5 Things I Learned From the Honda, um, Superclásico

By: Christian | April 27th, 2008

honda superclasico

In the same spirit of the ongoing “10 Things We Learned” series here at The Offside, I’ve decided to take a look back at last night’s first MLS derby of the year, the L.A. Galaxy’s 5-2 victory over Chivas USA.

And I promise to be fair. Sure, the match was the same day as the incredible Chelsea Manchester United title fight, one day prior to another Old Firm meeting, and a mere week before the real Superclásico, when my boys River Plate face Boca Juniors, so the idea of placing the Galaxy or Chivas against those storied rivalries would be a major stretch. But I will gladly admit that last night’s game was a highly entertaining 90 minutes of football, and even if the quality wasn’t on the same level as any of the teams I just mentioned, in the end it was a fine showpiece for the league.

So here is what I came away with last night. Why only 5, you say? ‘Cuz the man wouldn’t give me 10!

1. 5-2 is not a fair indication of the game. Sure, Chivas can’t be too happy after that result, but really, for large portions of the game it was a pretty even match-up, and the Goats came very close to adding more goals. In fact, last night’s game served to remind us how shocking the defense is on both teams, with errant balls in the box failing to be cleared, and neither team particularly defending well on counterattacks. Had the game ended in a 5-5 draw, well, I wouldn’t have been surprised.

2. Fine, I’ll admit it, Landon Donovan is that good. It’s easy to pile on the hate towards ol’ Landycakes. But after two middling seasons, he has really come strong out of the gate this season, and his hat-trick last night showed it. It was even enough to forgive his bizarre and blatantly obvious handball in the first half. The question now is whether Landon can retain his form over 2 domestic competitions and his duty with the national team.

3. FSC - Stop trying to sell me a Swatch and calling it a Rolex. Fox Soccer Channel gets a lot of flack for its announcers, especially Max Bretos. I can’t be too harsh, seeing as they did provide fine coverage of the game and the production was decent. But please stop trying to sell me at every instance. I can live with calling this series a Superclásico, as ridiculous as that sounds, even after only 4 years of existence. But unless you’re being paid by by how many times you can say “rivalry” in one night you don’t need to hammer the point home. Streamer on the field? “That’s what you see in a rivalry!” Tackle? “It’s setting the tone for this rivalry!” The best had to be Mark Rogandino’s post-game interview with Beckham on the pitch, and suggesting that this rivalry (there it is again), was on another level to what he had experienced before. Really Mark? England v Germany, England v Argentina, Manchester United v Liverpool? Those ring a bell?

4. Chivas USA deserve better. I’m a fan of the USMNT and not Mexican, so clearly I have no love for the football from our neighbors to the south. But after a weak debut, Chivas USA have in my opinion put together the type of squad that we should be seeing in MLS - strong, young American-born talent, experienced MLS originals, and popular Mexican players on the down slope of their career. A shame then, if you consider that with the exception on one section behind the goal, there really wasn’t a strong presence of Chivas fans at the Home Depot Center. (If anyone was at the game and saw things differently, please let me know.) They’re a young organization, and I hope they can finally attract a sizable fan base, because this team is very close to being one of the league’s best.

5. Atmosphere goes a long way. I’ve been to plenty of horrific MLS games, where regardless of the quality of football, the games are almost unwatchable due to the empty stadiums. For one Fire home opener at Soldier Field, I could literally count the hand claps. Last night’s sold-out crowd showed just how much better the game is overall when you have a packed house. If MLS put the same effort into marketing every game like they did for this crosstown classic, hopefully they could all be as enjoyable as what I saw last night.