Los Angeles vs. Seattle: Winners and Losers from MLS Game
Marcelo Sarvas scored the only goal at StubHub Center as the Los Angeles Galaxy prevailed 1-0 over the Seattle Sounders in Sunday's Western Conference semi-final first leg.
The Major League Soccer rivals contested a tight, physical first half in Carson, California, but just seven minutes after the restart, Sarvas' drive from 17 yards took a deflection before beating Seattle goalkeeper Stefan Frei.
Overall, there were a handful of standout performances at the home of the four-time champions, as well as a few underwhelming displays. We'll look at examples from both categories in the following slideshow.
Here are the individual winners and losers from this contest.
Winner: Jaime Penedo, Who Kept Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins from Scoring
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Los Angeles Galaxy goalkeeper Jaime Penedo was first called into action in the 12th minute on Sunday, when he had to be sharp to save a shot that took a deflection off teammate Juninho.
But his biggest contribution came eight minutes later.
Following a Seattle corner, Penedo stopped both Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins from point-blank range to preserve a level scoreline.
He would rob Dempsey a second time four minutes after the restart.
Loser: Obafemi Martins, Who Struggled in Front of Goal for Seattle
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Obafemi Martins led Seattle Sounders with 17 goals during the 2014 season and was a primary reason for the club's top-of-the-table finish.
He struggled to impose himself on Sunday, however, and ended up taking just three shots over the course of the 90 minutes—finding the target only once.
In the 78th minute, the Nigerian marksman found himself in rare, shooting space in the Galaxy goalmouth but inexplicably opted to attempt a pass intended for Clint Dempsey that was easily intercepted by Tommy Meyer.
Winner: Robbie Rogers, Who Dominated the Left-Hand Side
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If DeAndre Yedlin had been expected to dominate his duel with Robbie Rogers, then the outcome of Sunday's flank battle will have come as a surprise.
Rogers was one of Galaxy's more useful attackers on Sunday, and over the course of the 90 minutes he repeatedly carried the ball down the left-hand side before either delivering crosses into the Seattle box or playing reverse passes to his teammates.
As Bleacher Report's Joe Tansey remarked via his Twitter account, the 27-year-old "destroyed" Yedlin at StubHub Center.
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Winner: Chad Marshall, Who Helped Limit the Damage
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If not for Chad Marshall, Los Angeles Galaxy would surely have won by two or more goals on Sunday.
The Seattle Sounders defender was at the top of his game in the first leg of the 2014 Western Conference final, whether blocking shots in front of goalkeeper Stefan Frei, making well-timed challenges or winning defensive headers.
In the 28th minute he did well to muscle Robbie Rogers off the ball and force a corner kick, and just before the half-time whistle he cleared a Galaxy corner after Frei had made a vital save on Rogers.
With seven minute remaining, the 30-year-old outmuscled Omar Gonzalez at the far post as a Landon Donovan delivery came floating in.
Loser: Kevin Stott, Whose Refereeing Performance Was Inconsistent
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Referee Kevin Stott presented four yellow cards (two to each team) inside the first 37 minutes and none thereafter.
Not that there weren't occasions where he might have written up additional bookings.
Seattle defender Zach Scott, in particular, got away with repeated fouling in the second half but was never cautioned.
As Los Angeles Times writer Kevin Baxter posted on Twitter, Scott began by calling an "unusually tight" game.
The thing is, he let everything go after the restart.
Winner: Marcelo Sarvas, Who Scored the Only Goal
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It was a good night and a bad night for Marcelo Sarvas.
In the 52nd minute, the Galaxy midfielder scored the only goal of the match when his shot from just inside the 18-yard box took a slight deflection before beating Seattle goalkeeper Stefan Frei.
But with 21 minutes remaining, the 33-year-old had to be replaced after picking up a leg injury, and he hobbled to the touchline in considerable discomfort.
Los Angeles Galaxy insider Adam Serrano took to Twitter to point out what a "big loss" Sarvas would represent to his team.
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