November 7, 2009 WINNER TAKE ALL All-or-nothing SuperClasico at HDC on Sunday
Sacha Kljestan’s heads-up play helped Chivas USA tie the Galaxy in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal series. Linda Cuttone/Sports Vue Images
After last weekend’s ragged and error-filled dress rehearsal, Chivas USA and the LA Galaxy are right back where they started, but with only one game left to determine which will advance to the MLS Western Conference Final. The team that polishes up its performance and puts on the best show this Sunday (4:30 p.m.) at the Home Depot Center will survive to take at least one more postseason curtain call.
It would be an understatement to say that the Semifinal SuperClasico opener defied expectations. A series that was supposed to be dominated by defense produced four goals in the first 90 minutes, all of them resulting directly from the other team’s error. Young defenders on both sides – Omar Gonzalez for the Galaxy and Yamith Cuesta for Chivas USA – both picked probably the worst possible moments to remind everyone of their relative lack of experience. And players better suited for the offensive end of the field – LA’s Landon Donovan and Chivas USA’s Maicon Santos – committed goal-producing turnovers. But if the regular season is any indication, everyone should be back on his game by Sunday, and the series finale should be a more of a crowd-pleaser.
Chivas USA, already backstopped by MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Zach Thornton, might have picked up a little more of an edge in goal last Sunday, when Galaxy netminder Donovan Ricketts went down with a reported right hip flexor strain. Although the Jamaican international finished last Sunday’s game, and is not listed on this week’s injury report, his mobility was obviously compromised, a vulnerability that speedy Chivas striker Maykel Galindo will surely look to exploit.
Another potentially weak link in the Galaxy lineup is veteran midfielder Eddie Lewis, who came off the bench in the 63rd minute and began limping with his first touch of the ball. When healthy, he is a valuable adjunct to the LA attack, able to thread dangerous balls into the box while opposing defenses are preoccupied with covering David Beckham and his targets.
Chivas USA, on the other hand, remain as healthy as they have ever been in the postseason, and are determined to avoid their third straight first-round ouster. Santos, who scored less than four minutes into last Sunday’s game, is looking more dangerous with every appearance, and Galindo’s speed and savvy tied the Galaxy defense in knots before and after he came through with last Sunday’s 2-2 equalizer. After an inconsistent regular season, Sacha Kljestan came through with a key play in the semifinal draw, picking off Landon Donovan’s pass and charging upfield before finding Santos, who outdueled Gonzalez for the opening score. Regardless of how effective Kljestan is at midfield, however, he will have to coordinate more carefully with his forwards if Chivas hopes to mount a consistently effective longball attack. The Goats had eight offensive plays whistled dead for offside in the series opener.
The Goats also showed the resilience to come back after squandering their early lead and falling behind 2-1, with halftime substitute Galindo picking off a lazy backpass, drawing Ricketts to the top of the area and finishing into an empty net.
Although Donovan and Beckham received star billing through most of the Galaxy season, it was reliable journeyman midfielder Mike Magee who scored their first postseason goal, taking advantage of Cuesta’s poorly-considered clearance and beating Thornton from close in. Although Donovan took full advantage of a gift goal from Santos in the 41st minute to give LA their only lead of the game, the performance was far from his best. His error led to the first Chivas tally, and he missed a sitter in the 75th minute that could have given his team the win. Alan Gordon, a second-half substitute for starting striker Edson Buddle, also failed to score on a point-blank shot, and coughed up the ball rather than cross to a wide-open Donovan to waste another scoring chance. Although, for most of last Sunday’s game, the Galaxy had little problem maneuvering over and around the Chivas defense, finishing was a problem that they need to resolve if they want to make it to the conference final.
