A game that was supposed to be filled with stars, has lost a lot of its attraction, but that doesn't mean the Galaxy-Red Bulls match shouldn't remain interesting.
Oct 3, 2011 - The annual New York Red Bulls-Los Angeles Galaxy match has become a bit of infatuation for the folks at Major League Soccer headquarters. The games are almost always are national television and are usually played in front of big crowds. Throw in the annual list of big-name Designated Players, and it's perfectly understandable that this game is always among league's showcase events.
When the two teams meet on Tuesday, the league is once again pulling out all the stops. Originally scheduled for Aug. 28, it was rescheduled because of Hurricane Irene. It is now being played ostensibly as the warm-up for the U.S. Open Cup final between the Seattle Sounders and Chicago Fire, although calling a game being played on ESPN2 when the other is on Fox Soccer a "warm-up" is always debatable. The league office has dubbed the double-header "Super Tuesday."
Right now, the first half of that billing is not looking so super. Two-thirds of the Galaxy's Designated Player trio have already confirmed they won't be making the trip Back East, as both Robbie Keane and Landon Donovan are on national team duty. You have to imagine David Beckham will be making the trip, if for no other reason than Don Garber is probably begging him to go.
That leaves the Red Bulls DP trio as carrying much of the star power load, and right now two of those three stars don't have much power. Thierry Henry has so far lived up to expectations, at least in terms of production. He has 13 goals, including a late equalizer on Saturday, and four assists while appearing in 24 of the Red Bulls' 31 games. It's the other two DPs who haven't exactly been pulling their weight.
Rafael Marquez could actually find himself on the bench based purely on his performance of late, although that seems unlikely given the circumstances. The Red Bulls have not won a game in which he has played since April, while going 4-3-6 without him. Even if you go all the way back to the start of the season, he's basically a neutral influence on both scoring and defending. But Hans Backe is probably not an economics major so the concept of sunk costs probably evades him, which means Marquez will probably get another shot.
The other Red Bulls Designated Player is Frank Rost, who might just be the most anonymous DP in the history of the league. A solid, although not really spectacular goalkeeper during his prime in the Bundesliga, he came to the Red Bulls around midseason under the assumption he could provide some stability to their awful goalkeeping. That hasn't exactly happened.
Rost's 1.60 goals allowed average is worse than all but three goalkeepers with at least as many as his eight starts and he's only saving 57 percent of the shots he faces, which is the worst mark in the league for qualified goalkeepers. Even if that's not entirely all his fault, which it probably isn't, he clearly has not lived up to his DP status. What's more, he doesn't even provide the kind of drawing power of Marquez or Henry.
While lacking the kind of star power to draw the casual audience, this game should still be interesting to the average MLS observer. The Galaxy can clinch the Supporters' Shield with a win, but perhaps more compellingly would deal the Red Bulls' playoff hopes a serious blow.
The Red Bulls are currently occupying the final playoff spot and need every point they can get to hold off the horde that is breathing down their necks. Four teams are within four points and after this game three of them will have at least one game in hand.
More likely than not, we're probably going to see a reprise of Marquez in the central midfield. The key will be how well he's able to work with either Teemu Tainio or Dax McCarty. On Saturday, Marquez looked totally uninterested in defending on Toronto FC's goal and didn't get very involved on offense. Clearly, the Red Bulls need more from him.
Assuming Henry can go on short rest, something he has done just four times all year, his play will be huge. When he and Luke Rodgers have been paired up top, good things tend to happen for the Red Bulls' attack. Rodgers' goals-per-90 of .55 is actually the best mark on the team.
Defensively, the Red Bulls will likely be focusing on limiting the Galaxy's dead ball opportunities. That's when Beckham is at his most dangerous, and he's piled up 15 assists mainly from his ability to find big bodies like Omar Gonzalez, Mike Magee and Chad Barrett inside the penalty area.
Fore more on the Galaxy, be sure to check out LAG Confidential. For more on the Red Bulls, be sure to visit Once a Metro.
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