CARSON, Calif. – Sean Franklin faces, perhaps, the most challenging match up in this Saturday’s MLS Cup.
The LA Galaxy right back will be tasked with the responsibility to shut down the Houston Dynamo’s dynamic left-sided midfielder Brad Davis. The Dynamo captain heads into the final with added motivation after a right quadriceps injury prevented him from appearing in the 2011 final that LA ultimately went on to win.
Davis caused Franklin a great deal of problems during the last time the two teams met on May 26 as the Houston captain helped the Dynamo erase an early deficit to beat the Galaxy, 2-1. Perhaps the most dangerous aspect of Davis’ game though will be his abilities on set pieces, but Franklin and the rest of the Galaxy defense have their own free kick taker to practice defending set pieces in David Beckham.
“It’s nice to have a specialist,” Franklin said with a smile. “They have a pretty guy of their own in Brad Davis and if we’re not sharp on our marks then he’s going to put the ball in good spots. Both teams have that guy who can change the game with one kick of the ball so it’s all about who is going to take advantage of those opportunities to put the ball in the back of the net.”
While Davis will be just one part of a retooled Houston side, Franklin attests that the Dynamo haven’t been the only team to mature since last year’s MLS Cup.
“We have more character, there were games this year that we came back from that we would have not won in the past,” said Franklin. “It’s good that we showed our character [during the early season struggles] in big games and getting wins on the road this year. Last year, it came easy and this year, we had to work for it.”
