- by Tyler Walter, writing from Richmond, VA
Despite all the external competition, the Galaxy maintained the rhythm going through the MLS Cup Playoffs, where casual fans claim that teams actually decide to compete. Silencing all doubters, the team won at New York, rallied in LA to win the series, and routed Real Salt Lake to return to the final.
Their opponent, the Houston Dynamo, is taking the role of the underdog status, as well as by some playoff criticizers as the “fluke team”, which is a rather unusual posistion for the club. The Dynamo, though only five years old, have reached their third MLS Cup championship, and their first since 2007, back when the Revolution were relevant and D.C. United were the posistion the Galaxy now occupy. The Dynamo also has a perfect 2–0 record in the championship.
While there is a far lesser degree of out-lash for the Dynamo making the final, it is likely because of Houston’s rich MLS Cup history. That makes sense, but the criticism is very justified. After all, Houston had a far easier route to the final, and their win against Kansas City was likely flirting with the word fluke, but the point being is they won their matches and did enough to make the final. The fact they scrapped the bare minimum is likely the cause for people accusing them of being a fluke team.
Still, the match will likely be a gritty, sludgy, low-scoring affair; but every aspect of the match falls into LA’s favor. Especially with the absence of Houston’s Brad Davis. The Galaxy have extreme depth in every posistion on the field, while Houston, does not have quite the same depth, but their ability to counterattack might pose a real threat to even LA’s backline, which allowed the fewest goals in history.
