Seattle Sounders vs. Los Angeles Galaxy: Live Blog

Nov 23, 2014; Carson, CA, USA; Los Angeles Galaxy defender Dan Gargan (33) and Seattle Sounders FC defender Deindre Yedlin (17) battle for the ball in the second half of the Western Conference Championship game at StubHub Center. Galaxy won 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Bruce Arena’s Los Angeles Galaxy and Sigi Schmid’s Seattle Sounders take to the pitch in the second leg of the 2014 MLS Western Conference Championship tonight at CenturyLink Field in Seattle, Wash. Los Angeles head into the match with a 1-0 aggregate lead and just need a draw of any kind to progress. For Seattle, a 1-0 win in the second leg will give way to extra time and perhaps penalties, while a two-goal victory will be enough to make this contest a dress rehearsal to the 2014 MLS Cup Final.

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• Douglas Costa Leaves LA Galaxy: Opportunity or Premature Farewell?

Kickoff is scheduled for 6:20 p.m. PT/9:20 p.m. ET and will be televised by ESPN. The Live Blog will begin at approximately 4 p.m. PT/7 p.m. ET. Keep it right here on the MLS Multiplex for continuing coverage of the 2014 MLS Cup Playoffs and the 2014 Major League Soccer season.

Refresh the screen for updates!

T-140: Welcome to another live blog here on the MLS Multiplex. This is the second leg of the 2014 MLS Western Conference Championship between the Seattle Sounders and Los Angeles Galaxy, live from CenturyLink Field in the Emerald City, Seattle, Wash. I am Jo-Ryan Salazar, co-editor of the MLS Multiplex alongside Sean Maslin. Welcome aboard to what could essentially be a dress rehearsal to MLS Cup 2014, as the winner of this contest will earn the right to host the New England Revolution in MLS Cup 2014.

Here’s the preview from MLSSoccer.com.

"The LA Galaxy and Seattle Sounders conclude their heady end-of-season rivalry with the deciding match in the Western Conference Championship of the 2014 MLS Cup Playoffs, presented by AT&T, Sunday at CenturyLink Field. The Galaxy take a one-goal advantage into the game thanks to a 1-0 victory last weekend at StubHub Center on a Marcelo Sarvas goal, as they shoot for a third MLS Cup title game appearance in the last four years. It would be a mark of revenge for LA after the Sounders claimed the Supporters’ Shield with a win over the Galaxy in the regular-season finale. Should the Sounders overcome the deficit to advance, it would put them one game away from an unprecedented “treble” after already winning the Shield and US Open Cup."

REFEREE: Jair Marrufo.

AR1 (bench): Eric Boria; AR2 (opposite): Corey Rockwell;
4th: Hilario Grajeda

SUSPENDED: none

LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD:
LA 6 wins, 21 goals … SEA 4 wins, 16 goals … Ties 5

2014 HEAD-TO-HEAD: SEA 1 win, 4 goals … LA 1 win, 5 goals … Ties 1
AT CENTURYLINK FIELD:
7/28: SEA 0, LA 3 (Zardes 8; Donovan 18; Ishizaki 36)
10/25: SEA 2, LA 0 (Pappa 85, 95+)

MLS CUP PLAYOFFS: LA 4 wins, 8 GF … SEA 1 win, 3 GF … Ties 0

T-138: 39 degrees out in CenturyLink Field, and the skies are clear. The Emerald City Supporters will be out in full force, and I reckon we’re going to see some goals from Seattle this time around. Now I follow the Los Angeles Galaxy closely, but I’m going to give you a change of pace and look at this from the standpoint of the Seattle Sounders, arguably the best team in Major League Soccer this year and two wins away (or rather a two-goal win and a Final win away) from completing the historic treble. I’ll give you some tweets from the standpoint of the Sounder fans, who are fiercely loyal to their club and help weave the unique fabric of soccer in the Pacific Northwest, alongside Vancouver and Portland.

We have a lot to cover, a lot of ground to cover, and a match to play. If you have any thoughts on the proceedings, sound off on the comments below. Remember, you need a Disqus account to participate and that is real easy to set up. Takes a few clicks. Tomorrow, we’ll have a recap of this important encounter and later this week, we’ll have extended coverage leading up to MLS Cup 2014.

T-135:

T-134:

T-133:

T-132: LAGalaxy.com’s Adam Serrano with the scoop.

