MLS Rivalry Starts to Heat Up
The budding rivalry involving Chivas USA and the Galaxy can take a cue from Major League Baseball’s All-Star game.
This time it counts.
At least that seems to be the prevailing sentiment heading into tonight’s renewal of the “Super Clasico” at the Home Depot Center, where Chivas will play host to the Galaxy.
“I’m excited because now it feels like a real rivalry,” said Galaxy forward Landon Donovan, who has helped his team to three consecutive victories since returning from the World Cup in Germany.
“Last year it was different because they were an expansion team, but obviously Bob’s done a good job,” Donovan said of Chivas Coach Bob Bradley. “Now it’s both teams at full strength the way they want to be, playing well, and it’s going to be good.”
Chivas is five points ahead of the Galaxy in fourth place in the Western Conference standings, but the Galaxy is the hotter team with a four-game unbeaten run and a shutout streak that has tied a franchise-best 422 minutes.
Meanwhile, Chivas has won only once in its last six MLS games and is coming off a 3-1 loss to the Houston Dynamo.
Bradley said the Galaxy’s mentality on defense seems to have changed over the last month to fuel its surge.
“Part of it is confidence, part of it is organization,” Bradley said. “What you see is a team that has become harder to play against. We know when you put a streak together in this league, it doesn’t happen by accident. It happens because the players believe in what’s going on and they understand what needs to get done on the field.”
What Chivas could have on its side is a psychological edge, having defeated the Galaxy for the first time in the teams’ last meeting on June 8.
“We know we’re above them in the standings, but we’re not thinking we’re going to win because of that,” Chivas defender Claudio Suarez said in Spanish. “We have to demonstrate that on the field. We’re coming off a very tough loss and that also motivates us to get back to winning against the Galaxy and keep our place in the standings.”
The teams have met seven times in two years, including once in the U.S. Open Cup last season. They were set to meet in the Open Cup again, but Chivas was upset Wednesday in the third round on penalty kicks by Roma FC, a Dallas-based amateur club.
Still, the sting and embarrassment of that loss doesn’t figure to hamper the atmosphere for the game tonight, when both teams will be playing at near full strength. The Galaxy will be without starting defender Ugo Ihemelu, who must sit out because of yellow-card caution points.
“We’re not naive. We know the kind of game we’ll be in for, and yet at the same time, we believe in what we’re doing,” Bradley said. “The more each team can lift the bar for the other team, the better hopefully the game will be and the better the rivalry will become.”
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CHIVAS USA-GALAXY
TONIGHT
7, FSN Prime Ticket
Site -- Home Depot Center.
Radio -- 1700, 830, 1020.
Records -- Chivas USA 6-6-5, Galaxy 5-10-3.
Season series -- Tied, 1-1.
Update -- The Galaxy’s 422-minute shutout streak is the third-best in MLS history, trailing the 2004 San Jose Earthquakes (459 minutes) and the 2000 Kansas City Wizards (681). The Galaxy last gave up a goal in the 27th minute against the New York Red Bulls on June 17. Galaxy Coach Frank Yallop, whose first game with his team last month was against Chivas, said the rivalry has impressed him. “There was more at stake than just three points, and the more we go into the season it’s going to get heavier and heavier,” Yallop said. “It’s exciting, and I think it’s going to be a great atmosphere.”
Tickets -- (877) 244-8271.
