And those words are: Western Conference Champions!

In another step in the worst-to-first journey that MLS Coach of the Year Bruce Arena has taken the team on, the Los Angeles Galaxy turned away a stiff challenge from the Houston Dynamo in 30 minutes of extra time with a 2-0 scoreline.

Jen put together a nice photo montage here. Go and look. Look and revel. Revel and comment (which you can also do below at the bottom of this post).

Over 25,000 people showed up to watch one of the longest MLS games ever. Not only did the teams battle to a 0-0 tie at the end of regulation, “power dips” on the Southern California Edison industrial grid, of which the Home Depot Center is a part tripped the breakers on the stadium floodlights. Twice. Once in each half. Each time for 18 minutes. By the end of the game, the lights had gone out on Houston’s season as well.

The game was definitely a slug-fest and it wasn’t pretty, but it wasn’t boring to watch either, despite pitting two of the stingier defenses in MLS against each other. The keys to both teams lie in their midfields, which are built to maintain possession and deliver creativity and both teams worked hard to establish their midfield games.

But they also got frustrated and impatient. The Dynamo tried time and again to counterattack quickly through to Dominic Oduro in an attempt to burn a Galaxy backline whose biggest weakness is a distinct lack of quickness centrally. But Gregg Berhalter and Omar Gonzalez owned anything coming in the air and were too smart to get trapped in compromising situations that Oduro could expolit. In fact, Oduro was caught offsides 5 times on the night.

The Galaxy were no better. They too played an impressive number of balls forward from the defensive third straight to the heads of the forwards. Like the Galaxy’s center tandem, Bobby Boswell and Geoff Cameron also owned the air above Edson Buddle and Landon Donovan. While I can’t speak to the Dynamo’s tactical decisions in the game, I was puzzled and frustrated by Arena’s decision to start Mike Magee on the left wing and Landon Donovan up top. While it is true that the Magee-Buddle partnership hasn’t gelled as well as it maybe could have, Donovan finds the game much better attacking from the wing. And, frankly, Eddie Lewis‘ wing play is a level above Magee’s, though Lewis isn’t going to give you the same kind of 90-minute production that Magee will.

Consequently, the Galaxy’s decisions to bypass the midfield for large chunks of time for air balls to Donovan were largely wasted efforts as they play to the biggest weakness in his game – his relatively mediocre play in the air. At the same time the team was deprived of the creativity and vision Donovan brings to his wing play. While I’m not expecting Eddie Lewis to start (so nice to bring that kind of veteran experience and skill off the bench), I was expecting that Magee would have left after about 60-65 minutes in favor of Lewis, especially since there was no tactical shift to put Magee back up top and move Landon to the left.

Luckily, the Dynamo were having similar creativity problems thanks to tough play from Dema Kovalenko, David Beckham, and Chris Klein. But, there were stretches when the Dynamo’s short passing game got unstuck and made the team exceedingly dangerous. The most stressful stretch of this for me was the second half of the second half when they really took to the game right to the Galaxy. From about the 65th minute to about the 85th minute, the Dynamo was able to find midfield spaces, move the ball quickly, and get the ball in dangerous positions. This led to Brian Ching’s heart-stopping header that Donovan Ricketts unbelievably parried into and then over the crossbar. And then Houston put the corner in the back of the net, but the goal was waved off for a foul suffered by AJ Delagarza in the box.

The Galaxy also had it’s moments of fluidity that resulted in danger and forced Pat Onstad into his share of big saves. Buddle had a decent night, making smart runs and showing his penchant for running a defenses, but at times his frustration seemed to get the better of him when he chose to take a difficult shot instead of making the smarter and more dangerous pass. At least once he tried a shot from distance even as Chris Klein crashed the goal with no defenders around him.

Either team could have won this game, but the Galaxy were able to get it done in the end, getting the crucial goal they needed from an unlikely, though thoroughly deserving source. Gregg Berhalter, who is the most important component of the Galaxy’s defensive resurgence — his veteran experience has provided crucials leadership to a set of young defenders and his organization of the defense has been first-rate all season long — played perhaps his best game of the season owning the air, frustrating Brian Ching, and even making a few runs out of the back to join the attacks. It was fitting that he was the one who corralled Omar Gonzalez’s deflected header off a corner, punching it into the right side of the goal as he fell to the turf. Donovan’s record-setting penalty kick (most playoff goals in MLS history) was the icing on the cake.

One thing that seemed apparent to me was that the team did a much better job in pasing and attacking once Eddie Lewis and Alan Gordon came on the field. I continue to be unimpressed with Jovan Kirovski, though I understand why he gets the call — he is dependable, plays his position well, plays good defense, and has good vision. Of course he also turns the ball over with regularity, passes poorly, and takes the expected shot, so I’m never excited to see him come into a game. On the other hand, once Lewis was in the game, space and passing lanes opened up and Alan Gordon showed more mobility and better use of his head than Buddle did. It seemed that Buddle was hungry to score while Gordon was hungry to make the best play. The team needed more of the latter against Houston and got it from Gordon, an admittedly unlikely source.

