On Sunday, Jesse Marsch leads his undefeated side into battle against reigning MLS Cup champions, LA Galaxy. This article is an in-depth analysis focusing on the Galaxy, highlighting the key tactical and strategic aspects of their system. Through research and analysis, this piece serves to produce insights on how the match will play out on Sunday, April 26 at 5 p.m. ET (TV: ESPN2, ESPN Deportes; RADIO: RBNY English/Spanish Internet Radio).
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LA Galaxy
Since the beginning of the season, Bruce Arena has fielded a fairly consistent starting 11 with Baggio Husidic, Stefan Ishizaki and Robbie Rogers all crucial to the system. Arena’s scheme contains some interesting dynamics, especially through the midfield where the game's most interesting tactical battle could take place.
In attack, the Galaxy utilize a variable and dynamic shape which is dependent on the movements of the two wide midfielders. Individually, Ishizaki and Husidic are completely different players. Ishizaki plays as a standard winger and aims to service Alan Gordon with crosses from the right. In comparison, Husidic can be seen drifting inside, often into positions an attacking midfielder might otherwise occupy. From here, Husidic poses as a threat, especially if he manages to get in between the lines of the midfield and attack.
Without the services of Robbie Keane, Gordon has led the line and featured in every match this season. His aerial presence is a key factor in the team's attacking strategy as they often look to play high passes or cross to him in the box. This was best displayed against Seattle Sounders, where he scored a decisive close-range header in a 1-0 victory for LA.
The 33-year-old striker is often accompanied by a second forward, creating a 4-4-2 shape. However, a slightly deeper attacking midfielder has been featured on recent occasions, turning the system into more of a 4-2-3-1.
Interestingly, a critical player in the Galaxy's attack is the defender, Rogers. When Husidic drifts inside, he often vacates a lot of space down the touchline; this space is quickly taken up by Rogers who acts, in some cases, like in his previous years when he played as a wide forward.
In defense, Arena's team hinted at a susceptibility to counter-attacks against Seattle. They struggled to deal with the pace of Obafemi Martins on the break, resulting in a number of chances to level the match. Given the attacking nature of Rogers and Dan Gargan, the spaces which they leave behind look particularly weak in transition. These are the spaces that Marsch will likely have his side target come Sunday.
Similar to RBNY, the Galaxy look to press high up-field, putting pressure on the opposing defenders to try and force long-balls or a potentially costly mistake. This high energy system without the ball is reminiscent of their strategy while in possession, a style that also describes the Red Bulls.
New York Red Bulls
Through five games, Marsch's team has enjoyed an unbeaten start to the season and the Red Bulls currently sit at the top of the Eastern Conference.
The new system has been paramount in the explosive start, which is heavily emphasized on pressing without the ball and electrifying pace with it. Central to this has been the midfield: Sacha Kljestan, Felipe, Lloyd Sam and Dax McCarty.
What to Expect
When the two sides meet on Sunday, expect to witness an intense game with both sides playing with great energy. The clash of two similar systems (albeit that of RBNY is more extreme) will be an intriguing spectacle, but should mean action.
As Juninho drops deeper to collect the ball from the center backs, he may be the target of RBNY's aggressive pressure with the three midfielders behind Wright-Phillips close by at all times. During similar situations in recent games, Juninho has misplaced crucial passes, sparking dangerous counter-attacks from well inside the Galaxy half.
Marsch will need to keep in mind the inside movements of Husidic. If given the chance, he could exploit the space behind McCarty and Felipe, which has occurred before during RBNY's high press. On the other flank, the crossing of Ishizaki could be another threat, especially if accurately delivered to aerial presence, Gordon.
The fact that Ishizaki performs differing roles in possession could cause issues for RBNY. This aspect of the Galaxy’s attacking strategy means they can be versatile when going forward, and attack effectively from varying areas of the pitch. In its early games, the Galaxy were rather one-dimensional and targeted too many long balls to Gordon. His aerial ability is a significant threat in the penalty area, but they attempted to access him far too frequently. As a result, the opposing defenders knew what to expect and dealt with his threat.
In the end, LA Galaxy's midfield is vital in their game plan, particularly with Husidic's inside role. The battle between Rogers and Chris Duvall could also prove to be an exciting one. The clash of two high-tempo systems will likely reflect the battle of two high-profile teams and make for an exciting game at the Red Bull Arena.
Tom Payne is an analyst and writer for @spielvercom">link-placeholder-3 - a football tactics website focusing on match and team analysis. You can follow him on Twitter at @tompayneftbl.
