Colorado Rapids travel to StubHub Center to take on LA Galaxy on Saturday.
The Rapids currently sit in second place in both the Western Conference and Supporter’s Shield standings and sit just 4 points above LA who sit in fourth place in the West with 37 points.
Colorado and LA meet for the third time in 2016, with Colorado taking more points from the first two meetings. (Photo Credit: Corbin Elliott)
These two sides have already met twice this season. During the second week of the season, all the way back in March, a 95th minute Marco Pappa wonder strike was enough for Colorado to take all three points from their home opener with the match finishing 1-0. The second matchup took place in California on June 22nd and ended in a scoreless draw.
LA played on Wednesday night in the semi-final of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The match will have taken a lot out of Bruce Arena’s side as extra time was required to decide the winner. In extra time LA thought they had booked their trip to the cup final when Giovanni dos Santos drew a penalty that was coolly converted by Mike Magee, but it wasn’t to be. Two FC Dallas goals from corner kicks during the final five minutes of extra time doomed LA, who ended up playing several of their regular starters off the bench when the match got into its later stages.
In LA’s last MLS match they made a remarkable comeback, at home, against New York Red Bulls. After goals from Gonzalo Veron in the 64th minute and Sean Davis in the 74th minute it looked like LA was heading toward their first home loss of the season, but an 80th minute goal from Mike Magee and an 89th minute equalizer from Ashley Cole saw the match end in a 2-2 draw.
Colorado, who were also eliminated from the Cup by Dallas, will hope the extra rest gives them an advantage. Colorado played their last match last Saturday when they hosted Vancouver Whitecaps in Denver. Colorado came away with a 2-0 win, rebounding from a string of mediocre results that saw them slip beneath FC Dallas in the standings. Marlon Hairston and Dominique Badji scored the Rapids goals which pushed Colorado up to 41 points on the season.
Pablo Mastroeni’s squad is almost up to full strength but Jermaine Jones remains doubtful with a quad injury. Pablo typically rewards good performances with a start in the next match, so it’s possible that Marlon Hairston or Dominique Badji will start on the right wing for Colorado. Pablo also has the option to give newly acquired winger Sebastien Le Toux his first start for Colorado. Le Toux appeared as a second half substitute against Vancouver last weekend after his transfer from Philadelphia Union.
Michael Azira (pictured above) will be back for the Rapids following a one match suspension. (Photo Credit: Corbin Elliott)
Bruce Arena also has a nearly full strength side to choose from with Gyasi Zardes listed as questionable with a chest muscle strain and Robbie Rogers still out as he recovers from ankle surgery. It’s possible that Arena will select the same side he deployed against New York which saw Robbie Keane lead the line playing in front of a midfield of dos Santos, Gerrard and Lletget with de Jong and Larentowicz in the holding midfield roles.
For the Rapids the key to this match will be tempo. In fact, every match the Rapids play, the key to offensive success seems to hinge on the tempo of passing. If Colorado takes time on the ball instead of playing quick one or two touch passes, then the attack is blunt and ineffective. On the other hand, if the players move the ball quickly, change field and look forward with quick passes, then opportunities present themselves. All too often this season Colorado has retreated into heir defensive shape instead of pressing on in search of a goal. Against a team like the Galaxy, brimming with offensive talent, such a strategy could doom the Rapids, they’ll need to be positive if they’d like to leave the west coast with points.
For LA, the key to the match will be finding a way to break down the Rapid defense. In their previous two meetings against Colorado this season the Galaxy have failed to find the back of the net. Though Colorado have had the best defense in MLS this season, they’ve been surprisingly vulnerable from set pieces. LA need to create those situations. Corner kicks are effective but if LA can draw fouls in the final third, that may be their best chance to sneak a ball past Tim Howard. The Galaxy should use the home crowd to their advantage, look for contact and create those dead ball opportunities. If those chances come along and LA can grab a goal, then Colorado will be forced to come out of their own half. The last time a team did that to Colorado the Rapids went down 5-1 to NYCFC.
