It is tough to say what you might expect at the HDC when the Galaxy and Chivas USA meet for the first of three encounters in the Honda SuperClasico. I say this because I have seen so many different "looks" from the Galaxy this season. None of the matches had the Dr Jeckel & Mr. Hyde theme more than this week's past 2-2 draw with Houston. After an opening half that saw very little possession, a good deal of defending in their own third, and a Brad Davis goal, the Galaxy rebounded to play possibly their best half of football this young season. It was not just David and Landon (but gosh... they did clinically, I mean clinically put together 2 goals, the first of which was magic) but also the freedom Mike Randolph found on the left side. Xavier and Franchino brought some much-needed bite to the eleven, and the confidence seemed to grow from there.
Speaking of Mr. Randolph. If he is again filling the left side of the midfield against Chivas USA, it is vital that he stay very busy. He is beginning to find the right balance of when to attack a player one vs one and when to play combination soccer. He could be an important "X" factor not only for this match, but moving forward in the 2008 campaign.
The opponent - Chivas USA. To be fair, Chivas put a big feather in their "cap" last year winning the Honda SuperClasico for the first time. A pair of very convincing wins in the four game series should have Preki's lads feeling good about this Saturday's match-up. They bring the ability to move the ball very well around the surface, have two very good goal scorers that can change a game on their own, and arguably the best goalkeeper in Major League Soccer, although his stats don't show that right now. By the way, Brad Guzan will need to play BIG in this game for Chivas USA to take the three points.
Battle to watch. Two very talented midfields will be going head to head. Both sides have players that understand their roles, and it could be the "lesser" know names, like Marsch and MacDonald, that make all the difference. We know Beckham will be spraying balls to the feet of teammates and Mendoza will be crafting runs down the left side. But how Joe Franchino and Sasha Kjesten collide for 90 minutes might have a larger impact on the tempo of the game and ultimately the final score.
This is an early season litmus test. A team has to win games at home to be in the right spot in the table come September. When you can beat your cross-town rival in an early season match, it could be a moment to set the tone for the rest of the way. So now we will see how well LA have come together after the first month of the MLS campaign. A win would confirm that after a stumble at the start, just maybe this Los Angeles club is starting to hit their stride. A loss... well lets just focus on the positive thoughts!
