Los Angeles Galaxy: Ins and Outs, April 4, 2012

LA Dance...Into The Fire!

Until we dance into the fire, 
That fatal kiss is all we need.
Dance into the fire, 
To fatal sounds of broken dreams...


-Duran Duran, "A View To A Kill"

Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy are entering the cauldron Livestrong Sporting Park in Kansas City, KS, straggling, wounded, bloodied and broken, but not unbowed.

Awaiting them: Sporting Kansas City in the Apr. 7 Holy Saturday tilt (1 pm PT/4 pm ET: ESPN, ESPN Deportes). For Robbie Keane, who salvaged some dignity last week against the New England Revolution, he knows the odds are suddenly stacked against the defending league champions.

 “It’s never good when you lose a game, especially when you’ve got a week ‘til your next game," Keane told MLSSoccer.com's Luis Bueno. "If there’s a game in a few days time, you kind of have to get your head around getting yourself focused, but it’s going to be a long week for the boys.

"It’s up to everyone to pick their heads up and be men.”

Accountability is important for the Galaxy heading into their match, but bouncing back with authority is also just as critical.

“We have to take this as a team, as a group of players," Keane added. "We have to accept it and not keep our heads down and be babies about it, get on with it, be a man and make sure we’re ready for next week.”

Time is of the essence

For defender Todd Dunivant, one of a handful of suspects in letting three goals slip past Josh Saunders last Saturday, every match is a big deal.

“One thing for us, and it’s kind of a blessing and a curse, is that every game we play is generally a really big deal for the other team,” Dunivant told Bueno. “When we’re playing on the road, it’s probably their biggest-selling game of the year, they get requested tickets the most, it’s something they circle on their calendar.”

Los Angeles only need to play four matches this month, and the schedule doesn't really accelerate until July, when the midweek matches start to pile up.

Advantage, LA? Advantage or not, ample time to get the kinks out can be essential to a compelling MLS Cup defense.

“It’s that kind of thing that can be a big thing during the season because you’re given the chance to make adjustments,” Dunivant said. “Over the course of a season, you can improve those things.”