It's too bad that the Los Angeles Galaxy didn't have the foot speed to deal with the Seattle Sounders and FC Dallas had no chance against Major League Soccer's best team, Real Salt Lake. Oh, wait, both of them won? Yeah, despite Seattle and Salt Lake being the picks by most people to win their first round series and play each other in the Western Conference Final it was Los Angeles and Dallas who came through and now are one win away from a spot in MLS Cup.
Major Leagues Soccer Playoffs, Conference Finals, Preview: FC Dallas & Galaxy Square Off For Spot In MLS Cup
Los Angeles was struggling down the stretch after a red hot start to the season, but despite going up against Seattle, who was on fire down the stretch, the Galaxy were far superior to the Sounders. AJ DeLaGarza stepped in to play central defense next to the towering Omar Gonzalez and put the shackles on a dangerous Seattle attack. The two played off of each other impeccably and when the Galaxy gave away a chance, Donovan Ricketts was thee for the big save. Both David Beckham and Landon Donovan looked spry and tracked back to help defend more than usual, but both managed to make an attack impact, Beckham with dangerous balls from deep that stretched the Seattle defense and Donovan with penetrating runs and simple balls in the final third that caused some confusion for the Sounders.All of that was on top of Edson Buddle wonder goal in the first leg, Beckham with pinpoint dead balls well finished in the second leg and Eddie Lewis arising from the dead to play a fantastic left back en route to a 3-1 aggregate series win.
On the flip side, Dallas rode through some lows early in their series with Salt Lake, but some fortune and help late in the first leg allowed them to take control of their series. Despite a 20-match unbeaten streak during the regular season, few gave Dallas a chance to topple mighty Salt Lake, but David Ferreira continued his wonderful play to set the tempo in the midfield, Kevin Hartman showed why he should have won Goalkeeper of the Year, Jeff Cunningham popped up when needed and some unexpected goals from Dax McCarty and Eric Avila is all it took to put Dallas through after a 2-1 first leg win at home and 1-1 draw in Salt Lake City. With a maestro in the middle like Ferreira, some experienced guys at the back like Heath Pearce and Ugo Ihemelu and one of MLS' most opportunistic finishers ever in Cunningham, Dallas has all the ingredients to go to Los Angeles and come away winners, especially when Hartman is behind them all to come up huge each and every time he is asked to.
Probable Lineups
Los Angeles Galaxy (4-4-2): Donovan Ricketts - Sean Franklin, Omar Gonzalez, AJ DeLaGarza, Eddie Lewis - David Beckham, Juninho, Dema Kovalenko, Landon Donovan - Mike Magee, Edson Buddle
FC Dallas (4-1-3-1-1): Kevin Hartman - Jackson Goncalves, Ugo Ihemelu, George John, Jair Benitez - Daniel Hernandez - Atiba Harris, Dax McCarty, Brek Shea - David Ferreira - Jeff Cunningham
Key Matchups
- AJ DeLaGarza and Omar Gonzalez vs. Jeff Cunningham- After a fantastic conference semifinal, DeLaGarza and Gonzalez will be charged with figuring out a way to stop one of MLS' most prolific strikers. Cunningham seems to pop out of nowhere, in the right place at the right time, and come through with the necessary finish. The Galaxy's two centerbacks could get caught up tracking David Ferreira and lose track of Cunningham, something Dallas will make them pay for.
- David Beckham vs. Brek Shea - The elder Englishman with famous name and face will be right there by the young American with the crazy hairstyles and which one will force the other to defend more? Both are integral in their team's attack and last week Beckham spent a lot of time defending. He could do it again and still influence the attack, but if Shea becomes fixated on helping defend Beckham, it could be a big blow to the FC Dallas attack.
- Juninho vs. Dax McCarty - As is always the case with the Galaxy, Juninho is central to any success that they have. He has some bite in the midfield and while he did push push forward much or wow against Seattle, the Brazilian was able to move the ball in the center of the pitch, which LA needs because without him doing so the center of the pitch becomes a hole for them. Dax McCarty popped up with a goal last week and was in all the right places to break up the Salt Lake midfield's attempts at possession. If he can put the shackles on Juninho, Dallas is in a good place.
History you should know
FC Dallas’ triumph over Real Salt Lake last weekend marked the first time since 1999 that the franchise had won a playoff series, a year in which they were knocked out in Western Conference Finals by the Galaxy.
Head to Head
Los Angeles got the best of Dallas in the regular season, winning both of the match-ups between the two. A Mike Magee goal in Dallas was all it took for LA to win the first match, 1-0, and the two teams met again in the regular season finale when David Beckham and Juninho countered an early Atiba Harris goal to secure the Supporters’ Shield.
Los Angeles will advance if: Both Landon Donovan and David Beckham are free to push forward some and pressure the Dallas back line instead of tracking back and helping defensively too much.
FC Dallas will advance if: David Ferreira is able to get himself free from the hacking Dema Kovalenko and grab the back line’s attention, freeing up Jeff Cunningham.
Pick: A goal from Edson Buddle puts Los Angeles ahead on a David Beckham set piece and despite an equalizer from David Ferreira, Juninho sneaks in to score the winner.
Match card with projected lineups, formations, broadcast info and statistics: Galaxy vs. FC Dallas Preview
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