Earlier this season, the LA Galaxy played arguably one of their better games of the year against Chivas USA. The 3-1 Galaxy victory on April 28 was the first of just three wins for LA on the year, their first until a victory against Real Salt Lake nearly two months later.
But the Galaxy always seem to step up against their bitter rivals, so Thursday's Super Clasico comes at a perfect time. The club is at a point in their season where they can no longer wait to get things started: sitting 12 points out of the final playoff spot, the game at The Home Depot Center starts a week that could very well determine the rest of the season.
"The next three games are huge," said Galaxy head coach Frank Yallop. "If we can win Thursday and win on Sunday and win SuperLiga I think we have a chance at making the playoffs and we already have a trophy. We're playing against good teams though."
The Galaxy can't afford to give away points anymore. Of their eight league losses, seven have been by just one goal. LA is looking to reverse that trend, and is hoping that home-field advantage can be the catalyst.
"I personally think any home game for us is a must-win," said goalkeeper Joe Cannon. "I think they're all must-wins right now."
If the Galaxy are going to do that though, they will need to do it with a patchwork lineup. Injuries have beset the Galaxy as of late and it is unlikely that David Beckham and Landon Donovan are going to play a huge role after playing in international friendlies in Europe on Wednesday. Beckham played the entire match for England in their 2-1 loss to Germany, while Donovan played 64 minutes in the USA's 1-0 loss in Sweden.
"I think we have a good opportunity tomorrow night for a lot of guys to step up. With the way our lineup's been guys have had missed chances of trying to establish themselves," said Cannon. "[Thursday] night's a great opportunity for us. If we win [Thursday] night and then get another three points on Sunday then we're in the (playoff) conversation."
In the long run it doesn't really matter who's on the field for the Galaxy. Points are priority number one, and the added pressure of the rivalry should make it a fiercely contested match. Los Angeles has dominated the series thus far, but the balance of power is starting to shift, and Chivas is playing some very good soccer this season.
"Chivas is a much better team than they were in the first year and they're proving that all the time. It's definitely making the series more difficult for us. We have to be aware of that," said veteran Cobi Jones.
"[Thursday] is a big game for us from the aspect that we need points at this time in the season. We need to get three points and it's a home game for us. In the long term that's the most important thing. In terms of the Clasico and Chivas, we want to establish dominance in the LA market."
Greg Daurio is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
