Donovan Ricketts Named Goalkeeper of the Year

Early this morning, Major League Soccer announced the first of their annual year-end award winners with Donovan Ricketts being named the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year.

We'll have much more from Donovan today after training, but for now, here is the official press release announcing the Jamaican's honor.

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LA Galaxy goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts has been named the 2010 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year. Now in his second year with the Galaxy, Ricketts has been nominated for the award in each of his two seasons in MLS, but this is the first time that he has won the award, which is given annually to the top goalkeeper in Major League Soccer.

Ricketts claimed the award over fellow finalists, former Galaxy goalkeeper Kevin Hartman, who now plays for FC Dallas and Nick Rimando of Real Salt Lake, after garnering the most votes in polling of MLS players, general managers, coaches and members of the media. The 33-year-old Jamaican international joins Hartman, who was named the Goalkeeper of the Year in 1999, as the only two players in club history to win the award. This was the sixth time in the 15-year history of MLS that a Galaxy goalkeeper has been nominated for the award, while Ricketts joins current Houston goalkeeper Pat Onstad as just the second foreign goalkeeper to claim the award.

“This is a tremendous honor to be named the Goalkeeper of the Year in a league with so many outstanding goalkeepers. I am grateful to have won this award and I would like to thank everyone who voted for me,” Ricketts said. “I would also like to thank all of my coaches and teammates, specifically my goalkeeper coach Ian Feuer and my fellow goalkeeper Josh Saunders for pushing me as hard as they do in training everyday and helping me to become a better goalkeeper.”

Ricketts set a club record with a 0.90 goals against average, allowing 26 goals in the 29 games that he played this season. He had a league-best record of 18-7-4 on the season and kept 11 clean sheets, tying a club record that was set by Hartman in 1999, while the 26 goals allowed by the club were the second fewest in MLS this season and the fewest in club history. A two-time MLS All-Star and the starting goalkeeper in this year’s All-Star Game against Manchester United, his 0.96 career goals against average is the lowest in MLS history amongst goalkeepers that have played 500 minutes or more. In the two seasons in which Ricketts has played for the Galaxy, the club has allowed 57 goals in 60 regular season games after surrendering 62 in 30 regular season games during the 2008 campaign.

On Sunday in the Galaxy’s postseason opener, Ricketts made a season-high eight saves, including seven in the first half, helping the Galaxy claim a 1-0 win in the first leg of their Western Conference Semifinal Series against Seattle at Qwest Field. In five career postseason appearances, Ricketts now has a 3-0-1 record with three shutouts, 19 saves and a 0.59 goals against average. In the MLS Cup Playoffs, Ricketts has allowed just one goal in his last 406 minutes of action dating back to the first leg of the Galaxy’s Western Conference Semifinal Series with Chivas USA last year.

“This is a tremendous achievement for Donovan and I could not be happier that he was named the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year,” said Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena, who signed Ricketts from Village United in his native Jamaica in December 2008. “He has been an important part of our club’s defensive improvements over the past two seasons and he is fully deserving of this honor.”

Here is a list of all of the past Goalkeeper of the Year award winners...

Goalkeeper of the Year Winners
2010: Donovan Ricketts – LA Galaxy
2009: Zach Thornton – Chivas USA
2008: Jon Busch – Chicago Fire
2007: Brad Guzan – Chivas USA
2006: Troy Perkins – D.C. United
2005: Pat Onstad – San Jose Earthquakes
2004: Joe Cannon – Colorado Rapids
2003: Pat Onstad – San Jose Earthquakes
2002: Joe Cannon – San Jose Earthquakes
2001: Tim Howard – MetroStars
2000: Tony Meola – Kansas City Wizards
1999: Kevin Hartman – LA Galaxy
1998: Zach Thornton – Chicago Fire
1997: Brad Friedel – Columbus Crew
1996: Mark Dodd – Dallas Burn

A Final Look at the 1-0 Playoff Win in Seattle

With the team having the day off today, this is the perfect time to look back one last time at the playoff opening win in Seattle on Sunday night before turning the page to this weekend's second and final game of the series.

Look back at all the highlights from the game below and hear what a number of the guys had to say in the locker room after the game.

Additionally, enjoy this exclusive interview with the game's lone goalscorer, Edson Buddle, from the locker room shortly after the game ended.

