Week 6 : Galaxy @ Colorado Rapids

Los Angeles Galaxy @ Colorado Rapids
Saturday, April 25th , 2008 – 6:30pm
Dicks Sporting Goods Park
TV: DK, FS-W, Match Center
Radio: KTLK, KWKW

Quick Hits


Los Angeles Galaxy
Conference Position: 8th (-1)
League Position: 14th (-2)
Form: D-L-D-D
Last Match: 1-1 @ San Jose
Next Match: vs. New York (Victoria Street)


Colorado Rapids
Conference Position: 3rd
League Position:
Form: L W W D L
Last Match: 0-1 vs. Houston Dynamo
Next Match: vs. Real Salt Lake (DSG Park)


Last Meeting: 04/04/09 – Los Angeles 2-3 Colorado Rapids (Victoria Street)


The Rapids have historically been somewhat of a bogey team for Los Angeles and they’ve been sure to get their shots in lately. Heading into week 6 and Galaxy’s 5th game of the season, it certainly does not help things that Galaxy’s last regular season victory in Colorado came in 2002. Since then, it has been 11 games without a win in as many visits, including seven straight losses for Los Angeles. On the other hand, with a full squad seemingly in the cards, it may be high time to kick the habit and it may be D-day for LA.


Doing Things Right

“We're doing almost everything right. We've got to stop spotting teams a goal early. (San Jose) didn't have a lot of chances and it's unfortunate that we gave them such an easy one. Our play, in the run of play was good. We were very good defensively, we were good on set pieces. We keep going, and the wins are going to come.”

Landon Donovan is one of only two Galaxy players who can say that they have “seen it all” with this club. As a result, his comments on matches, situations and the overall state of the team always seem to reflect a bigger picture approach than the youngsters who are ‘happy to be here’ and the reinforcements who are ‘just glad to help’.

After having conceded 5 goals in the first two matches, Galaxy has tightened up the screws at home and managed its first clean sheet since June of 2003 and has only allowed 1 goal in the last two games.

More importantly, for the first time in three years, the team does not seem to have huge glaring gaps on any full line. There are still certain positions where the team could use help, but there is at least some level of cover in those spots.

When Rudd Gullit left the team last season, the biggest need was for a competent backline unit that could limit the number of shots on goal that Steve Cronin, Josh Wicks or Josh Saunders had to face, as well as a backline unit that did not actually create chances for the opposition. The issue has been largely addressed with Tony Sanneh, Omar Gonzalez, and Gregg Berhalter.

In midfield, Galaxy played a dangerous game of musical chairs all last season. Franchino, McDonald, Pires, Tudela, and even Greg Vanney all had to pitch in from time to time, with the end product being a porous midfield that failed to deny the opposition’s approaches before they reached the team’s own third.

So far this season, Dema Kovalenko has been the constant in that position, and if he can keep out of red card trouble, the Ukrainian will be the anchor whether Bruce opts for a 4-4-2 formation, a wider 5-3-2/3-5-2 or a “diamond” 4-1-2-1-2 set-up.

The attack has been relatively anemic, but this weekend could finally mark the end of that want going forward. Edson Buddle has been inching closer and closer to returning, and his eventual reappearance could help in two ways: One, adding the finishing that this team has needed, and two, helping lift some defenders off of a bogged-down Landon Donovan.

Donovan’s is quite right in his assessment of the team’s performance over the first four games. The team is, indeed, doing “almost everything right”. The key word in that statement being “almost”

Full Strength?

Less than a minute before Bryan Jordan knocked in the game-tying goal on Saturday night, the television cameras captured Todd Dunivant on the sidelines, ready to come in, receiving instructions from Bruce Arena. Dunivant’s long expected return, combined with the team’s ability to stay on the right side of the tracks in terms of red cards and injuries, Galaxy may be ready, for the first time in quite some time, to be at full strength this Saturday.

Also available for selection will be Gregg Berhalter, and Alan Gordon, who were both sent off in the LA derby vs. Chivas USA last weekend. Berhalter stabilized the Los Angeles backline during the match, and had a solid showing until he was forced to take a red card for stopping a clear goal scoring opportunity for Alecko Eskanderian.

Prior to that, his play seemed to also help calm down and direct rookie Omar Gonzalez, whose talent will require a mentor if he would like to aspire to being the second consecutive Los Angeles ‘Rookie of the Year.’

Alan Gordon, after having been molested most of the game by Chivas USA defenders, finally lost his cool and foolishly earned two yellows in three minutes for dissent and aggression. Gordon’s absence was certainly felt in the first half of the match in San Jose, with Donovan having two men on him at all times, Galaxy struggled to have any sort of presence going forward. Gordon’s return however, should be substantially complemented by the return of Edson Buddle.

