Comments on Galaxy Vs. Revs

By: NathanHJ | September 1st, 2008

I just watched the game via the archived stream on MLSNet. This team looks completely different from the team that lost to Chicago just a week earlier. At home.

Probably because it basically is a completely different team when you put in Landon Donovan, David Beckham and Eddie Lewis all at the same time. With a credible threat from the left for the first time since… since… Herculez Gomez’s one good season? People who know this team better than I can, I’m sure, come up with several candidates.

Which is a serious problem for the Galaxy with World Cup qualifiers starting to litter the schedule. I hate MLS scheduling. I find it hard to believe that we can’t get better spacing around international dates than we do now. The Galaxy play at the HDC on Saturday. Their parent company owns the stadium. One of the great selling points of soccer-specific stadia owned and operated by the teams’ parent companies was the supposed ability to have more control over scheduling. So, MLS couldn’t have scheduled this game farther away from qualifying? Really?

But because of that, then entire offensive core of the team is going to be away. I like Edson Buddle, but without the kind of service he gets from Becks, Lewis and Donovan, then I don’t think he scores. He isn’t the kind of player who creates on the fly, though occasionally his footwork has impressed and he fights hard. Without good service he’s only partially effective.

I spent most of the match really impressed with the team with Lewis on the left. Transformative. Short, possession passing, building up to attacks in the final third of the field. Smart, dangerous crosses from the left. A whole new dimension.

Part of that dimension also came from something that has been missing for most of the season: effective defensive midfield play. Putting Vanney in as a d-mid was a so-far successful 64 minute experiment. His experience, plus having speed at his back, put him in a place to be an effective organizer of the defense. That stability complimented Lewis’ impact. They were very good together.

Let me talk about Pete Vagenas for a minute. I’m not the biggest Vagenas fan. I think he’s not creative enough for the needs of the team. But, when he’s on, his first touch is among the best on the team. He as so soft-footed on Saturday I was ready for forgive every back pass. And, to build on his touch, he turned out to be much more creative than he usually is. That’s got to be part of why he played on the 2000 Olympic team and why he’s lasted for 8 years in Los Angeles.

I found the game itself to be compelling from beginning to end. The level of play from the Galaxy was so far above just a week ago and I fear we will be in for more of what we saw with the Fire because of the scheduling nonsense. But for this game, I saw what could be the team that makes a run at the end of the season. I think they need a minimum of about 36-38 points to make the final eight. They have 25. They need at least 11, probably more like 13, points from the remaining 24. Possible. But to ice it they should have 40, which means 15 out of 24. Six wins out of eight games gets us in. Hard. Very very hard.

But last year they won seven of eight. And looked horrible doing it. As of Saturday they looked really good. But I think they left it too late. Next week is going to look horrible and RSL might get a rare road victory.

Or am I wrong? What did you think of the game? Who did well? Who didn’t? What did you think of Vanney as d-mid? How was Lewis?