MLS Thursday Night: Los Angeles Galaxy v Chivas USA

For the past few months if you watched to the great American experiment known as MLS Thursday Night on ESPN2 with a blindfold on you might have thought that David Beckham was playing in every match. The all-Becks, all-the-time commentary has dominated some games. This Thursday nigh it will actually be relevant as Beckham’s LA Galaxy team takes on Chivas USA in the Honda SuperClasico. A derby this big naturally needs sponsorship.

As you are undoubtedly aware of and undoubtedly will be told ad nauseum, Beckham and Landon Donovan spent their respective Wednesdays kicking a ball around in Europe as part of their national team obligations. They both also flew back to SoCal to be available for this evening’s affair. So did Jonathan Bornstein. Talk about an unpleasant work commute. On the other side of the field the Chivas USA players have also had a rough commute. They’ve had to navigate LA’s freeways without the benefit of an in-flight movie and little bags of peanuts. It isn’t easy, my friends.

The Goats enter the contest comfortably in third place in the Western Conference table. They are a whopping 16 points ahead of the Galaxy and have yet to draw 66,000 people to a single game. They are a fun team to watch and this rivalry is one of the better ones in MLS (at least in the stands) so consider it your duty to tune in even if you cringe at the mere mention of Beckham.

A few things to keep an eye on:

1. Old Man Marsch – Since joining MLS ten years ago, Chivas USA midfielder Jesse Marsch has logged 20,828 minutes. In other words, he has spent the equivalent of two weeks playing in games. Marsch has been the minute man this season for the Goats too, having played in all 18 games.

2. Play on Pavon – You’d think that after scoring a pair of goals in his last game that Carlos Pavon would have at least earned a bio page on the official site, but maybe it will take a hattrick before the Honduran receives such an honor. He is rather well-travelled. His previous clubs include: Real Espana, Real Valldolid, Necaxa, Atletico Celaya, Monarcas, Udinese, Napoli, Cruz Azul, and Commincaciones.

3. A clasico that isn’t super on the pitch – The LA teams have met 11 times with the Galaxy winning 8, Chivas once, and two draws. If the Galaxy win this evening they will clinch their third straight SuperClasico.

Enjoy the game and don’t let the jetlag talk leave you feeling jetlagged yourself.

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Category: MLS, World Football