View from the Booth: Winner takes all
Historic So-Cal clash enters second leg with clubs deadlocked
Speed will be a major determining factor. LA has it up top in Landon Donovan and Chivas USA will use it to their advantage in the form of Mykel Galindo, who just might be in Preki's starting line-up. Each of these players will look to run squarely at the defense, and put players under pressure to respond. It is going to be up to players like Jonathan Bornstein and Omar Gonzalez to mark tightly, deny the chance to receive a ball in space and basically be a pest to the speedy strikers for the entire time they are on the field.
Looking deeper into the defenders, the word miscues comes to mind. If you had the opportunity to watch the first leg, both teams had terrible miscues in the back that led to scores for the opponents... terrible! My gut feeling (and we all know I have been wrong more than right) tells me that will not be the case at all in the second leg. This game will be much tighter, and I think it is very likely the score will be 0-0 at halftime, neither team taking too many risks. Both of the clubs have very solid defensive groups, and it was more coincidence that each side made glaring mistakes in the same 90-minute game. What I am saying that this game will not turn on a bad blunder at the back, but more from a bit of quality football from one of the attacking players.
Speaking of quality football, in the first half of Game 1, the Galaxy had some sequences where they looked fantastic. There was movement off the ball, crisp passing, and they looked like a team determined to play beautiful soccer. It was like a well-oiled machine, and I imagine what Coach Bruce Arena had in mind when assembling the roster at the beginning of the year. It was as if each player understood the role he was selected to fill, and was filling it indeed. That is what I am looking for in the second leg and even further, going forward in the postseason. This is where the Galaxy's ticket to the next stage hinges. Can this team not let down mentally and physically, and continue to play the brand of soccer we have seen them capable of for an entire 90 minutes? Can they? Can they?
Where can the Galaxy improve specifically? It starts with Edson Buddle. Buddle will need to be a bigger problem for the Chivas USA defense to deal with. When Edson really goes after it, and works for every ball, he is one of the most dangerous strikers in the league. I have said it before on the Galaxy broadcasts, that yes, he does look uninterested at times, but I believe that is just the way he is. He plays smooth and that comes off as unmotivated at times. So, a good start for Buddle is crucial for LA. Like a wide receiver in football, where you want him to get a few catches early in the game to feel incorporated into the team and thus confident on the ball, that is what Buddle needs. This in turn will open up additional space for Landon, Mike Magee and David Beckham to work their magic. By the way, very happy for Magee that he got the goal in the first leg, regardless of it coming from a sloppy play at the back. Magee has been in the league for several years, and if you have been following along this year, he has contributed to LA's success in a variety of ways.
I am going to keep with my prediction that a David Beckham goal is coming from a free kick opportunity. It has been sometime since #23 has swerved one into the corner, and he has the propensity to produce just that in high profile games. See the Barca- Galaxy tape at the Rose Bowl earlier this year. There might not be as many people at the HDC on Sunday as there were in Pasadena that night, but the stakes are certainly a bit bigger
Staying in the midfield, one of the Chris's needs to have an impact in this game. I know that Birchall fills more of a defensive roll, but he has seen a few chances to make a difference around the goal, and has yet to finish one. Let's hope that time comes this Sunday evening. The other Chris, Klein is the mark of consistency. It is a tough decision whether Klein is better as a starter or in the role he has been in for most of the season, coming off the bench. The energy as a second half substitute is great, but I know Klein can also be very valuable from the opening whistle. Glad that decision is not up to me.
Finally, you can't help but be a little nervous for this one. I know I am. Having been a part of the broadcast team for the past five years, it is a great feeling to see the team having success once again, and I for one, don't want the ride to stop. It feels at times like this might be a team on a mission, or a team that is destined to make their way to MLS Cup. Step back and look at the storylines, from the feuding teammates at the onset of the 2009 season, a new coach in his first full year with the team, major roster turnover, even "The Book." Since we are just a short drive from Hollywood, where scripts are written and movies are made, let's hope there are still a few chapters to unfold over the next weeks, and that the story continues to develop after the 90 minutes are done on Sunday.