Both of the Galaxy superstars delivered strong games, though I was annoyed by putting Donovan up top and was frustrated by how often Beckham drifted back into the defensive third to get the ball and how many times his crosses were off or were blocked by the nearest defender. Despite these niggling criticisms, both players were instrumental in the team’s success on Friday night with Donovan forcing two saves from Onstad and Beckham provided good dead ball service and veteran leadership all night long.

And though he didn’t have the same game he did against Chivas a game earlier, Kovalenko’s disruptive game was valuable in the midfield, helping to contain Stuart Holden and Ricardo Clark.

I’ve spent most of this posting looking at the Galaxy side of the equation, but I would be remiss if I didn’t say that Geoff Cameron, who spent most of the game at centerback, had a typically tremendous game, denying everything in the air to the Galaxy forwards, running step for step with Donovan, and making the smart passes and clearances. Then he stepped into midfield in exra time. He deserves a long look from Bob Bradley in January, especially in light of the US MNT’s injury woes in the back.

All in all, the game was hard-fought, showcasing the defensive strengths of both teams. The Galaxy took the game they way they have all season long: gritty, team-oriented performances that got the best out of every player at every position, including AJ Delargarza, starting on short notice for the ill Todd Dunivant, who nailed down the left side of defense all night long, including a cracking tackle on Brian Ching in the second extra time period deep near the corner flag that shut down a dangerous build-up.

All in all a performance to be proud of in a season to be proud of. Next up: MLS Cup in Seattle vs. Real Salt Lake on Sunday Nov. 22 at 5:30 PST.

Man of the Match: Gregg Berhalter

What did you think of the game? What about those black-outs? Who did well? Who needs to do better? What do you think of the match-up with RSL? Who wins MLS Cup?

What others are saying:

Eric Altshule at MLS Talk
Reuters at the NY Times
Peter Howard at the Daily Football blog
Jim Hughes at Mirror Football
Luis Bueno at the Press Enterprise
Angel Magana at LAist.com</a>
Grahame Jones at the LA Times
Scott French at LA Soccer News
SkySports News
Charlie Corr’s Chicago Fire blog at ESPN
Martin Rogers at Yahoo Sports
Andrea Canales at Goal.comwith post-game perspective
Andrea Canales at Goal.com Game Summary
Zac Lee Rigg at Goal.com with player ratings
The Sun
The MailOnline
Jose De Jesus Ortiz at the Houston Chronicle
CNN International on the “controversy” from the summer
BBC Sports
Jorge Flores at The Examiner.com
The Telegraph
Phil Collin at the Daily Breeze
Nick Green at 100 Percent Soccer
LA Galaxy Blog with the game summary
LA Galaxy Blog with post-game quotes
Luis Bueno with the MLSNet game summary
Luis Bueno with the MLSNet Galaxy perspective
Ivan Orozco with the Dynamo perspective

Game Highlights

Like commenter Diane, I LOVE me some AJ Delagarza! Magee was fairly worthless with a horrible first touch for most of the match. Kirovski was brought in, why? Beckham did very well, but boy he was soooo tanked in overtime. I really felt for him and the others. Thankfully Berhalter’s goal perked up the place a bit (understatement of the year).

If you were there, tell us about the game! I had so much time to think during the blackouts that I started asking myself random questions, like, “I wonder if they’re selling out of beer now?” and “Who exactly is Don Garber speaking to on that phone?” I have to say, the crowd rocked the HDC and help rally our guys to win! Thank you, fans!

Anyway, I’ve got no well-thought analysis. Nathan has been rocking that lately. But I do have some photos care of zimbio.com and Getty Images. Enjoy!

This match promises to be a dogfight. The season series between the Los Angeles Galaxy and the Houston Dynamo featured exactly one goal and a lot of physical defending. If that sounds a lot like what Chivas and the Galaxy went through for the bulk of their five games this season, its not coincidence.

The Dynamo
As the former San Jose Earthquakes, the Dynamo don’t have a lot of friendly feelings for the Galaxy and their stingy defense is predicated on the same kind of manhandling that Gregg Berhalter and Omar Gonzalez specialize in dishing out and that the Galaxy faced in Paulo Nagamura and Marcelo Saragosa.

But whereas Chivas faced the Galaxy with the intensity that only an inter-stadium rivalry can produce and used that to elevate their play, the Dynamo have better talent that plays better together across the board than Chivas was able to field this year. That’s what’s going to make this game just as difficult as any in the SuperClasico.

