Washington, D.C. (My Sportsbook) - Two Major League Soccer originals square off on Saturday night when D.C. United hosts the Los Angeles Galaxy at RFK Stadium.

The surging Galaxy (8-4-10) have won six of their last eight are currently alone in second place in the Western Conference table. They are coming off a 2-0 victory at Chicago at midweek, and hope to gain more ground on leaders Houston on Saturday.

"Our guys have played well over the last seven or eight games, it's put us right back in the thick of things," Arena said. "Coming here and playing solid defensively and getting the first goal of the game was critical. I think our guys, tactically, played a really good game."

The win was even more impressive considering star midfielder David Beckham was serving a one-game suspension after receiving a red card last Saturday.

"I've been on the bench for a while, so I was the fresh one," Magee said. "You know, Beckham getting a red card, they had to bring in a couple of guys, with Eddie Lewis getting a red card as well. I just felt good. I got some pretty good opportunities and I took advantage of them."

"Not having David on the field hurts us for sure," Donovan said. "The guys that played did a great job, we kept them from having a shot on goal. It was a good day for us."

United (6-5-10) has lost two straight and has dropped into fourth in the East. Saturday is close to a must-win with the rest of the table tightening up for the playoff chase. The most recent setback for D.C. was a 2-0 loss at Toronto last Saturday.

"There was a total performance drop-off - and that is what happens when you have five or six players not playing up to their capabilities," D.C. coach Tom Soehn said. "It's no time to hang our heads given the tightness of the playoff race - we are going to need to adjust quickly."

United is 5-0-4 a home, however, and should give L.A. its best effort on Saturday.

D.C. will be without midfielder Brandon Barklage, and forwards Thabiso Khumalo and Ange N'Silu, while forward Chris Pontius is doubtful, all with injuries.

The Galaxy will be without defenders Sean Franklin and Julian Valentin, while forwards Edson Buddle and Alecko Eskandarian are questionable, and midfielder Dema Kovalenko is probable, all with injuries of their own.