LA Galaxy vs Seattle Sounders
(Sunday, 5pm EST; ESPN/ESPN Deportes)
It’s the Western Conference final of Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber’s dreams.
After a home-and-away league series between arguably the best two teams in the best conference decided the Supporters Shield in October, LA and Seattle meet again on Sunday in the first leg of their MLS Cup semifinal. It’s a pairing worthy of the final itself.
The major question will be how Galaxy coach Bruce Arena plans to avoid a repeat of the debacle which saw LA draw 2-2 at home and lose 2-0 in Seattle in their final two matches, thus conceding the Shield. Those games, however, and particularly the second leg, should be put in context.
LA were without the injured Robbie Keane and suspended Omar Gonzalez for the match at CenturyLink field. Even so, the Galaxy were arguably the better side in a very physical bout, Arena’s team creating a host of chances and Seattle failing to register a shot until the final 15 minutes.
Keane could pose a major headache for the Sounders this time, particularly if he can match his performance against Real Salt Lake two weeks ago. Then, the Irishman released Landon Donovan time and time again with deadly through-balls in a 5-0 rout. Even worse for Seattle, Sigi Schmid may have to replace his midfield fulcrum, Osvaldo Alonso, a player who skipped practice in the build-up to this weekend following his 56th-minute injury against Dallas. Schmid may be tempted to start the more defensive-minded Micheal Azira in his place, to help cut off the threat from Keane. Not that LA seem particularly eager to bomb forward and suffer their October fate.
In other words, winning this finely balanced series could come down to which team makes the first lucky breakthrough. Will it be the Clint Dempsey/Obafemi Martins goal machine? Or Landon and friends, including Gyasi Zardes, due for a goal or two? Though LA arguably have more depth, particularly given Stefan Ishizaki’s cooly impressive form out wide in place of Baggio Husidic, a lot will depend on chance and which defense makes the first mistake. Particularly with the away goal rule in effect, the hopes and dreams of either team may dissolve in the instance of a single slip, an errant back pass from Gonzalo Pineda to Chad Marshall, or poor set-piece marking from Omar Gonzalez.
Gear up for heartbreak.
New York Red Bulls vs New England Revolution
(Sunday, 1.30pm EST, NBC)
Though it may lack the box office draw of its Western counterpart, New York against New England is arguably the more fascinating of the two fixtures – a game for the MLS connoisseur, if such a beast exists.
For one, the two teams last met in MLS on 2 August, producing a 2-1 victory for the Bulls. In that time both have transformed themselves. Lee Nguyen has scored 12 goals since then, fueling New England’s incredible rise in a decidedly mediocre East, while New York have switched to a comfortable and effective 4-2-3-1, a formation that is playing to Thierry Henry’s strengths on the wing and helping other players to help out the goal-scoring juggernaut that is Bradley Wright-Phillips.
Prior to the late summer and fall, both teams spent much of the season as MLS Cup longshots. Now they are hoping to ride good form to a first MLS Cup. The Eastern Conference final is truly a fresh encounter, and it poses a host of unanswered questions.
Like, how will Red Bulls coach Mike Petke deal with the two-game absence of left-back Roy Miller, following a yellow card accumulation and a red card in the decisive game against DC? Will Miller’s likely replacement, Ambroise Oyongo, be up to the task of stopping the likes of Teal Bunbury or Charlie Davies? How will Peguy Luyindula, who has been brilliant in the hole for New York, find space in behind the very effective Jermaine Jones in the Revs’ defensive midfield? Will the New York midfield partnership of Dax McCarty and Eric Alexander find themselves overrun by New England’s Kelyn Rowe and Nguyen?
Can the aging Jamison Olave cope with New England’s rapid counter attack in central defence? Will New York panic and start sending long clearances for most of the game? Does Henry have another singular moment of trademark brilliance in him, in what is certain to be his final home game as a Red Bull? Maybe his final home game ever?
Is this New England team for real? Or will New York somehow emerge as MLS Cup final underdogs?
Sunday afternoon will go a long way in providing some answers, and hopefully some entertainment for the neutral.