The Dynamo feature a core of veteran players that are used to excelling at the highest levels and winning trophies. Pat Onstand, Brian Mullan, Brad Davis, Bobby Boswell, Ricardo Clark, and Brian Ching have spent years together and all were part of the Dynamo’s MLS Cup winning teams in 2007 and 2008 2006 and 2007 (yes, yes I know the Crew won it last year – it was a fun game that I saw in person. Clearly huffing paint and writing blog posts are not simpatico operations.). Relative newcomers like Stuart Holden, Geoff Cameron, and Andrew Hainault have added youth, speed, and skill in defense and midfield and they are backed up by veterans like Wade Barrett, Craig Waibel, and Eddie Robinson, though these last three have faced serious injury troubles all year long. A long season including Champions League play has spread experience deep within the team’s ranks and it recently augmented its relatively weak attack with designated player Luis Angel Landin, while including speedster Dominic Oduro up top with Ching.

Like the Galaxy, the Dynamo make their living from their starting midfield of Mullan, Davis, Clark and Stuart Holden, which is probably the best all-around unit in MLS. Every one of them can defend, every one is technically sound, and every one can get into the offense with ease.

Backed by a solid, if relatively inexperienced defensive four (Andrew Hauinault and Mike Chabala are in their first year of regular first-team action) that is itself back-stopped by the ageless Pat Onstad, the midfield likes to run a possession game with quick passes that uses forward Brian Ching’s excellent physical hold-up game to launch quick strikes from the flanks or create slashing runs into the 18. Oduro’s speed gives the team a dimension it has lacked for some time, though his decision-making and finishing aren’t the strongest.

The Galaxy
Here’s what we know. This team let in exactly half the number of goals it did in 2008. It defends as a unit. It refuses to lose (1-1-11 in its first 13 games). It has a backline of rookie stamina and veteran wiles. It features a pair of world-class midfielders in Landon Donovan and David Beckham. It has a mix of players that understand what it takes to play and win as a team and it is wonderfully devoid of ego problems. On paper there is no way this team beats the Dynamo. But we play this game on grass.

The Galaxy’s success this year has come from skillfully exploiting the immense talent of its two superstars and making sure everyone else plays his role to perfection. And playing professional-level defense. Players with veteran wiles and offensive savvy like Chris Klein and Eddie Lewis have been excellent support for the Landon-Becks connection and having real defensive disruptors like Dema Kovalenko and Stefani Miglioranzi has provided the kinds of defensive cover that was lacking last year.

The only place where inconsistency has reigned has been with the strike corps, where Edson Buddle can’t seem to get untracked and Mike Magee can’t find his groove.

Houston will want to play a possession game that allows it to build-up to attacks and exploit the disruptive speed of Oduro. It has excellent flank play with Davis, Holden, Hainault and Chabala all able to create dangerous situations. Ching’s target forward back-to-goal skills make the team the complete package.

The Galaxy will also look to control possession, using the passing acumen of Beckham to combing with the vision and uncanny runs of Donovan to wreak havoc in the Dynamo defensive third. They will also depend upon their backline to neutralize Oduro by frustrating him into making poor decisions and wear down Ching with physical play.

By positions:

Keeper: Donovan Ricketts vs. Pat Onstad
Pat’s got a decade on Ricketts, but other than that they are evenly matched. Both are big keeper who use uniformly good positioning and the occasional wonder save to keep their teams out of danger. Onstad had 10 clean sheets and so did Ricketts. This is a push.

Defense: Chabala Barrett (Chabala suspended for yellow card accumulation) – Boswell – Cameron – Hainault vs. Dunivant – Berhalter – Gonzalez – Franklin
The Dynamo is younger and less experienced and has had to make up for lots of defensive injuries all season long. But the youngsters have held their own and Geoff Cameron is having a career year while Boswell has been as steady as he ever was at DC United. On the other hand the Galaxy have the 2008 and 2009 Rookies of the Year starting in the back and underrated left back Todd Dunivant all organized by Gregg Berhalter. But the Galaxy is slower in back that Houston. Slight advantage to Houston.

Midfield: Davis – Clark – Mullan – Holden vs. Donovan – Kovalenko – Beckham – Klein/Birchall
I give the advantage to Houston for their completeness, but the intangibles of Donovan and Beckham playing at the top of their games will, I think, neutralize this strength. Kovalenko’s aggression could cause Ricardo Clark’s temper to fray, which would bad news for Houston. If Dunivant and Franklin can contain Holden and Davis, then the Galaxy wins in the middle.

