CARSON, Calif. -- When the LA Galaxy take on the Houston Dynamo Sunday as part of the Final Push to the Playoffs (5:00 pm ET, MLS LIVE) it’s the battle of a team trying to secure a home knockout round game in the 2016 Audi MLS Cup playoffs, versus a team with nothing to lose.
Bruce Arena has won an MLS Cup with the Galaxy from a knockout round position, of course, in 2012, but they did get to host that game. So perhaps it’s not surprising that he doesn’t seem too concerned about where the team ends up, even if he would prefer to host the knockout round game.
“I think that question’s always answered after the playoffs are over,” said Bruce Arena after practice Friday. “Of course, we’d like to be at home for the first game.”
Hosting their knockout round game will require finishing third or fourth in the Western Conference. The Galaxy currently sit in third place, but both the Seattle Sounders and Real Salt Lake sit within striking distance.
For Arena the discussion has gone beyond resting stars, as he will definitely be without an injured Steven Gerrard and Robbie Keane remains doubtful. That likely means the Galaxy will have to make adjustments on Sunday, but for Arena that doesn’t mean putting out a less than best XI.
“I think we try to go full out in every game.”
In the Dynamo they’re getting a squad which went ninety minutes on Wednesday against the Seattle Sounders, resulting in a scoreless draw. Embracing playing for themselves over any sort of spoiler role, Dynamo interim coach Wade Barrett used a defensive set-up that absorbed pressure and countered dangerously against Seattle.
Arena was sure that the squad rotation shown midweek had more to do with the Dynamo playing three times in eight days, and expected the usual suspects back in play for the club. As far as coming up with a plan for his own absences, Arena admitted that it’s just business as usual.
“We deal with it the same way we did in the previous 32 games. It’s been fairly common throughout the year. It’s certainly nothing that disrupts our team,” he said.
With their playoff spot secured, Arena wasn’t interested in speculating on what if situations. Maybe that’s the years of experience, knowing how uncertain the playoffs can be.
“I don’t think anybody knows anything," he said. "What’s the point of guessing anything at this point?”
