Galaxy Looking to Slow Burn
Distractions can come from anywhere, the Galaxy has learned, even from within its own ranks.
In a week when Coach Sigi Schmid and his players were preparing for tonight’s 7:30 game against the Dallas Burn, the team’s front office was focusing on more distant goals.
* On Wednesday, the club announced that the Galaxy will play Chivas of Guadalajara, one of Mexico’s most successful and popular teams, April 26 at the Rose Bowl.
* On Friday, it announced that the Galaxy will play current Iranian league leader and Asian Club Championship semifinalist Persepolis on May 29, also at the Rose Bowl.
Two international games against high-caliber opposition roughly a month apart will provide a good measure of where the Galaxy stands, said Sergio del Prado, the team’s vice president of business operations.
“Whenever we can play against high-quality clubs such as these, it raises the level of our players’ awareness,” he said.
“From a business standpoint, obviously they are two teams that have a huge following in Southern California. I think we’re very fortunate to play the team that has the hearts of most of the Mexican fans and the team that has the hearts of most of the Iranian fans.”
The Galaxy, meanwhile, is trying to win a few hearts of its own. Unbeaten four games into Major League Soccer’s fifth season, the Galaxy (2-0-2) leads the Western Division.
Dallas, defeated by the Galaxy in the conference finals last season, is atop the Central Division with a 3-1 record, but Coach Dave Dir has downplayed his team’s early success.
“Our play has been very sporadic, at best,” Dir said before Dallas’ most recent game. “We feel we’ve had some trouble really incorporating guys who haven’t been here the whole preseason.
“A lot of our possession has been a little bit off, and it’s made the games a little more sloppy from our standpoint. We still try to play attractive, open soccer, but we’re losing a lot of possession of the ball in places we don’t feel we necessarily would be [doing] at a different point in the season.”
That said, Dallas scored a 2-1 victory over the New England Revolution, a team the Galaxy had struggled to tie the week before.
The Burn, inspired by forwards Jason Kreis and Ariel Graziani, has played all four of its matches at the Cotton Bowl. Tonight’s game is its first on the road.
The Galaxy has not been as dominant as its record might indicate, and its depth will be tested tonight because of the absence of two starters, Ezra Hendrickson and Simon Elliott, and a key player off the bench, Sasha Victorine.
“Teams like Columbus [which the Galaxy tied, 2-2, last Saturday in Ohio] and Kansas City always give us a problem because they’re very aerial teams,” Schmid said. “The ball is in the air a lot, and they have a lot of people who are great headers of the ball, and that’s not necessarily our strength.
“Dallas is another team that is physical, with a guy like midfielder Ted Eck.”
The Burn also features midfielder Chad Deering, who is strong in the air, as is the opportunistic Graziani.
Paul Caligiuri probably will take Hendrickson’s place at right back tonight, while Elliott’s absence could bring either Steve Jolley or Zak Ibsen into a shuffled and new-look starting lineup.
Whether it works might be known by the 75-minute mark. The Burn is a perfect 50-0 in regular-season games when leading with 15 minutes to play.
