LA's destiny is in their own hands
Club has put themselves in a position to control their on future
How times have changed. Sunday's win in Houston put the Galaxy in a position that nobody thought they would be in this year. If they win the rest of their games, the Galaxy will make the playoffs regardless of the other results around the league.
Thanks to a game in hand, if the Galaxy were to win out they would pass both Colorado and Columbus. Because their last game is against Chicago, a win there leaves Chicago with a maximum of three points available in their other game. That would put the Galaxy and Fire level on 39 points, but the Galaxy owns the first tiebreaker, which is head-to-head matches.
"That's crazy isn't it? We're not there yet and we know that," said Landon Donovan. "We've done at least part of the hard work and now we get two games at home. You can't ask for more than that. If we can win those, we go to Chicago and see what happens."
As simple as it sounds, the Galaxy still have a lot of work to do. A five-game unbeaten run, including wins in their last four, has put the Galaxy into this position ahead of Saturday's game against Toronto FC at The Home Depot Center. To win out would put the Galaxy's run as one of the best in MLS all season long.
"We've gotten to a point where we've clawed our way back into it. It's nice to know that if we win three games we're in," said Galaxy head coach Frank Yallop. "Our playoffs start Saturday really. If you're going to win an MLS Cup, you have to win a lot of games in a row -- and we've got seven to go."
What the Galaxy can't afford is a letdown against Toronto this weekend. While they theoretically control their own destiny, the Galaxy can also be eliminated from playoff contention with the wrong results. It's been like that nearly every weekend, however, since the beginning of September, and to date the Galaxy have dealt with the pressure well.
"It's easy to say we've done the hard work, but I think that would be a letdown. If we put the same effort into these games (at home), both mentally and physically, we can get some good results," said goalkeeper Joe Cannon. "The plan for us is making sure we go into the last game against Chicago knowing that we can still make it into the playoffs."
The Galaxy don't necessarily have to win all three games to make the playoffs. There are scenarios that could play out with Los Angeles getting six points out of their last three games which would still put them in the playoffs, but that isn't something the team even wants to think about at this point.
"There are some scenarios where we don't have to win out," said Cannon, "but at the same time if we get three points in our next game and seeing what the rest of the league does, we'd be in great position."
Greg Daurio is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