Forwards: Ching – Oduro vs. Buddle – Magee
Ching is the only consistant performer in this foursome. He’s going to be a handful. If Oduro can make his speed count, then he could burn the Galaxy back four, but his finishing is poor and he makes bad decisions with regularity. If Buddle was on form and Magee’s creativity shows up, then the Galaxy strikers would have the edge, but Buddle hasn’t made it work since his injury against AC Milan and Magee’s magic takes too many nights off. This one’s a push as well.

The big advantage the Galaxy has is playing at home at the Home Depot Center. The wide field will help neutralize the Dynamo’s passing game, honed in the narrow confines of Robertson Stadium, and the home crowd will give the team a psychological edge. The unrelenting team-oriented defense from the Galaxy should contain some of the explosiveness of the Houston midfield and the unpredictability of Landon Donovan and David Beckham will give the Galaxy an advantage going forward that could cause lots of trouble for the Houston backline.

If the Galaxy strikers could be relied upon to score, I’d say Galaxy 2-0. But I don’t think so. So I’m going with Galaxy 1-0.

What about you all? Who needs to step up? Who needs to perform? Who do you want to see starting? What is your prediction for the final score?

What others are saying:
MLSNet Preview
Dylan Butler with the MLSNet Dynamo perspective
Larry Morgan at MLSNet with a Ching-Donovan angle
Larry Morgan with the Galaxy perspective
Dwain Capodice at MLSNet with another Dynamo perspective
Ives Galarcep at SBI.net says what I said, but shorter and more clearly. Sigh.
Andrew Hush at ESPN’s SoccerNet
Beau Dure at USA Today with playoff previews
Jeffrey Marcus at the NY Times’ Goal blog
Chris Duncan at the LA Daily News
Jeff Carlisle at ESPN SoccerNet
Bernardo Fallas at the Houston Chronicle
Phil Collin at the Daily Breeze
Ridge Mahoney at SoccerAmerica
The Telegraph (UK) on Beckham playing for the Galaxy over England

Thoughts on beating Chivas and taking on Houston

And boy does he deserve it! The man is a miracle worker.

Good on ya, Bruce. Keep Klein in the line up for Friday and let’s kick some Houston ass!

More on the story from Nick Green.

And those words are: Meeting the challenge.

Right. So before the first playoff leg I predicted a series score of 2-1. Then before the second playoff leg, seeing the kind of chaos the two teams were creating and the resulting goals, I predicted 2-1 for the game on Sunday.

So, looking at a 3-2 aggregate and a 1-0 second leg scoreline, you can see that I bloody well can’t predict anything when it comes to these two teams. Good thing this is a post-game analysis, then, right?

One things was clear from the opening kick-off: the Galaxy were ready to take the game directly to Chivas USA and planned to play attacking futbol all night long. Within the first two minutes they had a legitimate attack on goal, though it needed with a relatively soft diving header from Landon Donovan that Zach Thornton bobbled a bit, but safely controlled in the end. And that was most of the story of the evening. For the first 35 minutes or so, the Galaxy had the better of possession and the attack, utilizing superb performances from Donovan and David Beckham. Chivas clawed their way back for the final 10 minutes of the half, relying on youth and speed to carry the day. But whereas the Galaxy forced Thornton to earn his Keeper of the Year award, the Goats were done-in by poor finishing. And that was pretty much the story of the second-half as well.

Okay, maybe I cheated a bit by simplifying the story. First, the Galaxy took almost twice as many shots as Chivas (17-9) and had three times as many on goal (6-2). And that differential comes from a Galaxy defense that shook off an embarrassing performance from the week before to live up to the reputation it has put together over the course of this year. Omar Gonzalez especially put his forgettable performance behind him and stood tall for 90 minutes. It’s not the he didn’t get beaten, its that he tracked back and threw his body on the line. He had an amazing sliding block in the second half that seemed like a sure Chivas goal until he broke thing up.

Second, the Galaxy superstars came through the way they are supposed to. Both Beckham and Donovan gave performances that were a level above what they accomplished on the first leg. The epitome of that partnership was the sequence that led to the penalty kick when Beckham, from beyond the center stripe on the right found a streaking Donovan in the final third on the left. Then Donovan made a superb pass to Mike Magee, alone on the far post. Who took a horrible first touch but was nailed by a gnarly knee to the nargiles from Yamith Cuesta for the penalty.

And that points out one of the weaknesses on the Galaxy side. Magee was only adequate – he made some good runs, but could never get the ball off his feet, botching most touches and passes. Edson Buddle was much better this game, but continues to show a disturbing tendency to dribble himself into trouble. I love that he takes on defenders. But I want him to do it smartly. Taking on three at once when an easy pass to the wing for the cross into the box is an option is just not good futbol.