Buddle is a better starting complement to Landon Donovan. A threat of his own, Edson helps to knock the ball in when needed, and the rest of the time, makes himself enough of a nuisance to defenders who can’t help but give Landon more space to work. Last season, Gordon’s best performances came in matches where defenses had already been struggling to account for Donovan and Buddle, so #21 was able to come in and take advantage of the extra space.

The end product of a full formula puts Galaxy in a good position heading into Saturday’s match; a position in which the team had not been in for quite some time. However, it also heaps some pressure onto the team, as the winless streak looms over their heads, and a full strength squad makes the ‘excuses’ and ‘justifications’ less palatable both for themselves and for the fans.

A Little Something on the Side

Depth is a key element for any team hoping to make an impact on any league. Your starting cast will often be good, but will, more often than not, need help coming from the bench in order to find constant success.

Unfortunately, for a team that’s struggled as much as Galaxy lately, back-up players who put together one solid game or two are often, by necessity, thrown into the starting XI and often struggle to live up to expectations.

This weekend, Galaxy struggled early going forward. The team moved the ball forward enough, but without any real threat to Cannon. Fortunately, the team showed something again that they have shown already in three of their four matches: A little something on the side.
Bruce Arena went to the bench, and both Chris Klein and Bryan Jordan helped kick start Galaxy’s offense, turning their repeatedly blunted attacks much sharper. In the end, it was Bryan Jordan who finally knocked in the much deserved match tying goal.

Previously, in the match against United, it was Kyle Patterson, Alan Gordon and Bryan Jordan who provided that spark for Los Angeles coming off the bench. Gordon almost managed to get the game tying goal himself, minutes before Donovan got the job done off a Patterson cross, by beating a leaping Josh Wicks with his head and sending it just wide.

Formerly, when Galaxy managers went to the bench, the action was accompanied with a collective sigh from the fans. So far, it seems like Jordan, Gordon, Klein, Patterson and company may be ready to show the league that Los Angeles always carries an ace, or three, in the hole.

Galaxy Injury Report

N/A


Caasi's Expected Starting XI

----------------Ricketts-----------------
--DeLaGarza--Berhalter--Gonzalez--Todd---
------------Kovalenko---Tudela-----------
--Franklin------------------------Lewis--
-----------------Donovan-----------------
-----------------Buddle------------------

Doing Things Right

Today's post San Jose vs. Los Angeles game article from MLSnet.com has a lot of interesting quotes from the Galaxy standpoint.

I've been reading the post-game pressers and interviews lately and I think the one guy who seems to "get it" is Landon Donovan.

Often, with so many rookies, you get the feeling that a good number of them have a hard time assessing the team's situation, and are just happy to be here.

From new "reinforcement" type players, you'll often get the "we want to do our part and contribute" quotes.

I think this is generally true of most teams. With Alan Gordon and Landon Donovan though, you tend to get more 'bigger picture' comments. I believe that has to do 100% with the fact that they have been around since 2005 and have seen the team go from Champions to the mess we've been seeing recently. In short, they've really "seen it all" with this club.

Gordon doesn't get interviewed as often, so Donovan's usually the one that's delivering these gems, which in turn, make Donovan's "soccer IQ" seem quite high.

Today's quote from Landon:

"We're doing almost everything right. We've got to stop spotting teams a goal early. (San Jose) didn't have a lot of chances and it's unfortunate that we gave them such an easy one. Our play, in the run of play was good. We were very good defensively, we were good on set pieces. We keep going, and the wins are going to come."

At Last!! Our Left Back is Complete Again!

If you've read my rant on Frank Yallop and how he dismantled the 2005 Championship team (all his trades coming BEFORE we signed David Beckham, for all my friends from San Jose) then you'll understand why I'm being irrational and superstitious about our goal coming approximately a minute after the FS-West cameramen showed Todd Dunivant ready to take the field for Los Angeles.

With Dunivant back, the team only needs to recover Greg Berhalter, Alan Gordon and Edson Buddle for next week's match and we should get ready to get the team rolling toward a successful mid-table season, a return to the playoffs, hopefully a good run, but most importantly, a foundation for long-term stability and a return to Galaxy's rightful place in MLS.

Thoughts on the Hex

Javier Aguirre arrived today in Mexico to be presented for his second go-around as head coach of the Mexican National Team.

Aguirre's job, this time, is much easier. In 2002, he had 5 games left, only half a round to deal with and a miserable 4 points. Today, he has 7 games left, and the hardest first legs of the round have already been played.

I've always thought that the Hex was a bit of an oddity and should be replaced by a more challenging group. After all, when 4 out of 6 teams get a ticket (or at least half a ticket) it's not so much a race to be the best as much as it is a slow walk to avoid the tail end of the group.

It seems CONCACAF gets really competitive in the early group stages only letting 1 team survive from 1v1 knockouts in the first two rounds, then 2 out of 4 in the third round, and when it really matters CONCACAF allows 4 out of 6 to go through.

