CARSON, Calif. – The San Jose Earthquakes series behind them, the LA Galaxy have turned their focus on Seattle Sounders FC, who they will face in the Western Conference Championship.
Seattle won the season series 2-1-0 with the Galaxy, earning two victories –both at CenturyLink Field in Seattle—by a combined score of 6-0 before LA won the season finale at The Home Depot Center 1-0 in August. While Seattle has enjoyed success this season, LA have the edge in postseason matches with Seattle after defeating the Sounders in the 2010 Western Conference Semifinal.
Although the Galaxy have displayed success against Seattle in important matches, Magee believes that LA are facing an uphill battle in the two-leg championship series.
“No, they have the advantage. They have more points than us and they get the second leg at home so I think that the pressure is on them to win,” said Magee. “They’ve obviously proved that they could go to Salt Lake and get a result which is extremely hard to do. I definitely that say that they’re favorite at the moment.”
The Sounders will arrive at The Home Depot Center with one of the stingiest defenses in MLS, having only conceded 33 goals all season –the top mark in the Western Conference and second in MLS—due to the steady play of goalkeeper Michael Gspurning. However, that isn’t the only weapon that the Sounders carry as Seattle boast a plethora of talented attackers like Eddie Johnson, Fredy Montero, Mauro Rosales, among others.
And just how does Magee think that the Galaxy defeat Seattle?
“We just have to want it more,” Magee said. “I think they’re a team that is playing with a lot of confidence and a lot of motivation Especially, playing against us, like San Jose, they’ve always wanted to beat us and they’ve judged themselves based on their successes and failures against us. This is their MLS Cup and it’s going to be very big for them.”
One thing is certain for Magee, who expects more of the physical play that epitomized LA’s series with San Jose.
“It’s going to be more,” Magee said. “As you get closer to the MLS Cup Final, it’s going to get more important and more physical. I’m expecting an all-out battle.”
Below is Mike Magee's appearance on MLSsoccer.com's ExtraTime Radio.
