Time Is Running Out for Galaxy
There are Galaxy fans who fear that this might be the season their team fails to keep alive its 10-year streak of never having missed the Major League Soccer playoffs.
Galaxy midfielder Peter Vagenas has a message for them: Let the players do the worrying.
“We’re extremely confident,” Vagenas said Friday on the eve of tonight’s 7:30 game against the Colorado Rapids at the Home Depot Center.
“That being said, we’re not underestimating the difficulty of our task. I mean, we can reel off five straight [victories] and still not make it, and we understand that.”
Four teams qualify for the playoffs from each conference. Going into this weekend, the Galaxy was in sixth place in the West.
Both teams have played 27 matches, but the Rapids (11-11-5) hold the fourth and final playoff spot because they have won two more games than the Galaxy (9-13-5).
They also have a 3-0 edge over the Galaxy this season, courtesy of three 1-0 victories, and an almost astonishing 26-13-4 all-time advantage against Los Angeles.
Colorado is 7-3-1 against the Galaxy since former U.S. World Cup defender Fernando Clavijo took over as coach.
“Defensively, they’re always very solid. It’s not an insult to them or the way they try to play, but a lot of times you get the feeling that they just try to grind the game to a halt,” Vagenas said.
“Any team that’s disciplined and bunkers in is tough to play against, but at the same time I think we’re starting to jell a bit more offensively. We’re starting to create a lot more [scoring] chances. It’s a matter of us getting that first goal and that second goal against these guys.”
Two goals should be enough. The Rapids have scored only eight goals in their last 10 games and never more than one a game in that span.
The Galaxy knows it can be done. Coach Frank Yallop’s squad rolled to a 3-1 victory over the Rapids in the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals three weeks ago, demonstrating that Colorado’s defense is not impregnable, especially on the road.
Colorado is coming off a typical performance -- a 1-0 midweek victory at home over the Chicago Fire, a result that ended the Fire’s six-game unbeaten streak.
If the Rapids can manage a tie tonight, they would stay six points ahead of the Galaxy with four games to play.
“Their mentality -- as mine would be if I were in their situation -- is to come into here and get a point,” Vagenas said. “I would assume that’s their No. 1 priority. That’s why I underline the fact that what we’ve got ahead of us isn’t going to be easy.”
On the other hand, if the Galaxy manages to win, it would close the gap to three points and still stand a good chance of overtaking the Rapids, who have only one home game left in their final four.
Clavijo has remained low-key about the playoff race.
After Wednesday’s win, he said, “We have five more to go. If we do our job, then we should be OK.”
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On Friday, before MLS rosters were frozen at midnight, the Galaxy acquired forward Gavin Glinton from the Charleston Battery. Glinton, 27, a second-round draft pick in 2002, played for the Galaxy in 2002 and 2003 before being traded to FC Dallas.
The Galaxy also signed former Portland Timbers midfielder Mike Randolph, 20, to a developmental contract.
