CARSON, Calif. – The LA Galaxy take their last shot at the Supporters' Shield knowing that they must do a better job defending Obafemi Martins and Clint Dempsey than they did in last weekend's 2-2 home draw with the Seattle Sounders, and that they'll have to do so without their backline leader.
But they're not particularly troubled by that fact.
Omar Gonzalez will miss Saturday's regular-season finale in Seattle (2:30 pm ET; NBC, live stream at NBCSports.com) after picking up a late red card in the first of back-to-back showdowns between the Western Conference powers, who are even on points with 61 but separated by victories, the tiebreaker, which favors the Sounders.
That means the Galaxy (17-6-10) are in must-win territory, and quieting Seattle's star forwards, as they did in a 3-0 romp at CenturyLink Field in late July, is likely required to grab all three points.
Not having Gonzalez doesn't help, but LA is 5-2-4 this season without the 6-foot-5 Texan, who missed 2½ months thanks mostly to his World Cup duties. And they're confident Leonardo or Tommy Meyer can step in next to A.J. DeLaGarza and get the job done.
“We've played without Omar before,” right back Dan Gargan said. “He's a big piece of our team, but we've gotten results with other guys in the backline, and we're comfortable with whoever steps in there.”
Leonardo seems likeliest. The big Brazilian has made a career-high 12 starts for LA this season and has featured in the last four matches, with successive starts against Toronto and at Dallas while DeLaGarza was filling for an injured Gargan. Meyer, who has started a career-best 10 games, last played in a mid-September draw at San Jose.
The Galaxy are intent on denying Dempsey and Martins the kind of space they exploited in Sunday's draw, carving up LA to create myriad chances and score goals three minutes apart as the Sounders (19-10-4) rallied from a two-goal deficit.
“We need to get closer to the forwards, not make it so easy for them to turn,” Gonzalez said. “Dempsey and Martins like to get deep off the [restraining] line, 10 or 15 yards, and for center backs, that's always a dangerous spot, and they know that.”
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Said Landon Donovan: “We gave them a little too much respect. They're unlike, really, any other forwards in the league in the way they play. They get the ball and just play off each other. It's almost like they're a train coming through, and they don't care who's on the tracks.”
Gonzalez was sent off with his second yellow card of the night for a sliding challenge on Gonzalo Pineda.
“Obviously, I had a few days to think about it, look at the play again, and from my standpoint, I don't think it was a yellow,” Gonzalez said. “I went to ground because I thought I was going to win the ball. I did get to the ball first, and he just happened to continue running and trip over me.”
There is one big plus to Gonzalez's suspension. His wife, Erica, is due to deliver their first child, a daughter, at any moment.
“I think the referee's decision to give me the second yellow can only be justified if my wife goes into labor right around game time,” Gonzalez said. “It's bittersweet to not be playing in the game, but on the other side, I get to be with my wife, and, hopefully, I'll be holding my baby girl.”
