CARSON, Calif. -- The LA Galaxy lost Juninho to an apparent injury in the 61st minute of Wednesday night's 2-1 CONCACAF Champions League Semifinal first leg to C.F. Monterrey. But was his absence the reason for the club's late collapse head into the decisive second leg?
Omar Gonzalez certainly felt that his impact made a difference
“I think everything kind of went out of control when Juninho came out of the game,” Gonzalez said the defeat. “They started pushing a lot of guys forward and we didn’t deal with the situation. We were sitting back a little too much and not putting pressure on them like we were in the first 75 minutes.”
While Juninho's midfield teammate Marcelo Sarvas' disagreed.
"It's not about Juni, it's about the chances that we had and we didn't score," said Sarvas. "We could have easily up in the last 75 minutes, but 3-0 and killed the game. It's not about Juninho."
Greg Lalas from MLSsoccer.com offers his take on Juninho's absence. In my Three Points to the game, I offer my thoughts on the match.
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Agree or disagree? Can LA win in Monterrey without Juninho, if he is unable to go?
Share your thoughts below.