"“The key is just coming out like we do at home. We just need to come out and get all over the teams and not let them breathe,” said midfielder Baggio Husidic. “We have to get back to that pressure that we provide at home. Look, we feel comfortable that we can get the result that we need to get to play the final in front of our fans.”Added right back Dan Gargan, “We just need to play our game. We’ve played in some tough conditions and some tough environments away from home and it won’t be anything different this weekend. I also don’t think that it is a place that we can’t pick up a win this weekend.”"

T-130: “They don’t play to tie games,” Seattle captain Brad Evans told SoundersFC.com’s Justin Lester. “So I think they’ll still press when given the opportunity. We’ll have to open up at some point, but it’s being smart and knowing that when we do push forward, we’ve got to get everybody forward.”

T-123: New to the away goals rule? Fantastic. This is what the world does. And it’s awesome. No, seriously, it’s awesome. But it isn’t a Seattle invention. It’s a world game invention. For all of you acolytes, here is a hard-and-fast table of scenarios. There’s five of them. Here they are.

T-122:

T-120: Two hours to kickoff. Once again, this is the Live Blog between the Seattle Sounders and Los Angeles Galaxy on the MLS Multiplex.

T-115:

T-113:

T-111:

T-108: Odds from Oddschecker…
Seattle Sounders 16/11
Draw 12/5
Los Angeles Galaxy 2

T-105:

T-103: In addition to being good on the field, they are even better in a video game. Studies show…

T-102:

T-98: Not everyone is welcoming this unique facet to the world game with open arms.

T-95: The old man of the Sounders FC back line is Zach Scott. Once upon a time he was just a tryout participant. Now he has 300 games under his belt and has a long and storied career.

"“It’s tremendous,” Scott said. “I wouldn’t play anywhere else. My career here has been wilder and beyond anything I could have imagined when I started playing in 2002 for Seattle. By far the biggest thing is just seeing soccer grow, the Sounders brand grow.”“To be here, playing in front of 1,500 fans at Memorial Stadium and right now, selling out CenturyLink for regular season games, the transition the community has gone through with their support of the Sounders has been amazing.”"

T-92:

T-90: We are now an hour and a half away…

T-88:

To be fair, I’m fine with whoever wins this because I am putting my money on the Cup moving West. Signed, sealed, delivered…onions.

T-86: Enter. Taylor. Twellman.

Ready to comment and dissect on the network of ESPN alongside Adrian Healey.

T-84:

T-80: Seattle’s lineups…right here.

T-79: All hands on deck with Lamar Neagle and Osvaldo Alonso back in the lineup. This is a lineup built to win big games. Can they do it? Stay tuned.

T-76: Opinion is divided as to who goes through but the consensus suggests that the away goals rule will be too strong for the Sounders to overcome.

T-75:

T-68:

T-60:

All right, we are now one hour away from what could either be a historic maiden appearance for Seattle in the MLS Cup Final or the culmination of the First To Five for Los Angeles. Who are you picking? Sound off in the comments below.

T-57:

All right, that’s enough tweets here: stay tuned for lineups.

T-50: Here are the lineups.

Lineup

Bench

Officials

T-30: It’s 30 minutes to kickoff in Seattle. The coldest MLS Cup Playoff game in the Sounders’ history will soon commence. The atmosphere is electric. The tension is rising. A city, a state, make that, an entire region of America-the Pacific Northwest-is on pins and needles.

T-28: Ironically, Meghan Trainor is from the Northeast and Massachusetts, which would make her a Revolution supporter on the grounds of locality. Could the chorus to her trademark song, “All About That Bass,” hold prophetic status tonight?

T-20: It’s 6 p.m. on the West Coast, and 9 p.m. on the East Coast. It’s 2 a.m. in London, 11 a.m. in Tokyo and midnight in Rio. The world is watching.

One last look at the odds before we count down the final minutes…to the final…before the final, here on the MLS Multiplex.

Seattle Sounders 16/11
Draw 12/5
Los Angeles Galaxy 2

T-5: Seattle’s lineup…is a lineup worthy of lifting the Phillip F. Anschutz Trophy. It is worthy of pouring libations into and drinking from its holy silver. In fact, they might as well drink from it now, if they want!

But the same thing can be said of the Galaxy’s lineup. Some players on this roster have already done their share of spraying champagne. “We’re used to this,” they say. “We know. We’ve been there. And if  you want to drink from Uncle Phil’s Cup of Life, Seattle, you need to show us what you got to gain the cred, and be in the driver’s seat to reach the land of milk and honey known as Treble Land.”

Can it be the same old story? Same song, second verse? A whole lot louder and way too worse? Or, is a new dawn in Rave Green and Sounder Blue on the horizon? Stay tuned…

T-0: The ESPN broadcast begins.

