MLS

• Stakes high in final L.A. derby of regular season

  
  

  Carson, CA (Sports Network) - Thursday's third and final 2008 Major League Soccer regular season edition of the SuperClasico between the Los Angeles Galaxy and Chivas USA at The Home Depot Center figures to have a lot of meaning.

  First of all, after winning the season series between the L.A. rivals last season for the first time in its brief history, Chivas USA is down 0-1-1 this season, meaning chances of a repeat are gone. A Galaxy win would earn the club the season series for the third time since the rivalry began in 2005.

  Secondly, it will be the Galaxy's first fixture since coach Ruud Gullit decided to leave the team for "personal reasons" and team President and General Manager Alexi Lalas was sacked.

  Third, and probably most important of all, both teams are desperate for wins after combining to go winless in their past 10 MLS matches, a stretch that has seen both teams fall from the top of the Western Conference table to currently out of the playoff picture.

  Chivas USA (6-8-4) is winless in three, including two-straight losses, but that is nothing compared to the Galaxy's current seven-game winless streak.

  "It's difficult when we've been here every day going through a tough time," Galaxy forward Landon Donovan told the L.A. Times. "It's not as easy as coming to us and saying, you know, 'Now it's your turn to go turn it on.' I wish it was that easy but it's not.

  "That being said, we haven't been doing our jobs either.

  When we're on the field, we need to sort it out and do what we can do regardless of who the coach is, and that's what we've got to focus on." The most recent Galaxy loss came at the hands of the expansion San Jose Earthquakes on June 14.

  That loss was the final straw as Lalas and Gullit are now gone. As a result, Thursday will be the head-coaching debut of former Galaxy and U.S. national team veteran Cobi Jones, who takes over for Gullit on an interim basis.

  Even with the changes that have already been made, more jobs are on the line, meaning the Galaxy (6-8-5) should come out with a sense of urgency that has been lacking for almost two months.

  "For a start, we need to win on Thursday, to get confidence back up, to get that unity back into the team," L.A. midfielder David Beckham told the L.A. Times. "The only way we can do that is by having fun and winning games.

  "We've just got to forget about everything that has gone on in the last few days and the last week and just move on. At the end of the day, it's all about the team and how we perform. We can only put it right on the field." Chivas USA's concerns go beyond the field to the training table, where a number of key players are spending the majority of their time, including forward Alecko Eskandarian and defender Lawson Vaughn, who are both out Thursday, as is midfielder Sacha Klejstan because of his participation with the U.S. Olympic team.

  Defenders Jonathan Bornstein and Claudio Suarez, and forward Ante Razov are questionable, while forward Maykel Galindo is probable to play.

  08/13 12:55:13 ET