Galaxy vs. Chivas Playoff Preview

By: NathanHJ | November 1st, 2009

LD-Becks

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

Stingy defense

Midfield bite

Team play

Galaxy Weaknesses

Slowish backline

Offensive creativity

Bench depth

Chivas Strengths

Goalkeeping

Tough midfield

Quickness up top

Chivas Weaknesses

Lack of stable lineup

Midfield creativity

Finishing inside the 18

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?

Some Related Galaxy Posts:

Category: Player News

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David

I don't think MLS will ever be up to EPL quality nor do I really think it should try. I am also skeptical of critics who say that attendance is down because game play has become less exciting.

To me, the main thing MLS does is create a career path for young soccer players in this country. Barely a decade ago, there were no more than a couple dozen Americans who could make a real career playing soccer in the world. Today, thanks to MLS, there are hundreds. That gives young athletes more of a reason to stick with soccer. That in turn means more talent in MLS. That means more Americans with a prospect of going abroad, a brighter future for the national team, and more exciting soccer here.

I don't have a magic bullet to improve attendance for MLS. But I think as Americans stick with the sport and improve overall that will increase interest.

Contrary to the current strategy of making MLS like European leagues, that means trying to be more like the South American leagues that largely serve as feeders to Europe. Wouldn't you come out to see the next Adu or Altidore before they head off to Europe?
David

As expected, Beckham will be with Milan until WC.

http://m.espn.go.com/soccer/st...
David

I was predicting Columbus and Seattle in the final with Columbus winning, but after last weekend maybe not.
Laurie

Off topic, we have a poll up over on our MLS page: Who will win the Cup?

http://mls.theoffside.com/majo...
Laurie

At the end of the game on ESPN, Dellacamera says something like, "The players are exhausted. They left it all on the field."

Harkes says, "Well...yeah. Maybe some of them." As the camera was focused on Beckham.
Colin

A friend of mine went with me to the game yesterday, and I think his statement pretty much summed up this series: "Chivas USA are happy that they didn't LOSE. The Galaxy are upset that they didn't WIN."

I thought Beckham was out of sorts yesterday, especially with his passing. Their rhythm on offense was terrible, so hopefully that gets cleared up by next week. I'd be surprised if you saw as many defensive miscues from Omar this weekend. Early prediction: Galaxy 2-Chivas USA 0.
Laurie

David, keep in mind that my comment was written at the half, after several intense minutes where the Galaxy had played crisp pass after crisp pass. I got carried away.

By the end of the second half, reality had set in and I would definitely have agreed with you. I take it back. Except for the rare few minutes that happen occasionally and make my heart go zzzing.

Someday, though. Someday.
Diane

Laurie, :-( those teams could certainly have given LFC a game on this weekend :-( .
Diane

Speed. Have to keep possession, any playoff or Cup contender will know well by now how to exploit with pace. Ricketts exquisite of course.

What is A.J. DeLaGarza's injury status? I can't even remember what it was -- hamstring?
David

What a game this was. More for the near heart attack inducing moments than for the beauty. Replay was a gift and a curse today. I watched over and over as the Chivas player knocked a beautiful through ball right to Donovan for the Galaxy's second goal, wondering each time why he would do that. But the Galaxy had their own share of embarrassments. The revelatory OG especially, unfortunately. I still feel like this series is ours to lose, not theirs to win. I'm going to be out of the country and will miss the next match, but am sending my boys to yell their lungs out for me.
David

Laurie, I am an ardent MLS supporter, but have to disagree with you about the quality as compared to EPL games. I watched Birmingham play a couple of weeks ago and it was miles above MLS. Not that our teams are bad. But none can match the speed and precision of even the worst EPL team.

To me, MLS is exiting for two reasons. First, because it is actual live, professional soccer played at a pretty high level that we can go see first hand -- some of us actually in soccer stadia. Second, because it is where American stars of the future may well get their start (see Jozy). It is a far cry from EPL, but then so is nearly everything else.
Laurie

I jinxed you with my comments. Sorry.
nathanhj

Oh Alan Gordon! That's two great .looks tha came to nothing.
nathanhj

Oh shit. Ricketts down after a goal kick.

He's going to play through it. But it looks painful.
nathanhj

Galaxy needs a good stretch of midfield possesstion. Lewis coming in to Magee should help.
nathanhj

Galaxy on their heels here. Need to calm down.
nathanhj

Preki made the adjuatmenr and it paid off. Its going to be a battle for the rest of the game.
Laurie

(P.S. By "looked sharp" I'm mostly talking about control of the midfield. But definitely sharper than Chivas.)
Laurie

Wow, the Galaxy looked SHARP first half. Granted both goals were direct results of Chivas errors, but still... I wish some of the Eurosnobs who talk about the low quality of MLS would watch this game or the Seattle-Houston game back-to-back with a mid- to lower-table Prem game. The difference in quality is really not that huge.

Also, after watching the games so far I can't imagine that an Eastern Conference team will take the Cup this year. I think whoever takes the West will take it all.
nathanhj

You would never know that Chivas was the home team. The Galaxy has dominated possession the entire game. The Chivas midfield has been chasing the ball the entire half and aside from the Chivas goal has found it hard to get into the Galaxy's half.

The Galaxy's two goals have been the reuslt of pwrsistance and heart rather than style and grace. Too many final passes have been errant and the front runners are not in sync. Donovan has been very goodM but was taken out of the .atch foe the middle 10 mintues of the half. Becks jas not been involved enough and has sent an uncharacteristic number of bad passes into the final third.

Still the team has taken the game to Chivas and Chivas hasn't adjusted. Preki meeds to make a couple of changes early or it is just going to be more of the same. Which would b fine with me.
nathanhj

Galaxy doing a good job w possession for the fisrt 27 min. Bas passing in the final third, tho. Not happy with so many squandered chances.
nathanhj

Mike Magee!
nathanhj

Wow. First shot from chivas is a goal.

Not what I predicted.

Backline caught sleeping fron a counter that started from a poor pass fron Donovan and worse touch fron Magee that resulted in a turnover and break.
nathanhj

The line-up card from the Chivas front office has left off a mess of players. Including David Beckham, Sean Franklin, both Galaxy keepers, and Chris Birchall.

They've also left off a few Chivas players as well including Justin Braun who is probably starting for them today.

Pretty low rent.
nathanhj

Same starting line-up as the last game of the season.

Ricketts
Dunivant - Berhalter - Gonzalez - Franklin
Donovan - Kovalenko - Beckham - Birchall
Magee - Buddle
jen

I agree Frank. I really hope we can keep Esky for next year and that he is physically able to play. I think Buddle may have one more year to prove himself and stay injury free and then we'll be looking elsewhere.

I'm so excited! Just a short while now until kickoff!!
Frank

Thanks for the preview and links, Nathan! I'm really sad that Esky won't be able to contribute. I thought that he and Buddle would have made a great attacking duo. They looked good the few times they were on the field together. Ah well, we will still prevail!!