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Colorado could get washed away Stingy Galaxy faces low-scoring Rapids after turnaround
Posted: Saturday October 16, 1999 12:26 PM
ATLANTA (CNN/SI) -- MLS Cup '99 offers the Galaxy -- once the glamour team of MLS -- a chance at redemption. Top-seeded L.A. seeks to end its run of playoff disappointments and get back to the title match in Foxboro, where in 1996 it blew a two-goal lead in the final 20 minutes to give D.C. United the championship. Colorado comes in riding an MLS-record scoreless streak. After going 12-4 and leading the conference at the All-Star break, Colorado slowly was bled by injuries and has only one victory in regulation out of its last 10 games. It hasn't scored since Sept. 18. Having Swedish midfielder Anders Limpar back healthy and out from under suspension should help. But Colorado is 1-7 in four years at the Rose Bowl. "Maybe the playoffs is the kind of pressure we need right now," veteran defender Marcelo Balboa told the Denver Post. "But I will admit, the pressure of people saying we can't score goals puts more pressure on our forwards." The major worry for the Galaxy, which lost three of its last five, is Mexican forward Carlos Hermosillo, who suffered a strained left quadriceps Sunday and is questionable. Hermosillo also has longer-term concerns. His two-year contract with MLS ends after this season. Hermosillo, who will rejoin his Mexican first division team Necaxa, is mulling returning home for good instead of playing year-round soccer. "That's how I've felt [recently], but I've received great attention and a great following from the fans," he told the Los Angeles Times. "I still have to think it through, though, and figure out what I want to do for the next year and a half." "[My family is] very comfortable here and my children, they've learned a lot in school," Hermosillo said. "And if my family's happy, then I can play my best soccer."
Analysis by CNN/SI's Michael Lewis:Last year Los Angeles connected for a league-record 85 goals. Under coach Sigi Schmid, who replaced Octavia Zambrano early in the season, the attack is averaging 49 goals. But the Galaxy became the first MLS team to allow less than a goal a match -- 29 goals -- behind the likes of goalkeeper Kevin Hartman, defenders Robin Fraser, Paul Caligiuri and Gregg Vanney and defender-midfielder Danny Pena, a take-no-prisoners type of player. There still is enough punch to the attack with Carlos Hermosillo, Cobi Jones, playmaker Mauricio Cienfuegos and Clint Mathis. The Rapids' record is a bit deceiving. They accrued the bulk of their wins in the first half of the season, going 12-4 and scoring 30 goals. After the All-Star break, they're 8-8 with a paltry eight goals. Moreover, they enter the playoffs as the league's scoreless wonders with an incredible 499-minute scoreless streak. That scoring futility stretches back to a 1-0 win over Los Angeles on Sept. 18 (if you count the 2-0 loss to the Rochester Raging Rhinos in the U.S. Open Cup final, its 589 minutes, but who's counting?). Coach Glenn Myernick must find a way to snap his team out of its funk or be forced to watch the rest of the playoffs as spectators. Although it has nothing to do with it, the Rapids' stunning drop in goal production coincided with the departure of goalkeeper Marcus Hanhemann to Fulham (England first division). Ian Feuer certainly has not been the beneficiary of the attack, if you want to call it that, since then. The verdict: The Galaxy in two. Regular season -- Galaxy: 20-12 (1st place); Rapids: 20-12 (4th).
L.A. Galaxy Playoff HistoryTwo goals. 17 minutes. That was all that separated the Galaxy from the MLS Cup '96 title. That and Marco Etcheverry, who set up three goals to lead D.C. United to a comeback win over L.A. This season, a third head coach has guided a talented Galaxy squad to the MLS playoffs, where the team has posted a 6-6 overall mark. In 1997, the team could not beat Dallas goalkeeper Mark Dodd, and in 1998 the team could not crack Chicago's Zach Thornton. This year, Los Angeles is the team with the seemingly invincible goalkeeper, Kevin Hartman.All-Time Playoff Record: 6-6
L.A. Galaxy Player to WatchThe Galaxy depends on midfielder Mauricio Cienfuegos to man the accelerator of its offensive machine, as he has two goals and seven assists in 10 playoff games. That accounts for nine of the Galaxy's 19 post-season goals, which is tied with Columbus for the second-best total, behind D.C. In large part due to Cienfuegos' prowess, Galaxy defensive midfielder Danny Pena is the team's second-leading playoff scorer, with three goals in four games. The Salvadoran sensation finished tied for second in MLS in 1999 with 17 assists. L.A. Galaxy Quick FactsColorado Rapids Playoff HistoryColorado became MLS' version of Cinderella when it lost six of its last seven games to nearly back into the 1997 Western Conference playoffs as the No. 4 seed, only to sweep regular-season West champ Kansas City and then sweep Dallas en route to MLS Cup '97. Although the Rapids lost the title game on D.C. United's home field, the fire and determination of Myernick's team proved that anything can happen in the MLS post-season. The 1999 squad hopes to prove that last year's sweep suffered against Chicago was an aberration.All-Time Playoff Record: 4-3
Colorado Rapids Player to WatchPanamanian striker Jorge Dely Valdes hopes to run up his cellular phone bill deep into November, with the cost well worth the reward of his post-goal celebration. Dely Valdes led MLS with seven game-winning goals, his efforts helping Colorado win crucial games and vault the team to the top of the Western Conference. Although the Rapids' attack cooled down the stretch, Colorado needs the animated attacker to come through in the clutch in the team's third consecutive trip to the post-season. Colorado Rapids Quick Facts
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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