The Galaxy pay a visit to Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas to face FC Dallas this Sunday afternoon.

The blue-and-gold are trying to rebound from a disappointing loss last Saturday night against New York, and a mid-week encore in Edmonton on Tuesday. On the other side of the field, FC Dallas, or "Hoops", sit one point above LA in the Western Conference standings, but are also coming off a loss last Saturday.

The two teams last met in a preseason match in late March, but neither team fielded a full team on that occasion. Duilio Davino, the Hoops' big name signing in the offseason did not make an appearance in that game, nor did the Galaxy's Carlos Ruiz, who had been acquired from Dallas only a couple of weeks prior.

That last meeting turned out to be a rather dull affair, ending in a 0 - 0 tie, with few highlights or moments worth remembering.

Games between these two teams always seem a bit bizarre for some reason. Sometimes it is a dull 0 - 0 match, other times it is a 6 - 5 goal fest (Spanish), like it was during last year's SuperLiga match.

It is hard to say how this weekend's game will pan out. The Hoops' midfielder Ricardinho is listed as questionable with a thigh injury, and midfielder Juan Toja has been a mere shadown of the offensive threat he posed last year. However, forward Kenny Cooper has already tallied 5 goals on the season and Duilio Davino is a solid defender, balancing things out a bit for the team.

For the Galaxy, the challenge will be more of a mental one in my opinion. The last few games have showcased a team that seems a bit disorganized and unfocused, with flashes of the very poor season opening performance in Colorado almost 2 months ago sprinkled in between. Earlier this week, head coach Ruud Gullit expressed his dissatisfaction with the lack of mental fortitude when speaking of last week's loss.

You can bet he had something to say to his players on the matter. It will be interesting to see how they respond.

One positive note for the Galaxy: left back Ante Jazic got some playing time on Tuesday. While I still wish it was Todd Dunivant in that position instead, Jazic is a reliable defender and it is nice to see more depth become available for the backline.

A win for the Galaxy will move them up to second place in the Conference. Combined with a Colorado loss, they could move up to first place. Perhaps this will be motivation enough to help the team focus on the task at hand and bring home a victory.

When:
Sunday, May 18, 2008 -- 12:00 PM

TV:
TeleFutura, FSN-W

Radio:
AM 570 (English), 1220 AM (Español)

Photo by ramdac via Flickr