PBP: PIP: Western Conference Semi Final Game 1; LA Galaxy vs San Jose Earthquakes; 11/4/12; 6 P.M. PST

i have a feeling that we'll see 10 goals between both teams in this series. just hope we're the last team standing!!!

 

Omar Comin!!!!

 

I think set pieces are key for us in this series. We can't let SJ score on free kicks, and we can't keep letting wondolowski poach goals from corner kicks.

 

The idea of Chavez going up against Jimenez literally gives me hives. It would be over in about 15 minutes, Hector would be eaten alive. If Franklin can't go (I'm off to sacrifice something per instruction), Gaul has to play back there. His physicality and long legs are needed. Just tell him to defend and stick Sarvas on his side.

Isn't Salazar the one that doesn't like Beckham?

 

If Franklin can't go:

------------Keane-------LD--------------
Magee-----------------------------Becks
------------Juni------Stephens----------
Duni------Meyer---Omar-------Sarvas

If Juni and Franklin can't go then

----------Keane-------LD--------------
Magee------------------------Chippen
-------Stephens-----Becks------------
Duni-----Meyer----Omar-----Sarvas

OR
----------Keane-------LD--------------
Magee------------------------Chippen
----------Sarvas-----Becks------------
Duni------Meyer----Omar------Gaul

 

Is there a way that Saunders could elbow Lenhart in the face without getting a red card? Probably not, or else everyone would be doing it.

 

We have a few players on yellows right? It kinda makes me nervous going into this game.

Juninho
Sarvas

Right? They both need to be really careful.

 

From Adam Serrano's blog

 

I shudder to see the changes Bruce may spring on us. I'll just keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best.

 

Tiffert got away with it on Rimando last night.

EDIT: It will be interesting to see if the league comes back with some sort of punishment on Tiffert. In the replay it looked like he lunged to his right and deliberately threw his elbow into Rimando. I don't think he was trying to hurt him, but he clearly was trying to get a piece of him instead of playing the ball.

 

That's true, and having Jimenez hurt us defensively, but the truth is I wouldn't call us thin at RB from a roster standpoint. When healthy we have Franklin and AJ who are both MLS starters, that's more than most teams, and our #3 defender is Brian Jordan, who is actually a decent #3. Below that, sure, you're not going to have a great choice, but actually if Bruce had put Gaul out there we would have been stronger defensively but lost our width going forward. Jimenez didn't miss a beat going forward. Too bad he's not a better defender (even as a RM).

That being said. These playoff games aren't about who's better on paper or who'd better top to bottom. Good depth and better players can give you an edge, but in the end it comes down to desire and execution on a handful of key plays. Look at Vancouver. 4th minute goal was bad defense but it took a perfect off the post shot to finish it. And who about the 68th minute Vancouver attack? Saunders, Omar, and Dunivant all scramble to close down Robson and he can't find a way to finish. Galaxy come back charged up and win the game on a precision finish from Magee.

These games are a crapshoot. It really hurts not having Frankling and AJ ready to go at 100%. But we can win without them. We won an MLS cup with Pando. We can win. I hope we win. Sunday is taking forever ...

 

Can't wait for this one! My hope is we can get on the board early, and rely on the back 4. *The irony, given how poor they played in the beginning of the year.

 

Goal I hit on Fifa against San Jose, hopefully this happens in real life on Sunday Night.... http://www.ea.com/soccer/videos/ugc/141339793

 

(On Amateur?) Nice strike. I hope Becks lights one up again and takes aim at Cronin.

 

Only says Amateur because I adjusted the sliders a bit, it was on Professional.

Goal was awesome, I lept into the air off my couch when I hit it.

Best part was that it was while we only had 10 men, I accidentally took out Wondowlowski with Gaul a few mins before the shot

 

Sure. "Accidentally." - I bet the game tomorrow will get incredibly chippy. Should be exciting.

 

all i have to say is...........


LET'S GO EDSON BUDDLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

If Sean Franklin is not able to play tomorrow night, here is the line-up that I’d like to see the Galaxy start:

---------------------------------Saunders--------------------------------

Sarvas---------------Gonzales--------------Meyer-------------Dunivant

------------------------Beckham----------Juninho----------------------

Donovan-----------------------------------------------------------Magee

----------------------------Keane----------Buddle-------------------------



1. Right Back

Who should start at right back for the Galaxy if Franklin is unable to play? I don’t think it should be Hector Jimenez. He looked shaky on defense on Thursday night. And he doesn’t have much experience -- at least in important games -- at outside back. So, should the Galaxy start Marcelo Sarvas, Bryan Gaul or Bryan Jordan at right back? Jordan hasn’t played in an MLS match since August 15th, and then he played only seven minutes. His last match before that was on July 14th, and then he played only 27 minutes. Also, he sometimes has looked a little vulnerable and spastic on defense. So, I think the Galaxy should start either Sarvas or Gaul at right back (if Franklin can’t play).

