Supporting cast key in L.A.-N.Y. clash

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Friday's tilt between the Los Angeles Galaxy and the New York Red Bulls was shaping up to be a Battle of the Designated Players. But with Thierry Henry out with an injured knee, and David Beckham likely limited to a substitute's role, each team's supporting cast is now poised to step to the fore.

Of course, Henry's absence is a case of the soccer gods meting out their own brand of justice. Following the Frenchman's ill-advised goal celebration against FC Dallas last week, which resulted in Dallas keeper Kevin Hartman injuring his right MCL, MLS would have been well within its rights to suspend Henry. When the league's disciplinary committee opted to fine him instead, it looked like a capitulation to market forces ahead of Friday's big game.

Yet a tender knee has now sidelined Henry, which was manna for the league's legion of conspiracy theorists who could debate whether Henry is really hurt, or if MLS decided to punish him on the sly.

As for Beckham, the Englishman is barely six months removed from rupturing his left Achilles tendon. Los Angeles manager Bruce Arena indicated during Tuesday's conference call with reporters that it would be 4-6 weeks before Beckham is back to full fitness. This suggests that the Galaxy midfielder will probably begin Friday's match on the bench.

The three remaining DPs -- New York's Juan Pablo Angel and Rafael Marquez, and L.A.'s Landon Donovan -- will no doubt have their say. But two parts of the field will come under particular scrutiny: the center of the Galaxy's defense and New York's midfield.

With Omar Gonzalez suspended and Gregg Berhalter returning to training after a five-week injury layoff, the Galaxy will likely trot out a central defensive pairing of Yohance Marshall and Leonardo. Marshall made his MLS debut last week against D.C. United, and while he acquitted himself well, his lack of experience could be exploited. Leonardo is talented, but he has been hot and cold this season, with some costly lapses in concentration.

The Galaxy's Arena can't afford any such lapses on Friday. Even with Henry's absence, Los Angeles must contend with the likes of Angel and Dane Richards. "They have plenty of firepower and they'll definitely be a difficult team to play," said Arena of the Red Bulls.

New York has concerns of its own. The last time the two teams met, on Aug. 14, New York's midfield was largely outplayed in a 1-0 loss to LA. The difference-maker on that day was Galaxy midfielder Juninho, who did plenty to control the game's tempo. Can New York contain him this time around? And if Arena opts to deploy Donovan out on the right wing on Friday, as he has in recent weeks, that will require players like Tony Tchani and Joel Lindpere to step up their defensive game.

New York manager Hans Backe indicated that the back line will need to do its share of work, too. "The only thing is to try and keep our back four and midfield so tight that they can close down all the space for the Number 10-type players," said Backe.

That will take some doing on the expansive Home Depot Center field. But after gaining no points in four matches this season against what Backe called the big three of Columbus, LA and Real Salt Lake, he's looking forward to Friday's test.

"It's a little bit special to be playing the cream of MLS, which the Galaxy are, and see if we can compete in a way," he said.

NEWS AND NOTES

No room for Wondo? It's not often that a potential team MVP finds himself on the short end of a numbers game. But that's precisely the scenario facing San Jose Earthquakes forward Chris Wondolowski.

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Brian Bahr/Getty ImagesDespite a strong season, Chris Wondolowski could be riding the bench for the Earthquakes.

The Danville, Calif., native not only leads the Quakes with nine goals but also has logged valuable minutes in various midfield positions when injuries have struck the side. Yet while manager Frank Yallop insists that Wondolowski's name is "always one of the first ones on the team sheet," a quick glance at the Quakes' roster reveals his time in the starting lineup may be coming to an end.

New acquisition Khari Stephenson has emerged as a solid two-way midfielder with considerable attacking skill. Striker Eduardo, after missing most of the season due to minor ailments, finally appears to be returning to full fitness. And it's inconceivable that designated player Geovanni will be the one to ride the bench. That leaves Wondolowski as the odd man out.

It's a colossal dose of tough luck for Wondolowski, especially given how his fortunes had improved over the past year. The forward was far down the depth chart in Houston before San Jose acquired him last season. At the time, it was believed that Wondolowski wouldn't make much of an impact. But it's safe to say that without his goals, the Quakes would be nowhere near the playoff hunt. When asked about the possibility of returning to the bench, Wondolowski smiles, shrugs and accepts his fate.

"All you can do is just worry about yourself and worry about the team," said Wondolowski. "You can't really worry about playing time. Once you start getting into that, your game goes down and it just brings the whole team down."

And what keeps him going during those moments?

"Winning, that's what drives me," he said. "Obviously, you need to score goals to win, and that's always a plus. But winning is the main thing. That's why I always enjoyed my time in Houston. It wasn't always the best sitting on the bench, but I loved my time there, loved the guys there, and it was always great winning."

It's even better now that San Jose is poised to make the playoffs for the first time since its rebirth in 2008.

Kamara takes flight: These are heady days for the Kansas City Wizards' Kei Kamara. The winger's celebrated miss from 1 yard earlier in the season has been eclipsed by his 10 goals and four assists, blowing away his career highs in both categories. And clearly, he is thriving on the right wing in manager Peter Vermes' 4-3-3, after spending almost his entire professional career as a more central-lying forward.

The irony is that when Vermes first proposed the switch, Kamara seemed intent on starring in his own version of "Kicking and Screaming."

"I argued with [Vermes] over and over and over for months," said Kamara. "I said, 'No, I'm not playing [wide].' Even in the first half of the season when I was scoring goals, I still went back and said, 'No, I don't want to play it.' And he says, 'Listen, you've been pushed around, you've been kicked throughout your career so far. Now I want to give you a chance to get the ball when you're facing people and going at them.' And it's worked out."

Has it ever. With Ryan Smith occupying the opposite wing, the Wizards' speed has tormented opponents. And Kamara's jump in productivity, one that saw him score again in Wednesday's wild 4-3 win over Houston, has helped Kansas City climb back into the playoff race by going 4-1-2 in its past seven games.

Kamara still believes that he can be effective as a more traditional forward. But for now, he's buying into Vermes' approach to the game.

"He saw something in me, something that could happen," Kamara said of Vermes. "And he said, 'I want to do this for you. It's not just for the club, but I know what kind of a player you can be.' When a coach really talks about you that way, you have to believe in them that they are really trying to help you out."

Vancouver, DeMerit "worlds apart":The Vancouver Province reported on Sunday that the Vancouver Whitecaps, who will begin MLS play in 2011, were pursuing out-of-contract U.S. international defender Jay DeMerit. Despite some careful phrasing, the article was interpreted in some quarters as a hint that DeMerit's signing was imminent, since the Whitecaps own the top spot in the allocation rankings. On Monday, Whitecaps director of soccer operations Tom Soehn sought to clarify the situation.

"Yes, we've inquired about [DeMerit], and he's not the only one," said Soehn on the telephone. "But we're worlds apart in terms of agreeing to a contract."

With the Whitecaps currently playing in the second-tier USSF D-2 league, Soehn has been busy acquiring former MLS players such as Nelson Akwari and Greg Janicki in a bid to give his side a leg up when it starts play next season.

"We're trying to win this year and piggyback off that," said Soehn. "If we could win [the league], that's not a bad advertisement."

Jeff Carlisle covers MLS and the U.S. national team for ESPNsoccernet. He is also the author of "Soccer's Most Wanted II: The Top 10 Book of More Glorious Goals, Superb Saves and Fantastic Free-Kicks." He can be reached at eljefe1@yahoo.com.

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Jeff Carlisle covers MLS and the U.S. national team for ESPNsoccernet.