03/29 - Saturday @ Colorado Rapids 6:30 p.m. FSC, FSE, HDNet Hey, we always do GREAT in Colorado, so let's get up for this game!!! Discuss.... Topper
Re: .:LA Galaxy vs C-Rapids 3/29/08 Pre-Game Thread:. Thanks Topper, I posted this in another thread but think its appropriate here. Who is our best 11. I watched the first half of the Dallas game and Becks was playing quite an advanced position. I thought it limited Klein's overlapping runs. Becks certainly doesn't have the wheels to get in behind the defense. I think it comes down to who is our best eleven and with my best eleven we're in a 4-1-3-2. Here's my lineup, very good going forward suspect in the back. -------------Cronin------------- Klein------X---Vanney----Randolph --------------Pires----------------- Becks--------Donovan---------Allen ----------Ruiz---------Gordon I think Donovan needs to be around the ball as much as possible pushing and controlling the tempo making runs for Becks. I think Cronin will grow into the starting role and will be fine. Pires must stay home and protect our center backs and be the link. My formation works much better with a Rico Clark type Dmid. Really that's probably the most important position in my line up and Pires's performance will be the difference winning 2-1 or losing 3-2. Thoughts?
Re: .:LA Galaxy vs C-Rapids 3/29/08 Pre-Game Thread:. haven't we lost like the last 3 or 4 years opening games? i'd REALLY like to win a few to start off with this year. The Rapids have been in England for the preseason, but have had other games as well. they got a 0-0 draw against Florida Atlantic University they beat marathon of honduras 3-0 drew 2-2 against RSL 3-2 win against Ipswich 2-1 loss to Arsenal Reserves 2-1 loss to the Bermuda National Team
Re: .:LA Galaxy vs C-Rapids 3/29/08 Pre-Game Thread:. we've historically been crap in colorado which is embarrassing considering colorado is historically one of the worst teams in the league. despite that i'm feeling confident on this one though, colorado has done nothing to bolster their crap front line. i mean come on kirovski? hercules? please. i know people love herc here, but he had 4 goals in 20 games last season. jovan had 6 in 28, 3 of which were penalties. christian gomez should get them more goals this season, but he won't have the luxury of being one of many goal scoring threats with colorado. tightly contested game. la wins 1-0 on a beckham corner in the 70th minute. followed by 20 minutes of our heart-attack inducing defense getting peppered with shots.
Re: .:LA Galaxy vs C-Rapids 3/29/08 Pre-Game Thread:. Alan Gordon hat trick. You heard it here first. 'Mon The Galaxy!!
Re: .:LA Galaxy vs C-Rapids 3/29/08 Pre-Game Thread:. Based on Media Mans stats I'd like to see the 4-3-3....
Re: .:LA Galaxy vs C-Rapids 3/29/08 Pre-Game Thread:. Since we're throwing out predictions, I'm going to take a real safe bet and say that we lose 2-1, but that it's a great day for the Galaxy because Becks sold out the stadium. Topper
Re: .:LA Galaxy vs C-Rapids 3/29/08 Pre-Game Thread:. I predict a snoozefest in which we edge Colorado 2-1. I hope they prove me wrong in the snoozefest prediction.
Re: .:LA Galaxy vs C-Rapids 3/29/08 Pre-Game Thread:. yah, the seaosn is back and i am excited as a galaxy fan. i think we will win with the players we have. ruiz donovan and beckham (off of a free kicker) to all score to make it a galaxy hat trick white wash. 3-0 to the good guys of the galaxy.
Re: .:LA Galaxy vs C-Rapids 3/29/08 Pre-Game Thread:. Galaxy 3-0 going into the last 10 minutes, give up 2 to the Crapids but hang on for a 3-2 victory for the good guys. Can't wait to see it.
Re: .:LA Galaxy vs C-Rapids 3/29/08 Pre-Game Thread:. starting off with a win would be nice, but I'd be happy with a draw (just not goalless) Becks might (depending on if he travel halfway around the world for the england game) be a bit off color.
Re: .:LA Galaxy vs C-Rapids 3/29/08 Pre-Game Thread:. I think defensively, the opositions speed will be a key factor in how troubled our important backline players (Klein, X, Vanney) are. Luckily, looking at Colorado's roster I just don't see a lot of speed, so we shouldn't be physically outmatched. Colorado something like this: ..................... Bouna ................ Ugo .... Erpen ..... Petke .... Burciaga .................. Pablo ................ Cooke ..... C. Gomez ..... Clark ........ Herc & Cummings ........ Plus Pablo, Petke, and Ugo are all somewhat in doubt due to injury.
