SuperClasico Lineups
It's thankfully cooling off here in Carson - the temperature right now is 76 degrees - as Chivas USA (10-8-3) and the Galaxy (8-4-11) play the season's third and final SuperClasico.
If Chivas USA wins tonight they would win the SuperClasico trophy because the teams would be even with four points apiece after a 0-0 tie and a 1-0 Galaxy home win earlier this season. The tiebreaker is the road game record and Chivas USA are the away team tonight.
The Galaxy have the same starting XI - in fact, Bruce Arena has named the same 18-man squad - that started the 0-0 draw with D.C. United last time out. That means, of course, that Edson Buddle and ASlecko Eskandarian remain sidelined with injuries.
Galaxy XI: Donovan Ricketts, A.J. DeLaGarza, Gregg Berhalter, Omar Gonzalez, Todd Duinivant, Landon Donovan, David Beckham, Stefani Miglioranzi, Eddie Lewis, Jovan Kirovski, Mike Magee.
Chivas USA start goalkeeper Lance Parker, who has conceded seven goals in three MLS games this season, in place of the injured Zach Thornton who left the 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Salt Lake City at halftime still bothered by a thigh strain.
Newly signed Columbian defender Yamith Cuesta will make his Chivas USA debut in place of Mariano Trujillo, who doesn't even make the bench. Let's see if the Galaxy zeros in on him.
Usual midfielder Marcelo Saragosa is also preferred to Ante Jazic in defense. And after playing Maicon Santos alone up front in Utah, Preki returns to a striking duo of Santos and Maykel Galindo.
Chivas USA: Lance Parker, Yamith Cuesto, Marcelo Saragosa, Carey Talley, Jonathan Bornstein, Jesus Padilla, Jesse Marsch, Paulo Nagamura, Sacha Kljestan, Maicon Santos, Maykel Galindo.
I told the game is sold out tonight; you can watch on ESPN2, but I'll blog and tweet, too.
Updated: BTW, I'm told the Union Ultras defeated the Angel City Brigade 3-1 this afternoon in a game at a Carson Park if that's any sort of good omen for Chivas USA.
About 100 Percent Soccer
Sportswriter Nick Green has written the 100 Percent Soccer column since 2005 for the Daily News, Daily Breeze and other Los Angeles area newspapers. The blog of the same name began in 2007. A native of England, he began writing about soccer in the mid-1980s and in 2000 permanently exchanged a seat in the stands for one in the press box. He lives six miles from Carson's Home Depot Center, home of the Los Angeles Galaxy, Chivas USA and the training headquarters for U.S. Soccer and is married to a long-suffering soccer widow. Join Nick on FaceBook and follow him on Twitter.
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