Galaxy Set Sights on MLS Cup Final

What a difference a year makes. At this same time last year, the Galaxy was lamenting another disappointing season while watching New York and Columbus work their way to the MLS Cup Final to be played in their own backyard.

Today, the Galaxy take on the Houston Dynamo at the Home Depot Center with sights on a ticket to Seattle where the 2009 MLS Cup Final will be played on November 22nd. It is the blue-and-gold's first trip to the Western Conference Final since 2005. That particular year, the Galaxy had sneaked into the playoffs after a mediocre campaign under Head Coach Steve Sampson, but managed to put together an impressive run through the playoffs to capture their second MLS Cup.

This time around things are quite different. Led by General Manager and 2009 MLS Coach of the Year Bruce Arena, the Galaxy have in great part restored much of the culture that characterized the club's more successful first 6 - 8 years of existence. The blue-and-gold captured the regular season Western Conference title for the first time since 2002 -- coincidentally it is the same year the Galaxy won its first MLS Cup -- which in turn earned them the top seed in the conference for the 2009 playoffs and tagged them as a favorite for the Final.

A hard fought first-round playoff series against rival Chivas USA allowed the Galaxy an opportunity to demonstrate it had the fortitude and character to earn a trip to the Emerald City. A harder test awaits them tonight when they take on the Houston Dynamo.