LOS ANGELES GALAXY vs. COLORADO RAPIDS
THE HOME DEPOT CENTER, Carson, Calif.
Oct. 12, 2008 | 5 p.m. PT (FSN-PT; Altitude)
WEEK # 29 | GAME # 196
The Los Angeles Galaxy enter the week knowing they cannot be eliminated outright from the MLS Cup Playoffs with a defeat, but a loss to the Colorado Rapids on Saturday night at The Home Depot Center combined with a number of other results could leave LA outside of the postseason for a third consecutive year. The Rapids come to Carson still holding onto the second wild card spot, yet begin the week just a point out of third place in the Western Conference and an automatic berth.
REFEREE: Michael Kennedy. SAR (bench): Frank Anderson; JAR (opposite): Fabio Tovar; 4th: Miguel Chicas
MLS Career: 104 games; FC/gm: 31.6; Y/gm: 3.9; R: 19; pens: 39
INJURY REPORT: LOS ANGELES GALAXY - OUT: GK Charles Alamo (L knee); GK Steve Cronin (R hand); DF Michael Gavin (R foot) ... COLORADO RAPIDS - OUT: GK Justin Hughes (R shoulder); PROBABLE: FW Tom McManus (L knee)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: LA: Landon Donovan (USA; vs. Cuba, Oct. 11); David Beckham (England; vs. Kazakhstan, Oct. 11) ... COL: Omar Cummings (Jamaica; vs. Mexico, Oct. 11); Bouna Coundoul (Senegal; vs. The Gambia, Oct. 11)
SUSPENDED: LA: David Beckham (caution accumulation; through Oct. 19) ... COL: Conor Casey (through Oct. 12)
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: LA: Landon Donovan, Alan Gordon, Brandon McDonald, Greg Vanney ... COL: Colin Clark, Nick LaBrocca, Pablo Mastroeni
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: LA: Sean Franklin, Alvaro Pires, Peter Vagenas ... COL: Conor Casey
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (49 meetings): Galaxy 25 wins (2 shootout), 76 goals ... Rapids 19 wins (1 shootout), 56 goals ... Ties 5
AT LOS ANGELES (24 meetings): Galaxy 18 wins (1 shootout), 50 goals ... Rapids 4 wins (1 shootout), 21 goals ... Ties 2
• This is the third of three league meetings between the clubs this season, the second of two at The Home Depot Center. The teams have split their first meetings this season, each winning at home.
• The Rapids won the season series last year as home form held way, Colorado winning the two meetings at Dick's Sporting Goods Park while the Galaxy won the lone contest in Carson.
• In regular season play, the Galaxy haven't won in Colorado since July 13, 2002 - a span of 11 matches. The Rapids have won the last seven league meetings in the Rocky Mountain State, and the Galaxy haven't scored a regular season goal in Colorado since April 17, 2004 - a span of 790 minutes.
• However, the Galaxy did record a 2-0 victory against the Rapids in Denver in the 2005 Western Conference Championship at Invesco Field at Mile High, on their way to the second MLS title in club history. The Galaxy have won three of four playoff meetings between the teams in Colorado.
• Last year's Galaxy victory at The Home Depot Center was their first there against the Rapids since Sept. 10, 2005. In the 2006 series, the Rapids won one contest and the teams played to a scoreless draw in the other.
• Also this year, on May 27, the Galaxy were bounced out of the U.S. Open Cup by the Rapids, losing 1-0 at The Home Depot Center on an 82nd-minute goal by Conor Casey.
• Coaches record: Bruce Arena vs. COL: P11 W7 L3 D1 ... Gary Smith v LA: first game
THIS SEASON (MLS):
3/29: COL 4, LA 0 (Cooke 10, C. Gomez 59 pen, Cummings 66, Clark 80)
6/7: LA 3, COL 2 (Pires 4; Buddle 32; Allen 50 - Clark 73; H. Gomez 82)
• The Rapids opened the 2008 season in eye-opening fashion, dismantling the Los Angeles Galaxy 4-0 in front of a record crowd at Dick's Sporting Goods Park on March 29.
