LOS ANGELES (3-10-5) vs. REAL SALT LAKE (3-11-6)
Saturday, 10:30 p.m. ET, HDNet
[MLS GAME PREVIEW] The Galaxy gets back to breaking rock after a glorious yet depressing loss to Pachuca on penalties in the SuperLiga final and RSL is soaring in the wake of thumping Kansas City, 3-1, on Wednesday.
Despite traveling, RSL will be the fresher of two teams playing their second game in four days. It scored in the first minute and controlled most of the play as the Wizards labored to catch up. Argentines Fabian Espindola and Matias Mantilla drew praise for their slick play and the goals they scored, yet an impressive win wouldn't have been possible without solid work from Eddie Pope, Alecko Eskandarian, Nick Rimando, Carey Talley and Kyle Beckerman.
Nathan Sturgis missed the Kansas City game with a calf strain; Robbie Findley was on the bench but didn't play. They were traded by the Galaxy in exchange for Chris Klein, scorer of a spectacular stoppage-time bicycle kick that tied the Pachuca match, 1-1.
Unfortunately, Los Angeles hasn't brought much of its SuperLiga panache to league games, and David Beckham will be out for at least a month with a strained knee. Finishing woes deprived LA of the SuperLiga title, as Landon Donovan, Carlos Pavon and Alan Gordon all failed to convert prime opportunities.
Because of classes at adjacent Cal State Dominguez Hills, capacity for the SuperLiga final was limited to 12,500. The Galaxy will be lucky to get half that many in the house for this game.
Playoff implications for Crew and Rapids
Columbus and Colorado are tied for the eighth and final playoff spot with 27 points and both have eight games to play.
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