UPDATED: SuperClasico Tonight!

By: jen | July 11th, 2009

Just us here for live commentary in the (you guessed it) comments section. I would commit to live-blogging it, but I can’t count on staying functionally awake until 1am my time.

It should be a great match — entertaining with lots of side action. This is Eskandarian’s first game against his former team, and Chivas is his former team by fewer than two weeks.

Eskandarian said he is trying to keep from getting too emotional about the showdown. He remembers a game earlier in his career when his new team, Toronto FC, played his former team, D.C. United. Eskandarian played with little direction and purpose, not that he could have helped it.

“I was definitely overcome with emotion,” he said. “I wanted to do so well so badly I was running around like a madman. I scored, but I also wasted a lot of energy.

“Hopefully, I’ve learned from it and I’ll be calm and composed on Saturday.”

It is also Landon’s first game back with the team. Some spoke of his absence due to “illness” at last Saturday’s game as suspicious. I think the man was just exhausted. Paul Oberjuerge said last Friday that, “Landon called in sick today and didn’t go to practice (he looked ill, frankly, when I saw him yesterday).”

So tonight will be Donovan’s homecoming. Eskandarian and Buddle up top, with Landon in the middle — should be fun to watch!

Chivas will also have the advantage of returning players Jonathan Bornstein and Sasha Kljestan from Confederations Cup National Team duty.

I’m looking forward to a well played and well fought game.

My prediction: Galaxy 2, Chivas 1

More links:

LA Times’ Grahame Jones

Goal.com’s Allen Ramsey

Laurie’s MLS weekend predictions (She’s predicting and Galaxy win, but by a different score.)

Pre-game Comments from NathanHJ: Apologies to the dozen or so of you who find the time and constitutionaly fortitude to read my post-game analyses for the lack of such from last week’s game against Houston. My brother was in town and even though I had promised myself to get around to it, I never did, preferring to chill with him during a much-needed vacation for both of us. So many thanks go to Jen for holding down the fort and getting up a passel of timely postings, including this one.

I wanted to add my two cents on what the game might look like. It has, as Jen noted, several sidelights that will add texture and dimension to the context of the game: Eskandarian’s first game against his late team, Donovan’s return after a triumphant Confederations Cup, and the return of two key players to Chivas USA in Bornstein and Kljestian.

It also will be a test for both clubs. The Galaxy are riding a two game winning streak and three out of the last five. Chivas hasn’t won since June in all competitions and is feeling the burden of its rash of injuries and call-ups. Both clubs are missing regular starters in Shavar Thomas (CUSA) and Donovan Ricketts (Galaxy) both playing for Jamaica in the Gold Cup. This loss is bigger for the Galaxy than for Chivas, though you see the Goats digging pretty deep into their depth chart at central defender – activating Bobby Burling from the disabled list. On the other hand Josh Saunders is easily the most improved Galaxy player this year, playing a confident game against the Dynamo last week and getting the call again tonight.

The Galaxy attack gets its engine back with Donovan playing probably the best futbol of his life and being able to add Eskandarian to the mix. If he get regular minutes and doesn’t get injured he can make the Galaxy attack one of the most potent in the league. Tonight the Galaxy can put Esky, Buddle, Donovan, Lewis and Magee on the field at once. Next week in New York it can put Esky, Buddle, Donovan, Lewis, Beckham, and Birchall on the field at once. Depending on Birchall’s performance, all of a sudden the team can compete with the class of the league. Tonight is the first step toward something the could put the team in the heart of the playoff race, especially since a win tonight puts the Galaxy within three points of Chivas.

Chivas, on the other hand, needs to solve its problems. It’s offense hasn’t clicked well for the last month and its makeshift defense has given up inopportune goals on numerous occasions, though it can’t yet be called pourous. And of course there is still Zach Thornton to contend with, a keeper having a career year. The attack is having problems finishing even though it boasts Lillington and Galindo and Atiba Harris is having his best year in MLS. Getting Bornstein back will help the flank play, though Kljestian’s return isn’t much of a blessing given his flat performances this season.

So we’ve got one team on the upswing and one team muddling through a rough patch with a lot of games. The fact that both teams play hard against each other and that both teams really need the points on offer this should be a good game, if the referee can keep a lid on the fouling and rough play. Given the Galaxy’s continued tough defensive play and the offensive injection Donovan should bring back with him from South Africa plus Chivas USA’s makeshift defense and offensive struggles, I think this Galaxy can win this. I’m going with Jen’s 2-1 prediction for the final score.

One last thing: if you have been following the story of AEG’s vendetta against the bacon-wrapped hotdog vendors, nicely laid out in this article from the Daily Breeze, and you, like me, would rather have this classic feature of Southern California cuisine back at the HDC rather than being literally run out of town (AEG is actually paying the police’s overtime to conduct the vendor sweeps), then drop a note in the comments. I’m talking with folks about what we as fans can do to push AEG to stop being the Evil Empire and get the sublime combination of pork wrapped around beef back at futbol games where it belongs. I’ve love to hear from people who are interested in the same thing.

And, of course, feel free to drop your pre-game notes in the comments and follow-along during the game. I’ll be posting occasionally from my phone while I take in the game from the visitors section.