On the other hand, the number of outstanding performances on the field was far greater than those that failed to meet expectations. Dema Kovalenko was everywhere all game long disrupting build-up after build-up in the middle and causing no end of trouble. Both Todd Dunivant and Sean Franklin held their sides of the field and contributed smart offensive thrusts. Chris Klein looked fantastic, offering more offense from the right than Chris Birchall normally does. Gregg Berhalter was steady, marshaling the backline with veteran savvy and determination. And Donovan Ricketts came up with two massive saves to preserve the victory.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the night from a tactical standpoint was the switches the offense went through as it worked to unsettle the Chivas defense. Donovan played on the left, then he played as a withdrawn striker with Magee on the left (these two seemed to dominate most of the night), finally he ended up on the right when Beckham came out after suffering back spasms and a twisted ankle. No wonder Donovan gets the big bucks.

Overall, it was a deserving victory over a tough opponent. One made sweeter because of who that opponent was. Once again, the Galaxy own Chivas USA.

Friday at 8PM the Galaxy face Houston in the Western Conference championship match. This one’s going to be even tougher.

Man of the Match: Landon Donovan (and not just because of the penalty kick)

What others are saying:
Larry Morgan with the MLSNet game recap
Matthew Hall at the Los Angeles Examiner
Steve Davis at ESPN SoccerNet
Larry Morgan again, this time with the Galaxy perspective
Eric Altshule at MLS Talk
Luis Bueno at Goal.com (who is on Facebook bragging about wearing his Dynamo jersey around town this weekend…)
Goal.com player ratings
Scott French at LA Soccer News
Jill Painter at the LA Daily News with a feature on Landon Donovan
Phil Collin at the same paper (well, part of the same chain)
Damian Calhoun at the OC Register
Jeffrey King with the Chivas perspective at MLSNet
Randy Kim at Fanhouse
Grahame Jones at the LA Times
Nick Green at 100 Percent Soccer
AP at SoccerNet
A host of good stuff from the official LA Galaxy blog: game notes, game quotes, and some video reactions, too.

Game Hightlights

So here we sit, anticipating the second leg of the first plyoff series the Galaxy has been in since 2005, against SuperClasico rival Chivas USA. And i have to say that the way the first game was played offers precious little in the way of predicting what will happen in the second.

Yes, the teams put a combined four goals up on the score board, which seems like an offensive-minded game and certainly upended my own predicted series aggregate score of 2-1 Galaxy. But those four goals all came from horrendous defensive miscues, including a few bone fide bonehead plays. Those were atypical of both teams which have notched 12 shutouts each this season and featured stifling goals-against averages.

Yes, Landon Donovan and David Beckham played in their first playoff game together and played adequately. But neither one of them put their stamp on the game and were, for the most part, marked out of having an impact. Donovan’s miscommunication in the midfield led to the first Chivas goal, and Beckham spent too much time too deep in his end of the field to spark the kinds of quick-passing attacks that have led to many Galaxy goals over the season.

And, yes Zach Thornton is MLS Keeper of the Year, but his defense did him no favors last week.

So where do we sit, hours before the deciding game? Here’s the breakdown:

Keepers: Still even. Both keepers were mugged by their own defenders on the four goals and both came up with difficult saves to keep their teams level. Going into today there’s no reason to expect that either one of them have had a dip in form. If anything Donovan Ricketts might be motivated to show-up Thornton for getting an award that Ricketts could have conceivably been offered.

Backline: Last week I said that the Galaxy had the edge here for their mix of veteran leadership and youthful passion, not to mention the apparent skill of one past and one (potentially) present Rookie of the Year. Factor in the relative stability in the defensive corps for the bulk of the season and it seemed like a lock over the ever-shifting back four Chivas has been foreced to field due to injuries and drop in form. I mean, Jonathan Bornstein as a centerback? Really?

But after last week, I’m feeling slight trepidation in the Galaxy’s lock here. It all depends on how Gonzalez responds. Does he raise his intensity and concentration or does he let last week’s performance get inside his head? If he performs with the maturity he’s shown all season, then I think it will be the former. And if that’s the case, I have to go with the Galaxy backline over Chivas and count on defensive slips as the Chivas defenders still figure out how to play with each other.

Midfield: Last week I gave the Galaxy the edge here as well. This week the edge on paper still goes to the Galaxy, but last week’s performance has to be thought of as even at best. The combination of the league’s best passer with its best creative force should have outclassed a Chivas midfield made up of two bruisers and an out-of-form creative engine. Not so much. Apparently putting Chris Lahoud on man-to-man duty on Becks is enough to take him out of a game. And, though Donovan showed sparks of creativity, he didn’t deliver the kind of game we saw in the intense game against Chicago at home. I still think the Galaxy midfield can outclass who Preki can put on the field. But they have to play like it or Chivas wins.

