Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy are a team without direction, even though it's just the middle of April, and nothing is certain yet in this 2011 Major League Soccer season.

Though they come into this Sunday's encounter with Carlos de los Cobos' Chicago Fire on a three-game unbeaten streak, they stumble into Bridgeview's Toyota Park unbowed but wounded.

The Galaxy are winless in their last two games. Landon Donovan is overcoming an injury from national team duty, and a couple of key players in Juninho and David Beckham are serving suspensions.

While they do have Juan Pablo Angel (who most likely will don the captain's armband on Sunday for the G's if Donovan is not available), the Colombian international has yet to be a dominating force on the team, and opposing defenses have had their way.

One player that could step up on Sunday is Mike Magee, who was instrumental in the 1-1 draw with D.C. United.

“We have a deep team, so we haven’t missed too many beats,” Magee told Luis Bueno of MLSSoccer.com. “Obviously, Landon is a guy you’ll never be able to replace, but the team has done well. Throughout the course of the year, whether it’s been Omar [Gonzalez] or Landon, other guys have stepped in and done their job. That’s what we get paid to do.”

Aside from scoring, Magee performed well defensively in the scoreless draw with Toronto.

“It’s good to get a goal, and I would have liked to have followed it up by getting another one in the Toronto game,” Magee said. “But it’s a little weight off your back. The first one is always the hardest, and hopefully, there are more to come.”

In addition, Magee has been settling into his role in the left midfield with much fanfare.

“The most noticeable difference is the running,” Magee said. “Stepping in on the left side where Landon’s been playing requires a lot of running, a lot of box-to-box stuff. It’s a little different than I’m used to, but it’s been going well. My legs are getting better, I’m getting a bit more fit.”

Optimism will need to be the intangible that wins the day for the G's on Sunday.

“We just have to keep playing the way we’re playing,” Magee said. “We all know we could have easily won those games [in DC and in Toronto] if we finished off a play or two. We defended well enough, we definitely put in more than enough work to get six points.

“We’ve just got to trust that we’re playing the right way, and we’re creating chances and working for each other. If we continue to do that, we’re probably going to win.”

Uruguayan Diego Chaves and Marco Pappa are the two main targets for Chicago. Chaves leads the team with three goals, while Pappa has two.

The Fire are coming off a 4-2 defeat to the Portland Timbers on Thursday and must fend off giving up goals early and often. Chicago paid the price for failing to rally from a 3-0 deficit and even gave up an own goal late in stoppage time.

If the Fire backline of Jalil Anibaba, Cory Gibbs, Gonzalo Segares and Dasan Robinson put on a performance like they did in the first half against Portland, the Galaxy's depth may have a field day on their hands, and goalkeeper Sean Johnson could have his work cut out for him.

Prediction:

The interesting thing about Major League Soccer is that it's not a top-heavy league. On any given match day, a team with a worse record could prevail over one with a better record.

The losses of Beckham, Juninho and possibly Donovan could mean that this road trip will make the hot seat a little bit more uncomfortable for Bruce Arena.

Chicago Fire 3, Los Angeles Galaxy 1

Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. PT/4:00 p.m. ET and will be televised by Telefutura.

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