High stakes give SuperClasico spice

CARSON, Calif. -- The first two years of the SuperClasico between the Los Angeles Galaxy and Chivas USA was anything but a classic rivalry. The passion in the stands has always lived up to the billing, but on the field, the Galaxy were clearly the dominant team. Power shifted a bit last year, as Chivas USA won the season series. This year, and especially this week, the rivalry has reached an entirely new level.

For the first time in the rivalry's history, LA and Chivas are tied for first place in the Western Conference. The added emotion of having first place on the line should make this already intense rivalry that much more heated.

"This is going to be a fun game. We're both in first place. I don't know if that's ever been the case," said Landon Donovan. "They're playing well. They're gaining some confidence. All signs point to this being a great game."

In addition to the fact that first place is on the line, Chivas will be looking to get a little revenge. The two sides have already met once this year, a 5-2 win for the Galaxy. A lot has changed for both teams since that game however, and LA knows they can't just sit back and expect to get a similar result.

"They're two different teams since then. The funny thing, it's almost the same players. They're pretty much the same team," said Donovan. "Back then it was just confidence, getting a few results and having things go their way. It's not like they're destroying teams, but they're getting some breaks, so that means they're going to be dangerous."

For LA, bouncing back from a recent three-game winless skid and regaining a bit of confidence is a top priority. The club is about to embark on a rather extensive road trip that only sees them playing one more home game until September following Thursday's match.

"We keep forgetting that we've played a lot of games at home and we've given up a lot of points at home. We're not going to be here much in the near future," said Donovan. "We need to get our points when we have our home games. That being said, we've been doing pretty well on the road, so that's not that much of a concern."

The Galaxy are technically the home team in Thursday's game. The two sides share The Home Depot Center, and it's to be expected that a good number of Chivas supporters will be in the stands as well. The two rival fan groups always make for a fantastic atmosphere, one that Galaxy head coach Ruud Gullit can fully appreciate from his playing and coaching career in Europe.

"It's a good rivalry. You have to forget about what happened in the first game. It's all about the derby," said Gullit. "It's going to be passionate. The crowd has been excellent."