Photo by Michael Janosz/ISIPhotos.com
By ADAM SERRANO
MORELIA, Mexico -- The Los Angeles Galaxy have arrived in Mexico with a target on their back.
The Galaxy sit on top of their CONCACAF Champions League Group with six points after a pair of wins against Alajuelense and Club Motagua at home. However, now the Galaxy leave the safety of the Home Depot Center and enter Latin America where their team buses are protected by police escorts that slice through the Morelia traffic. Although the Galaxy are receiving a great deal of publicity in the community, much of the emphisis lies on who isn't in town -- David Beckham.
The midfielder has been experiencing back spasms of late and admitted that he was not at his sharpest during the club's 1-0 victory over the Colorado Rapids this weekend. Although there was a great amount of hype surrounding Beckham's trip to Morelia, Bruce Arena could only shrug at the fact that his star midfielder did not make the trip to Mexico.
"He was either going to play on Friday or here, he should not be pressed to play three games in week. He's got a few aches and pains, and this made the most sense," said Arena. "We're doing what's in the best interest of the player, it's not a traveling circus, we have to do what's in our best interest."
Despite the loss of two cogs in the center of midfield, the Galaxy will get a favor from the field at Estadio Morelos, which appears well-manicured and could help Los Angeles' possession-oriented style of play.
"The field plays really well to possession," said defender Todd Dunivant. "It’s a little bit on the spongier side so any balls that are bouncing I think are going to die down quick. There will be a lot of times to play possession. Not really any bad spots on it, it plays true. It’s really a great surface."
Morelia poses a significant challenge, because the Mexican side is currently unbeaten in three matches and is coming off its biggest win of the season against Cruz Azul in the final minute of their game on the weekend. A goal came from Joao Rojas, a speedy Ecuadorian left winger who is part of a formidable tandem on the left side along with veteran Mexican international Jaime Lozano at left back.
The challenge facing Los Angeles is not strictly limited to the field, but also the conditions as altitude -- Morelia sits at 6,300 feet above sea level -- and the undoubtedly hostile reception that the Galaxy will receive from the crowd at Estadio Morelos. Although the task is difficult, MLS teams have shown the ability to win in Mexico, as FC Dallas and the Seattle Sounders have each picked up victories in Mexico in recent weeks. While these results show that MLS teams can win in Mexico, Arena believes that they are a double-edged sword for the Galaxy.
"I think that the results that Seattle and Dallas got, don't help us." asserted Arena. "I think Morelia will come close to playing a full team. Dallas played reserves and youth players, and Seattle didn't play against the full first team either. We're going to play against the first team in my mind."
While the records of past teams may or may not help their cause, the captain of the Galaxy expects a full squad to line up against them when the two teams take the field on Tuesday night.
"What’s happened in the past is that Mexican teams could field a B or a few members of their A team and some kids from the youth team," said Donovan. "Now they realize that it’s just not good enough and they’re not going to win that way. With a big crowd showing up tomorrow, my guess is that they’ll bring as close to a full team as they can and they’ll be ready to go."
