CARSON, Calif. – The LA Galaxy didn't help themselves in their Supporters' Shield quest with a pair of draws in last week's road treks, but they're home for four of their last six regular-season games and expect to be within striking distance, at the least, of the Seattle Sounders heading into their season-closing home-and-home series.
But first they've got two dates with FC Dallas starting Saturday night at StubHub Center (10:30 pm ET; MLS Live) and home games with New York and Toronto FC. The season-ending showdowns with Seattle will be meaningful only if they can adequately traverse these next four weeks.
The Galaxy (14-5-9), who claimed 17 points in an eight-games-in-30-days stretch that closed with last weekend's 1-1 draw at San Jose, sit just three points behind the Sounders (17-7-3), who have a game in hand, a significant lead in the total-wins tiebreaker and the tougher schedule, even with an additional game, before the Oct. 19 and 25 meetings with LA.
“First and foremost on our list every year is to get in the playoffs, and if I'm not mistaken, we can probably do that this weekend if things go right. So that's the first goal,” said Landon Donovan, who returns this weekend from suspension. “The second goal is to be second or third [in the Western Conference], so you're not playing a play-in game. If we knock that off the list, then we'll worry about being first.”
The draws at Montreal last Wednesday and San Jose on Sunday prevented them from vaulting past the Sounders on points, which would have provided a psychological boost.
“Anytime you don't get point against the bottom teams is obviously upsetting,” midfielder Baggio Husidic said. “[Seattle has] a lot of games coming up, and, hopefully, they'll slip up like we did.”
Those ties could have a huge impact on the race.
“I've been in this league a long time, and there's plenty of years where one point makes a difference,” Donovan said. “So while we were disappointed that we got two ties out of two games we thought we could have won, it may come down to one point in the end that makes us Supporters' Shield winners.”
- Get the latest LA news at LAGalaxy.com
The Shield has been decided three times on a tiebreaker and twice by a point, including New York's triumph last year. And even if LA finish second, they’ll still claim a CONCACAF Champions League berth based on the Sounders already nabbing a CCL spot with their US Open Cup title game victory Tuesday over the Philadelphia Union.
The Galaxy want to get back into the competition after missing out this year, but it doesn't lessen their desire for the Shield.
“I don't want to worry about that right now,” defender Omar Gonzalez said. “… We don't need to worry about Supporters' Shield right now, we need to worry about the next game, and that's Dallas, and that's the most important thing.”
