CARSON, Calif. -- The L.A. Galaxy will vie for their fifth MLS Cup on Sunday when they face the New England Revolution. Here are some news and notes from the Galaxy camp.
1. Zardes not worried about goal drought
It's been more than two months since Gyasi Zardes last scored a goal. That came on Sept. 28 in a 4-0 win over New York, but the second-year forward remains unfazed by his inability to find the net.
"I'm having opportunities. I just need to keep trying to finish them," he said. "I'm running and getting open, but as long as the team wins, that's all that matters."
Zardes did note he's found things a little bit different in the playoffs. Clearly, the best teams are on show, but he's also noticed a different approach from the Galaxy's opponents.
"Teams are definitely sitting in when they play us," he said. "They know our theme of attack."
But the attack is one with multiple weapons thanks to the presence of Robbie Keane, Landon Donovan and even the likes of Sarvas and Juninho jumping into the attack. And Zardes knows he can still help his team with his holdup play.
"That's what a forward is supposed to do," he said. "They're supposed to be an outlet for the midfielders and defenders in tough times. I've held the ball up before when I was scoring. I just need to keep making runs and keep working extremely hard."
2. Gargan's long road
Dan Gargan was spoiled early in his career. During his first two seasons with the Colorado Rapids in 2005 and 2006, the club went to the Western Conference finals both times. It's been a long, winding road since. There was a brief retirement from the game in 2008 and 2009, and playoff appearances dried up, with his stint in Chicago the only time his side made the playoffs thereafter.
That is, until this year. Unwanted by the San Jose Earthquakes, Gargan latched on with the Galaxy and has enjoyed his finest MLS season to date. He made 29 appearances, 27 of them starts, both career highs. And his play at right back has provided an unexpected boon to the Galaxy in a season that has witnessed plenty of shuffling along the back line.
"I think there are times in your life when you have an opportunity, whether that's forced or whether you're stepping back on your own and analyzing what you're doing and what you really want," he said following Friday's training session.
"Coming out of San Jose, I didn't want to be there anymore. It wasn't a good situation.
"I kind of looked at what my options were, and I had an opportunity to come here and challenge myself with the best team in the league and perform. I feel like that's where I excel: when a challenge is put in front of me."
He doesn't regret the long road it took to get to his first MLS Cup final, either.
"There were some ups and downs in between. Those are what make the fun," he said. "If it's always up or always down, it's not fun. You've got to change it up a little bit."
3. Sarvas ready for Revs midfield
The Galaxy central midfield duo of Juninho and Marcelo Sarvas has provided a key bulwark for L.A.'s defense all season. The Galaxy are set to face New England's potent midfield, one that contains the likes of Jermaine Jones and MVP finalist Lee Nguyen, but Sarvas is confident that his side will be able to control the center of the part.
"We've been playing very good defensively," he said. "We have to attack them in blocks. We move forward together, we move together back. It's not leaving space for them to create these situations. They have good individual players that can break lines, but we have to be alert all 90 minutes."
And for Sarvas, the key will be managing the game's tempo, especially given New England's potency on the counterattack.
"You just have to take very good care of the ball," he said. "There is some parts of the field that you can try different things and some parts you have to be more safe. Everyone in this group has experience enough to play in this situation."
4. Ishizaki enjoying "great adventure"
Midfielder Stefan Ishizaki insists fans back home in his native Sweden are well aware of the L.A. Galaxy and that when he signed with the club prior to this season, it created some attention.
"They were excited for me," he said of the country's soccer fans. "Even in Sweden, L.A. Galaxy is a known brand and a known club."
It was some advice from former Seattle Sounders midfielder Erik Friberg, among others, that convinced Ishizaki to make the leap, and he's been a steady contributor over the course of the season with five goals and seven assists.
"Everyone I talked to said it was a great adventure," he said. "The league is a lot better than people in Europe probably think. They just said, 'go for it.'"
He's even getting calls from some of his countrymen to see if they can make the same jump across the Atlantic that he did. He said he's encouraged a few to do so, but it comes with a warning.
"Here, it's more physical and a little bit more direct at times," he said. "Even though some players here aren't the best soccer players, they're really strong and fast and very athletic. It's really tough to beat them. They can run for ages."