It was business as usual for LAFC preparing for its first match against the Galaxy.
By Ivan Yeo
With all the news and fanfare of Zlatan Ibrahimovic joining the LA Galaxy on Friday, LAFC was at one of the many practice fields at the StubHub Center going about their business preparing for its biggest match to date.
With two wins under their belt, LAFC is so far riding high in its inagural season. Now comes a huge test in its third match, a match in which the result could set the tone for the remainder of the season, as LAFC will face the Galaxy for the first time in a nationally televised match that promises to being plenty of passion and energy on the field and in the stands.
“This is pretty special,” LAFC midfielder Benny Feilhaber said. “It’s going to be a fun rivalry, there’s a lot of big fans in Los Angeles, for us, not having played the game yet, its pretty special how much the fans are taking this on.”
LAFC head coach Bob Bradley knows a thing or two about LA derbies. Bradley coached at Chivas USA during the 2006 season and went 1-2-1 in the four games against the Galaxy that season. The one outcome however that was certainly to Bradley’s liking was that Chivas made the playoffs that year, while the Galaxy were on the outside looking in for the first time in franchise history.
“Everyone knows that even the first time around, the game carries extra importance,” Bradley said. “There’s a real level of excitement, you think about a guy like Carlos (Vela) and his friendship with Gio (Dos Santos) and Jonathan (Dos Santos), you think about all the speculation, all the hype, but most of all, when there is two teams in one city, there’s always a lot to play for.”
The first ever derby match between the LAFC and the Galaxy on national television was already enough to generate interest, but an extra layer was added by the Galaxy to the much-anticipated match. Not content to let LAFC simply generate all if not most of the fanfare, the Galaxy signed Zlatan Ibrahimovic last week, unveiled him on Friday, and he will most likely feature in Saturday’s match, though in what role is unknown at this point. Bradley though says its business as usual as far as LAFC is concerned.
“It has nothing to do with out preparation,” Bradley said of the Ibrahimovic news. “It’s a big move for our league, people can cover it the way it should be covered, but it keeps us able to concentrate the way we like and try to make sure our football speaks for everything else.”
LAFC defender Walker Zimmerman echoed the sentiments of Bradley.
“I don’t think it affects our preparation too much,” Zimmerman said. “Maybe it could affect theirs in terms of it being a distraction of some sorts, we’ll see, but for us, we’re always going to focus on how we play, how we think we can handle the game.”
So the big moment that LAFC and its fans have waited for will finally come on Saturday, as they will get their first crack at their cross-town rivals. With all the hype and fanfare surrounding the two teams, Saturday’s match will almost certainly bring the level of intensity on and off the pitch at StubHub Center to a crishendo. Zimmerman though kept it simple when asked what it would take to get a result on Saturday.
“We’re going to go out there and play LAFC football,” Zimmerman said.
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