With all that in mind, would the last round of qualifying not be much more competitive and a lot more fun if it were 10 teams rather than 6?

It seems, after all, unfair that the reason why a nation that had been showing promise in recent years like Panama is already eliminated from World Cup contention is only because CONCACAF didn't have the foresight to pair them up against... oh... the Cayman Islands rather than El Salvador.

And what's to be said of Guatemala, who had to toil in a group with the US and Trinidad & Tobago while El Salvador, with all due respect, enjoyed matches vs. Haiti and Surinam.

There's also former world cup side Jamaica to consider and a growing Canada that's enjoyed having players in Europe for years and is now expanding their domestic pool thanks to MLS.

There's 40 members of CONCACAF. 10 groups of 4 in the first round. 2 go through. That leaves 20.

5 groups of 4 in the second round. 2 go through. That leaves 10.

Final round... 10 teams, CONMEBOL style.

USA, Mexico, Costa Rica, Honduras, Trinidad & Tobago, El Salvador, Guatemala, Jamaica, Canada and Panama.

Makes that final spot that much harder to get a hold of doesn't it?

Just a thought.

How Frank Yallop Dismantled Los Angeles

In 2005 Los Angeles Galaxy were MLS Cup Champions, and US Open Cup Champions. Even so, the team had only managed to sneak into the playoffs and Steve Sampson knew it better than anybody else.

Heading into 2006 LA suffered one of the most painful losses in club history, the unfortunate passing of team President Doug Hamilton. Without Hamilton behind him, Steve Sampson was unable to make the necessary changes to stabilize the team and Sampson was soon without a job.

Lalas did not make many direct mistakes as the General Manager for LA Galaxy, however, he did make one crucial mistake, and he made it early on: Replacing Steve Sampson with Frank Yallop.

Yallop’s job was simple, tighten a nut here, screw a bolt there and get the team scoring. Galaxy’s biggest problems were in the attack. John Wolyniec, Thiago de Souza, and Cornell Glen were all ineffective answers to the team’s scoring problem.

So what was Yallop’s asnwer to get the team moving? Trading away the team’s cornerstone left-back and releasing holding midfielder Marcelo Saragosa.

The team’s defense went on to be one of the best in the league, allowing only 37 goals, but Yallop had yet to address the scoring situation, something which he was expected to address in the offseason leading up to 2007.

Yallop’s answer? To trade away fan favorites Kevin Hartman, Ugo Ihemelu and Herculez Gomez in different trades in order to make room for former San Jose goalkeeper Joe Cannon.

In the next couple of months Frank Yallop brought in Edson Buddle from Toronto FC in exchange for center back Tyrone Marshall.

A simple nut-tightening, bolt-screwing job turned into a complete dismantling of the core group from 2005. A year and a half later, only 3 players from the team’s championship run remained with the team.

Yallop soon found that rebuilding a team by subtracting 3 and adding 1 player at a time often fouls up team chemistry and leaves you with gaps in key spaces, and at the end of 2007 Yallop was the second manager in as many years to be released of coaching responsibilities in Los Angeles.

Frank Yallop took a simple rebuilding job which required upgrades at left midfield and at the forward position and left the team needing upgrades in every position. Galaxy did not just lose key players during the Frank Yallop era, the team also lost its identity, leaving Galaxy with 9 out of 11 starters that had been with the club less than a season when Yallop was finally sacked.

In 2009, Galaxy is still seeking to recover both a core competitive group and its identity. Alan Gordon and Landon Donovan, who were the new kids on the block in the team's 2005 title run are now the longest serving players with the club.



Galaxy’s core in winning the double in 2006:


Hartman, Albright, Marshall, Ihemelu, Dunivant, Nagamura, Saragosa, Ramirez, Jones, Gomez, Donovan



Galaxy’s core a year and a half later:


Cannon, Albright, Harden, Xavier, Jazic, Harmse, Martino, Jones, Donovan, Buddle, Jaqua

Week 5: Galaxy @ San Jose [The California Clasico]

Los Angeles Galaxy vs. San Jose Earthquakes
Saturday, April 18th , 2008 – 7:30pm
Oakland Coliseum
TV: DK, FS-W, Match Center
Radio: KLAC, KWKW

Quick Hits


Los Angeles Galaxy
Conference Position: 7th (-1)
League Position: 12th (--)
Form: D-L-D
Last Match: 0-0 vs. Chivas USA
Next Match: at Colorado Rapids (DSG Park)


San Jose Earthquakes
2008 Conference Position: 6th
2008 League Position: 10th
Form: L-W-L-D
Last Match: 3-3 vs. Chicago Fire
Next Match: vs. Seattle Sounders FC (Qwest Field)


Last Meeting: 08/14/08 – 08/03/08 – San Jose 3-2 LA Galaxy (Oakland Coliseum)


The good news about facing off against the San Jose Earthquakes is that the first two times Galaxy played them in 2008 were the only two shutouts the team had all season. The bad news is that the last time the two sides met, the Earthquakes left Galaxy without a manager. Bruce Arena will once again have to make some changes due to suspension in facing a much better San Jose group than the one Ruud Gullit faced early last season. Galaxy need three points and they need them sooner rather than later to keep the leaders from getting away.

