CARSON, Calif. – The LA Galaxy’s Stefan Ishizaki said he was left feeling frustrated after Sunday’s 1-0 victory over the Seattle Sounders in the first leg of the Western Conference final.
Another goal, he said, would have made things even tougher for their opponent in this weekend’s rematch at Seattle’s CenturyLink Field (Sunday, 6 p.m., ESPN, ESPN Deportes).
It also wouldn’t have been surprising if the native of Stockholm, Sweden had admitted he was more sore than usual after one of his busiest games of the season.
The 5-foot-11, 165-pound outside midfielder went 80 minutes before being replaced by Alan Gordon, attempted five corner kicks, had two shots on goal and, if not for hitting the crossbar, would have scored on a free kick in the 62nd minute with the Galaxy looking to add to the Sounders’ series woes.
“I kind of feel good,” the 32-year-old said after training Tuesday. “As long as I have the ball it doesn’t really feel like running. It’s when you make all those runs off the ball, that’s kind of when I get mentally tired.
“This game I had the ball a lot and I did a lot of good stuff with it. All the running off the ball didn’t feel that hard. You’re a little banged up, a couple of knocks here and there, but today I don’t feel that sore.”
Ishizaki, who signed with the Galaxy in late January after playing eight seasons with Sweden’s IF Elfsborg, has had little to complain about in his inaugural season in Major League Soccer. The Galaxy, in turn, have been pleased with the veteran’s play.
Ishizaki played 30 games during the regular season, including 22 starts, and had five goals and seven assists.
He’s arguably been at his best in the postseason while helping turn a conference semifinal showdown with Real Salt Lake into a one-sided affair with a strong performance in a series-clinching, 5-0 win. He proved to again be a dangerous option on the wing in Sunday’s victory.
Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena said Ishizaki has adjusted well to playing in MLS.
“I think there’s always a transition period for international players, and it took him a little time to get into the league, understand it, deal with the travel and everything else,” Arena said. “But I think he’s been a real good player for us this year.
“He’s been a real positive addition to our team. He’s a great teammate and he’s well-liked on the club. We’re just real happy to have him.”
Ishizaki said he knows what the Galaxy must do to advance to the MLS Cup final on Dec. 7 against the winner of the New England Revolution-New York Red Bulls series, which the Revolution currently leads.
“I would just say we need to be a little cleaner in the final third,” he said. “I still thought we played well all game and they had a couple of good chances, but a good team like Seattle is going to get their chances against us. (Galaxy goalkeeper) Jaime (Penedo) had a couple of big saves. I still felt we had an opportunity to get the second goal, too.
“But looking back if someone would have told me before the game you won 1-0 to take to Seattle I would have taken it. Right now I feel good about the result.”
