping two of Herediano's danger men Elias Aguilar and Ismael Gomez.
LAGalaxy.com preview Larry Morgan provided this preview of the game.
Lastly, my Three Points to the match.
MATCH-UPS TO WATCH:
Marcelo Sarvas vs. Elias Aguilar
Arguably the most important player match-up of the game will pit Sarvas against the dynamic Aguilar, who was responsible for creating the lion share of Herediano's attacks during the first leg. As Aguilar looks to spark counter-attacks, Sarvas will be tasked with covering plenty of ground on defense when the Costa Ricans do have opportunities to push forward. Positioning will be key for Sarvas -- and his midfield partner Juninho -- as the it could make the difference between a Herediano scoring chance and a Galaxy counter attack.
Robbie Keane vs. Pablo Salazar
Pablo Salazar enjoyed a strong game in the first leg against the Galaxy by making a team-high 10 clearances down at Estadio Eladio Rosabal Cordero, but he'll need another strong game against Robbie Keane in Southern California. Keane made several dangerous runs during the first leg, but routinely saw his guile disrupted by an unruly turf surface that stymied the Irishman. Following the Galaxy's final practice on Tuesday, Keane stated that had the conditions, not been substandard, he might have had more opportunities. Well, he'll get those chances at The Home Depot Center on Wednesday.
Galaxy speed vs. Herediano Bunker
The speed of play will be vital for both the LA Galaxy and C.S. Herediano during the CCL quarterfinal. From the get go, the Galaxy will look to play a high-tempo game and force the Costa Ricans out of their defensive stance while Herediano seeks to slow the game down and attack on the counter. If LA can maintain a high tempo than the Galaxy could create gaps in the Herediano defensive shape.
REFEREE:
Referee: Walter López (Guatemala); AR1: Gerson López (GUA); AR2: Ronaldo de la Cruz (GUA); 4th: Óscar Reyna (GUA)
*Lopez last handled an LA Galaxy game in 2011 when LA defeated C.D. Motagua 1-0 in Tegucigalpa, Honduras to advance to the 2011/2012 CONCACAF Champions League Quarterfinals. He awarded two yellow cards.
PREDICTED GALAXY LINEUP:
Cudicini; DeLaGarza, Gonzalez, Leonardo, Dunivant; Franklin, Sarvas, Juninho, Magee; Villarreal, Keane
Cambronero; Obando, Salazar, Montero, Francis; Granados, Hernández, Gomez, Aguilar, Ramírez; Ruiz
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