Seattle vs. LA Galaxy: Winners and Losers from MLS Game
The LA Galaxy advanced to their ninth MLS Cup Final in franchise history by way of a crucial away goal scored in the 54th minute by Juninho.
Bruce Arena's side lost the second leg of the Western Conference Final to Seattle 2-1, but they went through on a 2-2 aggregate thanks to the away goal.
The Galaxy will now face New England in a rematch of the the 2002 and 2005 finals, both of which were won by LA.
Here's a look at the winners and losers from the second leg of the Western Conference Final.
Winner: Juninho
1 of 6
All the LA Galaxy needed was one away goal to take away all the positive momentum Seattle gained from scoring twice in the first half.
Juninho was the player who put that crucial away goal into the back of the net in the 54th minute, as his shot clanged off the left post to beat Stefan Frei.
The goal was the first of the season for the midfielder, who hadn't scored since September 21, 2013, per ESPN's Paul Carr.
The Brazilian was lifted from the match late in the second half with an injury, but after the match he told reporters he was just cramping.
Loser: Osvaldo Alonso
2 of 6
For stretches of the match, Osvaldo Alonso did not seem like himself in the middle of the park for the Sounders.
Alonso, who sat out the first leg due to an injury, played 73 minutes before Sounders boss Sigi Schmid brought on Michael Azira to replace him.
The midfield bulldog did put up his normal statistics with a team-high 84 touches and a 92.2 pass accuracy percentage. But the normal tenacity he brings to every match was missing, especially after the Sounders conceded.
Alonso deserved to start the match due to his past performances, but there were plenty of signs throughout the match that the injury did weigh down his game-changing abilities.
Winners: LA's Back Four
3 of 6
The Galaxy back four were handed a shock in the 26th minute when Brad Evans pounced for the opening goal. Six minutes later, Clint Dempsey struck for the second goal to put LA in a 2-0 hole.
After conceding two goals in quick succession, the Galaxy back four could have shut down and handed Seattle a berth in the MLS Cup Final.
However, the defensive line led by Omar Gonzalez and Robbie Rogers responded in tremendous fashion in the second half.
Gonzalez, Rogers, Leonardo and Dan Gargan were able to contain Dempsey and Obafemi Martins for most of the second half, which led to Jaime Penedo barely being tested in between the pipes.
The strong second-half showing by the Galaxy back four will hand them a ton of confidence heading into Sunday's final against an explosive New England attack.
Loser: Obafemi Martins
4 of 6
While his strike partner Clint Dempsey was busy causing problems in the attacking third, Obafemi Martins was nowhere to be seen.
The Nigerian's influence on the game was limited to one shot, which failed to go on target. His normal fluency in the final third with Dempsey was also disrupted for most of the match by the Galaxy defense.
After scoring on 17 occasions for the Sounders in the regular season, Martins failed to net a single goal in four playoff games against FC Dallas and LA.
The powerful forward also took 36 shots on target in 31 games during the regular season. He only had three shots on goal in the four most meaningful matches of the postseason.
By looking at those statistics, it's safe to conclude Martins had a disappointing postseason at best.
Winner: Stefan Frei
5 of 6
The only reason why we can talk about the disappointing Seattle attack in the second half is the play of Stefan Frei in goal.
Frei recorded five saves in front of the home crowd at CenturyLink Field to give his side a chance of advancing to the MLS Cup Final.
His biggest save of the night came in the 66th minute when he knocked away a wide-open headed attempt from Stefan Ishizaki. The 28-year-old shot-stopper also made a crucial denial on Landon Donovan in the 82nd minute after the LA midfielder broke free on the left wing.
Without Frei standing tall in goal for most of the match, the Sounders would have been embarrassed on their way to playoff elimination.
Winner: The New Away-Goals Rule
6 of 6
Say what you want about the newly instituted away-goals rule, but it worked to perfection in its first year.
The new rule rewarded the Galaxy for their efforts on the road in the second half, as they only needed one strike to advance to the December 7 championship.
Due to the threat of LA scoring an away goal, Seattle had to start attacking from the first minute instead of sitting back. Seattle's attacking strategy eventually paid off with two first-half goals, which forced the Galaxy to make adjustments to begin the second half.
Not only did the away-goals rule force the second leg of the Western Conference Final to produce a ton of excitement, it made other games more exciting as well.
If the rule did not exist, we may not have seen New England attack with a purpose in the first leg against Columbus or an enticing 180 minutes in the Eastern Conference Final between the Revolution and Red Bulls.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
All statistics obtained from MLSSoccer.com and WhoScored.com.
