Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy are in search of their first victory for the month of June. After leaving four points at the table at home against D.C. United and Toronto FC, the G's get their next crack at three on the road against the COlorado Rapids at Dick's Sporting Goods Park on Saturday, June 18.

Currently, LA are 8-2-7 (31 points), good for the best record overall in Major League Soccer.

The play of midfielder Miguel Lopez has been a highlight for what has been an average month for the club after Landon Donovan and Donovan Ricketts had CONCACAF Gold Cup obligations to meet.

“They’ve been two players who have been playing week in and week out when they’re fit and when they’re here,” midfielder Chris Birchall told MLSSoccer.com's Luis Bueno. “It’s hard for players to come in really because they know even if they play well they’re going to be out when they come back.”

The issue now for the next two matches is what formation Arena and company will utilize to get a winning result.

“We’ve got a squad where different players can play different formations and we’re still probably trying to find out what’s our best formation,” Birchall added.

“We were getting in each other’s way in times and obviously it’s the first time we played it so that was going to happen,” Galaxy midfielder David Beckham said. “Sometimes that happens. It happened a little too much for our liking in the first half.”

Colorado  are 5-3-7 (22 points) and are fourth in the MLS Western Conference standings. They have a balanced scoring scoring attack, led by Jamie Smith and Jeff Larentowicz. Smith and Larentowicz both have three goals to their credit. Other top scorers include Caleb Folan, Conor Casey and Drew Moor, all with two goals this season.

Folan and Pablo Mastroeni are Colorado's main providers, with two assists so far this year.

Defensively, the play of Moor, Kosuke Kimura, Anthony Wallace and Marvell Wynne will be key to the Rapids replicating their success from last year: a 3-1 victory over the Galaxy at the Home Depot Center on October 16, 2010.

Goalkeeper Matt Pickens has had a decent campaign, witha 5-3-7 record, a 70.2 percent save percentage,  0.93 goals against average and 33 saves.

His counterpart, the Galaxy's Josh Saunders, has also had an average year, with a 2-1-3 record, a 1.33 GAA, a 70.8 percent save percentage and 17 saves recorded.

Juan Pablo Angel and Chad Barrett have recorded three goals this season and will be relied on to finish the deliveries from David Beckham, who has seven assists this season.

Juninho has returned from family obligations in his native Brazil and will provide some muscle in the midfield to complement Michael Stephens, Chris Birchall and Miguel Lopez.

The backline of Sean Franklin, Omar Gonzalez, A.J. DeLaGarza and Todd Dunivant have been infamous for dropping points late and must stay alert for the entirety of this contest, especially in the front of one of the toughest crowds in the league: that of the defending MLS Cup champions.


Preview

Los Angeles might find this to be a tough ask. They haven't dropped a lot of games this year, but their third loss of the season may take place in Commerce City.

Colorado Rapids 2, Los Angeles Galaxy 1

Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. PT/9:00 p.m. ET and will be televised by Fox Sports West on tape delay at 8:00 p.m. PT/11:00 p.m. ET.


Ins and Outs

Chicken Thief No. 4: Alan Gordon

No question who the culprit behind the stolen poultry was this week. Former Galaxy standout Alan Gordon completed the heist in the 68th minute and followed it up with a brace in the fourth minute of second half stoppage time.

Hey Gordo, where the heck has this been when you were with us? Care to explain?


More Reserve League Plight...

The Seattle Sounders' Sammy Ochoa kept the Galaxy winless with a goal in the 82nd minute as LA fell 1-0 at the Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Washington on Monday.

There is a good possibility that this team could finish winless. Stay tuned...

The Galaxy Reserves will next take on the Vancouver Whitecaps at the Home Depot Center Track on Monday, June 20. Kickoff is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. PT/2:00 p.m. ET.


Youth Academy Update

On June 4, the Los Angeles Galaxy Youth Academy took on Nomads SC and the San Diego Surf. The Under-18s lost to Nomads 3-2. Riley Wolfe scored in the 64th minute and Neil Ignacio scored in the 62nd minute of play.

Both the Under-16s and Under-18s had mixed results against the San Diego Surf on June 5. The Under-16s defeated the Surf 1-0 thanks to a 63rd minute goal by Drew Murphy. The Under-18s drew 2-2 with the Surf thanks to goals from Matt Mardesich in the 41st minute and Ignacio in the 59th minute.

The Galaxy Academy wrapped up their 2010-11 season with a couple of road matches.

On Saturday, the Young G's took on Real So Cal at Calabasas High School in Calabasas, California. The Under-16s defeated Real So Cal 3-2. Justin Dhillon scored a brace in the 13th and 49th minutes, while Drew Murphy added a third in the 26th minute of play.

The Under-18s also defeated Real So Cal 2-0. Juan Mendoza scored in the 36th minute of play, while Angel Ayala made it 2-0 in the 87th minute of play.

Both sides, however, could not get the job done against the New York Cosmos Academy West. The Under-16s lost 3-2. Dhillon scored a goal in the 56th minute, while William Raygoza scored in the 50th minute of play.

The Under-18s ended what has been a very disappointing campaign with a whimper in the form of a 1-1 draw with the Cosmos. Mark Vasquez scored in the 51st minute for LA.

The Under-16s will now advance to the US Soccer Development Academy Playoffs at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas. The action will begin on Friday, June 24.

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