Riqui Puig dominance, Gabriel Pec brace carry LA Galaxy past Minnesota United and into Western Conference finals

Former Barcelona midfielder Riqui Puig ran the game as his side ran out 6-2 winners in a chaotic contest with the Loons

What seemed poised to be a scrappy, tense Western Conference semifinal was anything but, as LA Galaxy battered Minnesota United, 6-2 in a chaotic contest to secure a spot in the last four of MLS Playoffs.

Gabriel Pec, Joseph Paintsil, and Dejan Joveljić all scored twice, but Riqui Puig was the real standout here, notching two assists, creating from all over and picking Minnesota's defense apart in 89 sparkling minutes.

The first 20 minutes alone saw three goals, Pec bagged the opener for the Galaxy after just 30 seconds, running onto Puig's - by some distance the best player on the pitch - perfectly guided through ball to slot past a helpless Dayne St. Clair. Minnesota's Kevin Yeboah responded within five minutes, beating John McCarthy at his near post with a fine effort from outside the box. But the Galaxy took back over. Marco Reus set up Joveljic for the second from a set piece, and Paintsil added a third. Still, the Western Conference favorites showed the kind of vulnerability that might yet prove to be their downfall this season - when Yeboah converted from the spot after a silly foul in the box. By the half time whistle blew, the two sides had combined for five with LA having a 3-2 lead.

But the Galaxy's attacking quality shone through in the second half. Pec was at the center of it all, dancing past three defenders and slotting into the bottom corner for 4-2. He had a chance to make it five, but was denied from the penalty spot. Paintsil killed the game off after 86 minutes with an emphatic fifth, before Joveljic added a late sixth - and the Minnesota defense collapsed.

It was, in the end, a fair result. The Galaxy outshot Minnesota, 17-12, and St. Clair was consistently called upon to keep The Loons in the game. For a team that was an underdog through these playoffs, Eric Ramsay's side gave a good account of themselves.

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Still, the Galaxy, now favorites to win MLS Cup, would have perhaps liked Sunday's contest to be a bit more secure. There are still real questions to be asked about their defensive quality here. And Seattle Sounders, who beat them in the Leagues Cup on penalties, will be a tricky Western Conference Final opponent.

But going forward, they're better, on paper, than just about anyone out there. And that might be enough if they are to end their 10-year wait for a sixth MLS Cup.