Forwards: And here’s why the Galaxy mdfield has to perform: Chivas’ attack. It’s true that Chivas is the only team in the league that has failed to score at least three goals in a game this season. But their attack has suffered all season long from injuries and inconsistent personnel availability. Now that Maykel Galindo has shown his fitness and Justin Braun has shown his ability to partner well with whomever else he’s working with, the Chivas attack is at its most potent. Preki can also bring offense off the bench in the form of Lillingston, Lahoud, Padilla, and Flores.

The Galaxy, on the other hand, are going with the spark-less duo of Mike Magee and Edson Buddle. On paper these two should click. In practice, they just don’t. Last game was filled with way to man Buddle give-aways, runs not anticipated by Magee, and collective lack of concentration. Magee’s creativity took a break from this game and he left Donovan to do most of the work here. The bench of Kirovski, Gordon, and Jordan do not inspire much confidence either. In fact, the biggest offensive sparks off the bench are likely to be Eddie Lewis and Chris Klein. Who are both in the midfield.

Outlook for today: The Galaxy will gain a bit of momentum by having the majority of the crowd behind them, but Chivas fan will be out in numbers for this match-up, taking away some of the home-crowd edge. The Galaxy can take comfort from knowing that it was their own mistakes that cost the win last week, not getting outplayed. But so can Chivas.

However, the Galaxy can look directly at its two best players and see that if they play the kind of game of which they are both supremely capable, then they can dominate Chivas for most of the game.

The biggest question mark for the afternoon is how the increasingly confident Chivas attackers will fare against a Galaxy defense that relies more on guile and strong communications than speed and technical ability to shutdown opponents. If the Galaxy can recapture the defensive form that got them here in the first place, then their midfield should, in the end, create enough to defeat the Goats and put the Galaxy into the conference final. If the defense can’t handle the Chivas attack, it will be a long and disappointing afternoon for the team and fans.

Prediction: Galaxy 2-1, 4-3 on aggregate.

What others are saying:

Three stories from MLSNet here, here, and here.
Luis Bueno at SI.com
Grahame Jones at the LA Times
Andrea Canales at Goal.com
Luis Bueno at the Press-Enterprise
The AP at CBSSports (where they inexplicably say the game will be played at the Rose Bowl).
Ives Galarcep at ESPNSoccernet
Angel Magana at LAist.com
LA Soccer News
Phil Collin at the Whittier Daily News
Mark Rogondino’s View From The Booth

What do you think the Galaxy needs to do to win? Who needs to step up? Share your thoughts below.

Ricketts and Josh Saunders are each nominated for Save of the Year.

Take a look and rock the vote on this election day.

You can vote for Goal of the Year here.

You can vote for Save of the Year here.

Welcome back to the playoffs!

It has been three long and, to be blunt, disastrous years since the last time the Galaxy played post-season futbol. That year they peaked at the right time after basically backing in to the playoffs and ended up taking the MLS Cup from New England on Pando Ramirez’s only goal of the season.

Now the team is back, completing a version of worst-to-first after having finished tied for the worst record in the West last year and having finished first in the West this year.

It would be hard to overstate how much a team-oriented approach to defending, one that relies on midfield tenacity and backline grit, underlies the Galaxy’s success this year. After giving up 62 goals last year, the team gave up 31 this year. And the team enters the first round of the playoffs with the fewest losses, six, of any team in the league.

But while the defense has improved, the offense has stagnated. Edson Buddle, fighting through another year with injuries, has rarely looked like the striker he was during the first half of 2008. Mike Magee, whom I tagged at the beginning of the year as a player who needed to make an impact, has shown flashes of creativity and spark, but has found it difficult to form a strike partnership with anyone except Landon Donovan. (But, really, I could form a partnership with Donovan.) Bryan Jordon hasn’t developed the kind of ball skills necessary to flourish at this level. Alan Gordon continues to be Alan Gordon. And while Jovan Kirovski is nominally an attacking player, I simply can’t find any evidence of this assertion during any of his years in MLS. Alecko Eskandarian, who does have the skills to make a serious impact, has suffered from head injuries for years and might not be able to come back at all from his latest.

In other words, goals are at a premium, with the team only finding the back of the net 36 times in 30 games, the 3rd worst among playoff teams and 5th worst overall.

Luckily they are playing Chivas USA, which is one of the teams who actually struck for fewer goals (34) than the Galaxy during the course of the season. Chivas also makes its living off of its defense, which has actually been fairly makeshift all season, but has a solid core in Jon Bornstein, Carey Talley, Yamith Cuesta, and Mariano Trujillo. Just like the Galaxy, the defending on Chivas is centered on the skill of its midfield, which has featured disupters like Jesse Marsch and Paulo Nagamura and offensive forces like Sacha Kljestan. Chivas likes to establish possession and then play through Kljestan to connect with the front-runners.

