Desert Diamond Cup: LA Galaxy Fall to New York 2-1 but Advance to Final

The Los Angeles Galaxy will be playing in the 2012 Desert Diamond Cup final against the New England Revolution, but it is apparent that the MLS Eastern Conference is not the lesser of the two conferences many American soccer fans will conclude it to be.

Goals from Kenny Cooper and Thierry Henry paced the Red Bulls to a redeeming 2-1 victory over the Galaxy in Tucson, but a consolation goal from Marcelo Sarvas was enough for LA to get another shot at defeating the New England Revolution in what has been an Eastern-dominated preseason tourney.

My opinion of this match is this: They are saving energy for the final. It is very clear that for the people who watched this on MLSSoccer.com, the Galaxy players were only doing enough to advance to the final.

I didn't see any sense of urgency from the team, but I did see some questionable play from Hector Jimenez. This player, who may only see time with the reserves, has not shined at all this tournament, and it has shown.

It's simple: Let Thierry Henry get his chance to score because his team will not be playing for silverware because we have Sarvas, and they don't. And Thierry is Thierry, and fans came to see this former Arsenal/Barcelona bookend anyway.

Adam Cristman's play on the ball also was poor. Looking at the bigger picture, the loss of Buddle and Donovan due to national team obligations and illness affected the team's performance. But for every dark spot, there is a bright, and that bright spot is Jack McBean.

The more time McBean gets, the better he plays, and McBean was involved in the Sarvas goal late in the second half. Let me tell you, the kid has talent and you will likely see this home-grown player shine in the U.S. Open Cup and any international club friendlies later this year.

Meanwhile, Sean Franklin's play on Wednesday was typical of the one-time Rookie of the Year, doing the little things right, justifying his place in the starting XI week in, week out. Juninho's rust is still showing but it is going to come off because it has to.

With a trophy to play for, expect the Galaxy to treat this match as if it was an MLS Cup final, or a aggregate knockout match in the CONCACAF Champions League, i.e. the upcoming home-and-home with Toronto FC.

Bigger and better trophies are up ahead, but a victory over the New England Revolution in the final will have significant momentum heading into March.