FIRST HALF START: 6:31 P.M. PT/9:31 P.M. ET

1′ – Let’s roll! FanSiders around the world, unite! It’s Seattle Sounders vs. Los Angeles Galaxy, and it starts…now!

2′ – Gyasi Zardes is getting the business dealt to him. The pace, from Obafemi Martins. Dan Gargan bails Omar Gonzalez out.

3′ – Can Zardes break his slump at the right time? Brad Evans, Seattle’s captain, is in a bit trouble here.

4′ – If Alonso can get past 16 minutes, he’ll get the juices flowing. Watch for Ozzie. Goal kick, Stefan Frei.

5′ – DeAndre Yedlin, who goes under the twitter handle of @yedlinny, with the touch. Now if Los Angeles score in this match, there will be no extra time of penalties.

6′ – Frei swoops to deny Zardes. Chad Marshall wins a throw. Some solid possession from Seattle.

7′ – Alonso asks for a restart, none given. The artificial surface can be tricky, as it is very quick, and a lot of bad passes can happen.

8′ – Gargan, and the pass to Stefan Ishizaki was intercepted by Zach Scott.

9′ – Donovan, and the pass to Keane is cleared. Seattle are a bit tense tonight. Can’t be tense.

9′ – Corner for LA. Frei collects.

10′ – Marcelo Sarvas is pushed aside. Good organization by the Sounders.

11′ – Keane tried to chip Frei there but missed wide right.

12′ – Yedline to Martins, and Marrufo blows his whistle. Passing, passing, passing. Good passes lead to good chances, and Seattle may have the upper hand here.

13′ – Martins gets warned for his contact. Jair Marrufo will be busy tonight. A poor delivery from Gonzalo Pineda.

14′ – Offsides, Clint Dempsey. Sigi Schmid looks on, as does Bruce Arena. Both of them have already won league titles, both with the Los Angeles Galaxy, and, for Arena, D.C. United.

15′ – Robbie Rogers getting the “don’t argue.” He wins a throw. Zardes couldn’t reel that through ball cleanly.

16′ – Chad Marshall, the defending MLS Defender of the Year, will need to come up huge tonight. He made his share of stops in the first leg. He’ll need to do more in the second leg.

17′ – Alexi Lalas, I thought, was going to comment tonight but he has personal matter. Get them sorted out, boss. Meanwhile, Seattle on the offensive. Pineda, Yedlin, Martins, and they move the ball around. Keane again misses wide right.

18′ – I doubt Alonso was ready for tonight, and I see Micheal Azira or Andy Rose picking up the pieces.

19′ – Here’s a break. Jaime Penedo, though, collects the cross from Yedlin. Three others in black are covering for him. Lamar Neagle is called for a foul. Martins is taking time to get up.

20′ – On the replay, it’s Omar Gonzalez who give Oba the “don’t argue.” The free kick. Penedo with elevation.

21′ – So where will you be when MLS Cup is on and we live blog this showcase event from the West Coast? We’ll talk to our team of writers and ask them where they will be on Dec. 7.

22′ – LA, picking their poison, and here is Rogers. The sliding challenge from Yedlinny himself. The future Premier League star.

23′ – Leonardo Gonzalez foils Ishizaki. Gonzalez again, and he starts up the transition. Neagle, and he wins a free kick from outside the box.

24′ – Dan Gargan is the guilty party, but it might have been embellishment on Neagle. Here’s the free. Dempsey. Blocked. The second chance, and Penedo collect.

25′ – Keane concedes a throw. Seems to him that he will be battle Marrufo and his staff all evening in Washington.

26′ – GOAL! Seattle Sounders 3 Brad Evans
A complete spill, and a gift from the heavens. Seattle in front in the first leg.

27′ – The captain of Seattle has, for the time being, invoked extra time and penalties.However, if Los Angeles score, it’s a whole new ball game.

28′ – Clint Dempsey is offsides. Seattle are showing their cred and opening LA up at home.

29′ – Now here is trouble, it’s Obafemi Martins! Wide left. Oh, that would be halcyon days and halcyon night for the ECS!

30′ – Yedlin, and here is Martins. Neagle is denied by Penedo.

31′ – They are going unglued here, LA. Martins with possession. Juninho wins a throw. Seattle speed and pace is on display.

32′ – GOAL! Seattle Sounders 2 Clint Dempsey
Penedo with a howler. A howler. Deuce puts Seattle ahead on aggregate!

