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SBI MLS Team of the Week: Los Angeles Galaxy

KeaneSeattle (Getty)

By IVES GALARCEP

The Seattle Sounders entered their Western Conference showdown vs. the Los Angeles Galaxy riding a six-match unbeaten streak, and having scored eight goals in two matches.

That hot streak came to a sudden and brutal halt at the hands of the Los Angeles Galaxy, who turned in the most impressive performance of the weekend, dismantling the Sounders in a 4-0 rout that made them the clear-cut choice for SBI MLS Team of the Week.

The Galaxy beat out the Portland Timbers, Montreal Impact and New England for this week’s Team of the Week honors.

What did you think of the Galaxy’s performance? Which MLS team impressed you the most in Week 13?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. WHAT IS UP WITH THE GALAXY!??

    Has anyone else noticed that they absolutely demolish every other team they play but in between flutter? O_o

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  2. Team of the week? What a no brainier. I don’t get the criticism of Donovan I thought he played OK made some good touches etc. pretty typical LD performance.

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  3. LD’s corners where good but in my opinion he played like a role player not as a DP player that he is. Up to now all of his good games have been when he Keane is on the field. I wonder what kind of LD we are now going to get, maybe Zardes game goes up another notch.

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    • could see LD up top with Zardes with Stephens/Rogers left and Villareal/Jimenez right

      no replacing Robbie though

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  4. Zardes was a freak, and not just because he is young. Good hold up play, generally good distribution and then the speed and strength of a safety. He’ll be special if he can keep working hard. He made McBean, Villereal, Jimenez and the rest of LA’s hyped young guns look pretty bad.

    Cochrane was surprisingly good too. Seattle had a lot of talent on his side and he held up well defensively and got forward pretty well too.

    Donovan’s touch is off. Still good distribution and judgment, but he has definitely lost a step and all of his corners were awful.

    Stephens definitely didn’t make up for Magee, but he played alright outside and was good in the middle of the field. I also remember he was fantastic filling in for Donovan during the World Cup. He is definitely an underrated utility guy.

    If you saw the game, nothing else needs to be said about Keane. There’s a reason he captains the team over Donovan, Gonzo, Dunivant, etc.

    As for Seattle, umm… Eddie Johnson can run fast. So there’s that.

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    • with Suazo, Keane’s the best club player on the continent, yes? I show my son his plays, a seasonal classroom on movement and timing and vision.

      another possibility for the Galaxy will be to move Donovan to the left and play Villareal on the right since LD plays both positions like last night

      Jiminez a hyped young gun? McBean we barely know about because he got injured at 18. Villareal earned his own hype with the National team. Zardes looked really good though 🙂

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    • I thought his corners were pretty good, he actually did a LOT better than last year, it was the guys in the box not doing much with them last night

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  5. Sometimes a team plays badly and sometimes they run into a nearly perfect game by the opponents. It is hard to tell whether Seattle were really that bad or if the Galaxy were just that good. Alonso is critical for Seattle as pretty much everyone acknowledges. I have been increasingly impressed by the Juninho/Sarvas midfield combination. They cover an incredible amount of real estate in the middle. If the back line can stay connected to them they are excellent. I think that was the difference in this game. G’s back line played high so Sarvas and Juninho did not find themselves chasing runners into the box (definitely not their strength).

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  6. Zardes’ holdup game a huge difference last night and saved Villareal from getting hacked for the first 30 minutes of the game. Along with the Galaxy midfield from middle to flank (Sarvas was great) Seattle midfield struggled mightily without Alonso, and they were overrun on the flanks big time

    deep team

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    • He was impressive, for sure. He’s shown flashes before, but last night was dominant allowing Keane the freedom to be everywhere.

      How about Cochran at left back?! Nice game again for the young man. Stephen playing in Magees role held his own and was dangerous combining. Sarvas playing the deep lying playmaker was money all night. Omar bossed the back and Delagarza was supreme in his positioning holding EJ and Maartens in check.