• Featuring a lineup full of inexperienced hands, the Rapids got off to a dream start through a couple of veterans. Christian Gomez ripped a second-chance freekick that crashed off the goalpost. But Terry Cooke came racing in and hammered home the rebound with a full volley for the 10th-minute opener.
• After the break, the game exploded. The Rapids doubled the lead in the 59th minute when Omar Cummings was ruled to have been tripped up in the box by Galaxy defender Abel Xavier, and Gomez converted the penalty to double the lead.
• Cooke created the third Colorado goal seven minutes later after a winding run through the Galaxy midfield, pushing a soft pass behind the Galaxy defenders. Cummings ran onto the ball, easily rounded the 'keeper and slotted his shot into the vacant net.
• The rout was complete 10 minutes from the end when Colin Clark slipped past Xavier on the left of the area, carried the ball toward the near post and poked it past goalkeeper Steve Cronin from close range. Each team finished the game a man down after Xavier and Rapids rookie Ciaran O'Brien were shown red cards.
• After the teams met on June 7 at The Home Depot Center, a 3-2 Galaxy win, the Galaxy held a share of the Western Conference lead, claiming it from the Rapids.
• It took the Galaxy just four minutes to find the back of the net. David Beckham swung in a freekick from the right flank, and after it bounced around the goalmouth scrum, Alvaro Pires was on hand to stab it home from close range for his first MLS goal.
• The Galaxy doubled their lead in the 32nd minute. Abel Xavier sent a long ball down the right flank and Edson Buddle raced past the Colorado defense to latch onto it, ripping a sharply angled drive inside the far post from the corner of the area.
• Just before the break, both teams were left a man short when Colorado defender Facundo Erpen and Galaxy striker Alan Gordon tangled at midfield and each was shown red by referee Kevin Stott.
• The Galaxy made it 3-0 five minutes into the second half. Sent in all alone by Peter Vagenas, Ely Allen strolled in and curled a shot around Rapids 'keeper Preston Burpo from the top of the box for his first professional goal.
• But the Rapids came storming back. Omar Cummings slid a centering pass to Colin Clark, and after skipping through the pair of defenders on the edge of the area, he slipped the ball inside the right-hand post (73).
• Nine minutes later it was 3-2. Clark sent a high ball into the area that the Galaxy had trouble clearing and Herculez Gomez, who came on as a second-half substitute, found the ball at his feet and punished his former team from close range.
• Here's Ruud Gullit's team (4-3-1-2): Steve Cronin - Chris Klein, Sean Franklin, Abel Xavier, Mike Randolph - Alvaro Pires, Peter Vagenas (Ante Jazic 68), Ely Allen (Joe Franchino 65) - David Beckham - Edson Buddle (Carlos Ruiz 59), Alan Gordon. Substitutes Not Used: Brandon McDonald, Troy Roberts, Greg Vanney, Josh Wicks
• Here's Clavijo's team (4-3-1-2): Preston Burpo - Ugo Ihemelu, Facundo Erpen, Rafael Gomes (Herculez Gomez 77), Jordan Harvey - Jacob Peterson (Mehdi Ballouchy 46), Nick LaBrocca, Colin Clark - Christian Gomez - Tom McManus, Conor Casey (Omar Cummings 60). Substitutes Not Used: Terry Cooke, Stephen Keel, Kosuke Kimura, Chris Sharpe
LOS ANGELES GALAXY
The Los Angeles Galaxy saw their MLS Cup Playoffs hopes dwindle just a little bit further as the Columbus Crew moved to within one point of claiming the Supporters' Shield with a 1-0 win on Saturday at Crew Stadium. The Galaxy have 29 points from 27 matches, sitting in seventh place in the Western Conference, a point behind the San Jose Earthquakes.
LAST MATCH
• The Crew were unbeaten in seven games, with six wins and a draw, and on track to claim the Supporters' Shield for the second time. The Galaxy had just one win since mid-June, sitting at the foot of the Western Conference table.
