MLS Play-offs: Big guns should avoid slipping up (Final Part)
Los Angeles Galaxy Vs. Seattle Sounders
First Leg: LA Galaxy won 1-0
The absence of David Beckham through injury for most part of the season had no effect whatsoever on LA Galaxy as they set the pace throughout the season as Galaxy topped the Western Conference with 59 points from 59 games. Edson Buddle
scored 17 goals for Galaxy and Landon Donovan flourished as a playmaker as he made a league-best of 16 assists. L.A Galaxy surprisingly lost the final of the MLS Cup to Real Salt Lake City last year on penalties and the wounds from that heartbreaking loss
would still be fresh and LA Galaxy are going to make sure that they don’t slip-up after having come so far.
Since entering the league, Seattle have been excellent and are considered as the best attacking side in MLS. Their key man, Freddy Montero is in great form with 10 goals and 10 assists in the regular season. But Seattle Sounders have a
very leaky defence and the defence is not confident when it faces a tough attacking line up.
In the 1st leg at Qwest Field, Edson Buddle scored in the 1st half to give LA Galaxy a 1-0 lead away from home. It is going to be a mammoth task and the greatest MLS comeback if, Seattle
Sounders are able to grind out a very unlikely victory in the return leg away from home.
Real Salt Lake City Vs. F.C Dallas
First Leg: Dallas beat Salt Lake 2-1
Reigning champions Real Salt Lake City performed excellently throughout the season in the Western Conference as they secured a 2nd spot and proved their critics wrong which suggested that last season success was
a fluke. Alvaro Saborio was in great form as he scored 12 goals in the regular season. Real Salt Lake won the MLS Cup last year on penalties against a good LA Galaxy side and would want to end their season on a high with a performance that is close to their
last years’ achievement.
F.C Dallas were 6 points behind Real Salt Lake City this season and lost only 4 times just like Salt Lake. David Ferreira was the main man for F.C Dallas as he scored 8 times and added 13 assists while leading the attacking line.
In the first leg, apart from the goals, nothing could set apart these two teams but the substitutions from F.C Dallas turned things around as they came back from 1-0 down to win the match 2-1. Real Salt Lake City wasted a lot of opportunities
but have a great chance to level things up and then take the lead as they play in front of a home crowd in Utah to sneak into the last four of the play-offs.
Players with a point to prove
Landon Donovan
Chances are that Landon Donovan will secure a loan move after the MLS season finishes to English Premier League with Everton the reported suitors. America’s all time leading goal scorer has achieved everything in MLS and he would love
to win the MLS Cup for LA Galaxy one last time before he takes a flight to England.
Juan Pablo Angel
A few weeks ago, Juan Pablo Angel announced that he will not be in New York next year for sure and wants a change in scenery. But his actions on the pitch are showing signs that wherever the Columbian ends up, he wants to go out as a winner.
With such a mentality, Juan Pablo Angel might just be the messiah of New York Red Bulls’ battle to gain supremacy in the MLS.
David Beckham
The ex Real Madrid star spent much of the season on the sidelines due to injury but is back in the line up after recovering and the England International would want to be the driving force behind LA Galaxy’s pursuit for silverware.
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