Galaxy Looking to Close the Gap

If Major League Soccer’s playoffs began today, the Galaxy would be seeded fifth for the postseason tournament. This despite riding a four-game league unbeaten streak, having picked up a league-leading 19 points in its last 10 games and sporting a better record than every team in the Eastern Conference.

The Galaxy has played the fewest games in MLS at 20 and has 33 points. And while every other team in the tight Western Conference, where two points separate second place from fifth, has played at least one more match than the Galaxy, the scheduling quirk begins to rectify itself tonight with the Galaxy playing at Columbus.

“I don’t think it ever feels great to have a midweek match,” Galaxy Coach Sigi Schmid said Tuesday from Columbus. “But at least [Columbus is] on the same schedule with us. It’s more of a danger to play a team that’s rested.

“But this will pull us even with Dallas in games played and we can overtake them [for second place] with a win. We’ll also be within a game of Colorado [which has played 22 games and is tied with the Galaxy]. This is a game we have in hand, it’s like a chip we have to use.”

In trying to become the first MLS team this season to win three consecutive matches, the Galaxy is going at it short-handed. Schmid left veterans Mauricio Cienfuegos, 34, and Alexi Lalas, 32, behind to rest up for the stretch run as the Galaxy is in a string of six games, three on the road, in 18 days.

With the duo out, Sasha Victorine and Craig Waibel will get their share of the minutes at midfielder and defender, respectively.

The Crew, meanwhile, will be without explosive forward Brian McBride (sprained left ankle) and midfielder John Wilmar Perez (sprained left knee ligament).

The Crew’s defense has also been somewhat porous, giving up six goals in its last three games, a fact that must have Galaxy forward Carlos Ruiz smiling.

The Guatemalan rookie has scored a league-leading 16 goals, five behind the Galaxy’s single-season record of 21 set by Eduardo Hurtado in 1996. Ruiz is second in MLS with 33 points.