Ninety minutes. Such a short period of time, yet so much will be accomplished in the next ninety minutes for the LA GaLAxy. The ones which come to mind: Putting closure to the still recent memory of Ferrari Boy Campos letting a wet ball squirt from his grasp, resulting in the first goal for DC United back in '96. Or how Dan Calichman had to watch from the bench while an unmarked Tony Sanneh banged in a header for DC to tie the same match. For this GaLAxy fan, the thorn in my side is still '96. Seeing Cien and Cobi (who were on the '96 team) lift the Rothenberg trophy. Witnessing Sigi using a shovel to bury his critics. Hearing nine other teams having to refer to LA's team as, "The MLS Cup Champion Los Angeles GaLAxy," for an entire year. Getting this off of LA's back, courtesy of McOwen Others?
its nice to see cocky fans. theres nothing i love more. example one - chicago - first round, "who are the revs? they are lucky, they didnt hafta play a good team atthe end of the season. we're going to punish them 6-0 again" result - revs 6-3 example two - columbus - second round, "kyle martino - "i almost gurantee victory" plus fans that backed him up" result - revs 5-2 example three - los angeles - finals, "Hearing nine other teams having to refer to LA's team as, "The MLS Cup Champion Los Angeles GaLAxy," for an entire year." result - TBD
Likewise, I'm sure. They still haven't. Los Angeles, unlike Columbus and New England, has a midfield. Who was saying this? They sure weren't saying it in San Jose, Dallas, Kansas City, Denver, Chicago, etc....
Cocky? If I said these things about the Revs, who have lost seven matches at home during the regular season, that would be cocky. Remember, the Revs will have every reason to hold their head high after Sunday: 1) No one expected the Revs to be in the final. 2) Nicol took the talent on the team and got them to play at their best, guiding them from the cellar to first in the East. Barring catastrophe, the Revs might be the team to beat in the East for '03. In short, the Revs will still be considered winners in almost every respect, even if they just show up. For the GaLAxy, it's about winning on both Sunday and Thursday. It's about showing who the best team in the US is, bar none, and taking the high road to accomplish it. After the World Cup, the GaLAxy occupied dead last place in the West, and everybody said, "San Jose will repeat." Result: The GaLAxy won the Supporter's Shield (having to win a home and home against SJ in the last two matches of the season) while San Jose were dismissed by the Crew. The critics then speculated on which MLS team would "punt LA out of the playoffs." Result: The GaLAxy are in the final. There are some who believe the GaLAxy will succumb to the pressure of having to play for two cups in home venues of their respective opponents. Result: TBD. Taking the high road and achieving the goal makes the reward even better. Cocky? No. Confident? Yes.