So, should it be Sarvas or Gaul? Gaul has played pretty well at outside back for the Galaxy this season. He also is physically strong, isn’t bad at playing the ball out of the back, is good in the air and is pretty good (and improving) as a one-on-one defender. In addition, in the one half that I remember Gaul playing right back for the Galaxy (the second half of the game against Seattle on October 28th), his defense was fine. In addition, Gaul has played as a defender for the Galaxy much more this season than Sarvas has. In fact, the only time I remember Sarvas playing defender for the Galaxy this season was during Thursday night’s game against Vancouver. Bruce Arena brought in Sarvas for Jimenez in the 52nd minute. When Arena put Sarvas in, Arena seemed to then deploy the team in a hybrid 4-4-2/3-5-2 with Sarvas playing right back/right midfield. As far as I remember, that is the only time Sarvas has played right back in MLS.

However, I probably would start Sarvas anyway. First, I worry about Gaul’s lack of experience at right back and lack of experience overall. He is a rookie who last season was a target-forward for Bradley University. Also, Gaul is left-footed, and the only time I remember him playing right back for the Galaxy was in the second half of their October 28th game against Seattle. During that game Gaul looked a little uncomfortable playing the ball out of the back. Most of his passes out of the back were with his left foot, and he looked a little awkward when he released the ball. And although he defended fine in the match, his body positioning seemed a little unorthodox.

Meanwhile, Sarvas looked good on Thursday night. He helped the Galaxy get the win. He was good at playing the ball out of the back, and he was very good at going forward from the right back position. In addition, he has a lot of experience as a player. He is 31 and has played in Brazil, Sweden, Poland (where he played 6 matches in the UEFA Europa League), Costa Rica (where an emphasis is placed on tackling and dispossessing players) and MLS. Also, his time with the Galaxy has shown that he is a good tackler. He is very good at taking the ball off of a player’s foot. He is probably better at that than Gaul. Although Gaul probably has better straight-line speed than Sarvas, Sarvas might be a little quicker, and his first few steps may be faster. Sarvas also seems like a pretty smart player. He looks like he can figure out quickly the positioning involved with playing right back.

In addition, although Sarvas was getting forward at lot on Thursday night, he was essentially playing right back -- rather than right midfield -- at the time. At least it didn’t seem as if Todd Dunivant had pinched into the middle and was playing left back in a 3-5-2, with Tommy Meyer as the center back and Omar Gonzales as the right back. And although Sarvas was getting forward a lot, he generally got back in the way that a right back would when the Galaxy were defending. And Sarvas generally managed to honor his defensive responsibilities.

Also, if Sarvas were to start at right back, he probably wouldn’t be matched up against Marvin Chavez (San Jose’s most dangerous midfielder) that often. Here is the line-up that San Jose is likely to start tomorrow night:

--------------------------------------Busch----------------------------------

Beitashour-------------Bernardez------------Hernandez----------Morrow

-----------------------------Baca-------------Cronin--------------------------

Chavez-----------------------------------------------------------------Dawkins

----------------------------Lenhart-----------Wondolowski-------------------

That has generally been Frank Yallop’s starting back line when everybody is healthy. And Yallop has been starting Steven Lenhart up front recently with, of course, Chris Wondolowski. Also, Alan Gordon is coming off of an injury, so I don’t expect him to start. Finally, the above midfield has been Yallop’s first choice midfield, especially after Mehdi Ballouchy got injured. And when Yallop starts this midfield, Chavez generally -- if not always -- plays right midfield, where he likes to cut in on his preferred left foot. So, if Sarvas plays right back for the Galaxy on Sunday night, Chavez likely will be matched up against Dunivant. So, Sarvas’ lack of experience as a defender might not be as easily exploited as it might be if Chavez were to play left midfield.

