Philadelphia Union center-back Keegan Rosenberry will have his hands full against Giovanni dos Santos and the Los Angeles Galaxy (photo credit: Charlotte Thomas)
The LA Galaxy host the Philadelphia Union Saturday night at 10:30 PM EST at StubHub Center. Both teams are struggling to stay in the thick of things; the Galaxy at 10th place in the West with 7 points, and the Union at 11th place in the East with 3 points. At this point of the season every point matters, but the Union will certainly be desperate to get the first win of the season. The Union are 1-6-2 against the Western giants, drawing last years encounter 2-2 in Chester. The some-what weakened Galaxy will still be a massive threat for the Union, who need to play phenomenally if they want any chance to fly home with a win.
The Galaxy sit with a 2-0-5 record so far in 2017, and need 3 points to shoot back into the middle of the table. Without Bruce Arena the team is starting to struggle, conceding 13 goals while scoring only 8 in 7 games. This game against The Union may seem like a “gimme” to Galaxy fans, but it should be noted that the Union put in a strong performance last time it went west, in Vancouver at the start of the season. The Union held its only shut-out of the year, but failed to get on the board. Still, for the Galaxy this should be its game to lose. Between the in form Romain Alessandrini, El Tri star Giovani Dos Santos and USMNT player Gyasi Zardes, there will certainly be goals for the Galaxy at home. The game might come down to whether or not LA can defend and keep a clean sheet at home.
For the Union each game is the most important of the year. 7 game in and the team still has yet to claim a victory, and the fans frustration is starting to show. For Coach Jim Curtin each game must be handled like a playoff scenario, as even with a win the team would still be in last place. But going to LA and looking for a win won’t be easy. A draw would be a good result for Curtin, despite hoping for that tantalizing first win. Just like the story of Tantalus, Curtin seems so close to reaching that sweet, juicy, victory. Just like Tantalus, every time Curtin and the Union reach out for those 3 points, it pulls back to their dismay. Last week it was a 3-0 lead at home squandered to Montreal. Who knows what is in store for Philly this time, but if it’s anything like the rest of 2017, it could be a good game, only to slip through the Union’s fingers at the end.
It does seem that offensively things are shaping up for Philly. 3 goals last game showed that the Union could score goals, but the defense must shape up in LA. In the recent 3 game home-stand the Union conceded 8 goals, and left with 1 point. Saturday could be a chance for Philly to get away to sunny Los Angeles and forget about its woes. Or we will pick up right where we left off last time.
LA Galaxy
Philadelphia Union
