Halftime Hype

The beauty of the Honda Superclasico is that no matter where L.A.'s teams sit in the standings, the rivalry remains. Tonight the L.A. Galaxy will play in what is considered a "road" game against Chivas USA, although the teams share the same arena, The Home Depot Center. For the Galaxy, a victory tonight is crucial in their support of the Supporter's Shield. On the contrary, Chivas USA, who is already eliminated from the playoffs, will try to earn their first victory over the Galaxy since 2007.

“These games are special in the sense that standings – where you are in the table – don’t really matter,” said Chivas USA left back Ante Jazic. “It’s just 90 minutes of battling and scrapping. We want to win this SuperClásico.”

For the Galaxy, three points would boost them back to first place in the Western Conference, as they currently trail Real Salt Lake by one point. The main objective will be to stay focused, particularly against a team like Chivas that has nothing to lose.

"With teams like this, there is nothing to lose," the Galaxy's Landon Donovan said. "We just have to make sure that they know we're the team that's headed to the playoffs."

What truly defines the Superclasico just as much as the rivalry is the atmosphere. With the match being broadcast nationally on ESPN2, this isn't just your typical MLS game.

“The atmosphere has a European flavor to it,” said Jazic. “Not just on the field, but in The Home Depot Center stands. Just the tension in the air is electric and everyone feels it. That’s special because it doesn’t happen often in MLS.”