Football
Jeff Carlisle, U.S. soccer correspondent 9y

Juninho the hero as L.A. Galaxy book their place in MLS Cup final

SEATTLE -- There were myriad reasons why the L.A. Galaxy prevailed over the Seattle Sounders in the Western Conference finals. But for Landon Donovan, one stood out above all the others.

"We're a team full of champions and winners and that's what separates us," he said. "We're very proud of that fact. Some days it's the guys you expect and other days it's the guys you don't and that's what champions do."

Without question, it was that latter scenario that played out. Rather than Donovan or forward Robbie Keane playing the role of hero, it was Brazilian midfielder Juninho who applied the critical touch, scoring in the 54th minute. The Galaxy still fell 2-1 on the night, but the tally allowed L.A. to progress on the away goals tiebreaker.

Afterward Juninho stood against a wall in the bowels of CenturyLink Field. A wool hat on his head spoke to the chill in the air, but the Galaxy's Brazilian midfielder had the Western Conference championship trophy in his arms, and that was more than enough to keep him warm.

Not for the first time he proved to be Seattle's nemesis. The tally was the Brazilian's 15th in regular season and playoff competition. Four of those have come against Seattle. It also was his first of the year, with his last goal coming on Sept. 21, 2013 against -- you guessed it -- the Sounders.

"Always against Seattle, I'm so lucky," he said. "I've been scoring a lot of goals against them. Today was no different."

Yet for all the talk about unsung heroes, the Galaxy's big guns still managed to play a part, even if the manner of the contribution was unexpected. That the ball found Juninho at all was down to a timely intervention by Keane. The Irishman had watched Stefan Ishizaki scuff his corner kicks all night long, and he finally had seen enough, instructing Donovan to take the next one.

"Ishizaki was struggling," he said. "He couldn't get over the first man. There's no shame in that. It just wasn't happening for him. Just change the personnel. Landon takes them anyway before Ishi was here, so he's got quality."

It may not have been Donovan's best delivery, but it created enough havoc for Omar Gonzalez to get a touch, and find Juninho at the top of the box. He lashed his shot home off Stefan Frei's right-hand post.

Prior to that, the Galaxy looked it was going to punished for a brutal six-minute spell that saw it concede two goals to Brad Evans and Clint Dempsey. Worse, Donovan seemed to be enduring one of those games where he couldn't summon his best. He admitted that at halftime the prospect that this might be his last game hit him hard.

"I wanted to make sure that regardless of the outcome that I put it all in," he said. "It worked out well."

Not only for him, but also for his teammates. The backline, while not always looking composed, at least played with more effectiveness. The midfield began to be more assertive. According to Donovan, Seattle's approach helped.

"We knew the last month and a half, they've been very conservative, both home and away, so we knew they would revert back into that shell and we could pressure on them," he said. "We put pressure on them, we created chances, and we got the goal we needed."

The Galaxy's championship pedigree showed from there, with players shedding reputations to do whatever it took. Donovan nearly orchestrated the decisive moment, but Frei delivered a pair of outstanding saves, one from Donovan and another from Ishizaki.

"Landon's second half was real good tonight," manager Bruce Arena said. "First half was so-so, but that's Landon. He's a great player, he's an experienced guy, he's able to do deal with the ups and downs in a game."

To be sure, L.A. had to survive some anxious moments, including a late effort from Dempsey. Even Keane got into the defensive act, slipping back into midfield to help clear some loose balls.

"We know how to win in any scenario," Donovan said. "That's what we pride ourselves on. Not a lot of other teams have players that do [what Keane did] and put in that kind of commitment to the cause, and that's why we are where we are."

So Donovan's path to another championship has just one more obstacle left. His retirement now has a definitive date, Dec. 7, and it will take place in his home stadium.

"I just want to prepare myself for one last week and do everything I can to help this team win," he said. "I really want to go out a champion."

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