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Galaxy-Chivas USA Preview

Oct 31, 2009 - 7:49 PM By ALAN FERGUSON STATS Writer

Los Angeles (12-6-12) at Chivas USA (13-11-6), 5:00 p.m. EDT

The Los Angeles Galaxy are making their 11th playoff appearance in franchise history, while Chivas USA has reached the postseason for the fourth consecutive year.

The intracity rivals, however, will face each other for the first time outside of the regular season in Sunday's first leg of the Western Conference semifinals.

The Galaxy return to the playoffs for the first time since winning their second MLS Cup in 2005, with David Beckham making his postseason debut after his signing in 2007. It is the first time Los Angeles has been the West's top seed since 2002.

"This season is a season to be proud of so far, but we can't afford to get off the pace," he said after the Galaxy clinched first place with a 2-0 victory over San Jose on Oct. 24. "We need to continue, and we want trophies."

Los Angeles (12-6-12) beat out a crowded field to finish atop the West as goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts concluded his first regular season with the Galaxy in stellar fashion.

Ricketts enters Sunday's game with a 301-minute scoreless streak dating back to a 2-0 loss Sept. 26 at Supporters' Shield-winning and defending MLS Cup champion Columbus. Los Angeles regrouped with a pair of home victories sandwiched around a scoreless at Houston, giving the Galaxy the tiebreaker for the conference's No. 1 seed.

Ricketts has posted seven of his nine shutouts since Aug. 19 - four in the team's last five home games. One of those home victories was a 1-0 blanking of Chivas on Aug. 29.

The Jamaican 'keeper did not allow a goal to Chivas this season as the Galaxy were 2-0-1 against their archrivals and co-tenants of the Home Depot Center.

"In the postseason, the biggest part is defense and that's been our strength all year," defender Todd Dunivant said. "If we can keep that going, we'll be a tough team to beat."

Chivas (13-11-6), meanwhile, reached the playoffs despite going winless over its final three matches, including last week's 3-2 loss to visiting Houston that dropped it to fourth in the West.

"We definitely didn't achieve our goals. The Western Conference championship would have been the first goal we'd set out for," defender Jonathan Bornstein said. "Even with five games left to go, if we... would have beaten New York and San Jose, we would have done it but we tied both games. We had so many chances."

Chivas scored two goals for the fourth time in five games, but it is also the first MLS team to fail to net three or more in a game in a season. Its 34 goals are second-fewest among the eight playoff teams.

"As long as we're creating chances, I think we'll score goals," coach Preki Radosavljevic said. "We keep going and we keep fighting and we keep playing the way we want to play. Hopefully, one of these days, this group will be rewarded."

Chivas goalkeeper Zach Thornton finished with a league-best 0.87 goals-against average and 12 shutouts, but he enters the postseason having given up six goals in the last three contests.

Chivas has never been to the conference finals in franchise history and lost 3-2 on aggregate to Real Salt Lake in last year's two-legged first-round playoff.

The Galaxy have advanced past the first round in nine of their 11 postseason trips.