Major League Soccer

MLS Playoffs: Midfield Battle Key For RSL, LA

With the MLS Cup final just around the corner, the real zest of the tie lies in the midfield battle.

Nov 21, 2009 2:38:42 PM

Kyle Beckerman, Real Salt Lake, MLS (MLSnet)

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Kyle Beckerman, Real Salt Lake, MLS (MLSnet)

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SEATTLE -- “Most games are won and lost in the midfield,” Real Salt Lake head coach Jason Kreis pointed out.

For RSL and the Los Angeles Galaxy that will prove especially true in the Major League Soccer Cup final. When asked about where the crux of the game would lie, players and staff from both organizations highlighted the midfield.

“Especially when you play against a flat four [in midfield], like they play, if you can get moving with the ball, it causes a real problem to the other team,” RSL captain Kyle Beckerman said. “You can get behind that midfield. So that's what we're going to try to do, connect some passes in the midfield, get everybody touches on it, get them moving around, trying to chase the ball. As soon as we get them chasing, try and get in behind them and get it to our forwards' feet.”

The movement in midfield hasn't escaped the attention of the Galaxy.

“What they do well in the midfield is they possess the ball very well,” said Galaxy midfielder Chris Klein. “What makes them especially difficult is they don't really have set spots, set positions. There's a lot of rotation. They kind of just move where the ball goes, and they're allowed that freedom. So it makes it difficult from the standpoint of trying to figure out where they are in the park.”

Salt Lake's midfield four of Beckerman, Javier Morales, Will Johnson, and Andy Williams have carried the team this far when other departments lacked. The effectiveness of the quartet became especially clear in the Eastern Conference final against the Chicago Fire. In the game prior, Fire midfielders Cuauhtemoc Blanco and Marco Pappa had exploited the space on the edge of the pitch to rip apart the New England Revolution. When the Lakers came to Chicago, they used possession in midfield to stifle the service to those two and used a high workrate to close both down when they did get the ball.

Kreis outlined a similar plan to limit LA's designated player, David Beckham, in the final on Sunday.

“You're never going to deny the player a ball for an entire 90 minutes,” Kreis admitted. “It's about how close can you be to him, how quickly can you close him down so that he can't pick his head up and pick out those passes.”

As Salt Lakes attempts to use its smother approach, LA will count on the zip of its counterattacks from rigid defensive stances.

“We've been very organized through the last part of the season,” Klein pointed out. “Organized and really clear on how we play as a team: defending the right way and then getting out and attacking with our weapons. We've done that very effectively.”

The main weapon the California club attacks with is Landon Donovan. The United States international drifts into wide areas, collects the ball early on counters, and sprints with pace at the few remaining defenders. Beckham's quick release from deep and Donovan's versatility in attack have dismantled many a defense in the last half of the season.

“We'll keep an eye on Donovan,” Beckerman said. “I think that's a big thing. We'll have to communicate a lot.”

The team that does a better job of communicating and shutting down the opposition midfield will likely lift the cup.

Zac Lee Rigg, Goal.com

For more on Major League Soccer, visit Goal.com's MLS page.

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