View from the Booth: LA ready for stretch run

Rogondino predicts Galaxy to have most decisive win of season over FCD

By Mark Rogondino / MLB.com

Mark Rogondino offers his take on the Galaxy each week in View from the Booth. (LA Galaxy)

The Galaxy tied FC Dallas back in May, 1-1, and really it was a game the Galaxy should have won. LA played three quarters of the game with a man advantage, but could not find the back of the net for the winner in the second half. In fact FCD looked like a better team playing without Marcelo Saragosa, the former Galaxy player was given a straight red midway through the first half action. The game at Pizza Hut Park was part of the long unbeaten run LA went on during the first two months of the season. Now Los Angeles is once again on another successful run of results, and three points from Saturday's affair, which will be the 50th all-time league contest between the teams, would be a welcomed addition.

FC Dallas comes into this game a much different team than the one LA faced the first time around. Kenny Cooper, Drew Moor, and the previously mentioned Saragosa are all gone. One face LA fans will recognize though is Ugo Ihemelu, recently traded from Colorado to the Hoops, and right now FCD really need him. With injuries to newcomer Kyle Davies (concussion) and a red card in the last match to Daniel Torres, coach Schellas Hyndman will need a solid defender like Ihemelu to pick up some slack. Ugo has always been a great guy in the league, and is an athletic, intelligent defender. From his time with LA, to the Rapids, and now I have no doubt he will find success in the Lone Star State as well.

I mentioned that Kenny Cooper is no longer with the Hoops. The powerful forward has moved on from MLS and is now applying his trade for 1860 Munich in Germany. That is good news for Galaxy fans, but there is still a solid attacking component for Dallas. Jeff Cunningham, the league's 2nd all-time leading goal-scorer (114 goals), spearheads the attack. Cunningham has also had a pretty decent run versus LA in the numerous, and I mean numerous, jerseys he has put on over his long career, tallying 11 goals and three assists in 26 career games against LA. Cunningham is one of those strikers where you might not hear anything from him for 80-85 minutes, but give him one chance and he will make a team pay. The Galaxy defense will have to know where he is at all times to keep that from happening.

As for the Galaxy, a couple of things stick out when looking at this game. First let's talk about the defense. One word: Fantastic! You could argue that there have been some moments when both the aging veterans and the inexperienced rookies have been exposed, but find me a team in the league that you can't say that about. The best part is that I think, we still have not seen the best from this back four, or make it five when you include the outstanding Donovan Ricketts. You might just see this unit put together their best run of defensive form in the final month of the season, and ride it right on into the playoffs. This Galaxy team, in complete contrast to last years form, is very tough to score on. They play compact defense, and the communication is getting better by the minute, not to mention now the young players are starting to attack from the back with confidence, causing even more problems for opposing defenses that already have their hands full with Donovan, Beckham, Lewis and the rest of the Galaxy attack.

Offensively, like the defense, things appear to be gelling. Landon already has my vote locked up for MVP. I think the only other player you could make that case for would be Conor Casey of the Rapids. Colorado is playing well right now and he has been a big part, but I believe that Casey will have a tough time putting his hands on some hardware unless he really breaks out here in the final two months of the season and can get himself up near the 20-goal plateau that LD hit in 2008.

So we know Landon will find a way to put his print on the match, but now it's the addition of Jovan Kirovski that is adding to the mix for LA. Jovan has found the net six times in five games against Dallas during his time with LA in the past, and eight goals in 14 games for his career against them. Kirovski has found a way to get himself into dangerous positions working with alongside Mike Magee in the LA attack, forcing defenders to be aware of where the southern California native is at all times.

Finally, I think the two-week layoff is going to serve the Galaxy really well over the final five weeks of the year. I was out at practice this week and you could see the sense of confidence, as well as chemistry between the players. An opportunity to rest the body for an extra day or two, especially some of the veteran players, will be a huge help when the grind of the final couple weeks comes. For that reason, I look forward to seeing how LA responds in game conditions on Saturday.

I have been wrong before, and of course I will be wrong again, but I think LA could come out and make their most decisive win of the season at the HDC on Saturday.