CARSON, Calif. – The LA Galaxy are certainly wary of what the New England Revolution's dynamic attack can do, but don’t expect them to switch things up and suddenly go on the defensive now that a trophy sits just 90 minutes away.
It's going to be business as usual for the Galaxy in Sunday afternoon's MLS Cup final at StubHub Center (3 pm ET on ESPN, UniMas, UDN, TSN1, RDS2), with a potent possession game and the ability to use all 75 yards of width on a field on which they've not lost in 21 games over nine months – and of course a solid defense.
The Revolution are the hotter team, and in recent weeks the sharper side, but LA have enormous experience in high-pressure situations. They're in their fourth final in six years and are seeking their third title in four years, all on their home field.
“The last seven games we've played, they're against the best teams in the league,” defender Dan Gargan said of the Galaxy's final three regular-season clashes against FC Dallas and Seattle twice and playoff series against Real Salt Lake and Seattle again. “We've put together great performances and won. We've put together poor performances and won. We've put together great performances and gotten the results we need.
“[The Revolution] have a great team, and it's going to be another great test. There's no surprise that in the MLS Cup final, you're playing one of the other best teams in the league. That's the way it's supposed to be.”
The Galaxy's chances undoubtedly improve if they can neutralize attacking midfielder Lee Nguyen, who has scored 20 goals this year, including a pair in the postseason, and in-form striker Charlie Davies, who has hit the net four times in the playoffs. Midfield general Jermaine Jones offers a tremendous challenge, especially with the freedom he has to go where he pleases.
“It seems like Charlie Davies is back; he's back to his glory,” LA defender Omar Gonzalez said. “He's fast, he can beat you down the line, he can get in behind you, and he can get on the end of a cross, so he's a guy you have to be aware of. And when you have guys like Lee Nguyen, Jermaine Jones, [Chris] Tierney, [Teal] Bunbury serving balls in, I mean, it's going to be dangerous.
“We just have to keep them in front of us, make the play predictable, and take it from there.”
Midfielder Stefan Ishizaki says LA need to force Nguyen and Jones to defend.
“And like we normally do here at the StubHub, we've got to keep possession and make it tough and difficult for other teams to play,” he said. “Be aggressive when we're defending and not give them time on the ball because if they have time on the ball, they're really good.”
Jones' movement, Ishizaki said, makes him particularly dangerous.
“But if he takes his liberties and wanders, he's going to be out of position,” Ishizaki said. “And if we can take advantage of that, I think we can win a lot.”
The Galaxy are 17-1-4 at StubHub this year, including two “road” wins over Chivas USA and a CONCACAF Champions League triumph over Club Tijuana, and they're 31-3-8 in Carson since dropping the first leg of their 2012 Western Conference Semifinal series. They've scored at least three goals in eight of their last 12 games in the stadium behind an attack starring MLS MVP Robbie Keane, Landon Donovan, Gyasi Zardes, Marcelo Sarvas and Ishizaki.
“We are not concerned about their players,” Sarvas said. “We have to play our game. ... I think we don't have to think about [what they do], it's more about us, what we're going to do, how we're going to keep the ball, pass the ball around, keep possession. That's more about us than about them.”
