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Chivas USA defender Jonathan Bornstein (L) and Galaxy forward Jovan Kirovski will renew acquaintances during the first ever SuperClásico playoff series next Sunday. (R. Mora/Getty Images)
It all started back in February with the will he/won't he? (stay in Italy) saga of David Beckham. Attention would once again be drawn to him upon his return to MLS in July, but in between, Chivas USA and the Galaxy were busy making their own headlines.
Chivas USA opened their season in record fashion, putting together an impressive 8 - 4 - 3 record through the first half of their 2009 campaign, including a string of 5 straight home victories. Their first home loss didn't come until late May against Cuauhtemoc Blanco and the rest of the Chicago Fire, with some help from some dubious officiating. It was the club's best start in club history and their success carried them to top of the overall standings.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy was making headlines for other reasons: their seemingly unending streak of draws. Some fans became frustrated at the team's inability to win, but the diamond in the rough was the fact that the team's defense no longer appeared to be the porous attempt at a defense that dominated the 2008 season. Eventually the work of General Manager and Head Coach Bruce Arena would pay off and the team began to turn some of those ties into victories and well in advance of Beckham's expected return.
Beckham's return would be a memorable experience for Galaxy fans. Many wondered if he would disrupt team chemistry. Others didn't care and were only interested in watching him run around. His return to the Home Depot Center coincided with a friendly against Italian giants AC Milan and was part of the deal that allowed Beckham to stay in Italy. While many thought AC Milan's mere presence Carson would capture all the headlines, it was instead the Englishman's reception, and in turn, his reaction to fans, that would capture all the sports headlines, even with those that don't care for the sport.
With the event behind them, L.A. soccer fans then turned their attention to a series of other great summer events. Chelsea FC and Inter Milan played in front of nearly 90,000 fans at the Rose Bowl and only days later, the Galaxy would outdo them by playing current European Champions FC Barcelona in front of over 93,000 fans. Another 40,000 plus would later make their way to Pasadena once again to watch Chivas USA take on parent club CD Guadalajara (Chivas de Guadalajara) for the first time ever in the States.
MLS action continued in between all of these great matches, but the L.A. sides seemed to be going in opposite directions. Chivas USA couldn't find a way to win and the Galaxy kept racking up victories and improving their position in the standings. Chivas USA continued to work hard and refused to throw in the towel. Their hard work kept them in playoff contention and eventually would bring them back within striking distance of the Western Conference title.
However, Chivas USA was not alone. This year's dramatic race to the playoffs was tighter than in any other prior campaign. Chivas USA, Houston, Galaxy and Seattle all had a chance to crown themselves as Western Conference champions on the final week of regular season play. Eventually the Galaxy would come out on top, a perfect accent to the complete turnaround orchestrated by Arena. Chivas USA ended in fourth after their 3 - 2 loss to Houston yesterday, but in doing so, helped give L.A. soccer fans another great treat to close out the year: a playoff SuperClásico series.
When MLS executives awarded Chivas USA owners/investors Jorge Vergara and Antonio Cue a franchise in L.A. to rival the Galaxy, they must have dreamt of seeing this scenario numerous times. Seeing the Galaxy miss the playoffs on two occasions with Beckham on the roster must have made them wonder how much longer they would have to wait.
The answer has arrived. This coming Sunday, at 2 PM, L.A. soccer fans will witness another first when the first ever SuperClásico playoff series kicks off at the Home Depot Center.
For those that have argued that there was never any true rivalry between the teams, now is the time to recant.
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it's not going to be pretty, but it's going to be intense. True soccer fans in LA should be happy.
Go Galaxy! Die Chivas!