No time to play it safe for Seattle Sounders, LA Galaxy come Sunday
It all comes down to this for the Seattle Sounders and LA Galaxy. With a slim 1-0 victory by the Galaxy in the first leg of the Western Conference final last weekend, it's all left to play for between them and the Supporters' Shield-winning Sounders at CenturyLink Field (live, Sunday, 9 p.m. ET).
No playing it safe, no leaving it in the hands of the officials, no second chances. Both teams know that despite having the best (Sounders) and second-best (Galaxy) point totals in the regular season, they must produce now in order to host MLS Cup.
The first leg was a salty affair with hard tackles from both sides and four yellow cards shown total. Both readily admit the total could (and should) have been more -- even questioning the integrity of the officiating by Kevin Stott, particularly in the case of Seattle defender Zach Scott who continued earning fouls despite being cautioned in the first half.
"I was surprised after Scott got the yellow card, that he had, like, five more fouls. I mean, it's an absolute joke," Galaxy defender Robbie Rogers said after the first leg in Los Angeles. "[They let him stay] because they didn't want guys to get a red."
Sounders coach Sigi Schmid agreed.
"In most games, I think that referee would have pulled that [second] yellow, so I'm not going to pretend I didn't see that. Yeah, we were fortunate that Zach stayed on the field."
As if battling for a spot in the MLS Cup final wasn't enough to spark the aggressions of these two rivals, the calls from their previous matchup will certainly create a heated atmosphere when they take to the field.
"The officials made it clear that no one's getting sent off," Galaxy player Landon Donovan said in regards to the officiating in the first leg. "So we have to make sure we're aware of that next weekend, and we'll play with that in mind, and I'm sure they will, too. It's going to be even more physical next week, and that's OK. We can handle that."
Teammate Omar Gonzalez put it more bluntly:
"Next week, that second yellow card doesn't matter. I'm able to be more aggressive and I'm able to get up on guys a lot tighter so it'll be fun," Gonzalez said. "It's going to be more aggressive and there might be worse fouls because of the field and how fast it move. Overall, players have to be smart and no one wants to get sent off."
While players may look to settle scores for past transgressions -- that's only part of the story. There's also the little matter of the actual score.
While most teams would be happy returning home to a 1-0 deficit, the Sounders are in a bit of a bind for several reasons. The first is of their own making -- through three games this postseason, they've only been able to muster one goal -- a road tally against FC Dallas in the Western Conference semifinals. It piles the pressure on them to rectify matters, particularly the Galaxy capable of snatching an away goal.
"I didn't see their team play a game this year when they had to push and score a goal," said Marcelo Sarvas, who scored the game winner for the Galaxy in the first leg. "They play very conservative. They keep two guys higher all the time and everyone behind the box so we'll see what the situation is going to be there."
Additionally, they have to find a way to get past Jaime Penedo -- who has led the Galaxy to three straight shutouts this postseason thanks to his 10 saves in those games.
"Jaime's been terrific," Donovan said. "He's come out and made really good saves. He's been really solid and when we need him to make a big save he has. That's what you need if you're going to win a championship."
It's not all bad news for the Sounders if you take history into account. Before this playoff series, the two teams met in the season finale at CenturyLink Field with the league's best record on the line -- a contest Seattle won 2-0. A similar result will send them to MLS Cup for the first time at CenturyLink Field next Sunday. But if they fail to score, or they let the Galaxy score on the road, it could spell disaster for Seattle.
''It just creates an environment around our club where we're focused on winning championships, and we're a couple of games away from doing that,'' LA Galaxy manager Bruce Arena said during a conference call earlier this week. ''We're on the same page. We believe that that's a charge of our club: To win championships, and our focus each and every year is on the MLS Cup.''
Both teams know the facts. It is now time for both of them to stand and deliver.
