P/I/P: #27 - LA Galaxy vs Chivas USA 10/03/10 5:00 PM PT

After the rather lackadasical efforts of the past few games, nothing but a complete goat beat-down will suffice.. Something more akin to a NFL score. Winning by less than 3 goals will constitute a total failure and should result in Bruce being fired and AEG HQ being slashed and burned to make way for some new condos.

 

I think this (below) gives us our best possible lineup. Service from the left side will be difficult, but if we can get Duni to make a couple of overlapping runs, then we'll be fine. at this point, I think we need Landon directly in front of the opposing team's goal to free up a little but of breathing room and to provide a target should Beckham try the long pass from deep midfield. Plus, it gives us a solid hard working defender on the left hand side, and someone who can link with Juninho and Dema in the short passing game.

I dont think the back line will have a tough time against CUSA's two big forwards. With a bit of luck, we could probably trick Gordo into scoring an own goal

--------------------- Buddle --------- Donovan --------------------

--------- Stephens ------------ Juninho ------------ Beckham -------

----------------------------- Kovalenko ----------------------------

----- Dunivant ------- Leonardo ------ Gonzalez ------- Franklin -----

------------------------------ Ricketts ----------------------------

 

INJURY REPORT
OUT – None
DOUBTFUL – None
QUESTIONABLE – Gregg Berhalter (Neck – Strain), Dema Kovalenko (Right Adductor – Strain)
PROBABLE – None


i think Birchall starts



--------------------- Buddle --------- Bowen --------------------


--------- Donovan ---------- Juninho ------------ Beckham -------

----------------------------- Birchall----------------------------

----- Dunivant ------- Marshall ------ Gonzalez ------- Franklin -----

------------------------------ Ricketts ----------------------------

 

thank you Ts3

 

I love this lineup.

 

Do not forget the after party at OCP main course roasted
GOAT.

 

I like this lineup, except I'd switch out Kovalenko with Brichall.

And possibly Yohance Marshall in for Leonardo.

 

I truly believe this is the lineup we should do. Keep beckham upfront and an opportunity in the box with his precise shots and also give buddle the assistance upfront to make him more dangerous. This also takes out the longball business because our midfield and forwards don't have a good enough first touch to absorb the pass aswell as gives Juninho the space he needs to be effective. I'd also like to see a few shots from Beckham. And, even if he ventures off he's not a liability to the defense or midfield.

Win Win.

--------------------- Donovan ------------Beckham ---------------

-------------------------------Buddle------------------------------

-------------- Stephens ---------------------Juninho ---------------

----------------------------- Kovalenko ----------------------------

----- Dunivant ------- Leonardo ------ Gonzalez ------- Franklin -----

------------------------------ Ricketts-----------------------

 

I'd have to agree, partly because Bruce mention after the RB game that Bowen should have been in the game earlier. so, is starting the game early enough Bruce?

 

We should beat Chivas with ANY lineup on Sunday.
They are in a free fall now, already thinking about next season (and next coach) i'm sure.

 

I think this would be a lot stronger than a lineup with Donovan on the left and Bowen up top.

Advantages of having LD up top and Stephens at left mid:

1. Donovan is a better forward than Bowen. By a lot.

2. Most of Donovan's assists this year have come when he was on the right.

3. Combination play works best when you have your skilled players close together, working in a roughly triangular formation. Bowen is a dribble and run kinda guy, he doesn't do combinations very often or very well. This lineup creates natural triangles of Juninho & Beckham & Donovan and of Juninho, Buddle, & Donovan all of whom should work really well together if they just get some time together on the field.

4. Becks isn't fast enough to get behind defenders on speed alone but he is quite adept at it if he can work give-and-goes with skilled teammates nearby.

5. Becks will be less likely to resort to the long ball if Donovan is playing closer to him.

6. When Becks does resort to the long ball over the top Donovan has both the speed and the skill to take advantage. Bowen has the speed but not the skills.

7. Stephens tracks back on defense more consistently than Donovan. He is more likely to help Dunivant handle speedy forwards.

8. Stephens was our second best assist man when playing. Of late goals have been hard to come by so we need him out there getting assists again.

9. This gets our strongest players on the field. Bowen > Kirovski, but Stephens > Bowen.

Disadvantages:

1. With Donovan & Becks on the right there may be even less room for Franklin to overlap.

2. Donovan always gets fewer touches when he is up top. That problem may be ameliorated somewhat though by having Becks nearby.

 

Pathetic performance last Friday. Snap out of it, will ya! G's 3-0.

 

Consession suggestion

Goat Recipe

The first thing to do is to get the freshest goat possible and the best cuts. ( editor note: try butterfly filets or tenderloin filets)

Ingredients:

Goat to cook - 2 lbs.
4 garlic cloves
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 naranja agria (bitter orange). I have yet to find them in the US , so you may want to substitute with a lime.
1 small onion (red, yellow or Spanish), chopped
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
2-4 bay leaves
3-4 sweet peppers, chopped. These are small ones that I can find in Latin markets. DO NOT use hot peppers.
Several branches of cilantro (verdure)
1 tbsp vinegar (apple cider or white preferably)
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 - 1 cup of tomato sauce (I prefer 2 tbsp of tomato paste myself, but other prefer the sauce).
1 tsp sugar
2 -3 tbsp oil
1/2 - 1 cup cooking wine

Preparation:

In the mortar and pestle, combine the garlic, pepper and salt and pound until you have a pasty consistency - set aside.

