Five things to watch: Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Vancouver Whitecaps

By Kyle McCarthy

The Knockout Round comes to a close Thursday night when the Vancouver Whitecaps visit the Los Angeles Galaxy. Here are a few points to watch ahead of the affair at the Home Depot Center:

1. How will Martin Rennie deal with his lineup dilemma?: Rennie would probably prefer to find a place for seasoned, if somewhat out-of-form, Scotland internationals Kenny Miller and Barry Robson for this one-off fixture. Their experience would probably benefit the side given the enormity of the task at hand. The major problem: the team, as a whole, may stand a better shot with more speed on the field.

2. Dictating the tempo: Vancouver emerged with a 0-0 draw at Real Salt Lake on Saturday by adopting a conservative approach. A similar gambit represents one of two viable options for Rennie because his side is organized enough in its probable 4-2-3-1 setup to stand a decent chance of holding out. The other involves deploying the likes of Darren Mattocks, Dane Richards and Camilo Sanvezzo to increase the speed available and push the cadence of the game past the point where the Galaxy feels comfortable. If the game settles into a steady rhythm, then the balance tips heavily in the Galaxy’s favor.

Oct

Five things to watch: Chicago Fire vs. Houston Dynamo

By Kyle McCarthy

MLS starts the journey toward MLS Cup next month Wednesday night when Houston visits Chicago in a Knockout Round match. Here are a few points to watch ahead of the one-off game at Toyota Park:

1. Where will Chris Rolfe find his space?: Rolfe loves to get turned and run at opposing defenses on the counter and operate between the lines when the Fire has possession. He will find Ricardo Clark and Adam Moffat in his usual operating spaces. He may have to push into a more advanced role to find the necessary room to roam.

2. Picking up the slack: Chicago has struggled in the past month or so when Rolfe isn’t actively influencing the game. If he isn’t causing trouble Wednesday night, the onus falls on Alvaro Fernandez and Patrick Nyarko to provide plenty of service to Sherjill MacDonald from midfield.