33′ – This is evoking shades of last year for LA against Real Salt Lake. The inability to get a positive result on the road has hindered Los Angeles since they last lifted the Cup in 2012.

34′ – So now the onus for Los Angeles is to score. But with Stefan Frei collecting long ball after long ball, it’s going to be next-to-impossible.

35′ – So we’re not going to have extra time after all. Or penalties.

Yellow card 8 Marcelo Sarvas
Los Angeles Galaxy

36′ – Leo Gonzalez’s cross was snatched by Penedo.

37′ – Stefan Frei with another stop, this time on Keane. It looked like it was going to be wide right anyway. Corner.

38′ – Leonardo and Clint Dempsey with pleasantries.

39′ – Oba is off his rocker. A little argument with the side judge. Zardes now.  LD trying to get something going.

40′ – The cross from Donovan. Cleared. Seattle may be crushing LA in the clearance category by night’s end here.

41′ – Donovan now, double-teamed. Sarvas. A missed pass right there.

42′ – The artificial surface is looking to be the 12th man here instead of the supporters. Corner for Gonzalo Pineda. The Sound Wave plays. Great spin. Another corner.

42′ – And another corner. Brad Evans looking for his brace, the Sounders captain.

43′ – Marshall is wide right. Throw-in, LA.

44′ – This is Seattle Sounders football at its finest. The room for error is very little, and finally, the Sounders are putting it all together at the best time possible.

45′ – Free kick won by Marcelo Sarvas. Leonardo, the unlikeliest of goalscorers, misses. Too much unselfishness from Sarvas.

45′ + 1′ – The Seattle Sounders are now 45 and stoppage away from one shot at history. It’s halftime.

HALFTIME
Seattle Sounders 2
Los Angeles Galaxy 0
Seattle Sounders lead on aggregate 2-1

Team Statistics

Seattle Sounders on left, Los Angeles Galaxy on right

It comes down to these last 45 and stoppage time. Can Seattle finally break its playoff hoodoo against Los Angeles and earn the right to host our nation’s showcase soccer event in MLS Cup 2014? Or will the Galaxy find a way to do something simple on paper, like, for instance…scoring?

As always, sound off on the comments with your Disqus account to join in the chorus and sing it, one and all. Join in the chorus, the Plex is on a roll. This is the Live Blog between the Sounders and Galaxy.  One of these teams could lift the cup. And I’m bad at poetry.

SECOND HALF START: 7:33 P.M. PT/10:33 P.M. ET

46′ – Here we go! The second half is underway.

47′ – Obafemi Martins is offsides. Strategy time for Seattle: do they sit back and preserve the shutout? Or do they take a page out of New England’s playbook and leave no doubt like the Revolution did against the Columbus Crew?

48′ – Another offsides call goes against Seattle. Bad clearance from Jaime Penedo.

49′ – Robbie Keane whiffs on a cross. Insipid play from the Galaxy captain. Barcelona of the USA this isn’t, the LA Galaxy.

50′ – Chad Marshall again, denying Keane. Corner, Los Angeles.

51′ – These lazy long balls are just predictable for LA.

52′ – Martins again. Boy, hasn’t he been playing lights out tonight? Could this be the performance that secures him the league MVP award?

53′ – Corner, Seattle. Ishizaki plays it forward.

54′ – Zach Scott, take a bow. That’s a world-class clearance right there. He does concede a corner.

GOAL! Los Angeles Galaxy 19 Juninho
After a long slump of no goals, how about this! The Galaxy lead in away goals, and Seattle need to score again.

55′ – CenturyLink is silent for the moment, but now it’s a bit of a new game, isn’t it, FanSiders?Hang on tight, we may have more goals on the way.

56′ – Landon Donovan is away! Saved by Frei!

57′ – Osvaldo Alonso was guilty on that giveaway. Gargan is down, and he is slow to get up.

58′ – He is an angry ant, Landon Donovan. He wants his playing career to end at StubHub Center, not at CenturyLink Field.

59′ – Throw-in, Los Angeles. The Galaxy are certainly not going to play for the one-goal loss, that’s for sure.

60′ – Hour mark. Seattle lead, but they need one more goal. Remember, a two-goal margin for Seattle is enough. Zardes with composure.

61′ – Here’s Martins. What will he do here? Brad Evans now. Alonso, and now it’s Yedlin, and it’s over the bar. Heartbreat in a handbasket for Yedlinny.

62′ – Some big results for other Seattle-based teams. The Huskies and Seahawks won on the gridiron.

