I’ve Got Three Words: Galaxy vs. Chivas Post-Game Analysis

By: NathanHJ | July 12th, 2009

And those words are: I’ll take it.

The Galaxy put together their longest winning streak of the year at three, all 1-0 victories, all against tough teams (Houston, New England, Chivas), though you could argue that this is turning out to be a kind of lost season for the Revs. The scoreline is starting to remind me of the increasingly iconic 2-0 result that the US MNT always seems to get in huge games.

It’s not like any of these victories have been the result of the kind of play that gives this sport its nickname. There was nothing beautiful about these matches except the final score and perhaps the sequences that led to the goals. These were grind-it-out affairs dependent on team defending, solid goalkeeping, and a long-ball crossing game.

I have to admit I was expecting better last night with the return of Landon Donovan and the acquisition of Alecko Eskandarian who were teamed up for the first time. Landon has been playing some of the best futbol of his career and Esky brings the kind of offensive presence that didn’t really exist on the team once you got beyond Landon and Edson Buddle.

But Bruce Arena, for whatever reason, decided that instead of going with proven offensive threats Eddie Lewis and Chris Klein went with the inconsistent Mike Magee and the inexplicable Jovan Kirovski.

(Look, I know I’m just a fan – I haven’t spent my life on the futbol field training my body to trap balls, training my mind to read runs and see passing lanes, and building my fitness and muscle memory so that my approach to the game is as much instinct as it is thought. I get that. I get that these guys are working hard to pursue a dream and they are doing it in MLS where pursuing a dream can mean years making less than $20,000 a year, taking second jobs, and living in group situations. While I think the bottom salaries need to be raised, this kind of thing makes MLS my favorite league in the world.

But there are always players who I just don’t get what the coach sees that I don’t. Jovan Kirovski is one of those guys. What I see is a guy who’s not that fast, not that good with the ball at his feet, has not much of an aerial game in front of the net, passes uncreatively or badly, and whose crosses are mostly mediocre. I’m not the only one who doesn’t understand why he keeps getting starts. I’ve had numerous conversations along these same lines. It’s not like he burned up the pitch when he was with the Rapids. I don’t see what he brings that Klein and Lewis don’t also bring. The only thing he has on Alan Gordon is a better first touch. I’m just baffled by this choice. If anyone has any plausible idea why he starts and Klein sits, please pipe up in the comments.

But I digress…)

So. I expected offense and Arena started Kirovski. Tremendously unsatisfying and Kirovski himself had a below-par game taking on the Alan Gordon role of being where the Galaxy offense goes to die (bearing in mind that Gordon is one of those guys with a second job and roommates living his MLS dream). He compounded that problem this week by also giving the ball away in numerous situations that led directly to dangerous Chivas counter-attacks. It was a horrible performance that Arena awarded with the full 90 minutes and a late-game switch to the center attacking mid.

Needless to say, the short passing possession game that requires an active midfield with good touch and vision was pretty much missing from the game. It wasn’t all Kirovski, of course. Magee had an unispired game, Donovan played below his recent high standards for much of the game, and the Chivas midfield, which features Jesse Marsch and Paulo Nagamura, is always tough to play against (though Kljestan continued his season of disappointment and frustration). It was not accidental that the cross that Edson Buddle put away in the 31st minute came from AJ Delagarza from his right back position.

So let me talk about the backline for a minute. I love these guys. Even without Donovan Ricketts to back them up, these guys are playing with supreme confidence and intensity. Delagarza’s progress has been steady and he is starting to show consistent veteran poise while his passing and crossing games have gotten hugely better. Omar Gonzalez has been massive all year and last night he was a monster in the back, winning ball after ball in the air and breaking up play after play in the middle of the park. These two guys are a big reason why the Galaxy’s defense is 4th best in the league this year. Gregg Berhalter’s steadying veteran presense also has a lot to do with it, while Todd Dunivant’s flank play has added a new offensive threat, resulting in a goal and an assist in two out of the last three games (plus a blistering shot from 35 yards out last night that just missed). Josh Saunders is much improved from his early season showings, even from the June friendly against Herediano from Costa Rico. He deserves as much credit as anyone for the last two shutouts, including winning save of the week from last year.

There are some concerns going into the next stretch. The Galaxy plays five of the next six MLS games on the road, including a tough Saturday – Wednesday – Saturday trio of games against the Sounders (at home), then the Fire (Toyota Park), and then DC United (RFK). In that section of games are also two home friendlies (AC Milan and FC Barcelona). The anemic offense (19 goals, which is tied for 3rd worst in the league) needs an immediate shot in the arm. New players, who will hopefully address this problem, need to be integrated into the team. And the looming issue of off-the-field issues affecting on-the-field play concerning the relationship between Landon Donovan and David Beckham needs to be addressed and put to rest quickly.

Because the Galaxy is poised to make a run to the playoffs. The three game winning streak has them tied for the last playoff spot (four teams are tied for 6th), only seven points behind the league-leading Houston Dynamo. The expected insertion of Becks and Chris Birchall into the lineup for next weeks game at New York is supposed to lift the team back into the elite of the league. And, given the way the team has been playing, this is a distinct possibility. As has been pointed out in the comments of this blog, the Galaxy starting midfield could look like this: Lewis – Birchall – Donovan – Becks in a diamond formation with Birchall playing the Brian Carroll/Shalrie Joseph/Osvaldo Alonso role and Donovan playing the, umm, Landon Donovan role as a true number 10. Sitting behind an in-form Eskandarian and Buddle, this could be a goal-generating machine backed by a spine of solid and imposing defense.

But to get there, we’ve got to score goals and do it in a way that shuts teams down, doesn’t allow their midfield into the game. I’ll still take those 1-0 victories, but if we’re going to make this thing competitive we need to score more than once a game.

Man of the Match: Omar Gonzalez

What others are saying:

Scott Wolf at The Daily Breeze
The ever-wonderfully-snarky Grahame Jones at The Los Angeles Times
Nick Green in his 100 Percent Soccer blog
Jeffrey King with the MLSNet Chivas perspective
Luis Bueno with the MLSNet Galaxy perspective
Jeffrey King with the MLSNet recap
The Associated Press on Google News
Luis Bueno at The Press-Enterprise
Goal.com
Angel Magana at The LAist
Jaime Cardenas at the official LA Galaxy Blog
Chivas USA Fan Perspective from Chris at the ChivasUSA From The Stands blog
Dan Loney’s take on US-Haiti, Galaxy-Chivas, and L’Affaire Becks-Donovan

What about you guys? What did you see? Who did well? Who didn’t? Does anyone else wonder by Kirovski keeps getting starts? Who was your Man of the Match? Leave your thoughts and ideas in the comments below.