November 22, 2009 FINAL PREVIEW Galaxy vs. Real Salt Lake face off
By Kathryn L. Knapp
ChicagoSoccerNews.com Editor
SEATTLE - MLS Cup kicks off in less than 24 hours. With two teams that could be seen as underdogs battling for the title, the game could be up for grabs in theory? So who will win? It’s up for grabs. The Los Angeles Galaxy and Real Salt Lake take the pitch at Qwest Field Sunday at 8:30 p.m. ET.
When comparing the two teams, both made an impressive push in the playoffs. Los Angeles beat Chivas USA 3-2 on aggregate goals. The first match ended in a 2-2 draw, while the Galaxy earned a 1-0 win in game two. Los Angeles then went on to top Houston 2-0 in overtime. It was a night where things just didn’t go right for either team. But at the end, Los Angeles came out on top. And now… they team is one win away from the Cup title.
“It’s a good feeling to make it this far,” Galaxy goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts said. “Hopefully we can finish it off good. We all play the game every day. Nothing changes. We have quality experience and what it takes to play in good games. I respect RSL, but I think we can finish this off.”
Former Red Bulls midfielder Dema Kovalenko, who joined Los Angeles from Salt Lake in January, said the Galaxy is ready for the challenge.
“We lost and tied when we played them in the regular season, but that doesn’t matter now,” Kovalenko said. "It’s going to come down to one mistake. We’re ready. It’s going to be a good game.”
Real Salt Lake barely made the playoffs, earning the last seed in the tournament. The West Coast team was seated No. 4 in the East. They were completely the underdogs. And then they embarrassed the Columbus Crew, earning a 1-0 win and coming back from a two-goal deficit to win 3-2 in Columbus. Is if that wasn’t enough, they went into Chicago looking to beat the Fire. They held Chicago scoreless for 120 minutes. And then beat them in penalty kicks 5-4 to win the Eastern Conference title.
Many people say that RSL is the underdog in this game due to all of the Galaxy’s stars. But Kyle Beckerman and former Red Bulls midfielder Clint Mathis said they’re up for the challenge.
“Everyone is saying they have stars,” Beckerman said. “Sure Landon Donovan is a star. David Beckham is a star. They also have players that match up with ours very well. I wish it were 11 players vs. 2. That would be a nice match-up.”
Mathis has been around for the long time. He said the team knew the whole season that they could make it to the final.
“We’ve been the underdog the whole time,” Mathis said. “It’s just about staying focused and knowing the game. I’ve been playing this game a long time. The ball is still round. The goal is still a rectangle. As long as we can play well, we’ll do great.”
