Tuesday's Column: Lack of attack could prove costly to Chivas USA, Galaxy in MLS postseason
Read the column here.
(BTW, the column will appear in the print edition of the (Torrance/South Bay) Daily Breeze Wednesday; it's on the front page of the Daily News sports section today for the two of you who like to keep the print edition as a souvenir).
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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.
When Donovan came to the Galaxy, it was to score goals. Since his transformation into a pure attacking midfielder (for the G's and for USMNT), the Galaxy continue without a reliable target up top.
It's been a perennial problem for the Galaxy franchise. Aside from Carlos Ruiz's brief heyday, we've never had a quality pure goal scorer.
Nick, maybe you have a theory about why. I don't know. Maybe it's an MLS thing. Our best scorers, Cien and Cobi, worked from midfield.
Beckham's service helps compensate when he's playing well, but last weekend he was off more than on.
And Donovan will score goals from midfield in the playoffs. Or else it will be a quick exit.
The problem with LA lies in the middle. Not up front, nor in the back. No defensive bite and no creativity in the middle of the park. Bring back Cien and Danny Pena in their prime and I will win the MLS cup with any combination of Gordon, Magee, Kirovsky or Jordan that you give me.
Donovan had been an enigma (is he a forward? is he a midfielder?) until this year after his return from Bayern where he learned the defensive side of playing wide midfield and how not to lose the ball after his third touch in a run. His best position on medicore teams like LA is the free-wheeling midfielder in 4-5-1 set up. He can be very effective wide in a 4-4-2 setup if he is in with very dedicated defensive players in the middle (think Bradley and Clark in the Confed Cup). Galaxy's problem has been their inexcusable lack of fortitude in finding a replacement for Cien in the middle all these frustating years since his retirement.
Donovan is not a midfield general and Beckham is too scared to get hit to be a calming influence. Even Nick can become a top scorer in this league if he was set up by a Cien-like player.