Re: .:LA Galaxy vs C-Rapids 3/29/08 Pre-Game Thread:. Personally, I'd like to see a 4-3-3. Maybe something like this. ---Cronin--- Franklin---Xavier---Vanney---Gavin/ Randolph Klein------Pires------Randolph/Allen Beckham----Ruiz----Donovan It seemed that when we played in this formation, we had great ball movement and created a lot of chances for ourselves. This formation would enable Klein to pull off some overlapping runs and swing the ball into the box, which he is great at. I think we beat the Rapids 3-1 with Ruiz scoring 2 and Donovan 1. COME ON YOU GALAXY!
Re: .:LA Galaxy vs C-Rapids 3/29/08 Pre-Game Thread:. I'll be pessimistic and say we lose 2-1 with Beckham, Donovan and Ruiz all injured in various plays similar to how Chris Albright went down last year. That should nail the coffin shut on the whole season. Just kidding people! Im not that pessimistic! I think we will win 2-1, Cronin and the back line still need work, but we squeak this out and ruin it for the home fans. I have to be honest... I feel good in which the direction of this team is going. As Dashiel points out, we've been in shambles for a number of years now... since 2003, but I feel Ruud is going to leave a mark on this team and change our organization. sans Lalas.
Re: .:LA Galaxy vs C-Rapids 3/29/08 Pre-Game Thread:. Well, you answered my questions. I'm really frustrated with our lineup. I like who we have don't get me wrong. It's just so hard to perfect what formation is going to work for us. I've almost come down to throwing my hands in the air and saying "Screw it, 3-5-2 please thanks." but your formation makes alot more sense with all the peices we have. my thought behind 3-5-2 is we have alot of talent to put in the midfield but lack in the front. Throw klein in as a RCM and beckham on the wing. That wouldn't work would it?
Re: .:LA Galaxy vs C-Rapids 3/29/08 Pre-Game Thread:. I want to watch the game and I'm looking for a "Galaxy Fan Bar". Where does everyone go to watch the away games? - Very Excited New Season Ticket Holder
Re: .:LA Galaxy vs C-Rapids 3/29/08 Pre-Game Thread:. With where Ruud is heading, it doesn't really matter to much where you line them up. The question becomes, do we have the players to play it? Right now only Beckham and Donovan have the mind the technical abilities (and Klein has the mind at least) to play it, that's why you saw Beckham at r-mid, r-back, and l-mid. He's switching around with Donovan and Klein. It'll be a hybrid because of our personnel issues, but it should be fun to watch (succeed or flop) Read below (from Wikipedia): The foundations for Total Football were laid by Jack Reynolds, who was the manager of Ajax Amsterdam from 1915-1925, 1928-1940 and 1945-1947. Rinus Michels, who played under Reynolds, later went on to become manager of Ajax himself and refined the concept into what is known today as "Total Football" (Totaalvoetbal in Dutch), using it in his training for the Ajax squad and the Netherlands national team in the 1970s. It was further refined by Stefan Kovacs after Michels left for FC Barcelona. Dutch forward Johan Cruyff was the system's most famous exponent. Although Cruyff was fielded as centre forward, he wandered all over the pitch, popping up wherever he could do most damage to the opposing team. This resulted in a need for such a dynamic system like Total Football. His teammates adapted themselves flexibly around his movements regularly switching positions, so that the tactical roles in the team were always filled, although not always by the same person. Space and the creation of it were vital for the tactic of Total Football to be played into fruition, Ajax defender Barry Hulshoff explained how the team that won the European Cup in 1971, 1972 and 1973 worked it to their advantage. 'We discussed space the whole time. Johan Cruyff always talked about where people should run and where they should stand, and when they should not move.' “The idea of total football was that that everybody can play in every position, that everybody plays in the team and could go where he wants,” explains Ruud Krol. “It takes a lot of discipline. You must have the freedom to go forward, knowing that the position behind will be filled. You need quality players. At that time we had one super player and maybe five or six world-class players, and the rest were of top European level.” The constant switching of positions that became known as Total Football only came about because of this spatial awareness. 'It was about making space, coming into space, and organising space-like architecture on the football pitch,' said Hulshoff. The system developed organically and collaboratively: it was not down to coach Rinus Michels, his successor Stefan Kovacs or Cruyff alone. Cruyff summed up his (Total Football) philosophy: 'Simple football is the most beautiful. But playing simple football is the hardest thing.' [1] The 1972 European Cup final proved to be Total Football's finest hour and which placed it on the map. After Ajax's 2:0 victory over Internazionale, newspapers around Europe reported the "death of Catenaccio and triumph of Total Football". The Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad declared: ‘The Inter system underm
Re: .:LA Galaxy vs C-Rapids 3/29/08 Pre-Game Thread:. Nobody, not even the Dutch, even tries to play "Total Football" anymore. I can't imagine that Ruud is trying to resurrect that ideal theory, which depended mostly on having 11 superb players. Remeber, Cobi had a lot of freedom to freelance and showed up on the left or right as the game situation permitted. The fact that Becks has liberty to freelance does not mean the team is trying to play "Total Football."
