CARSON, Calif. – The LA Galaxy's success in the home leg of their Western Conference semifinal series with Real Salt Lake could depend on how things go in their defensive third.
After they were whistled for 24 fouls in last weekend's opener of the MLS Cup Playoffs, presented by AT&T, a scoreless draw, Omar Gonzalez warns that the Galaxy need to be intelligent while losing none of their aggressiveness when going into challenges in Sunday's decisive meeting at StubHub Center (7:30 pm ET; ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN, TSN2, RDS2).
Real Salt Lake are deadly on set pieces – it's how they knocked LA out of the playoffs at this stage last year – and the Galaxy can't give Javier Morales repeated opportunities within reach of their box.
“I think we got too many fouls called against us [in the first leg],” Gonzalez said after LA's training session Tuesday morning at StubHub. “They had a lot of chances on set pieces, and we know they're a great team off of set pieces. … We know how dangerous they are, so we can't allow fouls in our final third. We've just got to be smart.”
RSL had more than a half-dozen such opportunities in Utah, the best proving a wind-blown Morales shot toward the upper-right corner that Galaxy goalkeeper Jaime Penedo twisted to knock away.
Gonzalez says he, individually, needs to play more intelligently after picking up his third yellow card in his last two games. He’d received just three in his first 21 league appearances this year, and another yellow means he'll be suspended for one game.
That impacts how the 6-foot-4 center back deals with all of RSL's attackers – especially Joao Plata, who stands just 5-foot-2.
“Plata is a special player,” Gonzalez said. “He's small, he's always in my blind side, and he's quick. You just have to be aware of where he's at and don't let him start sprinting freely. Give him a little bump, but not too much, because the slightest touch can flip him over.
“And [in the first leg], the referee [Silviu Petrescu] told me, you know, 'You're just so much bigger. What do you want me to do?'”
Gonzalez was sent off with two yellow cards in an Oct. 19 draw with the Seattle Sounders and was suspended for the season finale in Seattle, a 2-0 loss that ended LA's Supporters' Shield hopes. Petrescu cautioned him Saturday for a 53rd-minute foul against Alvaro Saborio, a judgment some thought harsh.
“I've just been caught in these positions where the referee can go either way, and it's going against me,” Gonzalez said. “Hopefully, my luck will change soon, and it needs to change pretty soon, because I don't want to miss another game. I want to be out there for the important moments for this team, and I have to be smarter.”
Scott French covers the LA Galaxy for MLSsoccer.com.
