When you look at the LA Galaxy and the New York Red Bulls, a lot of similarities pop out at you. Both squads have a marquee player in the attack, young faces still finding themselves in MLS, and defenses that are trying to avoid conceding goals at the worst possible times in a match (not sure if there ever is a "good" time). Both sides are also near the bottom of their conference table, and trying to not fall too far behind the teams above them. Although, New York does have one thing the Galaxy does not... a win.
For the third straight week the Galaxy earned a draw in Colorado last Saturday, giving them three of a possible nine points over that time. There are some encouraging signs the way the team has responded to going down a goal each of the past two weeks, but that brings up the question, "When is LA going to be the team to strike first?" The Galaxy showed all the spirit and energy to score first this past weekend, controlling the tempo, creating chances going forward, and keeping the Rapids defense off balance. It all went out the window in the beginning of the second half, and right around the hour mark Colorado went in front.
Focusing on some of the positives, the line up put out by Bruce Arena was the strongest LA has put out this year. Defensively, Sean Franklin looked much more comfortable in the right back spot, and as Todd Dunivant continues to get match fit, his contributions will only grow. Berhalter is confident and smooth on the ball in the defensive third of the field and that seems to be rubbing off on Omar Gonzalez. And Donovan Ricketts is Donovan Ricketts. It is so great to have a solid GK back there once again. I say it all the time on the broadcasts, " a big save from a goalkeeper can sometimes be as good as a goal." Key word being sometimes!
The midfield continues to be a place where the Galaxy is going to have to be better. The strength of this part of the field is in the wide players. Lewis, Klein and even Bryan Jordan work hard to control the wide space on the field. Centrally the Galaxy do not have players that are going to beat players and create chances in the offensive third of the field, so it becomes more about "linking" players and changing the point of attack for the central midfield. Opponents are aware of this as well, so then the job of Kovalenko, Miglioranzi & Co. becomes that much more difficult. I think it is worth pointing out, Jovan Kirovski did a solid job in the attacking midfield spot when he came in as a second half sub... maybe a role will see more of him in the future.
Looking at New York, they have been the mark of inconsistency so far this season. They have lost the lead each of the past two weeks against Eastern Conference teams, and ended up earning one of a possible six points in the process. Galaxy fans are hoping they make it a third week in a row at The HDC on Saturday. This is a game that will tell Los Angeles just how far they have come with a month of season now behind them. If the Galaxy continue the "building" performance trend this week against NY, the team should be three points richer at the end of the 90 minutes. New York is a team that has found a way to be a thorn in the side of the Galaxy over the past few seasons. The Galaxy has just one win against New York since the team moved to the HDC, coming in 2006 and last year LA dominated the game for the opening 75 minutes, and tied the score in the 77th minute at 1-1. But, less than a minute later the Red Bulls came back and took the lead and the points too. If this is a changed LA team (like we have been hearing from many of the players), that kind of let down will not happen again.
No secret that if the Galaxy keep close tabs on Juan Pablo Angel, their chances of winning the game will be pretty good. The Columbian is arguably one of the most dangerous strikers in MLS. He can score goals from any point on the field, and has done so against LA the past two seasons. Omar Gonzalez, if you are reading, stick on Angel, attach yourself to his hip, white on rice, etc. I think you get the idea. Angel is not alone though. Mac Kandji is growing into a good player as well. Still very raw in his game, but his confidence is starting to come through each week. Like Angel, Kandji is a big body up front, but the difference is he likes to get the ball wide, without an additional defender or space behind him, where as Angel is at home in the middle of the area. They both will get better the more they play together as well.
Defensively, New York has shown a lot of different looks so far this season. I don't know if coach Juan Carlos Osorio has found the right combination yet, and that is a positive for LA. The Red Bulls do not overwhelm you with what they do defensively. Kevin Goldthwaite and Carlos Mendes have been the consistent choices in the central part of the formation for NY, although Andrew Boyens has also been called in. Like the Galaxy, the outside backs are able to get forward and join in the attack, specifically combining with the outside midfielders, Khano Smith and Dane Richards. As important as it will be for the Galaxy to defend these runs, this will also be an area of the game they might be able to exploit. When the above mentioned players go forward, there is bound to be open space for the Galaxy to counter through!