• The game's lone goal came in the 43rd minute. Danny O'Rourke swung in a cross from the right flank and Alejandro Moreno stuck in his head to power home his ninth goal of the season from the heart of the area.
• The Galaxy nearly responded nearly straight off the kickoff when Landon Donovan rounded a defender and raced at an angle toward the left post. But his shot just bounced outside of the far post.
• Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena made three changes to the team that lost 3-1 to the Chicago Fire on MLS Primetime Thursday at Toyota Park. Josh Saunders was given his MLS debut in goal, in place of Josh Wicks. Joe Franchino made his first start in three months, coming into the midfield along with Peter Vagenas, in place of Ante Jazic and Alan Gordon.
• Here's Arena's team (4-4-2): Josh Saunders - Chris Klein, Sean Franklin, Troy Roberts (Alan Gordon 81), Greg Vanney - David Beckham, Joe Franchino (Bryan Jordan 69), Peter Vagenas, Eddie Lewis - Landon Donovan, Edson Buddle. Substitutes Not Used: Ante Jazic, Brandon McDonald, Mike Randolph, Julian Valentin, Josh Wicks
• "You can sort all the math you want but we're not winning games," Arena said. "Whether it's for the playoff race or not we need to win games. Tonight was progress. You might look at me and say, 'That guy's crazy. They lost 1-0,' but for me that was progress."
TEAM NEWS
• It is not as simple as just failing to win, but if the Galaxy lose or draw, along with the right combination of other results, they will fail to reach the MLS Cup Playoffs for a third consecutive year.
• "I think the frustration is there a few months ago, but we're in a position where we can still qualify for the playoffs. It's tough. You're here to win games. If you don't win games, you don't give yourself a chance," David Beckham said. "At the moment, we're not winning games. Tonight, the work ethic was there and the togetherness was there and that's all you can ask for."
• If the Galaxy are going to qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs, they will have to get most of the way there without Beckham. His yellow card put him over the limit, but the suspension will not be served until the Oct. 18 game against Houston, as he will miss the Rapids match while on international duty with England. As well, the Galaxy will be without Landon Donovan, who will be representing the USA in their World Cup qualifier against Cuba on Saturday.
• "You position yourself to win these kinds of games and obviously, we're not there yet," Arena said. "However, as for us, that was as complete a 90 minutes as I've seen since I've been here."
• The Galaxy were shut out for just the fourth time this season (all since July 27) in the loss to Columbus, but it was their second blanking in the last four games.
• "Certainly in the first half, there were a couple of plays we could have been a little bit better on," Arena said. "At the end of the game, there were a couple potentially very good chances in front of goal where our touch wasn't what it needed to be. We still could have created a couple of quality chances, but Columbus defends very well."
• Arena gave Josh Saunders his MLS debut in goal. Saunders spent the 2007 season with the Miami FC Blues of the USL First Division (second tier), making 27 starts and recording 13 shutouts, before being acquired on loan on Sept. 12. Saunders was on the Galaxy's books in 2005 and 2006, as well as with the San Jose Earthquakes in 2003, but did not appear in a first-team game. He has made two appearances for the Puerto Rico national team.
• "I think Saunders played a good game. He's a player who obviously has played a lot of games this year," Arena said. "You can see his experience is a little bit ahead of Josh Wicks who hasn't been in goal for a lot of games, so you saw a little difference in game experience."
COLORADO RAPIDS
The Colorado Rapids saw their streak cooled, the Houston Dynamo claiming a 3-1 victory at Dick's Sporting Goods Park on Saturday evening. The Rapids still own the final wild card spot, with 34 points from 27 matches, now in a tie for third place with FC Dallas, a point behind Real Salt Lake.
LAST MATCH
• The Rapids were riding a four-game unbeaten streak that had moved them back into the top eight in the playoff standings and ownership of the final wild card spot, while the Dynamo were rounding out a four-game, four-country road swing over 12 days, though with just one league loss since mid-June.
