Remember those games earlier this season where the New England Revolution played at home and the opposition packed the midfield in search of a draw?
Don't expect a repeat as the Revs face Los Angeles in the seemingly annual Independence Day match between the two sides.
The Galaxy haven't shown much defensively this season (28 goals conceded in 14 games) or much willingness to play negative soccer to shore those defensive faults.
But the torrid goalscoring form of Landon Donovan and Edson Buddle sparks the league's best offense and has kept the Galaxy afloat in the competitive Western Conference.
"We'll have to be sound defensively," Revolution midfielder Shalrie Joseph said. "Once they open up and play, it'll open up a lot of gaps in midfield and we'll have to take advantage of them."
For perhaps the first time this season, Revs head coach Steve Nicol can call on all of his starters to exploit those openings.
Kenny Mansally and Taylor Twellman came through Tuesday's 3-0 victory against the Richmond Kickers in the third round of the U.S. Open Cup without a hitch. Twellman scored and looked likely in his first lengthy match action in two months.
"Everybody's back." Joseph said. "Everybody's fit. We can have a consistent first 11 for the first time in a while."
Twellman might not start against the Galaxy as he builds his match fitness, but Mansally is in contention for his first start since leaving the team to join up with The Gambia for World Cup qualifying.
"We've got four forwards and two slots," Joseph said. "It'll be hard for Kenny and Taylor to get back into the team. Adam [Cristman] and Kheli [Dube] have been doing really well."
Whoever starts up front will look to the continued good form of Steve Ralston, who scored twice last week and garnered Player of the Week honors, and the success of the Revs' possession in midfield to help them convert those chances.
"We're going to do what we like to do, but we don't want to leave the back three open," Joseph said. "We need to close them down in the midfield."
David Beckham tops the list of players who need their time and space restricted. The veteran English midfielder has four goals and six assists this season and most of the Galaxy attacks funnel through him on the right wing.
"He's not going to beat most players for pace," Revolution defender Michael Parkhurst said. "We need to get some help over there. He's really good at getting those crosses into the box. The more we can make it difficult for him to do that, because he can get them off so quickly, the better it will be for us."
Once the ball travels up to the forward line, the Revs will have to watch Buddle and Donovan. The pair has combined for 21 goals this season.
Parkhurst said Donovan in particular requires careful attention because of his willingness to run at defenders.
"We know the big field is good for Landon," Parkhurst said. "We can't let him have the ball and get the space to dribble at us."
Kyle McCarthy is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
