Stakes are huge for Galaxy in second leg
Head coach Arena is getting caught up in SuperClasico excitement
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The usually stone-faced Arena said he can't help but feel the growing anticipation for the second leg of the two-game Western Conference Semifinal Series at The Home Depot Center.
"If not, I shouldn't be here," he said. "You should have gotten rid of me a long time ago. Coaches compete in the same way as players. They want to win and they look forward to the challenge."
The stakes are huge: the aggregate winner -- or by penalty kicks, if the game remains tied through 90 minutes and two 15-minute overtime periods -- moves on to the conference championship. If the Galaxy win, that game will be played Friday, Nov. 13 at The Home Depot Center.
In the first six years of the current MLS Cup Playoffs format, the first game of a two-game series has finished in a tie eight times, with the team that hosts the second leg going 5-2-1 in the deciding game. In the 2007 and 2008 playoffs, five of the eight conference semifinals opened with a tie, with the home side then going 4-1-0 in the series decider.
"These are the kinds of games you play, especially after you've been playing for a long time," said Chris Klein, now in his 12th season. "Statistics go out the window and you just want to win. You want to get to this stage of the season and you want to keep advancing.
"You want to be the last team standing when it's all said and done."
Little was accomplished in the opening leg of the series last Sunday which ended in an entertaining but unevenly played 2-2 tie. Chivas' Maicon Santos scored just four minutes into the match, the Galaxy took the lead just before halftime after goals by Mike Magee and Landon Donovan and Chivas' Maykel Galindo scored five minutes into the second half to tie it.
Klein said he was surprised by the spotty play.
"I'm not sure what it was," he said. "But there was some odd play on both teams where maybe some of it was because of nerves or the emotion of the game. Mistakes happen sometimes. It's rare you see so many (mistakes) from both sides, but we're confident we can eliminate those."
Having someone like Donovan on your side certainly helps in that regard. The nine-year veteran's go-ahead goal in the 41st minute last Sunday was the 15th postseason goal in his MLS career. He's now just one goal shy of the league record held by Carlos Ruiz. The Galaxy captain has played in 19 career playoff games and has 15 goals and seven assists. He also has five goals in five postseason games with Los Angeles.
The 27-year-old is competing in his first playoffs since 2005 and joked that he almost forgot what it was like. He called the experience rewarding, but only to a point.
"It was fun man, but I'm not looking for rewarding right now," he said. "We want to win. It's one thing to get into the playoffs and be where we're at, but we want to win. Our focus is on winning and not being happy that we're here."
Donovan said the Galaxy will be ready Sunday.
"There's no tomorrow," he said. "I think it's going to be a great night, a lot of fun."
Dema Kovalenko was even more blunt about the game.
"You don't give everything you have it's over and you go home," he said. "I'm not ready to go home yet."
Larry Morgan is a contributor to MLSnet.com.
