Post-Game Analysis: Galaxy vs. Red Bulls

By: NathanHJ | May 3rd, 2009

Let me start out by saying that I will take three points any day, any time, any way. I will take a home win, I will take the first victory of the season, and I will take the clean sheet that came with it.

But that doesn’t mean I have to be entertained by it.

We’re now seven weeks into the season, with the Galaxy completing game six. We’ve taken points from five of those games, and we’re one of only three teams in the league that have only lost 1 game. (The others are DC United, who we tied, and Chivas USA, who we also tied.) Not only that but we’ve taken points from the two road games we’ve played.

But we don’t ever really look good doing it. Not that I mind too much after the last two years. The ugliness on the field isn’t nearly as bad as it used to be. Some of the reasons we were horrid before were cheap giveaways, lack of offensive creativity, and a ramshackle defense more prone to inducing heart attacks in fans and coaches than in clearing balls or delivering sharp passes. In other words we basically sucked and it started in the back and worked its way into the defensive midfield.

This year has been a bit different.

For starters, we don’t suck. We are decidedly on the upswing from mediocre and charging hard for average. We’re pulling points from games we would have lost before and we’re pulling points from road games, something we haven’t done well for a few years now. All that is good.

But we are still a bit far away from being entertaining as we reach these milestones. The futbol lover in me finds this appalling. The Galaxy fan in me is more like, “STFU! We’re looking better than we have since the start of Abused Galaxy Fan Syndrome in aught-six.”

Cuz here’s the thing: We are a scrappy bulldog of a team that is exhibiting what pit bull owners call “gameness” – the never say die, never give up, never quit attitude that leads to success. Even if it is teeth-gnashingly ugly success, like too much sun damage mixed with too much plastic surgery (you had the money for the sun and surgery, but, boy howdy! do you scare the little children.)

The Red Bulls game is the perfect example of this. While it helped that the Red Bulls are a collection of futbol players in search of a team, the fact is that we were able to shut down Dane Richards, Mac Kandji, and Juan Pablo Angel, while pressuring the defense consistently. For the first 20 minutes the midfield, especially Dema Kovalenko, was winning every 50-50 ball and looking to make the offensive passes. Landon Donovan was well involved in the game and even Josh Tudela, who often does a fair impersonation of Pete Vagenas, was looking to spring people into the box. Both outside backs, Todd Dunivant and Sean Franklin, were getting into the attack with Franklin looking more and more comfortable taking on that responsibility. He also did a job on Kandji, helping to starve Angel of service.

Once again the backline was supremely organized, setting offsides traps, keeping their shape, communicating well and shutting down most attacks before they got started. A huge part of this has to be the acquistions of Donovan Ricketts and Gregg Berhalter. Ricketts was once again like a rock in the net, including on spectacular save on a sure goal that one its way to the upper right hand corner. Last year that would have gone in. Berhalter, who is not the fastest gent around, does a great job providing guidance to Franklin and Omar Gonzalez while using all his veteran wiles to neutralize big opposing forwards, in this case the supremely talented Angel. I have to say, thought, that it is time for Eddie Lewis to step it up and become dangerous all the time, not just once or twice a game. Where’s that connection he used to have with Landon when they were both in San Jo and when they play together for the Nats? We need some of that.

There is a visible difference between this team and the one that dropped a home decision to Colorado 3-2 just a few weeks ago, however. The defense has stabilized and begun to assert itself, helped by a healthy Ricketts and Dunivant. And Edson Buddle, in his first start of the season, was a handful for the NYRB defense. When he’s fully fit, he could have the same impact he had last season.

And we’re going to need it, because, while we’ve been stemming the bleeding in the back, we’ve been a bit anemic on offense. And Landon Donovan has been invovled in each the Galaxy’s goals so far this season. If we were going to have Landon for the entire season, then this might be okay, especially with Buddle starting to make an impact. However, we’re going to lose him for about two months this summer, unless a miracle occurs. True, we get Beckham back, but integrating a new player into the team will take time and Becks isn’t a forward. Time for Kirovski to reach his years-long promise of potential. Or for Bryan Jordan to start to make something happen.

But that’s a problem for the summer. Okay, maybe for Wednesday too, out at Rio Tinto against Real Salt Lake. I expect that we will do something like we did in Colorado: 10 men behind the ball, looking to capitalize on the counterattack, and working to frustrate the hell out of the opponents so they make mistakes.

And that wouldn’t be such a bad thing – being the team that everyone else hates to play against because our defense is frustrating the hell out of you. That’s a step up from the last two years. And I’ll take that just like I’m taking Saturday’s three points.

Impact Players: Landon Donovan, Edson Buddle, Dema Kovalenko, Sean Frankling, Gregg Berhalter

Man of the Match: Donovan Ricketts (for the third game in a row)

Here’s what others had to say:

Phil Collin at The Daily Breeze
Larry Morgan with the Galaxy perspective at MLSNet
Ivan Orozco with the NYRB perspective at MLSNet
Ivan Orozco with the MLSNet game recap
Grahame Jones at the LA Times
Luis Bueno at the Press Enterprise (You can also read his blog, The Touchline, here.)
Andrea Canales at Goal.com</a
The party line over at the LA Galaxy official blog

What about you guys? What did you see? What did you like? What was bad? What needs to be pointed out? Who did well? Who should never have suited up? Leave your thoughts and comments below.

PS: Kudos to Chris Klein for appearing in his 300th MLS game!