Keeping the Sheets Clean

This week, despite remaining winless in all competitions and having been eliminated from the US Open Cup in penalty kicks, Galaxy managed something they had not done in quite some time. The team put together back-to-back shutouts.

Galaxy’s last league shutout took place almost a year ago when the Angelinos visited the San Jose Earthquakes. The last time Galaxy put together back to back clean sheets in official matches was during August/September of 2006. Galaxy followed a 2-0 victory over Cinderella side Dallas Roma in the Us Open Cup with a 1-0 victory visiting the Houston Dynamo.

That season, Galaxy surprisingly enjoyed the second best defensive unit in the league, finishing with 37 goals allowed, thanks in part to a 5 game streak without a goal allowed. Galaxy ended up missing the playoffs by 2 points, thanks in part to the third worst offense in the league which went, at one point, an entire month without scoring.

Frank Yallop’s answer was, incomprehensively, to ship off Kevin Hartman, Tyrone Marshall, Todd Dunivant and Ugo Ihemelu in order to bring in Joe Cannon.

Not surprisingly, the team has been an absolute mess in the back end since then. Galaxy has had one of the worst defensive units in the league for two years straight, and the inability to keep clean sheets for more than one game at a time, or more than twice a season, has been a huge obstacle that’s kept the team from the playoffs.

Heading into San Jose, Galaxy has a chance to make it three straight and start to get a taste of what it’s like to defend well. Unfortunately, Gregg Berhalter, the man who anchored the backline in both clean-sheet efforts will be suspended for this match after having been sent off in the second half of the LA Derby.

San Jose has not been particularly strong in front of goal so far. They’ve been kept scoreless twice already, but they have dangerous weapons up front and Galaxy’s backline will have to pay special attention if they hope to make it three clean sheets in a row.

Movable Type

It may seem early in the season, too early, to be dealing with personnel issues, but Galaxy is already having to make do with changes here, there and everywhere.

First off, Bruce Arena has had to send out 3 different line-ups for its three league games. Three games into the season, and Galaxy’s already making use of almost all the players it has available. Both goalkeepers have already taken the field; six of the nine defenders have done the same. In midfield, the only player that hasn’t played a game is in Italy, and five of the team’s seven listed forwards have gotten their chances on the field.

On the one hand, the roster movement is encouraging. Naturally, some players have better performances than others and it is easy to see why they are considered “starters” over those that aren’t. For the most part, however, the team has not yet been completely broken down by an opponent.

Bruce Arena has worked very diligently in making sure that this team has ‘movable parts’ and that everybody know the system and that one absence does not disassemble the whole.

This week will be yet another test to Bruce Arena’s ‘movable type’ format. The manager will have his hand forced in making moves, partly due to suspension, and partly due to players who may finally be ready to return from injury.

Alan Gordon and Gregg Berhalter will be watching the game on TV like the rest of us this time, serving suspension for their respective ejections in the match against Chivas USA.

Dema Kovalenko, meanwhile, will be returning to action having served a suspension of his own for a red card received in the Week 3 matchup against Colorado.

On the other hand, Edson Buddle and Todd Dunivant seem to be nearing return, and the match against San Jose may be the best time to get the remaining pieces fitted into the puzzle.

Galaxy Injury Report

OUT - Leonard Griffin (Sports Hernia Surgery - Disabled List)
DOUBTFUL - None
QUESTIONABLE - Edson Buddle (Right Quad - Strain), Todd Dunivant (Right Ankle - Post Surgery)
PROBABLE - Mike Magee (Right Foot - Bruise), Donovan Ricketts (Right Groin - Strain)

Caasi's Expected Starting XI

----------------Ricketts-----------------
--Franklin--Sanneh---Gonzalez--Dunivant--
------------Kovalenko---Tudela-----------
--Klein---------------------------Lewis--
-----------------Donovan-----------------
-----------------Kirovski----------------

The Ever Classy Legion 1908

This morning's quote from former Galaxy player Pete Vagenas, now suiting up for Seattle Sounders FC, comes as no surprise to those of us who have been unfortunate enough to see Legion 1908 in action.

This group of idiots is only around looking for a fight (be it with Galaxy fans, San Jose fans or even their own fans. See: Union Ultras) and one day they're going to get it.

I just hope MLS anticipates this and does away with the Legion as a whole before we have a wonderful casualty to add to the great PR that soccer already gets in America.