Postgame Reaction from the Playoff Win in Seattle

Here is what some of the players had to say in the locker rooms after last night's game...

Bruce Arena - Galaxy Head Coach

(On the game...) "Tough game, tough conditions. This field wasn't easy to play on for either team. Pretty classic playoff game where you go on the road and defend and try to get out of here. We were playing to win. It certainly keeps the series really tight and there's everything to play for in the next game. "

(On the goal...) "That's a turf ball. There were a lot of turf plays -- balls bouncing around, off of shins, up in the air, out of bounds. We don't want to make too many copies of this game and distribute it around."

(On LA's defense...) "It was good. Their top four guys are good. [Blaise] Nkufo, [Fredy] Montero, [Steve] Zakuani and [Sanna] Nyassi are dangerous players and you have to be able to concentrate the whole time. They're a handful."

(On the conditions...) "We weren't quite sure what the field was going to be like. I guess they watered it down before the game so it was slick. When it's this cool, it's going to stay wet and fast the whole time. Once we got here we could see that the field was playing faster than it did (Saturday) when we were training in the pouring rain. This kind of played like the MLS final last year - a real slick surface and the field is a little bit hard. It's a tough field to play on."

(On Donovan Ricketts' saves...) "I remember two great saves. In succession we had to tip it over. It was off a corner kick. The ball kind of squirted loose and [Fredy] Montero got away from [A.J.] DeLaGarza so Ricketts had to tip it over. But it was the save before that was big. A couple of the others were a little bit more routine. He had to stretch out on [Nathan] Sturgis' free kick. But he did good."

David Beckham - Galaxy Midfielder

(On the match...) "I thought it was a professional performance by us. We set our lineup early and we played some good football on the night. Our togetherness is what won the game and put us in a good position. We're happy with tonight and now we have to go do a job at home."

(On the field...) "We kind of knew it was going to be like that because we trained on it yesterday. We just had to do the job that we worked on all week because we knew they had fast players and that they'd get chances, but we also knew that if we passed the ball around well and played our game, then we'd do well."

(On his Achilles...) "It's very sore, I'm not going to lie. It felt sore in the first half and it was just a case of getting through it. I've got a good week now to relax and get it back to what it should be."
(On how the atmosphere in Seattle compares with Europe...) "For the MLS, it's like playing in front of a European crowd. The noise, the atmosphere, the excitement ... and it's great to play in. It's always great to play in front of a crowd like that."

(On the goal...) "Tonight and also next weekend, it's going to take something like that to win this game because we're two good teams with good players. It's going to take something special to win and get through these games. Tonight, that goal ... everyone is going to say did he mean it? Of course he meant it. He turned on the ball and there was no one else near him. It was good for us."

Donovan Ricketts - Galaxy Goalkeeper

(On the game...) "All the credit to my defense. They smothered the Seattle attack and whatever I had to do, I did, to keep my team in the game. Sometimes I have to work for my paycheck and tonight was a night I had to work for my paycheck."

(On the goal...) "It was a beautiful goal. I don't think I could've saved that either."

Edson Buddle - Galaxy Forward

(On silencing the crowd with the goal...) You think about those things coming in, but you focus on team and structure first. To get a go-ahead goal, it felt good."

(On the physical play...) "A playoff game and you expect it to be scrappy. Both teams are trying to win. There's a lot at stake."

(On the goal...) "Omar (Gonzalez) got a good clearance on the ball and I saw that developing so I was able to get a turn on the ball. It bounced perfect and I took a shot. The way the ball bounced is why I shot it. I got a volley on it and it hit perfect for me. When I shoot, I hope to score. The way I wanted it to go, it went. Usually it's not the case. I got good contact and the ball dipped just the way I wanted it to."

(On the field surface...) "I don't like turf at all. I've always said that. I'm sure the players here would prefer grass."

Landon Donovan - Galaxy Midfielder

(On the game...) "Our defense was terrific. Our back four was great. Donovan (Ricketts) was good when he needed to be. Our midfield, I think, completely controlled the game. We knew that their strength is wide and we wanted to make sure that we did a good job of getting around those guys and I thought we did."

(On Seattle targeting Eddie Lewis...) "Eddie has been around awhile and knows how to play. That's the beauty of having a team that's this deep. There's not many teams that would substitute a guy like that and have a game like that - a meaningful game like that. We're confident with whoever we put in there and I thought he did a great job."

