The beasts of the east visits the best of the west Saturday night for the most anticipated game of the season thus far. The stars will align for the first time in MLS play as the New York Red Bulls visit the LA Galaxy tonight on ESPN 2. Juan Pablo Angel will also meet his former club for the first time since being let go by New York.
After injuries kept them out of last year’s games against one another, stars Thierry Henry and David Beckham are each available to start for their respective clubs. Other stars likely to start for New York include Rafa Marquez, Dwayne DeRosario and Joel Lindpere. For Los Angeles, Landon Donovan and Juan Pablo Angel will most likely be in the starting lineup.
New York enters the game off of a three-game winning streak. They have scored a total of eight unanswered goals, a success which they will look to continue against LA. Forward Luke Rodgers has been a surprise success for New York since replacing Juan Agudelo. Rodgers and Henry are tied with three goals each to lead New York’s offense. The pairing will test a struggling LA defense.
Teemu Tainio is out for New York as he has not fully recovered from his groin injury that he suffered against Sporting Kansas City in last week’s game. His absence will require Carl Robinson or Medhi Ballouchy to complete the midfield.
The LA Galaxy had their winning streak snapped on the road last weekend against FC Dallas, losing 2-1. The loss was only their second of the season. LA struggled to find chances against Dallas and will look to heal this problem against New York. LA’s offense will try to create chances against a New York defense that has only allowed two goals.
(image courtesy of Getty Images)
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