Sampson to Face a Few Decisions
Steve Sampson won’t necessarily agree, but the Galaxy coach has been able to take it easy for the last six weeks or so.
All Sampson has had to do is pencil in his 11 starters, then sit back and watch his chosen players win five out of six.
Now, however, things start to change.
Instead of being at the Home Depot Center for tonight’s game against the Columbus Crew, forward and leading goal scorer Landon Donovan is with the U.S. national team in Chicago, preparing for Saturday’s friendly against England at Soldier Field.
Similarly, defender Michael Umana is with Costa Rica’s national team, which on Tuesday was beaten by Norway in a friendly in Oslo, 1-0.
Defender Ugo Ihemelu is suspended for tonight’s match after having been red-carded in Saturday’s 2-1 victory over San Jose, and forward Joseph Ngwenya, facing a hernia operation, is doubtful. The surgery will sideline Ngwenya for four to six weeks.
Next week, it gets worse for Sampson as the U.S., Costa Rica and Guatemala each play two World Cup qualifying games, all three teams taking players away from the Galaxy.
Sampson is expected to make two changes tonight.
Brazilian forward Naldo will take Donovan’s place on the field, but Jovan Kirovski will assume Donovan’s role as the withdrawn forward and playmaker.
“I’m used to it,” Kirovski said Tuesday. “I played there the last two years, so it’s not a big change for me.”
The other switch will be in the back line, where Costa Rican national team defender Pablo Chinchilla will start in place of Ihemelu.
Donovan is lost for three games at least. Umana will be back for Saturday’s game against Chivas USA, but after that he will rejoin Costa Rica’s team. Winger Guillermo “Pando” Ramirez will leave Sunday to join Guatemala’s national team and will miss one game.
The loss of Donovan, who has five goals and four assists in six games, is potentially the most damaging, but Sampson said the team was ready.
“We’ve known this day was going to come, we’ve been preparing for it for weeks and weeks now,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity for a couple of guys to step in and get some playing time and to see how this team plays without Landon.”
Naldo has been used primarily off the bench and still is looking for his first Galaxy goal.
“He’s a player with an enormous amount of experience and now it’s his shot to show what he can do,” Sampson said.
The same goes for Chinchilla, whose reserve team status on the Galaxy has cost him his place on Costa Rica’s national team.
“You’re taking out a rookie [Ihemelu] and you’re putting in a player who has international experience, who has played at the highest levels against Mexico and the U.S., who has played in many, many big championship matches for Alajuelense in Costa Rica,” Sampson said.
“He’s been dying for this opportunity and I trust that he’ll do a good job.”
*
GALAXY TONIGHT
vs. Columbus, 7:30
Site -- Home Depot Center.
Radio -- 830.
Records -- Galaxy 5-2, Columbus 3-5.
Record vs Columbus -- 0-1.
Update -- Columbus will give up a player allocation spot today to acquire former UCLA and U.S. national team winger Chris Henderson from DC United. Henderson was traded by the Colorado Rapids to United on Tuesday for defender Mike Petke. Forward Cornell Glen will miss the game while serving a one-game suspension. The Crew had lost four in a row before defeating Real Salt Lake, 2-0. Columbus leads the all-time series, 11-8-4 and in total goals, 34-29. It is the only MLS team with a winning record against the Galaxy.