(On that being the goal of the year...) "Yeah, it was pretty unbelievable. That's your MVP and if you guys didn't vote for him, you should be ashamed."

(On playing on the turf...) "It's the same for both teams. They have an advantage because they're used to it, but it makes the game difficult. It doesn't make the game pretty, but we didn't really want a pretty game tonight so it's fine. Maybe it gave them a little advantage, but I thought we did fine with it."

(On sending a message with this game...) "We don't need to send a message. We've been the best team for two years plus so there's no message to send. We know that we're good and we've got to keep playing like this if we're going to get to the final."

Sigi Schmid - Sounders FC Head Coach

(General comments...) "We're disappointed in the result. When you weigh the whole game, I thought we created more chances than they created. You take a goal where, hats offs to Edson [Buddle], but he just turns and hits the ball in the direction of the goal and it could go anywhere, but it went in. At the end of the day, right now, we're down at halftime 1-0 and have a second half to play in LA and everything is still possible for us."

(On Fredy Montero...) "Not really, a lot of times forwards are a bit streaky. I thought he had a couple decent looks tonight. Thought he got in good positions. Sometimes I think he's trying a little too hard a little bit and that's something we'll talk about this week. He is taking an extra touch when needs to give it a go. That's a case of him wanting to help the team. Not him trying to hurt the team."

(On LA in first half...) "I thought they did a good job on [Steve] Zakuani. Steve has to bring more. They pinched our midfield pretty deep. [Landon] Donovan spent more in their half of the field than he has in a long time. That was their game plan and when you get a fortunate goal, that stands up and the game plan looks really good."

(On referees...) "No comment. The referees are the referees."

(On knowing if Jeff Parke will be able to play in second leg...) "Not at this stage, we'll see. He rolled his ankle, so we'll see."

(On LA defensive scheme...) "It's what we said to our guys. Donovan [Ricketts] came up with a couple big saves in the first half and in the second half, I think we squandered a couple chances. The shot that [Steve] Zakuani had and certainly [Nate] Jaqua's chance there at the end. If we finish better or if Donovan doesn't have the game that he has we may come off this field 2 or 3-1 winners. We weren't worried at halftime going down 1-0 and were confident that we'd come back, but it wasn't meant to be."

(On chances...) "Encouraged that we created chances. If not creating chances, then really have to worry. I thought we created chances. I'm disappointed in our inability to finish. A couple were great saves and you take your hat off to them on those, but some that we should have finished."

(On not scoring being mentally worried...) "Guys don't go into the game thinking that we haven't scored a goal in so many minutes in the playoffs. It doesn't enter our mind and isn't something we talk about. It hasn't bounced our way, but that can change in the next game."

Kasey Keller - Sounders FC Goalkeeper

(On Edson Buddle's goal . . .) "Just one of those things that guys try one-hundred times in their career and never make it happen. And the one time he got it to go in a big game. Great goals change games and that's part of it. I thought our response in the second half was great. I was very happy with the way we played. We created good chances. We had more than enough opportunities to win the game. We got a little lucky there I think at the end. They had a good chance to maybe get a second but he pushed it wide. For the most part, I think a draw might have been fair. We feel very confident with the results we have gotten on the road that we can go down there and get through this tie. It's a long ways from being over. And that's what I'm probably happy about. If you're going to lose, this is the way to lose. You lose 1-0 on a ridiculous goal and you have all confidence to go down there and if it's 1-0 and penalties, it's 1-0 and penalties. If it's 2-1, whatever it takes we will make it happen. We will do our best to make it happen."

(On Sounders FC offense . . .) "They really pack it. They really get two big banks of four. They make it really difficult for you to play through midfield. I thought we were successful. I thought Sanna [Nyassi] and Steve [Zakuani] had opportunities to get the ball in the box and we had chances to score goals. No question about it. I thought the free kicks were great. We had opportunities to score goals off of free kicks as well. Sometimes you have to take what the team gives you. You can't necessarily just go out, maybe Brazil can, but few teams can dictate their style. You see what's open and you make that happen. I thought for the most part that we did very well."

Fredy Montero - Sounders FC Forward (via Translator)

(On the match . . .) "The keeper [Donovan Ricketts] played well, had a good afternoon. We played good football but we didn't convert the opportunities."

