Assuming Landon Donovan is healthy enough to start on Saturday, here is the line-up I’d like to see the Galaxy start on Saturday: ---------------------------------------Saunders--------------------------------------- Franklin----------------Gonzales------------------Meyer------------------Dunivant ----------------------------Beckham--------------Juninho----------------------------- Donovan------------------------------------------------------------------------Magee -------------------------------Keane---------------Buddle------------------------------- I think the Galaxy should start Robbie Keane and Edson Buddle at forward and Donovan at right midfield instead of Keane and Donovan at forward and Christian Wilhelmsson at right midfield. First, it would be good to start Donovan at right midfield. He tends to play better there than at forward, at least before the game opens up. Also, I’m more comfortable starting Buddle at forward than I am Wilhelmsson at right midfield. I’ve only see Wilhelmsson play eight games, whereas I’ve seen Buddle play dozens and dozens of games over the years. I’ve been watching Buddle play since 2001, since he was 20 years old. In a game as big as Saturday’s, my familiarity with a player weighs in favor or my thinking that he ought to start. I have a better sense that Buddle will do a good job than I do that Wilhelmsson will. It’s not that I think that Wilhelmsson, if he were to start Saturday, likely would have a mediocre game. It’s that I don’t have a good idea of how well he would play. In contrast, I’m confident that Buddle, if he were to start, would play at least reasonably well. In addition, Buddle played pretty well against San Jose at Buck Shaw in the Western Conference semifinals, a game in which the Galaxy beat by a score of 3-1 the team with the league’s best regular season record in stadium where San Jose hadn’t lost all year. In the game, Buddle won a number of balls in the air, held the ball well, passed pretty well and made several good runs, some of which probably helped the Galaxy score goals. Finally, against Houston, Buddle could help the Galaxy score on crosses and on set pieces, as well as help defend on set pieces. He is very good in the air. However, an advantage of starting Donovan and Keane up front and Wilhelmsson at right midfield is that the Galaxy would have better speed, quickness and mobility up front than if they start Buddle and Keane up front. But it’s more important for me to start someone that I’ve seen play many times. For instance, suppose a team acquires a hot shot international from Brazil who runs a 4.3 40. But I’ve only seen him play five times in my life, and none of those times did he wow me. I’m going to start Buddle over the guy. However, Wilhelmsson, if he doesn’t start, would be a good candidate to enter the match in the second half, with Donovan moving up to forward for Buddle or to left midfield for Mike Magee. On a different note, it’s important for Juninho to start on Saturday. Playing in Juninho’s place, Marcelo Sarvas didn’t play particularly well in the Galaxy’s second leg against Seattle. Sarvas committed too many turnovers and too many fouls. When Juninho came in for Sarvas in the 62nd minute, the Galaxy kept possession better than they had before Juninho entered. The Galaxy also had better offensive and defensive shape. When Juninho entered the match, Sarvas then moved from central midfield to right midfield. After the move, Sarvas played pretty well and better than he had before the move. The Galaxy should keep in mind that, for Saturday’s match, Sarvas could be an option at outside midfield, including right midfield, as a second half sub. As for Houston, I don’t have a good idea of whether, on Saturday, they will start in a 4-3-3 or in a 4-4-2. They started their last game (the second leg against DC United) in a 4-3-3, but they started their next to last game (the first leg against DC United) in a 4-4-2. Moreover, in the last ten games they played (across all competitions), they started in a 4-4-2 seven times and in a 4-3-3 three times. In their last 15 games, they started in a 4-3-3 seven times and in a 4-4-2 eight times. In their last 20 games, they started in a 4-3-3 eleven times and in 4-4-2 nine times. Oscar Boniek Garcia first played for them on June 30. Since he started playing for them, the Dynamo has played 28 games. In 18 of those games they started in a 4-3-3; in 10 of those games they started in a 4-4-2. If the Dynamo does start in a 4-3-3, here is the line-up I think they are likely to start: --------------------------------------Hall-------------------------------- Sarkodie---------------Boswell--------------Taylor--------------------Ashe -------------------------------------Moffat----------------------------------- ----------------------Clark--------------------------Davis-------------------- Boniek Garcia-----------------------------------------------------------Kandji --------------------------------------Bruin-------------------------------------- This is the line-up they started in their last game (the second leg against DC United). The line-up enables them to get Boniek Garcia, Macoumba Kandji, Brad Davis, Ricardo Clark and Adam Moffat in the starting line-up at the same time. All have been playing well for Houston recently. If, however, Houston starts in a 4-4-2, here is the line-up I think they are most likely to start: --------------------------------------Hall-------------------------------- Sarkodie--------------Boswell---------------Taylor----------------Ashe --------------------------Clark-----------------Moffat ------------------ Boniek Garcia -----------------------------------------------------Davis ---------------------------Bruin--------------Kandji --------------------- Calen Carr sat out the last two games because of a hamstring injury, and Kandji played well in Carr’s place. Also, Carr is listed as probable on the MLS Injury Report. So, I tend to think Kandji is likely to start at forward, though Carr could start instead. Regardless of which formation Houston starts on Saturday, they are likely to start the back four that I listed. It’s a good back four. Kofi Sarkodi and Corey Ashe are fast, athletic, have good endurance and are good at getting forward. They are better at attacking than the two outside backs that Houston started in the 2011 MLS Cup (Andre Hainault and Jermaine Taylor) and give Houston a dimension that they didn’t have one year ago. It is important for the Galaxy to be aware of them. It is important to keep in mind that Ashe is left-footed and good at