CARSON, Calif. -- The Los Angeles Galaxy snapped the longest winless streak in club history last Saturday when they defeated D.C. United 5-2 on the strength of a Landon Donovan hat trick. The Galaxy will be trying to start a new streak on MLS Primetime Thursday by picking up consecutive wins.
The task won't be easy as the club heads to Toyota Park to take on the Chicago Fire, who themselves are hanging onto the last guaranteed playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and won't be looking to give up an inch on their home ground.
For the Galaxy, a win would move them into a playoff spot, even if it is only for a couple of days. But there's no denying that would be a huge psychological boost for the club.
"We know we have a real uphill battle ahead of us," said head coach Bruce Arena. "We're not in a favorable position at this time, and the only way to get there is by winning games. So we have to try and win our next game."
The first time these two teams met was also on a Thursday night in primetime. In that match however, several of the stars for both teams were missing to international duty. The result was a rather drab 1-0 affair in favor of Chicago. This week, everyone is available, which should lead to a completely different dynamic.
"It's going to be a good game. The last time we played them we were without a couple of players, so Thursday's going to be a different game," said Sean Franklin. "We need the points and I think we're going to feed off of our last performance and go in for a win."
In order to get a result, the Galaxy face two distinct challenges. The first comes on the offensive side of the ball. Despite the fact that LA exploded for five goals against D.C. United, there's reason to believe that they'll have a much more difficult time in Chicago. The Fire boast the league's best defense, and will be looking to shut down the Galaxy.
"Chicago has been outstanding defensively, but we've got to play our game," said goalkeeper Josh Wicks, who is hoping the Galaxy offense can keep some of the pressure off his net. "You can't worry to much about them because if we're doing what we're supposed to be doing, they should be worried about us."
With the expectation being a low-scoring game, that shifts extra pressure onto the defense. LA has had their struggles all season long on the defensive side of the ball. This weekend they are up against a classic target striker in Brian McBride, who will prove to be a difficult mark for the center back pairing of Troy Roberts and Franklin, neither of whom are taller than 5-11.
"We need to stay close. We know he's their target, so we need to make sure we're covering for each other," said Franklin. "If we can just contain him and take him out of the game, we'll be fine."
Conventional wisdom is to try and win at home and grind out whatever points you can get on the road. Unfortunately for the Galaxy, there isn't time for conventional wisdom. With only five games remaining in the regular season, and the playoffs within sight, the Galaxy need to take the full complement of points on the road if they want to control their own destiny.
