On Sunday night, American soccer fans have a true treat to watch on ESPN2, and we’re set to make our New York Red Bulls vs. Los Angeles Galaxy picks for one of the biggest fixtures that the MLS has ever seen.
No, it’s not that the Red Bulls and the Galaxy are getting ready to play in the MLS Cup in the playoffs. Though it is definitely a possible pairing in the first round of the draw, it’s not what anyone is really looking forward to. After all, New York is right on the cutoff line for the postseason as we speak, and its form down the stretch will determine whether or not it will even be in the 10-team field in the playoffs.
The real display here on Sunday is that we have so many major, major names in soccer that are all sharing a pitch at the same time on American soil, playing for American teams. Red Bull Arena will clearly be rocking, as the Red Bulls try to tame the giants of the MLS, the Galaxy.
The Red Bulls this year have been an epic failure, as they have assembled a team that, on paper anyway, should be challenging for the Eastern Conference crown. Thierry Henry is the leader of the bunch from his days with Arsenal in the Premier League, while other high profile names like Rafael Marquez and Frank Rost were really supposed to be helping out this roster as well. Henry and Marquez have done their parts. Henry has a dozen goals on the campaign and has consistently been a force on the offensive side of the pitch.
The problem that New York has is that it really can’t keep its own net clean. Over the course of the last five fixtures, the team has allowed at least two goals in all five, and it has surrendered a total of 13 strikes, the worst such mark in the MLS. No matter how strong Henry, Carlos Mendes, Roy Miller, and Marquez are in the outfield, if the goaltending just doesn’t shore up for this team, the 2011 Emirates Cup winners are going to be kept out of the postseason.
The Galaxy need virtually no introduction with all of their huge names that will be on display on Sunday night. Landon Donovan already has 11 goals this year to pace the team, and David Beckham has a pair of strikes to boot. Vitor Junior and Omar Gonzalez are internationally known names to boot, but the biggest acquisition might have been the most recent one. Robbie Keane came on last week after getting transferred in directly from the MLS and scored a goal for LA in fine form.
Los Angeles has been playing in the CONCACAF Champions League of late, which could give it some tired legs heading into this one. We know that the Galaxy have the names, but the Red Bulls do as well. These two teams fought to a 1-1 draw playing in Tinseltown earlier this season, and we would expect nothing less than yet another fantastic match, as two of the biggest, glitziest teams in the sport battle it out on Sunday night.