(On not scoring a goal . . .) "I feel the team is still playing the same style. If someone outside feels that the team is playing differently, I don't think that's the case. We are still playing with the same mentality."

(On getting a result in second leg . . .) "We really have nothing to lose. We have lost the first half. Unfortunately it was played at home. So there [The Home Depot Center] we can revert and maybe if they play a little more offensively we can score some goals."

Steve Zakuani - Sounders FC Midfielder

(On the match . . .) "It was frustrating. For whatever reason today we didn't play the way we have been playing, which is building from the back through the midfield and getting to the forwards, who were bypassed in the midfield. The game has to be made by [Nathan] Sturgis and [Osvaldo] Alonso, it has to. You look at football today, the game is made through the center mid. We were skipping them a lot today. It could've been L.A.'s pressure or something like that but it was just a bad first half. It was really scrappy. We didn't get much going. What we did was on set pieces. Unfortunately their keeper made some pretty good saves. We never had our game going. In saying that, we still had a lot of chances. I think we could've walked away with two or three goal possibly. It's frustrating and we have got to get ready for next week."

(On his production today . . .) "As a team, I just don't think we played how we have been playing. What we have been doing has been very basic. We get the ball to the midfielders. We get wide. We spring the wingers and stuff. And of course, you have got to change it a bit when you are playing someone like [Sean] Franklin but that's no problem for me at all. I'm still trying to do the same things I do. I think we didn't play well in the first half. They scored an unbelievable goal. You can't do anything about that but we came out in the second half and had a lot of chances. [. . .] We had some pretty good chances there and we are disappointed we didn't finish them."

Patrick Ianni - Sounders FC Defender

(On Edson Buddle's goal . . .) "The ball came into Edson and I tried to just bump him a little bit. The ball came in and he kind of wrapped me with his arm and kind of put it to the side of him. When he went to shoot I thought obviously Kasey [Keller] would have it. But he hit a wonder strike. Similar to last year with [Brian] Ching had a wonder goal, too. It was a good goal. There's nothing we can do about it now and so we go down to L.A. and play the same way that we did and I think we will have a very good chance of advancing."

(On Sounders FC offense . . .) "I think we had plenty of good chances and I think we feel very good as a group with the way we played. The substitutions came in. We had to make a substitution at the back. When he came in we were just as strong. We just have to be patient through 90 minutes down there and we will get out goal."

Buddle Wonder Strike Gives Galaxy 1-0 Win in First Leg of Conference Semifinal Series

LA Galaxy 1, Seattle Sounders FC 0
Western Conference Semifinal Series – Game One
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Qwest Field – Seattle, Wash.

Scoring Summary:
LA – Edson Buddle 1 (Omar Gonzalez 1) 38’

Misconduct Summary:
LA – Juninho (Yellow Card) 48’
SEA – Fredy Montero (Yellow Card) 49’
LA – Dema Kovalenko (Yellow Card) 65’
LA – Jovan Kirovski (Yellow Card) 82’
SEA – Blaise Nkufo (Yellow Card) 93+

Lineups:
LA Galaxy: Donovan Ricketts; Sean Franklin, A.J. DeLaGarza, Omar Gonzalez, Eddie Lewis (Gregg Berhalter 84’); Dema Kovalenko (Chris Birchall 70’), Juninho, David Beckham, Landon Donovan©; Mike Magee, Edson Buddle (Jovan Kirovski 73’).

Subs Not Used: Josh Saunders, Alex Cazumba, Chris Klein, Tristan Bowen.

Seattle Sounders FC: Kasey Keller©; James Riley, Jeff Parke (Tyrone Marshall 65’), Patrick Ianni, Leo Gonzalez; Osvaldo Alonso, Nathan Sturgis (Nate Jaqua 81’), Sanna Nyassi (Alvaro Fernandez 74’), Steve Zakuani; Fredy Montero, Blaise Nkufo.

Subs Not Used: Terry Boss, Zach Scott, Michael Fucito, Roger Levesque.

