CARSON, Calif. – A quirk of scheduling could make for the greatest regular-season finish in MLS history, with the LA Galaxy and Seattle Sounders facing off twice in the final two weekends with the Supporters' Shield on the line.
The Galaxy (17-6-9) need four points from games Sunday at StubHub Center (8 pm ET; ESPN2) and six days later in Seattle (2:30 pm ET, NBC) to overcome the Sounders (19-10-3), the first time the Shield will be determined in head-to-head matchups.
LA manager Bruce Arena recognizes the excitement caused by the direct confrontation, but he's not exactly in favor of facing the same team over consecutive weekends to close out a season. One concern is the potential for teams to also meet over two legs in the postseason.
“I think it's great,” Arena said following the Galaxy's training session Friday morning. “I still won't think it's appropriate, but I think this year it's fine. And in another year, it could be where you'd end up playing four times in a row [including a playoff series].
“Over 34 games, you shouldn't be ending the last two games against the same team," Arena continued "… It should be a schedule that's balanced as well as it should be balanced.”
Arena has been critical of the league schedule in the past and on Friday he expressed his desire that the league give “strong consideration” to avoiding games during the international fixture dates in September and October “because there are teams that played last week and had to win that didn't have key players available. That's something that has to be avoided.”
This year the league re-worked the MLS Cup Playoff schedule to ensure there is no league action during the November FIFA dates.
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The Galaxy will be hoping to enjoy home-field advantage during that November playoff run with the best record in MLS. But to do that they'll first need to overtake the Sounders in the final two weekends of the regular season.
It will be a feast for the fans, of course, who have seen tight Shield races in the past -- six of the previous 18 have gone down to the final weekend, and three were decided by tiebreaker – but nothing quite like this.
“It's exciting for everybody else. And for us as well,” said Galaxy captain Robbie Keane, who like Arena, was also not in favor of facing the same team twice to close a season. “I don't think it should be like this, but I think in this situation that it is now, it's probably a good thing. …
“The people who made the decision are probably happy now because the right situation [has presented itself], but I don't think we should have been in this situation in the first place, but it is what it is. You get on with it.”