63′ – Counter clinic may be on the cards for Los Angeles

64′ – Strong organization here from Los Angeles, who are in a “pick your poison” type of mood. There is a possibility that we may see Alan Gordon late to add insurance.

65′ – Yedlin. Obafemi Martins whiffs. Another save by Frei, on Ishizaki. He is standing on his head, Frei is.

66′ – Corner, LA. Collected by Frei. Incredible.

67′ – This is the point in the match, where LA needs to control the tempo and look for an equalizer. Donovan is double-teamed. Rogers concedes a throw.

68′ – Pineda, Scott, Yedlin, all the big guys in green getting a touch.

69′ – Seattle with a handball on Leo Gonzalez. He dishes the don’t argue to Omar Gonzalez.

70′ – Open more sections, get more fans, gets another Seattle attendance record. Marco Pappa is an option. He’s delivered late. This would be deja vu all over again.

71′ – Rogers almost cost LA there. Throw-in, Seattle, and here’s a free kick from outside the box, conceded by Rogers.

72′ – Yedlin won the free. Here is a chance for Pineda to get some English here. Good service, and that will be a corner.

73′ – Juninho clears the corner. LA are drawing people forward. Corner, Donovan.

74′ – Substitution Seattle Sounders
IN 42 Micheal Azira
OUT 6 Osvaldo Alonso

Substitution Los Angeles Galaxy
IN 9 Alan Gordon
OUT 24 Stefan Ishizaki

75′ – Overhead kick from Gordon misses.

Substitution Seattle Sounders
IN 5 Andy Rose
OUT 8 Gonzalo Pineda

76′ – The last 15 and stoppage. Both teams in need of a goal. Seattle to remain in the ascendancy, Los Angeles to make life difficult for the hosts.

77′ – Clint Dempsey is wondering, “What is going on here? This wasn’t part of the script…”

78′ – Yedlin concedes a restart. Sarvas is asking for people to get forward. Takes it short.

79′ – Dempsey now. His athleticism makes him one of the best America has to offer.

Substitution Seattle Sounders
IN 10 Marco Pappa
OUT 27 Lamar Neagle

80′ – With Pappa now on the pitch, it’s all hands on deck.

81′ – Juninho is pushed aside by Brad Evans. And Robbie Rogers is shaken up. Not much out of that, but it is a challenge.

82′ – Gordon concedes a throw to Mr. Defender of the Year, Chad Marshall. Donovan is denied by Frei.

83′ – Counter. Dempsey is away, but Jaime Penedo is on notice and stopped Yedlin.

84′ – Andy Rose has had a history of success against LA, and he almost got in again. Corner, Los Angeles. Collected by Penedo.

85′ – Marco Pappa with agility. That’s what his ability can do.

86′ – Substitution Los Angeles Galaxy
IN 6 Baggio Husidic
OUT 19 Juninho

87′ – Fans in the stands praying for a Sounders goal. Galaxy fans who made the trip up…praying for a Galaxy goal. I am boldly predicting we have at least one more.

88′ – Husidic almost fulfilled my prediction there. Rogers denies Martins. Now it may be LA’s turn to pile on the clearances.

89′ – Yedlin. Throw-in. Bad clearance from Sarvas. And Rogers wears Dempsey like a glove.

90′ – Let’s see how many minutes we got here. Restart conceded by Gordon. Dempsey is over the bar. Over and out. Wide left. Four minutes.

90′ + 1′ – Jaime Penedo plays it forward. Chad Marshall is going to press.

90′ + 2′ – Marco Pappa, over the bar. The frustration grows. The drama builds and builds.

Yellow card 18 Jaime Penedo
Los ANgeles Galaxy

90′ + 3′ – Trouble here! Landon Donovan misses wide right. Dempsey again misses! WIde right as well. Fans asking for a corner. They are pleading for a corner. They will not get it.

90′ + 4′ – Robbie Keane playing it back to Frei. Last chance saloon now. Alan Gordon wins that. And Jaime Penedo collects, and that’s it!

FINAL
Seattle Sounders 2
Los Angeles Galaxy 1
Series tied 2-2, Los Angeles Galaxy win on away goals 1-0

Team Statistics

Goals and Assists

Assisted By: Omar González, Landon Donovan

Disciplinary

Reason: Foul

90’+2′

Jaime Penedo

Reason: Time wasting

Substitutions

Match Information

MLS Playoffs at CenturyLink Field

Attendance 46758

Weather Clear

And we’ll see you next weekend…at StubHub Center. Thank you for following this Live Blog on the MLS Multiplex. Have a great week.