Notes:
• With the win, the Galaxy go into next weekend’s second and final leg of their Western Conference Semifinal Series with a 1-0 lead on aggregate. If the Galaxy win or draw that game, they will advance to the Western Conference Championship. If the Sounders win that game by one goal, the Series will go to 30 minutes of extra time and then penalties if necessary.
• Since MLS adopted the current playoff format in 2003, the Galaxy are now 3-1-1 all-time in the first leg of the Western Conference Semifinal Series. In the previous four trips to this round of the playoffs, they have advanced to the Conference Championship three times.
• The Galaxy are now 3-1-0 against the Sounders in all competitions this season, winning both regular season games as well as today’s match, while losing in the Quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Cup
• Bruce Arena made one change to the team that beat FC Dallas 2-1 in the regular season finale on October 24. Todd Dunivant, whose 27 regular season games played and started were the third most on the team, was not available because of a right hamstring strain. He was replaced in the starting lineup by Eddie Lewis.
• In addition to Dunivant, the Galaxy were also without Leonardo and Michael Stephens, who each missed the game with left knee pain. Yohance Marshall was also not available for selection while on duty with the Trinidad and Tobago National Team for the Digicel Caribbean Championships.
• Lewis was making just his fifth start in all competitions and his first in an MLS game since the regular season opener against New England on March 27.
• Juninho was the only member of the Galaxy’s starting XI to be making his postseason debut in the game. The other 10 starters were all with the club during the 2009 MLS Cup Playoffs. Of the seven available substitutes, only Tristan Bowen and Alex Cazumba did not play in the postseason last year.
• The Sounders thought that they had scored just 32 seconds into the game, only for Steve Zakuani to be ruled offside.
• Edson Buddle gave the Galaxy the lead in the 39th minute with a long range volley that beat Seattle goalkeeper Kasey Keller. The goal was the first postseason goal of Buddle’s Galaxy career and his third of his postseason career.
• Buddle’s last postseason goal came in 2004 when he was a member of the Columbus Crew against the New England Revolution exactly six years ago.
• Omar Gonzalez was credited with the only assist on the goal, heading the ball into Buddle’s path.
• Gonzalez did not have an assist during the regular season, though he did score two goals, including one at Qwest Field in a 4-0 win over the Sounders.
• The Galaxy’s central midfield duo of Juninho and Dema Kovalenko, as well as Jovan Kirovski were each booked in the game. If they are also booked in the second leg of this series, they would be suspended for the Western Conference Championship were the Galaxy to advance.
• Fredy Montero and Blaise Nkufo were each booked for the Sounders.
• Donovan Ricketts made eight saves in the game, seven in the first half, setting a new postseason career-high, breaking his record of five that he set in the 2009 Western Conference Championship against Houston.
• In the regular season this year, Ricketts never made more than six saves.
• This was his third shutout in five postseason games.
• Including the regular season, the Galaxy are now 10-3-3 on the road this season.
• In those 16 games, the Galaxy have kept a clean sheet 10 times.
• This was the Galaxy’s final road game of the year. If they advance to the Western Conference Championship, they will host either Real Salt Lake or FC Dallas while
• Donovan Ricketts made three saves to earn his 18th win of the season.
• Two of the Sounders’ three substitutions on the night were former Galaxy players. Nathan Sturgis, who started in central midfield, also used to play for the Galaxy.
• The attendance for today’s game was 35,521.
• The Galaxy will host the second and final leg on the series on Sunday, November 7 at The Home Depot Center. That game kicks off at 6 p.m. and can be seen live on ESPN.
• For more about today’s game, please visit www.lagalaxy.com.

The Postseason is Here

Just more than seven months after the MLS season began for the Galaxy, their postseason campaign gets underway with the first leg of their Western Conference Semifinal Series against Seattle at Qwest Field.

The Galaxy have never lost to the Sounders here at Qwest and they will look to keep that streak going tonight in front of an expected capacity crowd. These two sides have never met in the postseason, while the team's respective coaches, who rank 1-2 all-time in postseason wins, have never met in the postseason, either in MLS or in their time in college soccer.

Two late injuries have forced a lineup change for Bruce Arena as Todd Dunivant is forced out after being unable to shake a right hamstring strain while Michael Stephens is not included in the 18 man squad because of pain in his left knee. As a result, Eddie Lewis returns to the starting lineup at left back. This is his fifth start in all competitions this season and just his second in an MLS game, with the first coming in the season opener against New England all the way back on March 27.

Here is the complete Galaxy squad that Arena will put on the field tonight...