Dont pick backyard fruit I am confident we will play with more authority this season than last. I think Yallop as disciplinarian was a bitch. Where I truly think Ruud will lay the hammer down for this team to perform. That said: 120'x80' pitch at 5,000 ft. elevation does not help "X", Klein, Vanney as far getting back into position and transitioning from offense to defense. I see the G's as a one trick pony in this game. If "El Flopadito" can manage a few 20-30 yard from goal dives we can set up pretty boy for a free kick goal. Until I like the passing more from the boys, this team will be nothing but a set piece wet dream and will more than disappoint during the run of play. Colorado will probably grab a goal somewhere, from who or where is an enigma because there offense puts the "SH" in S_H_I_T_T_Y. This game right now screams scoreless draw or 1-1 draw.
Re: .:LA Galaxy vs C-Rapids 3/29/08 Pre-Game Thread:. I have no idea the formation that Ruud plans to employ on the 29th. For all we know, Ruud doesn't yet know himself and has less than 2 weeks to figure it out himself. But I think we can safely say that the following players will start out on the field on opening night: Cronin - Wicks will push Cronin and may overtake him if Cronin stumbles, but to start the season, Cronin will be our #1. Vanney and X - they've now partnered for 3 or 4 games in a row. Who knows how long they'll last before one of them comes up lame, but I think Ruud wants their experience and distribution on the field. That gives our top defensive draft pick, Valentin, more time to train and play reserve games to prepare. But I'm sure Valentin will end up getting lots of playing time this year. Klein - whether as right back, right mid or as a right-sided d-mid in a 4-3-3 system, Klein will be in our starting XI. Pires - he's been getting better each game, has been a starter the past 3 or 4 games, is getting more and more match fit and is the player most suited to patrol and control the middle of the park. Donovan, Ruiz, Beckham - duh. That's eight guaranteed starters. So we're basically looking at another 8 guys or so fighting for the remaining 3 spots. I think the front runners right now, based on minutes played so far in pre-season, are Gavin, Allen and Gordon. Although we could easily see Randolph, Franklin and Tudela on the field in their places. That would give us a good mix. 6 experienced vets (X, Vanney, Klein, Ruiz, Donovan, Beckham) 2 returning MLS players that need to prove themselves at this level (Cronin and Gordon) 2 rookies getting their shot, and 1 young but seasoned foreign signing (Pires). Maybe not the best - but when you tie up half your cap space with 3 players, that's what you get. And then Pete, Jordan, Buddle (once healthy) oRoberts, Valentin and Sesay. And Jazic once he's back. I personally, for the first game of the season, wouldn't mind seeing the traditional 4-4-2 played: ---------Cronin Klein---X----Vanney-Gavin ----------Pires Beckham------------Allen ----------Donovan ------Ruiz-----Gordon You go with that formation and 2 of Gavin, Allen and Randolph start the game. I put in Gavin and Allen, b/c they seemed to develop a good partnership as the pre-season went on, but it could easily be Gavin and Randolph or Randolph and Allen. But other than those two spots, if we do a 4-4-2 I think that would be the best possible formation, with Gordon and Donovan free to move back and forth as the game dictated. The other option would be to find a way to get Franklin on the backline to get more speed back there, which would be a 4-3-3 like we played in the final game in Asia, where Allen (or Randolph) is removed from the left mid side, brining in Franklin to the back line and moving Klein in midfield. But I guess we won't really know what Ruud has up his sleeve until about 7 p.m. on March 29th....