View from the Booth
Galaxy, Rapids look far more defensive-minded than one year ago
Taking a look at the Rapids, former coach Fernando Clavijo's blue print has been tossed to the out, and now it is Gary Smith in charge. The transformation of the Rapids' roster has not been that much different than the job that Bruce Arena has done with the Galaxy. Putting players in place that will buy into what the coach wants to do, on and off the field. Smith was given the reigns midway through last season and immediately let players know that things would be different. It started by pushing Christian Gomez to the bench in favor of some younger players like Mehdi Ballouchy and Nick LaBrocca. Gomez is now back with D.C. United and this really is a chance for Ballouchy to show he can fulfill the "potential gauge" everyone expected when he came into the league a few years ago. Having the veteran Pablo Mastroeni as the holding midfielder behind these youngsters allows the Rapids to have a player who can sit in the space and eat up any loose balls that get through. Pablo is also a starting point for the Rapids attack. Side note - Mastroeni played very well for the U.S. in the match against T&T the other night. Keep an eye on how fresh he might be after playing on Wednesday.
As far as the back four in defense, Ugo Ihemelu is the defender the Galaxy expected him to become. He has really come into his own, and is tough to beat. Teaming up with Cory Gibbs at the back for Colorado, the two bring a strong presence in the air, and a ton of athleticism. Both players are tough to beat one versus one, and when they do get beat, they are great at recovering behind the ball. On top of that, the Rapids have brought Matt Pickens (though he might not be able to go after experiencing back problems) back to MLS, after some time with QPR in England. The former Chicago Fire goalkeeper brings consistency to the position for Colorado, quite different than the adjective you might use to describe Bouna Condoul who had been in goal for the past few seasons.
Turning to the Galaxy, nobody would disagree that they were fortunate to get a point out of the game two weeks ago. Funny thing is that they had complete control of the match for the opening 35 minutes, and really could have been level or even in front at the halftime break, were it not for the penalty kick for D.C. (for the record, it was a penalty in my eyes). Also, when they did get back to 2-2, I had the sense they were going to get the winner, only to run out of time. Thank goodness, as he did so many times last year, Landon stepped up and played "BIG" when it was needed most. Sure, LA did receive some help from the referee on the penalty call, but how many times has that call gone against the Galaxy over the last few years?
Defensively the Galaxy looked much better. If Omar Gonzalez can continue to improve going forward in the season, his name will no doubt be in the Rookie of the Year conversation. With Omar, Tony Sanneh and now Gregg Berhalter, at the back, I don't know about you, but I felt much more at ease when the ball was in that part of the field. The one major concern is still in the communication department. The second D.C. goal came as a result of miscommunication, well that and a brilliant strike from rookie Chris Pontius. This is also a category that will improve as the season moves forward.
Speaking of moving forward, in the attack there were some stretches of good futbol against D.C. Chris Klein continued his "workman" attitude in terms of the running he does. His service from the right side was also very dangerous. What a luxury for Arena that he can pair Klein with Sean Franklin on the right side, and really those two pieces become interchangeable. Franklin brings added numbers into the attack, he just has to be wise and recognize when the right moments are. Moving a bit further forward, Jovan Kirovski might be a huge "X-factor" for the team this year. His versatility in the midfield or forward position is a plus! He knows the runs to make, and his first touch was great in the game versus United. The concern is the chemistry between Landon and Jovan. That is not to say there isn't chemistry, but it will take some time for each of them to understand where the other likes to get the ball, and which type of runs the other likes to make. This will be very important against Colorado because the off the ball movement is going to open space in wide positions for LA. That allows the Galaxy to get into a good flow on the attack.
Mark Rogondino is the color analyst for Galaxy games on FS West and Prime Ticket.