-------------Buddle-------------Magee----------------

Donovan--------------Juninho----------------Beckham

---------------------Kovalenko-------------------------

Lewis--------Gonzalez-------DeLaGarza-------Franklin

--------------------Ricketts------------------------

Subs: Saunders, Berhalter, Alex Cazumba, Klein, Lewis, Kirovski, Bowen.

And here is how the Seattle Sounders FC will line up for head coach Sigi Schmid.

---------------Montero-----------Nkufo------------------

Zakuani---------------------------------------------Nyassi

---------------Sturgis-------------Alonso------------------

Gonzalez--------Parke------------Ianni--------------Riley

------------------------Keller----------------------------

Subs: Boss, Marshall, Scott, Fucito, Fernandez, Levesque, Jaqua.

All Preparation Done, Galaxy Ready for Postseason Opener

Under a steady and sometimes heavy rain, the Galaxy went through their final training session of the week this evening at Qwest Field in Seattle.
It was a short session as much designed to get the guys loose and ready for tomorrow as it was to get everyone accustomed to the plastic field in the Sounders home stadium. With the rain falling for most of the day, it was cold and wet inside the stadium, making for a focused effort to get the work in and then get back to the hotel without risking injury.
Here is a report that Troy Bardy filed from Qwest after speaking to a number of the guys at the hotel this afternoon.

Additionally, here are a few extra photos from today's media session and training in the rain at Qwest.


Finally, a few things to know ahead of tomorrow' game...

- Seattle's Sigi Schmid has the most most postseason wins in MLS history with 19 while Bruce Arena has the second most with 16 history.

- The Galaxy and Sounders have twice met at Qwest Field, with the two sides playing to a 1-1 draw in May 2009 and LA winning 4-0 there earlier this season.

- No Galaxy player has more than one goal in their career against the Sounders, though six different players scored against them this season. Landon Donovan had a hand in five of the seven goals that LA scored against Seattle this season, scoring one and assisting on four.

- Two Seattle players have two career goals against the Galaxy, with Steve Zakuani scoring in each of the meetings between the sides in Carson and former Galaxy forward Nate Jaqua tallying a pair of goals against LA.

- Yohance Marshall did not accompany the team to Seattle, instead he travelled to Trinidad to join up with the Trinidad and Tobago National Team for the Digicel Caribbean Championship. A qualifying tournament for Caribbean nations for next summer's CONCACAF Gold Cup, the tournament will see Marshall and the Soca Warriors play three games in six days in an attempt to advance to the next round of the tournament. T&T will host St. Vincent on Tuesday, Guyana on Thursday and Haiti on Saturday in round robin play with the top two teams advancing to the final group stage of the competition, which will be held in Martinique later this month, with the Final held on December 5.

Marshall has made one appearance for his national team, debuting in a 1-0 loss to Jamaica earlier this month. He is one of four players that did not make the trip north, giving the club a travelling party of 20 players, though only 18 can dress on game day.

- Finally, Ricardo Salazar will be the referee on Sunday. The Galaxy were 1-1-0 with Salazar as the referee this season, beating Chivas USA 2-0 on April 1 and losing 2-0 to New York at home on September 24. In those two games, Salazar handed out seven yellow cards to the Galaxy and just one to the opposition while also giving them a penalty, which Juan Pablo Angel converted.

This Week Inside the Galaxy - It's All About the Playoffs

This Week Inside the Galaxy, we look back at those who took home the hardware in the Galaxy's annual end of season team awards while also looking ahead to tomorrow's postseason opener in Seattle.

Watch the show here...

If you're still looking for more, be sure to read all the latest from LAGalaxy.com and MLSSoccer.com, starting with the league’s official preview and positional breakdown.

Larry Morgan looks at the changes the Sounders have made since the two teams last met in July and LA’s depth in midfield.

Luis Bueno speaks with Bruce Arena about his team's dominance of Seattle this season as well as his options in central defense, speaks with Edson Buddle about his MVP-caliber season, looks at the playing surface at Qwest Field, the Sounders' last line of defense, goalkeeper Kasey Keller and perhaps their most exciting attacking option, Steve Zakuani.

Simon Borg looks at the current Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena and former Galaxy head coach Sigi Schmid, who is now in charge of the Sounders. The two coaching greats who, despite ranking first and second in MLS history in postseason wins, have never met before in the playoffs.

Finally, Borg and the rest of the MLSSoccer.com staff in New York break down tomorrow’s game and give their predictions for Sunday.