The main reason that Chivas havsn’t scored this year has been the fact that most of its strikers have spent chunks of time injured. None of the five strikers currently listed on the active roster have played more than 25 games or started more than 15. On the other hand, the strikers are now mostly healthy and give Preki a wealth of options to use up top, including the dependable Eduardo Lillingston, the flashy Maicon Santos, and the speedy Maykel Galindo.

A secondary reason the offense has sputtered has been a sub-par season from Kljestan, who has fallen off sharply from the level of play that earned him a starting spot on the U-23 team that competed in the 2008 Olympics.

So enough about season-long issues, let’s get to the match-up.

Galaxy Strengths

Galaxy Weaknesses

Chivas Strengths

Chivas Weaknesses

Given the problems on offense and the generally tough defense on both sides, we might be in for another 0-0 game. But with Chivas bringing in a fit strike corps and with Landon Donovan and David Beckham fully-integrated into the Galaxy scheme, there could be opportunities on both ends of the field.

However, I think this will be a tough game determined in the middle of the park. Both teams are having trouble getting and finishing chances, but both have quality midfield with players willing to give the crunching tackle. I would give the Galaxy the edge in the backline with Rookie of the Year candidate Omar Gonzalez getting it done under the direction of canny veteran Gregg Berhalter and outside backs Sean Franklin and Todd Dunivant providing quality wing play and incisive offensive runs when necessary. The stability in the back gives the Galaxy more to work with than Chivas.

The midfield likewise belongs to the Galaxy because of David Beckham and Landon Donovan, though Chris Birchall has proven his worth and Dema Kovalenko has been an adequate replacement for the injured Stefani Migiloranzi. Chivas can match the Galaxy’s disruptors, but has problems on the offensive side unless Kljestan decides to shake off his funk. Throw in Eddie Lewis and Chris Klein on the Galaxy side and I don’t think the Goats can compete.

But up front I have to give the advantage to Chivas with a healthy group of four quality strikers to choose from. The Galaxy hasn’t been able to establish any kind of rhythm or partnership up top all year with Edson Buddle turning in an especially disappointing year.

The goalkeeping is basically a wash with Donovan Ricketts and Zach Thornton both playing instrumental roles in their teams’ success this year.

On balance, I think this series goes to the Galaxy. Their defensive fundamentals are so good and their midfield so talented that they can overcome their scoring problems. Putting Donovan on the pitch with Beckham providing service means there will eventually be an offensive break-through over the course of the two games. There is no such guarantee from the Goats.

Prediction: Galaxy 2-1 on aggregate.

What others are saying:

Billy Witz at the New York Times
Andy Firchau at ESPN Soccernet
Martin Rogers at Yahoo Sports
Jim Alexander in the Press-Enterprise
MLSNet Preview
Grahame Jones at the LA Times
Luis Bueno at Goal.com
Jack Bell at the NY Times
Andrea Canales at Goal.com
LA Soccer News
Angel Magana at LAist.com
This Week Inside the LA Galaxy
Nick Green at 100 Percent Soccer

What about you guys? Who’s going to win? Why?

I think we have the edge in today’s match. But don’t count Chivas out. When it’s a derby match, each team can play their best soccer of the season. Today it should be the Galaxy. If Buddle is on his game today, we will be unstoppable.

I’m so nervous/excited that I can’t think of anything else intelligent to say. Who do you think will be in the starting line up? Magee? Birchall? Lewis and Klein as Super Subs? Will Gordo get a chance if Buddle is off his game? Ohhhh, I’m really nervous! Have I said that already?

Many blogs and blurbs I’ve read have our Galaxy going all the way to the finals and winning. I’m knocking on laminate that they are right.

Beckham talks playoffs (video)

Excellent video preview ( I love the *thunk!* of Becks’ goal against Chivas in August)

View From the Booth

100 Percent Soccer

Goal.com

soccerlens.com

NBCLosAngeles

The Official Galaxy Blog

In a fitting display on their home turf, the Los Angeles Galaxy put the finishing touches on a worst-to-first regular season for 2009. After a horrific 2008, the culmination of years of front-office incompetence and on-field underachievement accomplished under the glare of international media, the Galaxy put together a season that culminated in a first-in the West finish and a return to the playoffs for the first time since 2005. With the defeat of Columbus on Sunday evening by the New England Revolution, the Galaxy finished with the second-best record in the league, one point behind the Supporter’s Shield winning Crew and tied on points with Houston (winning on the head-to-head tie breaker).

The game itself was one of the better displays by a Galaxy team this year. Showing the kind of aggression that a superior team playing on its home field must display, the Galaxy took the game directly to the Earthquakes, dominating the first 20 minutes comprehensively. With a front six of Mike Magee, Edson Buddle, Landon Donovan, David Beckham, Chris Birchall, and Dema Kovalenko, the Galaxy put one of its better attack-minded line-ups on the field. This resulted in several chances in the first 30 minutes, including a scorching Beckham shot that just missed wide left of the goal. Landon Donovan’s goal in the 27th minute, deflecting off the leg of SJ defender Bobby Burling was typical of the Galaxy attack in the first half – lost of possession, passes to the wings, crosses into the box.

