Soccer's version of the classic LA vs. NYC rivalry will be played out this Saturday night at The Home Depot Center in Carson when Red Bull New York pays a visit to the Galaxy.

LA comes into this weekend's match riding a three game unbeaten streak, narrowly avoiding a loss in Salt Lake last weekend thanks to an erroneous offside call against the home side.

While the tie was a positive, the Galaxy defense did not show well. Against the Bulls, they will need to bring their A-game in order to stop the Red Bull offensive threats posed by forwards Jozy Altidore and Juan Pablo Angel.

Altidore is an up an coming talent, expected to make the big jump to European soccer once this year's MLS campaign concludes. He is fast, strong and lethal in front of the net, as one can see here. He also netted the Bulls' goal the last time the two teams met late last year, so he is no stranger to scoring in Carson.

For his part, Angel is one of the premier players in MLS, having played for River Plate in Argentina and most recently, Aston Villa in the English Premier League before joining the Bulls last year. Suffice it to say, he knows how to play at the highest levels and immediately made an impact after he joined the Bulls last season.

Needless to say, the Galaxy defense will have its hands full.

Both teams come into the game with a few injuries that should be noted. The Bulls' playmaker, and one time US National Team captain, Claudio Reyna, is listed as doubtful. If he does not suit up, it may take away a good portion of the Bulls' offensive threat. It is difficult to gauge, as he tends to be a rather inconsistent player.

On the Galaxy side, defender Abel Xavier and midfielders Ely Allen and Alvaro Pires are also listed as doubtful. All three missed last week's game in Salt Lake, but in the case of Xavier, it may have been due to the fact that it was on artificial turf moreso than anything else.

The impact of Pires' injury has been minimized by the fact that Galaxy midfielders Joe Franchino and Brandon McDonald have been performing well together. However, the lingering question is whether they will be able to keep up with Jozy and Angel. This is where Xavier's potential absence becomes a bit of a factor, not for his speed, but the necessary shifts in strategy that would take place in order to compensate. More to the point, the need to put in less experienced players in his place. That could prove to be the Galaxy's Achilles' heel on Saturday night.

The Galaxy can take the victory if their offense keeps clicking as it has in the last 5 games and the defense puts in a strong game so as to not get into a shootout, albeit, the latter scenario might favor the Galaxy. I expect this game to be a high scoring affair, definitely worth checking out in person, so come on down to Carson on Saturday and support the Galaxy!

GO GALAXY!!!

Game Details

When: Saturday, May 10, 2008 -- 7:30 PM
Where: The Home Depot Center, Carson
TV: HDNet, FSN-W
Radio: 1150 AM (English), 1330 AM (Español)
Promos: T-Shirt for first 4,000 in attendance, Brit Night (See here for details)

Photo by ruthbruin2002 via Flickr