CARSON, Calif. – Sean Franklin was happy to have Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Steve Nash and Pau Gasol in the building as the LA Galaxy won their second straight MLS Cup title on Saturday – and fourth in club history – but he had a message for the four Los Angeles Lakers stars.
“I know I’ll get a lot of stuff for this, but I think [the Galaxy] might be the best team in LA,” the Southern California native and Cal State Northridge alum said after the 3-1 victory on Saturday.
Los Angeles has seen some pretty exciting seasons by its local professional sports teams lately, but despite the Lakers’ back-to-back NBA championships in 2009 and 2010, and this past spring’s Stanley Cup title for the NHL’s Kings, Franklin thinks it’s pretty hard to overlook the run of dominance the Galaxy have enjoyed.
And perhaps, Franklin says, the Galaxy are entering the upper echelon of the crowded LA sports scene.
“I think it goes us, then the Lakers, the Clippers, the Kings are up there, too, with a championship,” the defender said. “I think we’re making a case for ourselves.”
That’s not to take anything away from the glitzy Lakers, Franklin was quick to add, whose high-profile offseason acquisitions have them as frontrunners to win a 17th NBA title this season. It was an honor, he said, to have their power quartet in attendance at the Home Depot Center on Saturday.
“We appreciate their support,” he said. “It’s great to see the [sports] community of LA come and support us.”
