If there were any justice in the world, the Los Angeles Galaxy would not be hosting Real Salt Lake in a Western Conference final on Sunday. At the start of the year, these two teams were almost universally considered to be Major League Soccer's best. By the end of the regular season, these were still two of the top three teams by almost any metric. In just about every season, these two teams would have made for a better MLS Cup final than the two teams that actually played.
LA Galaxy Vs. Real Salt Lake, MLS Cup Playoffs 2011: Two Teams Fit For A Championship
The only shame about the Galaxy hosting Real Salt Lake is that these teams should be playing for the MLS Cup, not the Western Conference championship.
Of course, that’s not the case. One of these teams will be playing for another championship to add to their trophy case, while the other will merely have to be satisfied with the berth in CONCACAF Champions League that they are already assured.
A win by the Galaxy would put them through to their record seventh MLS Cup final. A win in regulation would be their 27th of the season across all competitions, and would tie the all-time MLS record which the Seattle Sounders just set on Wednesday. A win in the MLS Cup final would give them a pretty compelling case for the best MLS team in history.
Whether they'll have a full complement of players in that effort is not entirely clear. David Beckham has been nursing a back injury seemingly all year and it acted up again in Thursday's Western Conference semifinal win over the New York Red Bulls. Beckham was ultimately pulled in the 79th minute. The good news is that the Galaxy will at least have Juninho back from his one-game red-card suspension.
They'll be facing a RSL team that is, itself, dealing with some serious injuries. Starting center backs Nat Borchers and Jamison Olave both missed the second leg of their Western Conference semifinal against the Sounders. Of the two, Borchers is believed to be closer to returning, but on such a short turnaround nothing is guaranteed.
If either is unable to go, Chris Schuler will get the start. Who might start alongside him, though, is less clear. On Wednesday, it was Chris Wingert, who is normally a fullback. Further complicating matters is whether or not Tony Beltran will be able to start again. He has been dealing with an adductor strain and his appearance against the Sounders was his first since Sept. 10.
The same concern exists with Javier Morales, who will now be playing his third game since Oct. 29 and his fourth game since Oct. 22. Morales showed his first real signs of fatigue on Wednesday, which marked the first time he had played on short rest since returning from his broken ankle on Sept. 28. After looking like his old self in the first leg against the Sounders, Morales was largely invisible in Leg 2 and was removed in the 89th minute. He has now played 529 minutes since Oct. 1 after missing nearly five months with his injury.
Injury concerns aside for both teams, no one can doubt the quality that has gotten both to this point. RSL, while going through a bit of a roller-coast season, has managed to stay among the league's elite teams throughout the season. With forwards like Fabian Espindola and Alvaro Saborio, they are a constant danger to score. Andy Williams has quietly put together another solid season in the midfield and Kyle Beckerman has worked himself into the national team picture. Even their bruised and battered backline has proven capable under the leadership of goalkeeper Nick Rimando.
The Galaxy will, of course, have the likes of Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane leading their offense. The Galaxy defense is making a bid to become one of the greatest of all-time, having posted 21 shutouts and limiting opponents to .84 goals per game across all competitions.
For all the latest updates and analysis of the MLS Cup playoffs, be sure to visit SB Nation Soccer. For the more localized perspectives, be sure to check out Galaxy blog LAG Confidential and Real Salt Lake blog RSL Soapbox.
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