Galaxy and Red Bulls prepare for star-studded battle

6100x

BY ADAM SERRANO

Landon Donovan, David Beckham, Rafael Marquez, and Juan Pablo Angel.

Despite the loss of Theirry Henry and Omar Gonzalez, Friday's clash (ESPN2: 8pm, PDT)between the Los Angeles Galaxy and New York Red Bulls is not lacking star power. With the Galaxy leading the league with 50 points and the Red Bulls in second place in the Eastern Conference, the match has major implications for not only MLS Cup, but the Supporters Shield as well. Having played in a number of big games during his tenure with the Galaxy, Donovan is confident about Los Angeles' ability to perform in big games.

"The thing with playing for the Galaxy is every time we play a game its the other teams biggest game of the year, whether were at home or whether were away," said Donovan. "We get the best of everybody but when theres a special occasion when theres something at stake like there is at Friday, not only with the standings and pride and East-West rivalry it makes it a little more special for us and we generally do well in those games."


Many feared that much of the publicity for the match would be lost when Theirry Henry was ruled out with a injury that will lower the Designated player total from an astounding five to a more manageable four. For New York, Henry's absence should signal the return of Juan Pablo Angel to the starting line up paired with Ibrahim Salou up top and recent addition Mehdi Ballouchy in the slot behind them.

Ballouchy'spresencewill be vital as the playmaker enjoyed a fine debut for New York against FC Dallas, scoring a goal and going 90 in the Red Bulls 2-2 draw. New York has typically foundsuccessin controlling possession and catching their opponents on the break and with this plan, the passing ability of Ballouchy is vital. For Red Bulls manager Hans Backe, controlling the midf! ield bat tle is integral for success against Los Angeles.

"I think that we play well when we sit down and go in for breaks and we try to this, but sometimes we can look like a passive team that doesn't defend well when we drop back, " said Backe in a recent league conference call. "Our possession game is very, very important and the right decision making when to attack and where to attack and take advantage of thebreakswhen we get them."

While New York will be without their star striker, the Galaxy will be missing their starting back line pairing as Gregg Berhalter remains sidelined with injury and Gonzalez was suspended for yellow card accumulation in last week's match against DC United. With both first choice options unavailable, expect Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena to call upon Leonardo and Yohance Marshall to start at center back.

One battle that will garner a lot of attention is the Galaxy's attackers against the Red Bulls stiff midfield. In the two clubs last meeting on August 14th, the Red Bulls midfield of Marquez and Tony Tchani struggled to contain the Galaxy's playmakers Donovan and Juninho. After letting the pair run rampant in the first match, Backe refuses to allow that to happen again.

"They find place for themselves and theyre able to break an organization, we need to try to keep our back four and midfield so tight that its possible we can close down the space for players like that," said Backe. "I can only hope that our back four and midfield can be that type that we dont allow that space for Juninho because he can be a key player for those killer passes."

Much of the focus on Galaxy willstillbe focused around midfielder David Beckham.The 35-year-old who is steadily returning from injury is expected to go at least the 37 minutes that he was able to go in last week's contest and may be an option to go 45 minutes.

Even most of the big names set to play a part in tonight's match, Arena believes! that th e buzz generated for the game was neverreally centered around the players.

"A lot of the hype in the game is we finally have the two big markets in the league that have had teams that have performed fairly well over the season," said Arena. "Its a classic matchup of the big cities in the league that means something which we havent had before. Red Bulls are still in position to win the regular season in the Eastern Conference and were still in position to do that in the west so thats a big game in itself."

--

Here are our SBI predictions for the two starting line ups.

LOS ANGELES GALAXY

---------Kirovski---------------Buddle--------------

Juninho-------------------------------------Donovan

------------Birchall----------Kovalenko-----------

Dunivant----Marshall-----Leonardo---Franklin

----------------------Ricketts---------------------------

NEW YORK RED BULLS

------------------------Angel-------------------------

Lindpere-----------Ballouchy-----------------Richards

--------------Marquez----Tchani---------------------

Miller---------Mendes-----Ream--------------Albright

---------------------Condoul-----------------------------

-----

Share your thoughts below.



World Soccer News | Video | Podcast | Gallery | Live Streaming

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Hottest Tour de France 2010 Podium Girls

Image
The annual Tour de France is among the most grueling races in all of sports. But every summer, hundreds of cyclists brave the plains, the mountains, the sun and the rain of France (and often the surrounding countries) to complete the 3,500-plus kilometer trek. But why? Fame? Sure, names like Lance Armstrong, Greg LeMond and defending champion Alberto Contador will go down in the annals of cycling history. Money? Certainly, the winners make some dough from winning and from the sponsorship deals that can result. The challenge of it all? No doubt, there are some competitors just looking to see where they rank among the top athletes in the sport. But there's another reason to race. If you win, you get to stand on the podium with some of the world's most beautiful women. Whether they're delivering handshakes, kisses or the radiant yellow jersey , these ladies serve as serious motivation t...
Keep reading

The 25 Hottest NFL Cheerleaders

Image
No matter what the situation, you can bet that there will be some sexy ladies on the sidelines cheering them on, just as they have been all season. Cheerleaders are a wonderful part of the game, but it's hard to see all of them during brief appearances during games, and it's way too time consuming to check all of them out online. That's why you have me. I personally looked through each cheerleader in the National Football League and picked out the hottest ones. So for your viewing enjoyment, here are the 25 Hottest NFL Cheerleaders. No. 25: Chiefs—Suzie Kansas City has it rough in professional sports. The Royals are the biggest punchline in baseball and the Chiefs have bombed what looks to be a promising season. KC is lo...
Keep reading

The 30 Hottest WAGs in Major League Baseball

Image
Baseball is finally back! With the Yankees and Red Sox kicking things off Sunday night, America's pastime is officially back in session. That means another year of home runs and diving catches. It also means another year to check out the finest talent baseball has to offer off the field. With Derek Jeter locked down and engaged to Minka Kelly, what other MLB players will step up as the playboys of the MLB? And what team is the most stacked with six different WAGs on this list? (Hint: It's not the Yankees) So step up to the plate. WAGs may not be as American as apple pie, but they sure are just as tasty. No. 30: Misty Mae Treanor—Matt Treanor (Rangers) It can't be easy when your wife is hotter than you, more famous, and also better at sports, but somehow Matt Trean...
Keep reading