Saturday's Chivas USA-Galaxy match was a unique game, as all these matchups tend to be. But for some reason it didn't have the emotion, the drama that other matches have featured.
Maybe it's because some of the polarizing figures were absent, save for Landon Donovan of course. No Ante Razov. No Maykel Galindo. No Panchito Mendoza. And we're all still getting used to these new-look Galaxy players as Gregg Berhalter made his MLS debut and was one of six Galaxy players who had never played against Chivas USA before (stat check, Klein, Donovan, Gordon, Franklin have, believe Tudela has but have to go double check, in any case, about half the starting lineup).
Chivas never really looked dangerous after the first opening part of the game and then they went down a man, and the Galaxy never looked dangerous when they had a man advantage for a big chunk of the second half. And then, Chivas didn't look dangerous over the last 10 minutes.
The previous 0-0 draw in the series was a very good game, a game that produced a lot of drama and emotion. This one, meh.
One thing that would make this series even better, though, would be if the teams played only two times each season. Play once in late May/early June and another time in late September/early October. That would be better than three times a season, which is better than four times a season, but still not optimal. But that'll never happen. MLS will find ways to maximize this series rivalry and we'll get a minimum of three Clasicos a year.
I just hope that the next ones feature more drama and intensity (and maybe a few less cards) than Saturday's.
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Well, I just don't think the rivalry is there anymore. It was so great in the beginning because the Galaxy were a good team, they were Chivas' goliath landlords that they had to defeat. Now, the Galaxy suck and everyone expects them to lose and God they are horrible. I feel sad for their fans and for the organization. They need to be the mighty Galaxy again, for the sake of the league. I don't think that can happen until David Beckham leaves for good. The Galaxy were so much cooler with their old jerseys, their old style. They were LA's team, not Brand Beckham. He will continue to stain the organization until he leaves. I don't think the Galaxy will be able to get past it until they actually have a good team again.
Sorry for this rant. I know it only makes a little sense.
I know what you mean, 7:44. I can't tell if Bruce is doing a horrible job or he just has such limited resources to work with...What do you think Luis?
american soccer at its very best...
Hey Bob,
Bruce is doing what he can. He inherited a team that had virtually nothing to work with beyond a high-level top duo. He's trying to get some veterans in there to stabilize things but that's a recipe for disaster if the youth cannot develop.
Klein, Lewis, Berhalter, Sanneh, Kovalenko... those guys can be helpful but the mid-30s player can hit a wall quickly and without warning, and they can become injury-prone just as fast. There's a large gap to the young guys like Gonzalez, De La Garza, Franklin and those guys are nowhere near ready to become team leaders and go-to players.
I think Bruce's style will produce mediocre soccer and mediocre results, but mediocrity would be a step up from 2006-08.
I liked the green-and-gold jerseys too.
I should say, Bruce's style can, not necessarily will, produce mediocre results. I certainly don't think we'll see a juggernaut out here at HDC.
Galaxy this, Galaxy that.
Blah, blah, blah.
Luis, pull your head out of the clouds, suck it up and say that, regardless of all the injuries, Chivas USA is not as bad as you predicted.
C'mon bro, call a spade a spade.
ELAC
p.s. Its the Galaxy, they're supposed to suck. Are you really surprised? Props to the ACB.
I was looking at the Galaxy for their overall season so far, and so far they've looked pretty bad.
On the other hand, Chivas has looked good. Top of the table. I don't think they showed much on Saturday but they still have 10 points and no losses.
We'll see, though. There are still a lot of "ifs" with the team. If Alecko can stay healthy, if Galindo can get healthy, if Ante can get to the point where he can contribute, if Law and Sasha can each return, if Thornton can keep up his steady play, if Suarez can contribute. This team can be better, but they're not terrible. They're pretty good.
Hey LB,
Im not saying that Chivas USA is prime for the MLS Cup. Nooooooo. We have way too many question marks. However, you have to admit that Preki is doing it with smoke and mirrors (I mean, Trujillo, Lillingston, and Mayen).
Our payroll is smaller than most teams and we're about to lose Sacha K. So believe me, things will be getting ominous later this season. Thank God the national media ignores us. We still have a chance to sneak up on people.
ELAC
ELAC look at it this way, at least Luis isn't as Bias as that ignorant bastard Nick Green. Poor bastard.
Everyone thinks Chivas will loose Sacha K midseason - name one player in their starting lineup so far that he's played better than. You think all his supposed European suitors aren't watching?
Good point. Nick Green is Mr. Galaxy
Regarding Sacha, I agree. He's been invisible since he came back from Beijing. This guy has a serious problem with focus.
Most of it is hype, but his talent is real. The problem is inconsistency. He had 1/2 a breakout year.
Ill be the first to say that he benefits from Bob Bradley's narrow mindedness and Preki's lack of depth.
I think he's our best player when he's on, but he's kinda like Riqulme without the all the talent.
I actually thought the first half was very entertaining. Well fought out, well played and you saw a chess match taking place as far as strategy was concerned.
The ref blew the game though. He gave one iffy red card late in the first and he started trying to compensate early in the second. The second half was a boring mess.
Galaxy will be fine. Ricketts was solid. Berhalter did what an "aging veteran" is supposed to do when paired with a young rookie. Tudela managed well without Dema by his side. The wide mids didn't do so hot, but they're filling in gaps for the time being and playing out of position. Todd's return should help that. Gordon did his best, but we really need Buddle back. Gordon's most effective off the bench.
Give it 3 or 4 more games for Galaxy to be ready to compete. Hopefully they won't have too many more points by then.
I agree with Hammer.
However, can't fall behind too many points from first.
I can see AEG losig patience again and canning Arena.
Nevertheless, Chivas USA has to minimize its injuries. THe West may be weaker than the EAST, but RSL, SEA, and HOU are tough teams.
Colorado too is tough, at least they look like it in the early part of this season. And the Galaxy will see how strong San Jose is on Saturday.
The west is definitely no pushover.
Didn't Chivas USA already beat Colorado? Oh yeah, I forgot.
THey are tough though.
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