LA's Birchall having time of his life
By Larry Morgan (MLSnet.com)Chris Birchall came to the Los Angeles Galaxy in mid-July with modest goals in mind. All he wanted to do was get some playing time and feel like he belonged.
More than four months later, Birchall has reached that goal and even surpassed it. The midfielder from Stafford, England not only has received his share of playing time but worked his way into in the starting lineup. The 25-year-old is preparing for his second-ever MLS Cup Playoff game on Sunday against Chivas USA and is having the time of his life.
"I've played in important games," the 5-foot-9, 180-pounder said, "and the MLS playoffs, not everyone gets to play in these. This is one of the most important times I"ve played soccer in my life."
Birchall, a member of the Trinidad and Tobago national team -- for which he's made 33 appearances -- spent his entire club career in England and Scotland before coming to Los Angeles. He was with Port Vale and Coventry City, as well as loan spells with St. Mirren and Carlisle United before his last British club, Brighton and Hove Albion.
He was added to the Galaxy's roster on July 15 and went on to play 13 games, during which time the Galaxy went 7-3-3. He played a significant role in the team's winning its first regular-season Western Conference title since 2002 and went 77 minutes before being replaced by Chris Klein in last Sunday's 2-2 tie with Chivas USA in the first game of their Western Conference Semifinal Series.
Birchall said the conditions last weekend were difficult -- the game-time temperature was 81 degrees -- which led to some surprisingly spotty play by both teams.
"It was a very, very tough game to play in," he said. "You could tell the moment the kickoff took place it was so hot out there, and the pace of the game was never going to be that fast for 90 minutes. Chivas got off to a great start, and credit to us to get back in the game and take the lead. Then unfortunately we gave the lead away.
"It's not a bad result for either team. It's like a stalemate now, like a one-game knockout. We feel like we've got an advantage with our home fans. It will be a great atmosphere again."
And cooler, too. The kickoff will take place around 4:45 p.m. PT on Sunday, unlike last Sunday's 2:25 p.m. start. Birchall said the rivalry with Chivas has been everything he thought it would be, although he admitted he was unfamiliar with the Galaxy's Home Depot Center co-tenants when he arrived on the scene.
"It was new to me. I didn't know much about Chivas," Birchall said. "They've got passionate fans, the same as L.A. It's not a surprise to me how intense the rivalry is. I've been lucky to play ... I think this will be my third one that I've played.
"This is the fifth time this season we've played each other, and it's always good to get one over on your local rival. You can never take that away in derby games."
Birchall understandably is relishing the experience.
"When I first got here I was just hoping to get into the team and play week in and week out," he said. "I didn't really give a thought to the playoffs. I was just trying to play one game at a time. We were on such a good run of form that with a few games to spare we were up at the top. We had a great second half of the season and we carried that into the playoffs.
