In Need of a Win, L.A. Tests San Jose
One-third of the way through the Major League Soccer season is too early to consider tonight’s Galaxy match as crucial, but the outcome could have significant bearing on who eventually wins the Western Division title.
Los Angeles is on the road at San Jose and needs a victory to pull even in points with the first-place Earthquakes. A loss would leave the Galaxy trailing the division leader by six points, or two full games, with 16 to play.
The match pits the league’s second-best offense against the second-best defense.
The Galaxy has scored 20 goals, more than any team except the Miami Fusion, which has 23. The Earthquakes have given up 12 goals, a total bettered only by Miami’s eight.
Forward Luis Hernandez, who missed last Saturday’s game at Columbus while serving a one-game suspension, will play tonight but then will miss Wednesday’s game against Kansas City at the Rose Bowl because of national team duty.
But Galaxy Coach Sigi Schmid is not overly upset that Hernandez has been recalled by Mexico for its World Cup qualifying games against Costa Rica on June 16 and Honduras on June 20.
“One of the things I said when Luis came was that he was outside the Mexico team right now and it would be a great tribute to the Galaxy and to MLS if he got called back in,” Schmid said.
“I’ve been very pleased with everything he’s done. If we miss him, it means he’s playing well and if he’s playing well, that’s good for us too.”
Tonight’s game will be forward Landon Donovan’s last for San Jose for several weeks.
The Redlands teenager flies to Argentina Sunday to join the rest of the U.S. under-20 national team that will play China, Chile and Ukraine in the first round of the FIFA Youth World Championship.
Just when midfielder and 2000 team MVP Simon Elliott will return to the Galaxy depends on the outcome of a World Cup qualifying match between New Zealand and the Solomon Islands.
Both countries are unbeaten in their first two games and the winner of Monday’s match likely will finish in first place in the group, barring an upset in its final match on Wednesday.
If the Solomon Islands wins, Elliott could be on his way back to the U.S. on Thursday. If New Zealand wins, he won’t return until after a two-game series against Australia June 20 and 24.
The winner of that series plays the yet-to-be-determined fifth-place finisher in South American qualifying for a place in the 2002 World Cup.
TONIGHT
AT SAN JOSE, 7:30, ESPN2
Site--Spartan Stadium.
Radio--KRLA (870), KTNQ (1020, Spanish).
Records--Galaxy 5-3-3, Earthquakes 6-2-3.
Record vs. Earthquakes--0-1-0.
Update--Los Angeles needs two more victories to become the first team in MLS history to win 100 regular-season games. The Galaxy lost the season opener to the Earthquakes, 3-2, at the Rose Bowl, giving up three goals in the first 30 minutes. San Jose is unbeaten in its last eight and is a league-best 6-0-1 when scoring the first goal.
