One more step, and there’s a chance to win MLS Cup at home.
“You have two teams with championship pedigree. The biggest moment these two teams could play each other is this. It’s in a Western Conference Final, and anytime you have that formula, it can reignite a rivalry,” Galaxy head coach Greg Vanney said Tuesday.
“This will be a hard-fought battle for both teams.”
Contrasting styles
Saturday will be the first time both sides have met in the Western Conference Final since 2014, the last year the five-time champion Galaxy captured the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy.
This edition, though, couldn’t come at a better time for two sides that approach the game in very different ways.
Seattle were the best defensive team in MLS through the regular season, conceding a league-low 35 goals. Meanwhile, the Galaxy’s high-octane offense has scored a record 15 goals in three Audi MLS Cup Playoff matches – just two tallies short of the all-time postseason mark set by Toronto FC in 2016.
To get to this point, the Sounders edged out the Houston Dynamo via two penalty kick shootouts in their Round One Best-of-3 series before beating perennial bogeymen LAFC, 2-1, in the conference semifinals.
The Galaxy have enjoyed an attacking explosion against the Colorado Rapids and Minnesota United, entering Saturday’s clash off a dominant 6-2 win over the Loons.
“Whenever you talk about Seattle and playoffs in these times of the year, you have to talk about the culture that they have at the club, the grittiness, the resilience, the maturity. They’ve played in a lot of big games and won a lot of big games,” Vanney added, having ample experience against the Sounders from his days with Toronto, including an MLS Cup triumph in 2017.
“The culture is set with these guys. They work, and they grind, and they make things difficult.”
Returning to the top
For the Galaxy, one of the league’s most watchable teams, it’s a chance to return to the MLS pinnacle.
Their potent attack, led by Riqui Puig, Gabriel Pec, Joseph Paintstil, and Dejan Joveljić, has powered them through the playoffs….
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