The Pre-Game: 8/15 @ LA Galaxy (SuperLiga)

By: Max J. | August 14th, 2007

Can a game preview give me enough good karma to find a bar carrying Telefutura? Let’s find out. At least there’s Top Chef at 10 if (when) my soccer-related plans predictably fail.

Poplar Point Perspective says we’ll win. So do the DCenters. Time for some pessimism.

I’m worried about this game for two main reasons. One, I do think Beckham will start. Last Thursday could have been subtitled “A Tale of Two Matches,” with LA looking like a drastically better team with Beckham on the field. Only the apparent novelty of sharp passing to LA saved United from a tie. Expect LA to come out strong as they did on June 2nd, just much more effectively led and serviced by Beckham (save the jokes). Landon and pals may shank an epic quantity of chances as they did the last time United played at HDC, but with 45 minutes or an hour of Beckham’s passing you can bet they’ll score at least one based on sheer numbers. (And yes, someday in the mid-range future LA’s attack is going to figure out this kind of service for real and things are going to get scary. If you don’t think a team can run through MLS based on two or three players’ worth of offensive strength, start watching now.)

They also should have plenty of opportunities. Does anyone really think it’s a coincidence that the solidification of the Burch-McTavish-Boswell-Gros backline has given us six points from two games? Burch is out on yellow cards, and Vanney, who is Dyachenko’s only living rival for the “human changeup” nickname, is almost sure to be starting. So whatever defensive confidence has built up over the past two weeks suddenly evaporates.

This is basically a wrong-place-at-the-wrong-time situation. United is walking into a place where they don’t usually play well under any circumstances, let alone short-handed in a key spot and facing an impatient, pissed-off version of the best player MLS has seen. And it’s not like we enjoy a clinical and consistent attack to get us back into games. Emilio or someone else will probably score, but the odd one goal out of the usual ten chances isn’t going to cut it this time.

Prediction: LA Galaxy 2-1 DC United