CARSON, Calif. -- The LA Galaxy always thought Sunday's MLS Cup final was going to be about them, what they do and how well they do it, but they knew that mitigating New England's big guns was going to be crucial if they were going to succeed.
Robbie Keanewas the game's MVP after scoring in overtime to deliver a 2-1 victory, but it would have been apt had the honor been split between Marcelo Sarvas and Juninho.
Stopping Revolution scoring leader Lee Nguyen and midfield general Jermaine Jones was pivotal as LA claimed their third MLS championship in four years, and the Brazilian midfielders' work made the difference.
“The ground they cover and the work they out in is absolutely amazing,” defender Robbie Rogers said in a jubilant Galaxy locker room. “They're definitely two of the best center midfielders in the league.”
The Revs' attack flowed through Jones in the first half, but Nguyen struggled to make an impact most of the afternoon, and when he did get on the ball, LA's backline – especially A.J. DeLaGarza – was up to the task.
The Revs created two great chances before Chris Tierney netted the 79th-minute equalizer, but DeLaGarza tracked a streaking Charlie Davies and slid to block his shot in LA's box in the 23rd minute, and Juninho disarmed Nguyen in the middle of the Galaxy box, with what appeared to be an open shot available to him, in the 51st.
“It was a little bit hard at the beginning, because Jones, he likes to drive the ball,” Sarvas said. “So when he can break lines and face us, Lee was moving behind me and Juni, so we just changed a little bit. I tried to go a little more forward [to pressure Jones] and Juni stayed more and not let Lee in his blind spot.
“Like always, a lot of runs to cover space, to cover players, and I think we did great.”
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Associate head coach Dave Sarachan said there were several “unsung heroes,” led by the midfield tandem.
“Like all year, our shape was great,” he said, “and Juni and Sarvas did a tremendous amount of defensive work.”
Sarvas was exceptional, playing a key role in the Galaxy possession game in addition to his defensive duties. And he delivered a beautiful ball from distance for Keane's 111th-minute winner.
“[Sarvas is] a warrior. He's our Jermaine Jones,” head coach Bruce Arena said. “He’s a battler. He plays through good plays and bad plays. And the ball to Robbie was a great ball, and Robbie, a great finish. I'm not surprised at the finish as much as I was the pass.”
Said defender Dan Gargan: “We're a tough team to play against here, and there were a couple of things that we wanted to do here. One of them was to pressure them and make it difficult for them to get their playmakers on the ball, and we knew if we were to collect the ball and find different places where we could get out playmakers on the ball, that we would find success. There were a couple of opportunities for us to put that game away, and Marcelo to Robbie was the icing on the cake, I guess.”
Sarvas and Juninho seem to have telepathy on the field, and it's been crucial to LA's success all season.
“We talk all the time during the game – in Portuguese, of course, to be sure that nobody's understanding. ” Sarvas said. “We have a good relationship inside the field, outside the field, families always together, so when you have this kind of feeling, it makes everything easy.”