crossing the ball with his left foot from the left flank. Bobby Boswell -- though he has a lot of heart and guile -- lacks speed and doesn’t move that well laterally. The Galaxy may be able to exploit his weaknesses. Boniek Garcia and Davis are Houston’s two most dangerous midfielders. They are both skillful and creative. A lot of Houston’s possession game and attack goes through them. They (especially Davis) get a lot of the ball in the middle third of the field. When they receive the ball, they tend to help Houston keep possession and/or make passes that advance the ball down the field. They also create chances around the goal. Davis, who is left-footed, has a very good left foot. Kandji is a good one-v-one dribbler. He has good moves and speed and the ability to dribble by players or make them cede valuable ground to him. He is also a good athlete and is tall (6’ 4”). He could be a real difference-maker for Houston on Saturday. He looks like he has recovered from his ACL tear. His speed and dribbling ability are very good. Bruin is a big body who plays hard. He is good in the box and moves better laterally than you might expect if you just saw him walking down the street. His straight-line speed is decent, but not exceptional. I think Omar Gonzales will match up well with Bruin. Gonzales does well against big guys that are not especially nimble and quick, for instance, Steven Lenhart. I think Houston tends to be harder to play against when they are in a 4-3-3 than when they are in a 4-4-2. When they are in a 4-3-3, their three central midfielders interchange a lot and are hard to keep track of. Houston also tends to be less static and less predictable in a 4-3-3 than in a 4-4-2. Also, Boniek Garcia and Kandji are dangerous on the flanks. They are fast, creative players who are good dribblers. And when the Boniek Garcia and Kandji play wing forward in a 4-3-3, they seem to do a good job of getting back on defense. When Houston plays in a 4-3-3, their one center midfielder (for instance, Moffat) tends to play deeper than the two outside midfielders (for instance, Clark and Davis). The outside midfielders (especially Davis) get into the attack more than the center midfielder. Moffat is a good shooter from distance. If Clark is injured, Luis Camargo might start in his place. Camargo is a player that I haven’t gotten much of a read on. He has one goal and one assist this season.
Anybody looking for a little "pump you up" for this game check out Galaxy:Backstage on TimeWarner Sports. This team is soooooo professional and there's only one prize that matters in their minds.
had my game face on for a while now.. super amped for this game this weekend.. GO GALAXY GO !!!!!!!!!!!!! Ps...........keep up the Buddle on the bench talk .. ignore Edson at your peril Houston.
I'd use Buddle as an impact sub or a time waster. He holds the ball up well so when we are winning he can help burn some time off the clock. Keane & Donovan should start up top because I doubt Houston's defense will be able to stop them. Hopefully Houston goes with the 4-3-3 because it'd make life easier on Omar and Meyer.
crap, I thought the game was Sunday at 6:30 pm not Saturday at 1pm, did the time change? or has these past 2 weeks gone so tortuously slow that I was expecting a whole weekend of torture
Listening to Extratime Radio Twellman had a point - Bowell and Taylor are crappy at off the ball movement and quick cuts. edcrocker, I think that means Buddle sits. It's not his specialty, and if that's the case, you start LD + Keane up top all day long and tell them to have fun.
One of the things that makes this game interesting is that both teams have made it to the final by beating two teams with considerably better records than their Cup opponents. Houston has beaten Kansas City and DC and LA went through San Jose and Seattle, so you know either team has a really good chance of winning over the other. The LA-Hou game in May was absolutely worthless as any sort of gauge for this weekend. No MLS Cup final has ever been settled by a difference of more than two goals and I don't see this one being any different. It may be a low-scoring affair, but I think it's completely wrong for neutrals to expect this to be a boring game.
The biggest edge Galaxy has is Houston's abysmal road record this season. That gas to be getting into the Dynamo players heads. W D L GF GA GD 4 3 9 19 31 −12 15 out of 48 possible points (.313) doesn't bode well for the orange
It's very popular to portray the Dynamo as a team which "roughs up" the opposition, but in the case of these two combatants the statistics show another story. 2012 Season Fouls Committed Houston - 376 LA - 416 Discipline - Yellow Cards Houston - 34 LA - 50 And the award for the individual having the most yellow cards during the 2012 season goes to David Beckham - 7 Yellows Runner up - Calen Carr - 6 Yellows
The Beckham statistic is misleading. Most of his cards were for dissent. As for Carr's, I don't know.
Based upon the undenyable chemistry that Keane and Donovan have shown together, I just gotta start them up top. I'm not particulary thrilled with the play of Chippen, but I think he plays well enough on the wing to cause a few problems, and he does stretch the defense, which gives Becks more room inside. Can't wait till tomorrow comes!
That's exactly what I saw in the goal highlights -- Houston gave up most of their goals when players made quick runs into space. Boswell plays big and strong, but doesn't have particular nimble feet. On top of that, Sarvas picked up a knock on his ankle on Monday and couldn't train for a couple days. On top of that - I think Wilhelmsson has played better for us as a starter, and been crappy as a sub. And AJDLG said he is about at 90%. So for all of those reasons, I think Buddle becomes our first weapon off the bench and we start the exact same lineup that demolished Seattle 3-0 three weeks prior...
Don't have a web link, but for local Direct TV people, Time Warner's SportsNet is on Channel 691 (finally!).
Yeah, these are really well done. So nice to finally seem television profiles on the team beyond just the game coverage...
7:00 a.m. Parking Gates A & D Open 8:00 a.m. All Home Depot Center Parking Open 9:00 a.m. Shuttles begin running from South Bay Pavilion to HDC 9:00 a.m. TEAM LA Store Open 9:30 a.m. Soccer Celebration (located at lot 13 and outside NE gate) 10:00 a.m. Box Offices Open 11:00 a.m. Stadium Gates Open 1:30 p.m. LA Galaxy vs Houston Dynamo 5:00 p.m. TEAM LA Store Closes 5:30 p.m. Shuttles from HDC to South Bay Pavilion stop running