PBP: PIP: MLS Cup Playoffs Knockout Round; LA Galaxy vs. Vancouver Whitecaps; 11/1/12; 7:30 P.M. PDT

Okay, I'm starting to get a little antsy here, got a few butterflies, got my jersey on. Kick-off can't get here soon enough!

 

All valid points, and I wouldnt dare accuse you of looking ahead to soon. I think we all understand we cant play SJ unless we handle business tonight. For me there are a myriad of factors for first 11 selection...
Personally, I think at home we shouldn't try to absorb and counter, i think we should try to bury them early. Possess the ball early and often in the attacking half and boss them around the pitch. I know it sounds funny cause I am worried about their speed, but one thing I know is this: A BRUCE ARENA TEAM GETS BACK BETTER THAN ANY TEAM. I swear it. every turnover, boom, Galaxy players immediately turn their heads and get back. I love it and I think its vital tonight because of...

Tommy Meyer's first playoff game. the early jitters will be inevitable. and the longer we sit and wait for a goal, the sooner it becomes "squeaky bum" time for the rookie. the more pressure we are putting on Vancouver, the less they are putting on Tommy.

So LD provides a little shelter for the D because (even if his head is on a tropical beach somewhere) the guy is instinctive and fast and does really well in support.

I actually think Magee is the super sub with the scorers touch. Let Buddle bruise it up for 60 minutes then bring Mike on and let him play to what the game dictates at that moment.

 

I'm nervous, but there isn't a team in these playoffs we aren't capable of beating. Even the Smurfs.

 

Sorry - Landon and Keane up top. Anything else is silly.

Anything can happen but the best bet is to worry more Vancouver's defense than their offense. Over the last 10 games Vancouver has only scored a total of 3 goals against teams other than Chivas. But they are very hard to break down defensively, and believe me Rennie will have them concentrating on defending for as long as they can get away with it. The last thing we want is to be 0-0 after 90+ minutes and have to play overtime (I assume there is 30 min overtime?) and then possibly a shootout.

As the recent analysis showed ( http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/artic...van-playmaker-still-charts?module=from_footer ) Landon leads the league by far in both chances created per 90 min from open play and "big chances" created per 90 minutes, with big chances defined as "chances created that absolutely, positively should be goals." He leads that in part because of the intelligent runs of Robbie Keane plus his ability to read those runs and to deliver those passes accurately in the final 3rd (he is 5th in the league in that category). Since his league leading rate still only amounts to an average of 3 big chances per game you have to give him as many minutes as possible to create those chances and for them to bear fruit. It makes no sense to pull him farther from both the goal and from Keane unless it is later in the game and we are protecting a lead.

 

Am I crazy when I say we are better with Juninho-Sarvas then with Juninho-Beckham

 

Why not just sit becks tonight? Bruce has said time and time again that Becks can't play 3 games in a week, when 3 games in a week is what is required to get to the conference final. I have less worry with LD up top, if I also have Sarvas buzzing all over the pitch..

 

When wouldn't that ever serve us better?

 

Let me just post it again, maybe it'll sink in this time. Lifeless?
http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2012/10/23/analyst-extra-donovan-playmaker-still-charts

 

Please no. After months of seeing LD + Keane in action, JUST DON'T DO IT BRUCE.

If you're concerned about pace, stick Sarvas in. That's who I had in my lineup. He seemed to do just fine against other pacey teams. Question is whether you play Willy or Magee. Not both.

 

I just don't care. I'm with jmaestro. He gets to say what he wants. His bank has been built up enough in my mind to be able to do that.

Also, I know we all like to think he just plays for LA, but he doesn't. He has a responsibility to the Nats too, and that's the context of the interviews imo. And for that, this is very timely because he has 4 months to figure out what he wants to do before the Hex. The later he left these interviews for the National team, the worse it would be. So in that context, excellent timing. I know you might say LA > USMNT right now for LD, but I don't think you can ever say that with him.

 

Good news: we've created a lot of quality chances over the last 3-4 games.

Bad news: we haven't been efficient and we've lacked a scoring touch.

For me, the key is putting this game away early. It's crucial to score on the very first chance. It'll set the tone. Here's hoping for a win, a big win with no injuries and that acts as a major confidence booster.

 

So excited!
I'll be proudly wearing my jersey to school tomorrow if we win!
And I feel really good cause I bought a pair of tix for my dad and sister. They haven't really been getting along, so hopefully this will give them so quality bonding time together! But I did have to lie and say that I got the tix for free in order to get them to go together...but results are results!

 

Oooooooh! We are soooooo in for it now.

 

Wrong.

He does not give a damn about San Jose except when we trash him, and he does not give a damn about LA either. This is the problem with Galaxy in general and LD in particular. On paper you should be the best team in the league. But on the pitch?... different situation.

By the way, I thought Galaxy played San Jose with a lot of passion this year, at least the second and third times. No one here is taking our impending match-up lightly.

http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2012/11/01/throw-why-donovan-stepping-away-may-be-best

 

I'm sorry, but WTF are you talking about? You do realize he helped lead this team to a championship last year right? You do realize he is leader in chances created in the entirety of MLS right? You do realize his team values him as Captain right? You do realize he's played here for 8 years?

If you are going to come in here and post as a SJ fan at least make some coherent sense and don't post stuff that is clearly so garbage I can't even give credence to it.

Right now, your posts are laughably inaccurate and just illustrate your bitterness over the fact that LD left you 8 years ago.

I'm going to go worry about Vancouver now. At least they have some class.

 

This is one of the few cases when I agree with Bruno Latour: A situation where a post tells you less about the purported subject (in this case Landon Donovan), and more about the author (and their personal insecurities and shortcomings).

 

It's not his fault, he is a smurf fan after all.

 

Galaxy's official website is getting way ahead of themselves. They already have the Smurfs listed on their schedule page for 11/4.

http://www.lagalaxy.com/schedule