MLS Cup is a team’s star players’ chance to shine the most, but when the Los Angeles Galaxy take on the New York Red Bulls in MLS’ biggest game on Saturday, they will be without their biggest star in the middle, Riqui Puig. During the Galaxy’s 1-0 win over the Seattle Sounders, Puig tore his ACL and continued to play on one leg for the rest of the game. It was a show of determination to win the game, but Greg Vanney and the Galaxy now have to figure out how to create chances.
Puig had 13 goals and 15 assists during the season, and was in good shape in the MLS Cup Playoffs before his injury with four goals and three assists. He is irreplaceable at the center of everything, but this is only the sixth time this season that Vanney has had to plan on missing out.
Without Puig in their five regular season games, the Galaxy were able to win three of their eight goals scored and four conceded, but the challenge was different because of the press the Red Bulls employed, and Puig was able to take it. I was able to take advantage of it and lead. Counterattack. The closest team to the Red Bulls the Galaxy faced without Puig was St. Louis City SC, their only loss without their talisman.
“Riki, first and foremost, he’s the ultimate competitor. He wants to win, he wants to compete, he wants to play, he wants to influence the game and he wants responsibility on the field,” Vanney said of Puig’s influence. spoke. “He leads the team in a lot of different ways. If you look at the stat sheet on any given day, he’ll probably touch the ball 120 to 140 times, and he’ll lead the team in touches by a huge margin. . Because he wants to win and he wants to have an impact on the game.
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“We will definitely miss having a player on the attacking side who can change the tempo of the game like this, and when you have a player like Riki, you can change the game in any moment, in any play. . The ability to make all kinds of plays and do things like that. We’re going to miss him defensively, but most of all he’s a defender who’s smart about his position. Opposing teams have to consider transitions because they’re very good at transitioning through him. When we have the ball, we have to look out for Riki.”
Add all this up and it’s clear how difficult it will be to replace Puig, and the only player who could do it is also with Marco Reus nursing an injury. The former Borussia Dortmund player, who joined the Galaxy midway through the season, has not played much of a role in the team and is currently sidelined with a groin injury.
The Galaxy will give Reus this match, as his attacking prowess can decide the match, just as Gareth Bale scored the decisive goal to tie Los Angeles FC for the 2022 MLS Cup championship. will give you every chance to contribute. The big match will be an important match. Even at age 35, Lois still falls into that category.
Without Reus, Marco Delgado, who was on the bench against the Sounders at the time, would be next. It’s a bit of a different role for him as he’s usually asked to take charge of deeper areas of the pitch, but he’s the one Vanney played with when he was head coach at Toronto FC, so the duo will work to get the best of each other. No matter what occasion you can bring out.
That understanding and flexibility has gotten the Galaxy to this point in the season. Even without Puig, the Red Bulls will still have to deal with Joseph Paintsil, Gabriel Peck and Dejan Jovezic, who are formidable attackers in their own right. Vanney will prepare the team for the time being, and with Puig out, there’s also the element of wanting the Galaxy to take home a trophy.
“We have to move forward. Nobody can stop the game. We just have to solve the problem. I know that’s Greg (Vanise)’s job and we’ll see how it goes. We’ll see, but we’ll definitely miss Riki,” Delgado said. “Our hearts are with him and that gives us another reason to go out there and do our best for him.”
Moments like this can bring the team together, and it’s clear that the Galaxy believes in Vanney’s ideas. Of course, the Red Bulls will do their best to counter that, but all the Galaxy can do is focus on their game and do their best to bring the trophy home to Puig.
LA Galaxy’s predicted eleven: John McCarthy, John Nelson, Maya Yoshida, Carlos Garces, Miki Yamane, Edwin Cerrillo, Gaston Brugman, Marco Delgado, Joseph Paintsil, Gabriel Peck, Dejan Jovezic.
Viewing method and probability
Date: Saturday, December 7 | Time: 4:00 PM (ET) Location: Dignity Health Sports Park — Carson, California TV: Fox | Live Stream: Fubo TV (Free Trial) Odds: LA Galaxy -140;Draw+ 400;New York Red Bulls +340
