Once fierce conference rivals, the Kansas City Wizards and the Los Angeles Galaxy will meet on the Home Depot Center field Saturday evening both in need of victory and a validation of their status as contenders for the MLS Cup Playoffs and beyond.
The visiting Wizards are mired in a five-game winless streak and the Galaxy are in danger of missing the playoffs for the second straight year, but this time in the season of David Beckham's arrival. The Wizards, though, have no sympathy though as they have missed the playoffs the last two years.
"You have to be a leader. You have to step in front of them and call them out on things they are not doing well, and then encourage them with the things they are doing well," said Wizards head coach Curt Onalfo. "Right now, we're doing a hell of a lot more well than we are poorly. It's just a matter of staying on track and realizing ... this is the time we're dealing with adversity. You have two ways to deal with it: you can either channel it in a negative way and bicker and cause problems or you can channel it in a positive way and make things better."
Although not in the Galaxy's position, the pressure to win for the Wizards is increasing with each match they fail to earn a result. The pressure is first put on themselves by themselves.
"It's a results-oriented business, and the last five games we haven't gotten it done. At the same time, we feel like we're playing well," said right back Jack Jewsbury. "So we come into the locker room, and we're like 'What else can we do?' We're getting plenty of chances; right now, they're not falling for us for one reason or another. We're just going to continue to work hard and battle for each other."
A busy schedule, injuries, and absences due to U.S. national team duty have forced the Wizards to shuffle their lineup. But there is good news: Kansas City's all-stars, captain and center back Jimmy Conrad and leading scorer and forward Eddie Johnson, will return to the fold once they arrive. Conrad is more likely to start or see action after not playing in the USA's 1-0 Copa America loss to Colombia on Thursday in Venezuela.
"We're currently in third place, and we want to get back to first place," said Onalfo. "I'm encouraged by the fact that we're playing extremely well. We're not giving up a lot of goals, and we're creating chances. So it's just a matter of going with the same approach into L.A. by being rock-solid defensively and positioning our team to be successful."
However, Onalfo has not found anyone who can consistently finish chances since Johnson has been away; as a result, the Wizards have been shut out twice and have scored an average of one goal per game, three of which came in one match, in the five games without their scoring star.
Onalfo will have to trust in his current options once again, with the result a lineup similar to what was used in Wednesday's 1-0 loss to D.C. with the possible exception of Carlos Marinelli regaining his starting spot at attacking midfield occupied by rookie Kurt Morsink against United.
The Galaxy have grasped some success lately with wins in two of their last three games, but are in need of a continuing rebound if they are to have any chance for a glamorous, perhaps Beckham-led, run into the playoffs. The recent addition of Honduran Carlos Pavon provides another who can help lead L.A. to a complete recovery.
"My job is to keep this team on track and not to get discouraged and to not let their psyche change. We're very proud of what we've done; we're very proud of the way we play, and we're proud of the way we're improving, and I'm proud of this team," Onalfo said. "I believe in the guys on the field 1-28, and over the course of the season, that's going to prevail.
"We're going to channel [the recent results] in a positive way. That's my style, and that's what is going to be the hallmark of this team. The players will embrace that, and the players who don't, they won't be here."
That positive thinking is grounded in a team that has performed nearly as well as a team can without getting a positive result.
"It's going to turn around soon, and hopefully this weekend will be the turning point for us, so we can reel off some wins. In this league, once you get on a winning streak, the points just rack up. You can see that through the first part of the season," said Jewsbury. "We're just going out [to L.A.] to do our business. A win is in our sight. We're not going there to tie or anything else. We're going there to get a victory, and that's what we need."
Bob Rusert is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