• The game got off to a wild start, with four goals in the opening 19 minutes. After just two minutes, Brian Ching picked off an errant goalkeeper clearance and lifted it into the goal after racing between defenders into the area, but the Rapids leveled five minutes when Conor Casey turned home a deflected corner kick for his fourth goal in two games and eighth on the year.
• But Ching put the Dynamo back into the lead just two minutes later, heading a free kick off the crossbar but seeing the rebound crash back off him into the back of the net for his 12th goal on the campaign, fourth-most in MLS. Then in the 19th minute, Ching laid a ball back to Ricardo Clark, and he stung a low shot from 25 yards inside the right post for his second league goal and a 3-1 lead.
• Ching had a chance to complete his hat trick six minutes after the break when Brad Davis was tripped up by Pablo Mastroeni in the area, but Colorado goalkeeper Preston Burpo dove to his right to parry the resulting penalty. Yet the task got tougher for Colorado three minutes later when Casey was sent off with a second yellow card.
• The Rapids had a chance to pull a goal back in stoppage time when Wade Barrett was adjudged to have handled the ball in the box, but Terry Cooke hooked the spot kick well wide of the goal.
• Rapids interim head coach Gary Smith made one change to the team that defeated the New York Red Bulls 5-4 the weekend before. Terry Cooke returned to his favored wide right position, in place of Nick LaBrocca.
• Here's Smith's team (4-4-2): Preston Burpo - Kosuke Kimura, Cory Gibbs, Mike Petke (Ugo Ihemelu 58), Jordan Harvey - Terry Cooke, Mehdi Ballouchy (Jacob Peterson 62), Pablo Mastroeni (Nick LaBrocca 84), Colin Clark - Conor Casey, Omar Cummings. Substitutes Not Used: Jose Burciaga Jr., Christian Gomez, Bouna Coundoul, Greg Dalby
TEAM NEWS
• Once again, it was a night where the Rapids held a sizeable advantage in goal attempts, yet couldn't score more than the single goal. Colorado outshot Houston 20-8, resurrecting memories of back-to-back home shutout losses to Columbus (July 27) and Toronto (Aug. 9)
• "It's always good to get opportunities, but when you're not putting them away, you're like, 'When? Is it one of those nights, is it going to happen?' Or is it one of those nights when you try everything and nothing works?" Omar Cummings said. "We got a penalty kick at the end and got nothing from it. It was one of those nights where they scored on their chances and we didn't score on ours."
• After conceding just one goal in a three-game span and recording back-to-back shutouts against FC Dallas and Chicago, the Rapids have allowed seven goals in their last two games.
• "Moving forward, we are not going to change what we do, we might change the way the last two games have gone in conceding goals. We need to look at giving up less goals going forward," Smith said. "It will be difficult being on the road. We have to look forward now and not backwards. We are in an extremely tight race for the playoffs and to cry about the outcome of today's game would affect what would happen at the end of the season."
• While Smith has named a relatively unchanged team over the last five matches, he indicated personnel shifts would likely be ahead for the Galaxy match. One, for certain, will be in attack: Conor Casey will be suspended after being sent off, though Tom McManus will likely be available for selection after missing two games with a knee injury.
• "There'll probably be some changes, given the way the last two games have gone in terms of conceding goals, which no coach would be very pleased with," Smith said. "So we need to look at that. We're going away, difficult on the road, against a side that is very good going forward, albeit probably losing two of their more influential players. But we have to look forward and not backwards now. It's still an extremely tight race."
• Colorado's record in their previous four matches (3-0-1) gave them just enough to survive Saturday's loss without yielding their grasp on a playoff slot. They slipped from being tied for third in the Western Conference and in line for the third automatic slot on goal differential ahead of Real Salt Lake, to being tied for fourth in the conference and eighth overall, in line to claim the final playoff spot thanks to a 2-0-1 record against Dallas.
• "I think we had an extremely poor start. We've now given up seven goals in two games which isn't good enough," Smith said. "That is something that we need to look at, we need to address and in the previous three or four games it's been the focus of our change and we need to somehow get back to that. I think we need to look at both games and bring New York into this."
