Match 11.12 Preview: At Los Angeles Galaxy

Match #: 11.12

Opponent: Los Angeles Galaxy

Records:
DC United, 7-1-3, 24 pts, 1st in East Conference , 2nd in MLS
Los Angeles Galaxy, 2-9-1, 7 pts, 6th in West Conference, 12th in MLS

TV: CSN / MLSLive.TV - 8:00 PM

Previous Meeting: DC United 2 : 3 Los Angeles Galaxy, August 21, 2005 (DCenters remembers...)

Suggested Pregame Music: Space Game - MC Lars

The Stakes: LA, under new head coach Frankie Yallop, is still trying to figure itself out. A loss against Chivas saw a Galaxy team that seemed better, but still not precisely dangerous. DC starts its two game road trip against LA, where Freddy Adu tallied a goal late in a game last year to steal a win.

For LA, getting into the fourth position in the West is an urgent task, and with more games played than anyother team and still finding themselves in last, that could be a mountain that keeps growing. For DC, the object is to keep pushing for points during the World Cup period, to hopefully have the playoffs reasonably clinched by the 24th game of the season, with only seeding to worry about. Winning on the road helps, and it will help maintain some strong momentum heading into New England next season.

The other issue is simply dealing with a team that they may not have well scouted. Yallop's teams won't play like Sampson's, and that should provide both Nowak and DC United a chance to try out reacting in-game to any wrinkles. It should be a good test, but one that will also probably make DC look at continuing its work with the 3-5-2, and shifting that formation depending on what circumstances develop.

Previews from the DCUniverse, Hurried Due to World Cup Attention Span Issues, Which is Totally Understandable: DC SunDevil, Quarter Volley, SE Podcast, Poplar Point Perspective, A Little More Action

Expected Yield: 2.0 points. The purge continues in LA, and since Yallop fired three assistant coaches after the loss to Chivas (including DCU-alum and 1996 stalwart Steve Rammel) I imagine that LA's trainer is praying for a win less Yallop keep working down the chain of command. If DC wins, expect the groundskeeper to start helping the training staff. This would have been 2.5 points a week ago, but Yallop is, as has been stated before, a better coach. Current Expectations to Reality level: 98%.

D's Location: Home, packing some stuff for CZE-USA.

Last Words: Entropy.