Destiny Awaits Los Angeles Galaxy, Seattle Sounders On Sunday

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Jul 28, 2014; Seattle, WA, USA; Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder Landon Donovan (10) autographs a jersey for a fan following a 3-0 victory against the Seattle Sounders FC at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

There is no question that the destiny of the 2014 MLS Supporters’ Shield is in the hands of both Bruce Arena’s Los Angeles Galaxy and Sigi Schmid’s Seattle Sounders on Sunday, Oct. 19 at StubHub Center in Carson, Calif. (kickoff: 5:30 p.m. PT/8:30 p.m. ET). For the Galaxy, it’s a must-win game after the wheels fell off last weekend against FC Dallas. Midfielder Landon Donovan believed that Fabian Castillo’s game winner was a bang-bang play.

“It’s a little bit fluky,” Donovan told LAGalaxy.com’s Adam Serrano. “A bunch of guys challenging, it falls down to Escobar, it’s a decent cross, and I think if that ends up going anywhere but right to Castillo’s head, it’s safe. But it’s one of those where it literally landed in the perfect spot.

“It’s frustrating but it happens. It’s part of games. We can be better, but we also were a little bit unlucky on the play. All in all, we didn’t deserve to win, but I don’t think we deserved to lose either.

I think we always knew it was going to come down to these last two games, so that’s the way it goes. It’s better to have a little bit of a wakeup call now than to lose in the playoffs. We’ll learn from it, and then we’ll move forward.”

“It’s the sloppy play at the end of the game that makes the difference. We didn’t execute over a simple throw-in play,” said Arena. “We [also] had chances, but we couldn’t execute. [This loss] is not a learning experience. These are things that we should have learned a long time ago.”

One player hoping to rejoin the Galaxy ahead of the game with Seattle this weekend is defender Robbie Rogers. Rogers suffered a hammy two weekends ago and James Riley has been good, but not good enough to contain FC Dallas.

“I’m good. I played as a neutral today in training and did fitness then I’ll go into full training [on Wednesday] and go from there,” Rogers told Serrano. “I think [I’ll be ready on Sunday]. With a hamstring, you have to let them heal or you’re just making it worse. It’s been a pain in the butt but you have to let it heal.

“They are huge games that will prepare us for the playoffs. Seattle is a great team and it’s going to be difficult no matter what. I just hope that I can play a part in whatever way that I can.”

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As for the Sounders, just one win will be enough for Seattle to clinch its first-ever Shield. Even if Los Angeles win the season finale, the Sounders will own the first tiebreaker should they prevail this Sunday.

We’re relaxed right now,” Seattle captain Brad Evans told SoundersFC.com’s Justin Lester. “As the week goes on, we’ll get a little more intense, a little more serious. But right now we’re trying to have fun and enjoy that it’s a culmination of the season.”

“It’s great for the fans, and I think it’s great for the players, too,” Schmid added. “As a player you want to be comfortable in big games. Big games are things that you look forward to, that you’re really comfortable in and relaxed in.  That makes you a better player and a better team.

“If we can clear things up in the first game, that’d be great. It’s going to be an emotional game because it’ll be Landon Donovan’s last regular-season game at home. So they’re going to be sold out. There’s a lot of emotions at play for them, but we’ll be ready.”