Place the goat in a bowl and wash with the juice of bitter orange or lime. Season goat with the garlic paste above, vinegar, oregano, thyme, bay leaves, onion, cilantro, sweet peppers and Worcestershire sauce. If you can, let the goat marinate in the fridge for a couple of hours or even overnight.

*** You can use one of those little packets of Goya seasonings, but bear in mind that they contain monosodium glutamate.

In a large pot (I use anodized aluminum, i.e. Calphalon, for sautéing) heat up the oil with the sugar. The sugar will carmeralize and will give the goat a golden color without having to sauté it too much. This works even better when preparing pollo guisado (chicken fricassee). At this point, try to add the goat to the pot WITHOUT the ingredients it was marinating in. This might entail you actually separating the little leaves and other ingredients that will stick to the goat. The reasoning for this is that you don't want to "cook" these ingredients with the goat yet, at least not until the goat is tender. Sautee the goat in the hot oil for a couple of minutes, but do not let it burn. Reduce heat to medium and add some water, about 1 a cup. Simmer. When the water is almost gone, add the remaining marinade from the bowl. Add the tomato sauce/paste and cooking wine and cook on medium low heat for about 45 minutes, more or less. You want to let the liquid thicken, but not too much. Depending on your taste, you may add a little more wine towards the end of the cooking time.

Voila!!!

Goat goes very well with moros as well as with white rice and beans or guandules.


A great wine to accompany this meal will of course be a nice red

 

Uhhh none of the food at the HDC is actually cooked. It is taken out of the freezer and either:

A) Fried and Served
B) Nuked and Served
C) Boiled in the bag and served

So unless you can freeze dry this recipe or something that makes it fit one of these options, you are asking for the idiots that work for levy to do way more than they are capable of, because THEY CAN'T EVEN GET A, B, AND C RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Perfect for tailgating. Or a pregame potluck outside Calle Victoria.

 

Another recipe would be to tenderize that goat with a hammer until there is nothing left and go pick up a BWHD.

 

I hope the Galaxy win 10-0, only because id like for CUSA to rethink their whole brand direction during the offseason. A lopsided score of epic preportions will surely place the last nail in the CUSA coffin.

 

LOL! Never thought to see the ACTUAL food recipe in this forum, ever!

But hey, I'll try it for sure!!

 

I like this line up..very much!

As always, Sky should send his CV to LAG's management already for the coach/manager's position based on his outstanding analysis!

 

It was meant in humor, but it actually sounds like it might taste good

 

I'm nervous about this game. The Galaxy have shown us this summer that anything is possible in 90 minutes

 

This actually got me thinking. We were absolutely on fire up THROUGH the world cup. Remembering that we beat the Crew during that time and held our own without Buddle and Donovan. So then I thought back, pick a match where the team seemed to fire on all cylinders. The away match at Seattle. What was the line-up for that...

[LINEUP-4-4-2]Buddle, Donovan, Stephens, Birchall, Kirovski, Klein, Dunivant, Berhalter, Gonzo, Jordan, Ricketts[/LINEUP-4-4-2]

Subs were Cazmuba/Buddle, Bowen/Klein, and Mathis/Donovan

So while Jordan was a stop gap for Franklin, you still look at that lineup and see the core pieces. I honestly don't think Mike Stephens makes that big of a difference.

Then I rewatched the game and I came to one conclusion and that conclusion is going to upset many of you. Donovan left his soul in South Africa.

Donovan was an absolute beast in this game. He seemed to want to win every ball. He was faster, he was more meticulous and far more creative with his passes. He ran at the defenders and gave them fits. There was a fire there. I have seen remnants of that fire briefly from time to time, but at the beginning of the season this was his team. He was all over the guys on the field, firing them up as the captain, and when they needed to be told, he told them. When was the last time you saw him take charge on the field? Look at his eyes after the two goals against DCU, the fire isn't there. He actually looks a little irritated that he has to do all this work to save himself the embarassment of losing to the worst team in MLS this year.

So now we play Chivas. A match that Landon has historically been up for. This match may determine the fate of the season. I know Landon is tired, he has been playing for a year and a half straight. But if this game doesn't wake him up he will remain what he has been since July, a good midfielder/fwd. That's not good enough for this team to win the shield and the cup. We need the player that will make a run from the defensive side of the field, up the wing, delivering an excellent ball, and continue the run so that he ends up BEING THERE when the rebound comes on the opposite side of the goal.

Oh Captain my Captain, I call on you. Your club and all of it's supporters need your heart, guts, and your head in it 100% until you have the Cup raised over your head in Toronto. At that moment we will grant you the rest you will then have earned.