Colorado Rapids vs. LA Galaxy | 2016 West Semifinal Match Preview

Franco Panizo

COLORADO RAPIDS vs. LA GALAXY
2016 Western Conference Semifinal – Leg 2
Dick's Sporting Goods Park | Commerce City, Colorado
Sunday, Nov. 6
2:00 pm ET (ESPN, ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN in the US | TSN5 in Canada)

The Lowdown:

The LA Galaxy defended their turf by picking up a 1-0 victory over the Colorado Rapids in the first leg of this series, and now the Rapids will need to win by the same margin or more if they wish to keep their season alive. That will require an improvement in the attack, as Colorado registered just one shot on goal in the first leg. The Galaxy can complicate matters for the Rapids with an away goal, but have to deal with the difficulty of playing at altitude.

Two players who will be talked about plenty are LA's Robbie Keane and Colorado midfielder Jermaine Jones. Neither of the two grizzled veterans started in the opening leg, and their statuses for the decisive fixture remain question marks. Both are likely to see the field at some point, however, given their big-game experience and the fact that a trip to the Western Conference Finals is at stake.

Must-Read:

Colorado Rapids Snapshot:

2016 Regular Season Finish: West No. 2 seed (15-6-13 record, 58 pts / 4-6-7 away record)
Current Form: W-W-W-L-D
Strengths: Colorado has an organized and stout defense that is tough to break down. Even if teams do, they then have to get past the stellar Tim Howard in goal, which is no easy feat.
Weaknesses: The attack lacks some punch, as was evident in the first leg. There are talented offensive-minded players on the squad, but not a plethora of them.
Injuries/Suspensions: OUT: M – Dillon Serna (knee)
Player to Watch: Jermaine Jones. The midfield anchor came off the bench at halftime in the first leg and injected a bit of life to what was otherwise an anemic attack. He said after the match that he is ready for 90 minutes, but whether that's true or not will be something worth tracking both in the lead-up to and during the game.
Probable Starting XI: Tim Howard; Eric Miller, Jared Watts, Axel Sjoberg, Mekeil Williams; Sam Cronin, Michael Azira; Dominique Badji, Jermaine Jones, Shkelzen Gashi; Kevin Doyle

LA Galaxy Snapshot:

2016 Regular Season Finish: West No. 3 seed (12-6-16 record, 52 pts / 8-1-8 home record)
Current Form: W-D-W-W-W
Strengths: Boast a talented and well-balanced squad that includes star players and seasoned veterans who have won MLS Cups before.
Weaknesses: The Robbie Keane-Giovani dos Santos partnership does not bring the best out of both of them, but leaving out a star Designated Player like Keane from the lineup in back-to-back matches of such importance can be a gamble.
Injuries/Suspensions: QUESTIONABLE: F – Gyasi Zardes (metatarsal), M – Steven Gerrard (hamstring)
Player to Watch:Jelle Van Damme. The center back proved to be the difference on both ends of the field, as he defended well in the first leg while also getting into the attack and delivering a game-winning assist.
Probable Starting XI: Brian Rowe; Ashley Cole, Jelle Van Damme, Daniel Steres, Robbie Rogers; Baggio Husidic, Sebastian Lletget; Landon Donovan, Giovani dos Santos, Emmanuel Boateng; Alan Gordon

Match Essentials

Referee: Mark Geiger
Assistant Referees: Sean Hurd (AR1), Joe Fletcher (AR2)
4th Official: Armando Villarreal

LA Galaxy vs. Colorado Rapids Head-to-Head
All-Time (71 Meetings)
LA 36 wins, 110 goals • Colorado 25 wins, 79 goals • Ties 10
All-Time Playoff Meetings (8 Meetings):
LA 7 wins, 15 goals • Colorado 1 win, 1 goal • Ties 0
All-Time in Colorado (35 meetings):
Colorado 17 wins, 46 goals • LA 12 wins, 41 goals • Ties 5
2016 Meetings (4 meetings):
COL 1, LA 0 (Mar. 12); LA 0, COL 0 (June 22); LA 1, COL 1 (Aug. 13), LA 1, COL 0 (Oct. 30).