The Los Angeles Galaxy are down but not out. Despite their record, the boys from Victoria Street still have several games to go before they could be mathematically eliminated from the postseason.
Thursday's loss to Chivas USA didn't help the cause -- and when Houston Dynamo come to The Home Depot Center on Sunday evening, things aren't going to be any easier.
Dynamo will come to Carson looking to reclaim first place in the Western Conference with a win against the Galaxy. Los Angeles will just be trying to keep hope alive that it can make a late playoff push. There's no quit in the Galaxy, and that's the attitude they're carrying into Sunday's contest.
"It ain't over till it's over and that's the main thing. You've got to look at it and just keep going until there isn't enough points," said Galaxy head coach Frank Yallop. "If we can win tomorrow night then we can start looking forward to the next game."
There is no sugarcoating the situation the Galaxy are in. While the results recently haven't necessarily reflected the effort on the field, they've been poor nonetheless. Any lost points from this point on in the season is one step closer to an early vacation for the Galaxy.
"Tomorrow's game is like all the rest of the games this season, they're all crucial," said rookie defender Mike Randolph. "We need a big win [Sunday], so we're going to come out fired up. That's really all we can do."
However, the defending MLS Cup champions certainly present a challenge. Dynamo really don't have a weakness on the field, with the stingiest defense in the league and the second highest scoring offense in the Western Conference.
"They're a good, well rounded team. We know it's going to be a difficult game," said Yallop. "They're champions and they've played well this year. It's a hard game for us."
That Houston's defense has been so difficult to break down is bad news for the Galaxy. On Thursday they managed just two shots on goal, and were ineffective in front of goal. At the same time the Galaxy have shown a propensity to score goals, as a 3-1 win against Colorado the weekend before shows. According to Yallop, it's just a matter of having the right people taking the chances.
"I think Landon (Donovan) needs to get on the end of more chances," said Yallop about his offensive options. "I think Edson (Buddle) has shown that he can score when he gets chances."
On the defensive side it will be about trying to stop the prolific Houston attack. Dynamo have scored 35 goals this season, from 11 different players. Goals come from all over the field in Houston which is why the Galaxy can't focus on any one area to try and shut down.
"We're always trying to stop their forwards. They've got good forwards. That's always a problem," said Randolph. "But we're just trying to focus on our game. We know if we score goals, we'll be fine."
Greg Daurio is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
