I’d like to thank Carlos Ruiz and that bald-headed kid from the Red Bulls for ensuring that this game would not be the trap we all thought it would be.
Saturday night/Sunday morning’s game against New York was one of those “where were you when” moments for MLS fans, kinda like Waldo’s first goal for the ClashSmurfs, Dema’s first broken leg, etc. A brilliant (okay, he took advantage of three different Gs falling asleep…) goal by Henry broke the game wide open in the 4th minute, and it was close save after close save for the next half-hour until LD tied things up with, of all things, a header. There were chances and shots all over the place in that first half, and even from the comfort of my La-Z-Boy, I felt as though I’d run a couple of miles by the time the Ref signaled halftime. Post-game analysis and live tweets from everyone who’s ever watched a soccer game basically read the same way – “Wow, did that really just happen?”
So then the Gs have to fly 3000 miles for a mid-week game against a team they’ve already taken care of once this season, only to return to SoCal for a Saturday game? A motivated team that’s going to be scrapping for a playoff spot all year? Yep. Trap game. Until…
First it was that Red Bulls guy, whose name escapes me at the moment. He manages to get his no-name self on camera for a few minutes by pantomiming ‘you’re talking too much’ gestures at LD. Then he goes and talks to some reporters, calling the Captain a d-head for doing his job. LD, as is his wont, makes a snippy passive-aggressive tweet that causes everyone to laugh except the people who don’t care for the Galaxy. So LD’s pissed off, which is great. Because, as everyone in DC, Smurfistan and Seattle knows, Landon plays best when he has a chip on his shoulder.
Then it was our old friend Pescadito, calling out the entire team as “troubled,” that we’re “not good like everyone thinks” and we “don’t do anything spectacular.” Which is silly, because we beat them with ten freaking guys last time we played, and we’re in first place, and they’re not. But hey, he was a d-bag when he was with the Gs and we all loved him for it, so this is just a case of Ruiz doing his thing. And thank goodness for that, because honestly, it’s not as though our boys have flown 3000 miles to take on FC Barcelona, so we needed a bit of motivation on the locker room bulletin board.
About the game itself: Before Ruiz shot his mouth off, I was anticipating a 0-0 draw. Now, I’m thinking 2-0 to the Galaxy. No Bex, no problem, as it looks as Lopez will be in to take free kicks. LD’s going to have a PK goal and an assist to JPA. And the trap game is going to move to Kansas City on Saturday.
(image courtesy of Robert Mora/LA Galaxy)
Out for LA: Bex (Old), Leonardo (Busted Knee), Berhalter (Old with a busted knee).
Out for Philadelphia: Califf (Sick)
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