Cooling Fusion Visits Rose Bowl
The Galaxy might be catching the Miami Fusion at the right time.
Coach Ray Hudson’s squad, which visits the Rose Bowl tonight, has been Major League Soccer’s hottest team but suddenly seems to have gone off the boil.
After going undefeated for 12 matches, Miami was shut out, 3-0, at the Orange Bowl last Saturday by the New York/New Jersey MetroStars.
Then, on Wednesday, it again was beaten, 2-1, by the Columbus Crew in the third round of the U.S. Open Cup.
“Obviously, they’re starting to [allow] some goals,” Galaxy Coach Sigi Schmid said, “but Ray’s got those great, magnificent halftime speeches and he motivates the boys and they all get enthused about playing.
“So from that standpoint they’re a very entertaining team and a very exciting team. They’re the kind of team that if you fall asleep defensively they have four or five guys who can carve you up.”
The Fusion, which has scored a league-high 36 goals, has four players among the top 10 in MLS scoring.
Diego Serna leads the league with 11 goals and nine assists; Alex Pineda Chacon is third with nine goals and six assists; Preki is fifth with five goals and nine assists and Jim Rooney is eighth with five goals and seven assists.
The Fusion has been shut out only twice and has scored three or more goals five times, so the Galaxy defense is likely to find itself busy.
When the teams met in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., last month, the game ended 3-3.
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The Galaxy continues to battle injury woes and Schmid has juggled his lineup accordingly.
“Cobi [Jones] felt much better today than he did yesterday,” Schmid said after the Galaxy won its Open Cup game on Wednesday, “so we’re hoping he’ll be able to go on the weekend, although he’s still questionable.”
Jones injured his back in a fall when he was upended during a 3-0 victory over D.C. United last Saturday.
“[Defensive midfielder Danny] Pena is questionable,” Schmid said. “[Forward Marvin] Quijano is out. [Forward Brian] Mullan is out as well, and there’s a guy we really miss. He’s somebody who was doing well and we really miss him. We haven’t really talked about that a lot.
“[Forward] Sasha [Victorine] is questionable for the weekend too.”
TONIGHT
VS. MIAMI, 7
ESPN2
Site--Rose Bowl.
Radio--KRLA (870), KTNQ (1020, Spanish).
Records--Galaxy 8-5-5, Fusion 11-2-3.
Record vs. Fusion--0-0-1.
Update--The Galaxy, tied for first with San Jose in the Western Division, leads the all-time series, 4-2-1, but both of the Fusion’s victories have been at the Rose Bowl. Miami goalkeeper Nick Rimando, who played under Galaxy Coach Sigi Schmid at UCLA, leads MLS in victories (10) and is second in save percentage (.805) and save ratio (4.38). Miami, the Eastern Division leader, has a club-record five-game unbeaten streak on the road. The teams’ playmakers--L.A.’s Mauricio Cienfuegos and Miami’s Preki--were selected as starters for the West and East, respectively, in the MLS All-Star game July 28 at San Jose. Miami Coach Ray Hudson will coach the East team.
Tickets--(877) 342-5299.
