The Difference a Year Makes - Galaxy v. Red Bulls

By: Dave Martinez | July 15th, 2008

Thinking back on last years epic encounter, and awaiting this years confrontation, one has to be astounded by the difference a year has made. Here are a couple of things that stick out most for me:

1) The Bulls are trying to avoid the basement, while the Galaxy are trying to steal away first place from Real Salt Lake. No joke.
2) Landon Donovan and David Beckham are actually clicking
3) Potentially, four players could be debuting this game - all on the Red Bulls side (Jimenez, Cichero, Rojas and Pietravallo). That would be more than last summers entire transfer window.
4) The Galaxy are the leagues most deadly offensive unit. Seriously. 34 goals as of last weekend (that is more than double the Bulls output, with 1 game in hand mind you).
5) David Beckham isn’t injured. But Angel has been.
6) Jozy Altidore is in Spain, training with another team.
7) There are different coaches manning both teams sidelines.
8 ) Buddle is a star player in the league. You tell me this last year, and I assure you, I would have laughed in your face.
9) Kevin Goldthwaite is someone the Bulls depend on, not the goat Arena bought in.
10) Abel Xavier is actually slower. A lot slower.
11) Bruce Arena is a Kansas City Wizards Commentator.
12) The Bulls only have 6 players remaining (Freeman, Angel, Richards, Stammler, Parke and Van Den Bergh) who actually played in the Giants Stadium game last year.
13) How about the teams records? The Bulls were 9-7-3 through 19 leading up to the game last year. This year, with 21 games in the books, the Bulls are a paltry 5-6-5. Going into the game last year, the Galaxy, were a pathetic 3-7-5. This year, they are a much improved 6-6-4.
14) Only Kansas City and expansion team San Jose have less goals than the Bulls do this year (16).
15) Only DC United and Los Angeles have let in more goals than the Bulls (26).
16) By the way, Cronin in nets, not Cannon. A positive change from this writers biased perspective.
17) In order for the Bulls to equal last years goal output (47), they would need to average 2.22 goals per game through the end of the season. A nearly impossible task, as we head into the 11th week of one goal or less football. The Galaxy would literally only need to score one goal every game till the end of the season to match the Bulls 2007 goal output.
18) Media hype was through the roof leading up to last years spectacle. This year? Not so much. But over 40,000 tickets with very little promotion is something to admire.
19) There was a Spice Girls reunion last year. No idea if thats still happening.
20) I will be sitting smack dab in the middle of the field, taking in the action from about 6 rows away! I can not wait!

Funny thing about this game? With his absence this year, DP Claudio Reyna will make it two years in a row that he has gone AWOL v. the Galaxy at home. Shame.

Anyway, I am sure I missed a couple of things. So fill in the gaps for me.