But while the aggression and approach were refreshing for a team that made its mark this year through tough defense and tenacious midfield play, the passing was often less than crisp, almost lazy. The play in the final third was plagued by easy give-aways, poor first touches, and errant passes. Everyone in the attack was at fault at some point in the game, which added a level of frustration to what was otherwise an encouraging show.

That said, it was another solid team effort that built from the back. Once again the backline and goalkeeping was steady as a rock. Todd Dunivant, perhaps the most underrated player on the field, was solid on the left, dealing with a speedy Shea Salinas with aplomb and getting forward into the attack with regularity. Gregg Berhalter did a stand-up job in the middle and in organizing the defense. Omar Gonzalez made several stops as the last defender back, defusing attack after attack. And Sean Franklin had his best game back from injury, playing at full speed without struggling and combining very nicely on the right with Becks and Birchall.

The second half of the game wasn’t quite as nice as the first, though the team again ran right at San Jose. But Mike Magee’s day was not stellar, just workmanlike and his average touch and creativity was responsible for a number of attacks that fizzled. Buddle’s game was much better than recent games, though he was not instrumental in any of the scoring. What improved the game in the second half was bringing on Eddie Lewis and then Chris Klein, who both brought veteran wiles, decision-making, and crisp passing to go with their fresh legs. They immediately improved the creativity of the Galaxy attack, even as Donovan went up top to play as a withdrawn striker. The epitome of this was the second goal of the evening which started with Beckham lauching a counter to Donovan in the middle of the park who passed wide to Klein who threaded a perfect pass back to Donovan at the top of the 18 where Donovan used his striker’s touch to beat Joe Cannon. It was beautiful.

I wonder if this means that we should start games with one of Lewis or Klein on the field, to increase the creativity on the field. I’m a fan of putting Birchall in the middle and platooning Lewis and Klein on the right (or left with Donovan on the opposite wing). Magee and Buddle up top should be a decent combination, but Magee needs to do better when he has the ball. And while I’m noting what can be better, I’m not that happy with how deep David Beckham often drops to collect the ball – as deep as Shalrie Joseph does often, but David has more offense in him than Joseph does in the normal run of things (though let me say that Joseph has plenty of offense in him). It sometimes takes Becks out of the game when he does this, though with Donovan as the intended target maybe that’s not a problem in the end. But it does make me want more Lewis/Klein on the field.

And that’s important because in order to win the Cup this year the team needs to score consistently and it’s consistently had problems putting the ball in the back of the net. Now that the team is going to be playing the elite teams in the league, offense is the piece that needs the most work. Defense wins championships, but we’ve got that this year. We still need to score. So consider that our charge. The only redeeming factor here, is that the first games of the playoffs are against Chivas, which has been having its own problems scoring lately.

But if the team takes the game to its opponents like it did last night (and playing all games at the HDC will make that easier), then it will be putting itself in the place to win. Add in the fact that the team is probably the healthiest it has been all season and the Galaxy need to be taken seriously as a team to challenge for the cup.

Playoffs for the Galaxy start on Nov. 1, Sunday, at 2PM PST (that’s the day the time change occurs to don’t let that screw you up) at the HDC with the Galaxy as the visiting team. Given the fact that Chivas can’t the stadium up, this is an opportunity for Galaxy fans to come close to parity with Chivas fans and make the game more like a home fixture. Tickets here. Le’ts make it happen.

Man of the Match: Landon Donovan

Official Team Awards
Humanitarian of the Year: Todd Dunivant
Defender of the Year: Donovan Ricketts
Golden Boot: Landon Donovan
MVP: Landon Donovan

What others are saying.

ESPN on Becks getting an ovation after being taken out in the 85th minute.
Ivan Orozco at MLSNet with the San Jose perspective
Larry Morgan at MLSNet with the Galaxy perspective
Larry Morgan at MLSNet with the game recap
Andrea Canales at Goal.com with a story on the Galaxy’s season of redemption
LA Soccer News with the game recap
The Sun (of England) with raunchy snark
AFP with another story on the worst-to-first angle
Joseph D’Hippolito at the San Jose Mercury News
Angel Magana at LAist
Luis Bueno at the Press-Entreprise (complete with podcast)
The AP at the Mercury News
Game recap at the Party Line blog (official LA Galaxy blog)
Locker room quotes from the Party Line blog
Miguel Melendez at the San Bernardino Sun
Nick Green at 100 Percent Soccer
Grahame Jones at the LA Times

Highlights