There have been a number of times during Arena’s career when he has switched midfielders and/or forwards to outside backs. Some of these switches have been very successful. Switching Chris Albright from forward to right back worked well. Bobby Convey (generally a left midfielder) had some solid games for the U.S. national team at left back. And one of Arena’s most famous position-switches was when he moved Tony Sanneh from outside midfield to right back. It was, of course, a huge success and helped the U.S. national team make it to the quarterfinals of the 2002 World Cup. However, there have also been times when Arena’s position-switches haven’t worked as well. For instance, Jimenez struggled defensively on Thursday night against Vancouver. And when Arena started Eddie Lewis (normally a left midfielder) at left back against a very good and experienced Czech Republic team in the 2006 World Cup, Lewis struggled defensively. Moving Sarvas to right back on Sunday night is risky. But I think it’s a reasonable risk, particularly given Gaul’s lack of experience and Sarvas’ good play on Thursday night.



2. Forward

If Franklin can’t play, should Arena start Robbie Kean and Edson Buddle up front with Landon Donovan at right midfield or Keane and Donovan up front with Christian Wilhelmsson or Hector Jimenez at right midfield? First, will Wilhelmsson even be able to play? He was injured for the Vancouver game. Also, he is still basically in preseason -- or at least early season -- form, since he is on a different calendar than MLS’s. Also, although he is quite skillful and has excellent experience, the physicality of MLS has seemed a bit difficult for him at times. And are his teammates used to him yet? Sunday’s game isn’t a regular season game. It’s the Galaxy’s home leg of the Western Conference Semifinals. So, would it be too risky to start Wilhelmsson? Also, Jimemez didn’t distinguish himself on Thursday night, and, prior to Thursday, hadn’t played for the Galaxy since September 14th. Moreover, if Franklin is injured, then Sarvas or Gaul is probably going to play right back. And neither of them gives me a huge amount of confidence in terms of playing defense at right back. Meanwhile, Donovan provides good defensive help for whoever is the outside back who plays behind him. So, especially if Franklin can’t play on Sunday night, it would be good to have Donovan at right midfield to provide help for whomever plays right back.

In addition, Buddle is playing a little better now than he was before the injury. He is holding the ball better, and he scored a nice goal against San Jose at Buck Shaw. Buddle also is good -- or at least has the ability to be good -- at defending corner kicks and restarts that are flighted into the box. And San Jose is really good at scoring in such situations. Lenhart, Wondolowski and Gordon are all good at scoring on these plays. Victor Bernardez seems good in the air, too. So, it would be good to have Buddle in there to help neutralize those guys. So, I’d start Buddle at forward. If he is invisible offensively and isn’t contributing much, Arena can always bring in someone for him in the second half. And Arena can always bring in a midfielder (for instance, Wilhelmsson or Sarvas, if the latter doesn’t start at right back) for Buddle and move Donovan up to forward.

Even if Franklin starts, I probably would start Buddle at forward and Donovan at right midfield. Buddle’s heading ability -- on both offense and on defending corners -- is one of the main reasons why.



3. Corners

As mentioned, San Jose is excellent at scoring on corners and restarts that are crossed into the box. Marvin Chavez generally takes the kicks. He takes them both from the left side and the right side. Both his in-swingers and out-singers are dangerous. He strikes a venomous line-drive that is often close to the goal-line while still being hard for the goalkeeper to catch. Lenhart and Gordon are excellent at scoring on headers on corners. Bernardez also seems strong in the air, and he scored on a corner with his foot against the Galaxy in June. In addition, Wondolowski is great at scoring on corners. Many people forget that Wondo is 6 foot tall. Also, his movement and runs -- to give himself space -- are incredible. He is great at separating from defenders and finding space. He’s constant motion, a whirling dervish. He’s sort of a combination of Gary Lineker, Barry Sanders and Lynn Swann. He also is a top class finisher. He has a poacher’s instinct and is well-coordinated. And he is especially dangerous in the second half of matches. Remember: He was recruited by top track schools (even UCLA) to be a middle distance runner. So, everyone is more tired in the second half than he is.

Also, San Jose did a lot of damage to the Galaxy on corners in the teams’ three games against each other this season. In their first game (a 3-2 San Jose win in May), Lenhart scored on a header off of a corner for San Jose’s first goal, which cut the Galaxy’s two-goal lead in half. Gordon then scored on a header on a long ball into the box to win the game. In the second game (the Galaxy’s 4-3 loss at Stanford in June), Bernardez scored on a corner with his foot; he beat Dunivant on the play. Also, Wondo scored the winning goal in the match off of a corner (he beat AJ). Finally, in the last game between the teams (the 2-2 tie), Wondo scored the winning goal on a corner. He beat Franklin on the play. In the same game, Wondo hit the post on a corner in the 49th minute. Again, he beat Franklin.