      Good all around game and a deserving Team of the Week.

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      • Cochrane a nice threat going forward even though last night his service was less than what we’ve seen before, but he’s making plays out there! Stephens great in his matchup all night, Sarvas the MotM perhaps, but must go with Keane (and Zardes)

    • wow, my post needs editing…excuse me

      meant to say Galaxy midfield owned Seattle’s last night from flank to flank 🙂

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    • Zardes has been on the radar for every MLS coach in the last year. The Galaxy went out of their way to sign him BEFORE the superdraft as he had played for the Galaxy Academy. He’s 21 so he is not eligible for U-20’s. The Galaxy reportedly signed him for $100K because he is THAT GOOD. He is only learning his position and it was only because of the injury to McBean their other young big holdup forward, that he is getting the time he does. The Galaxy team is deep, but the depth depends on a lot of good young players who will have their ups and downs. The Galaxy offense revolves around Keane, as it should, but when he’s gone, the Galaxy need another go-to-guy when he’s away. That should be Donovan and he’ll need to stand-up as Keane will be out several weeks for Irish.

      When you look at all the young talent the Galaxy have, you want to shudder. And they STILL have a DP slot open.. Be afraid, be very afraid!!

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      • hey bottlecaps, agree with you basically. on Zardes. Ives has touted him here and his reports are looking right on target. It’s been fun to finally see him play once he recovered from his early season knock and he’s shown well every time from his very first MLS game (I’d never seen him play before that). The homegrown players can round out a squad if they are good and developed, provide some depth within the reality of the salary cap many teams do not enjoy

        on depth, Stephens’ play was good to see; depth behind Juninho and Sarvas one thinner spot

      • I should have aid “learning his position at the pro level” There is a HUGE difference in learning how to score at the collegiate level and scoring at the pro level.. The difference in defensive players and their skill levels is pretty wide, and knowing how to play at that level is a pretty big learning curve for most players. Zardes fortunallt has all the tools and excellent coaching so he will get thier faster.

  7. Zardes is definitely one to keep an eye on. Is he still available for a US youth team? I think he already is that good.

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  8. Am I the only one who noticed that Gyasi Zardes looks like he just walked out of a lab where some mad scientist spliced the DNA of Drogba, Balotelli, and Abedeyor? WAY too early to go labelling a guy “the next great one” on the strength of one game…but I have personally never seen another American striker before with his combination of size, power, strength, athleticism, and rampaging energy. If that kid keeps his head glued on straight and develops to his obvious potential…well. He’s on a different planet, physically, than even Jozy Altidore or Eddie Johnson, and Seattle had absolutely no answer for the kid all night. Be REAL interesting to see what develops with that one….

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  9. I think the Galaxy did play well, but the Sounders failed to even show up to the match. They missed nearly every second ball and challenge in the midfield. They really never looked dangerous, except for the (what I would label) dangerous play of Joseph with karate chopping Sarvas twice. I could see additional games suspension for him, especially for the second offense in the match. The Sounders were chippy and played the villan role.

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    • I’m a Rabid Rave Green fan and supporter. I’ll get that out of the way up front. My Boys Can Do No Wrong.

      That said… Dear God, that was an awful showing.

      THAT said… The Sounders weren’t ‘chippy’ – they were ‘flailing’. Watching those replays, I see nothing in what Joseph did that was malicious. Irresponsible, flailing, uncontrolled? Absolutely. Poor Sportsmanship? Not at all. Reminds me of Adam Johansson – flailing all over with those arms and legs, like a muppet with his strings cut. Nothing “wicked” in it – just goofy.

      Also, there was a lot of acting involved by the players Shalrie “wronged”. The contact was so incidental, and yet the “result” was overblown, like he’d attempted murder.

      Meanwhile EJ got elbowed in the throat… and there wasn’t even a warning given.

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