MLS Playoffs: Canales Corner: Beware The Underdog

Real Salt Lake and the LA Galaxy will contest the MLS Final

"They're a team with a lot of momentum, a hot team right now," said the Galaxy's Chris Klein, a former Real Salt Lake player. "Specifically, Robbie Findley is playing very well. He's got some speed up top. They have four midfielders that they kind of interchange and don't really have a set place. Morales, Kyle Beckerman, Andy Williams and Will Johnson. They create a lot of problems."

Galaxy striker Edson Buddle contrasted his style to Findley's. The two overlapped at the Galaxy briefly in 2007, before the trade that brought Klein to LA and Findley to Salt Lake was made.

"He's more of a pacey forward," said Buddle. "He looks to get behind more, while my team looks for me to hold the ball more."

Galaxy coach Bruce Arena, who claimed that he picked Real Salt Lake to advance past Chicago in the conference finals, also praised the club.

"They've got a good group," said Arena. "They've gotten goals out of (Yura) Movsisyan and Findley and Morales as a play-maker.I thought they'd create chances against Chicago's backline."

Besides the attacking force of RSL, the club has a game-changer in goal as Nick Rimando is especially confident after a stellar performance that advanced his squad in a penalty shootout.

"It is big," acknowledged Klein. "It gives the team a heck of a lot of confidence. I know Salt Lake has that with Nick and we definitely have that with Donovan (Ricketts). It allows a team to go out and play, rather than feeling like they have to stop the other team from shooting, because there could be a goal. We have so much confidence in Donovan, whether it's crosses, or shots or anything like that. We know that in a final a goalkeeper is going to have to make big saves and we have the confidence that Donovan can do that."

Though RSL played for years on an artificial turf field similar to the one where the final will be held, Klein didn't think that would have much of an effect on the championship.

Galaxy coach Bruce Arena will not overlook Real Salt Lake

"I don't think anyone has the advantage playing on turf," said Klein. "They've played on grass all this year, so those memories are gone. They haven't played on turf any more than we have in a year and a half."

For those who carp that RSL was a team with more losses than wins in the regular season, the league's first champions, D.C. United in 1996, were only a .500 team. The Galaxy in 2005 were also champions who had to beat out higher seeds to take home the trophy.

"Salt Lake definitely earned it," said Klein on RSL making the final. "There wasn't a lot of difference between the 8 seed and the 3 or 4 seed this season. I think that's what makes our playoffs system exciting."

In head-to-head matches with the Galaxy this season, RSL actually came out out on top.

"We tied them at their place and they beat us here," said Buddle. "So they have a good team. We have to worry about keeping disciplined and playing a good game. The moment you slip in these games, you're going to be punished."

Arena coached the D.C. United team in 1996 that came together at just the right time.

"The lesson to be learned is that (a team's record) doesn't mean a whole lot," Arena said.

Given his own past experience, Arena was preparing his players for a tough game against RSL. "They won't be overlooked."

Perhaps not by the Galaxy themselves, but certainly a lot of media and press are focusing much more on the team from Los Angeles. That could simply fuel RSL's fire, especially since Kreis is likely to take any perceived slight as a personal affront.

Certainly, Klein assessed, the Salt Lake team would not mind the underdog role.

"They like that," Klein said. "Jason is a good friend of mine and I know he loves that. That kind of typified his career - people saying he was too small or too slow or whatever. He fed off that his whole career and had an amazing career. I guarantee you he's in the locker room saying, 'We're playing the big, glamorous LA Galaxy with David Beckham and Landon Donovan and no one thinks we have a chance, but the guys here.'"

A motivated squad with a lot of momentum can be a juggernaut in the winner-takes-all format of the final.

Arena was justifiably wary of Salt Lake for that reason.

"They have an 'us against the world' mentality and they have nothing to lose and everything to gain."

Andrea Canales is Chief Editor of Goal.com North America

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