So, the Galaxy have got to focus on defending corners and restarts that can be crossed into the box. I think Gonzales should cover Lenhart. Lenhart is big and hard to move. Gonzales matches up well with him and neutralizes him. I tend to think Buddle should cover Bernarndez if Bernardez comes up. And I tend to think Dunivant should cover Wondolowski. Dunivant is 6’ 0”, 175 lbs -- about the same size as Wondolowski. And Dunivant is good at body-positioning and is very smart. So, he is tall enough to battle Wondolowski in the air, but he is also good enough at positioning his body so as to keep Wondolowksi from getting too much separation.

In the Galaxy’s last game against San Jose (the 2-2 tie), Franklin covered Wondo on corners. As mentioned, Wondo got separation from Franklin on more than one occasion. So, even if Franklin can play on Sunday, I might put Dunivant on Wondo for corners. Dunivant is taller than Franklin, and he seems better at positioning his body so that the guy he is covering doesn’t get separation. Although Franklin is more athletic than Dunivant, Franklin’s athleticism didn’t help him enough when he covered Wondo in the two teams’ last meeting. Meyer is another person who could cover Wondo on corners, but I worry that Meyer isn’t quick enough or experienced enough to do the job. Another option would be to have Buddle cover Wondo on corners, and have Meyer cover Bernardez. Buddle is good in the air, so maybe he should match up against Wondo. Although Bernardez is 2 inches taller and 25 pounds heavier than Wondo, I think Wondo is much more dangerous on corners. Wondo is much quicker and more coordinated. And, anyway, Wondo has scored a lot more goals on corners than Bernardez has.

Finally, if Gordon comes into the game in the second half and San Jose keeps Lenhart and Wondo on the field, then Meyer would be a good person to mark Gordon on corners. Meyer has good size and is not afraid of contact. But Meyer is going to have to stay focused. Gordon never gives up and is strong in the air.



4. Omar

Omar can’t let Lenhart bother him too much. Lenhart frustrates him. Lenhart frustrates many people. He is always talking and banging and gesturing and provoking. And his celebrations are often over the top. He is the Mark Gastineau of MLS. Omar is cerebral and self-contained. He has got to stay that way even if Lenhart is being provocative. Also, Omar shouldn’t get so completely focused on Lenhart (or Gordon) that he totally loses track of Wondo. What could happen is that Omar gets overly focused on bodying up against Lenhart or Gordon, and Wondo runs free in the channels and scores. Omar has got to be willing to release Lenhart if someone needs to cover Wondo. It might be reasonable for Omar to let Lenhart have some space on occasions so that Omar can keep Wondo from getting the space that he needs to score. Meyer also is going to have to focus on Wondo. That’s a big task for Meyer.

 

Short and sweet. Gaul is all left foot, he can't play on the right in a meaningful games. Sarvas led the team in fouls given and fouls received. We need his heart and tenacity against a physical team like SJ. I don't care where he plays, but he needs to be in there from the start.

 

I hope that means Buddle is on the bench, Sarvas is somewhere (agree 100% with War Galaxy) and Jimenez is on the bench.

Keane LD
Magee Juninho Becks Sarvas
Dunivant Meyer Gonzo Gaul
Saunders

If Gaul cannot go move Sarvas back (yes, I can't believe I'm considering it just like everyone else on here) and stick Mikey Stephens in. Yes, I'd play Stephens over Buddle.

If Franklin can go just replace Gaul with him.

 

Chavez is the player on SJ I'm most concerned about. By far.

 

Seriously?

Ok, now I do have a bad feeling about this. When Slimyzar refs a game, particularly an LA game vs us... he goes in with orders from the league to give the game to LA if at all possible. We're not going to get any calls.

No, this is going to suck. The evil, cheating, league-favored (PK/noPK?), smog-breathing, water-stealing galactopustules are a bunch of flaming cheaters. That's not watching good soccer, that's watching one team try to cheat and whining to the ref every few seconds. It's disgusting, repulsive, and makes our league look terrible because it's so damn obvious that they are favored by the league.

So maybe he won't buy LA's bullshit where their "stars" surround the ref when they disagree with a call. We can hope.

As much as LA dominated the game against Vancouver they got all the calls and were handed the game.

You know what's kinda hilarious about those choice quotes? They berate us for whining. And then all they do in their threads against us is whine...and whine some more...then throw a cherry on top of their whining....

I kinda gotta laugh at the woe is me attitude. Even when THE LEAGUE was smothering love and attention on them this year due to Wondo/Goonies/Shield etc, it was still "poor us". God that gets old quickly.

 

That's a sucky way to live your life. They deserve our pity. We should put them out of their misery as quickly and efficiently as possible.