Landon Donovan called it "a lot of fun" in the postgame interview on ESPN2. And it looked like a lot of fun for the LA Galaxy and their fans.
For RSL, it looked significantly less so. One week after having the better of play in a scoreless draw, the Claret-and-Cobalt,were handed a footballing lesson on Sunday night at the StubHub Center. The Galaxy thoroughly deserved their 5-0 win, and once again look like the thundering juggernaut they were in August and September.
Here are a few things I took away from the game:
1. Stars come out in LA
A lot was made - here and elsewhere - about how thoroughly RSL had shut down Donovan and Robbie Keane in Utah. They held the Galaxy's dynamic duo without a chance created (save for one by Donovan that was incorrectly ruled offside), something that just doesn't happen. It especially doesn't happen this year, with Donovan in arguably the best form of his life and Gyasi Zardes proving an able and adaptable third wheel.
The Galaxy scored 69 goals in 2014, which led the league and is the second-best total since 2000. Their +32 goal differential was the second-best ever. They've looked, at times, like an unstoppable, finely tuned goal-scoring machine.
And then they one-upped themselves, thanks to the play of their two stars:
2. Make the game big
While Bruce Arena's droll "your best players have to play well" is his stock answer to how to win in November - and it's not incorrect - there's also this: You have to fight the battle on the ground of your choosing. For the Galaxy, that means opening the field up and making it more side-to-side rather than trapping it in channels.
RSL cut the field into thirds in the first leg, and in so doing robbed the Galaxy of much of their fluidity in both possession and attack. They were a step or two slower to get to LA's skill players in this one, and when that happens, the Galaxy's skill players cut you up:
There are two reasons why Juninho had so much time to hit that big switch. The first is that Stefan Ishizaki, a true wide player, started in place of the more utilitarian Baggio Husidic at right midfield. Ishizaki hugged the sideline, which pulled RSL left back Chris Wingert out a bit wider than he wanted to go.
The second reason is that Keane kept dropping deep into the midfield, to the point that it looked at times like LA were playing an old-fashioned 4-5-1. In so doing, they played right through RSL in attack while squeezing them to death off the ball:
Four shots for the visitors. That's tied for RSL's lowest output in any game since 2010, and it meant they were on the back foot defending all night instead of controlling the game.
And when that happens...
3. A Galaxy of classic goals
LA like to line up with two guys on the left, usually the fullback (Robbie Rogers) and either Keane or Donovan. There will then be two guys stacked laterally at the top of the box.
The first is the runner. The second is the wall:
LA have used this series of movements a seemingly infinite number of times this year, including this game's first goal, and fourth and fifth. "Leave it and run in behind" is their mantra, and if you can't deal with that, then... well, then you lose 5-0 in a must-win game.
This was ugly for an RSL team that, over the years, has given as good as they've gotten vs. LA. It was a lesson for Jeff Cassar, who's done a good job of holding this group together and getting them to play some truly great soccer at times, but now needs to show the willingness to adjust a bit here and there, and perhaps shuffle one of the young kids into the lineup for good.
For LA? A beautiful, landmark win that they put together in what has become the classic Galaxy style.
The slump is over.
