The Tragedy, the Triumph and the Missing Ballots

The LA Galaxy won the 2014 MLS Cup on Sunday, sending Landon Donovan off into the retirement sunset a champion. 

There's a sad part to the story of the Galaxy this season, though. Most of it is told here. 

WE DID IT!!!!! And I did it for you, Luca. #LucaKnowsHeart #MLSCupChampions pic.twitter.com/njdDY1qyuf
— AJ DeLaGarza (@AJD_20) December 8, 2014

After the game, here's what AJ told the press. 

“I’ve said it before, this is my best year on the field, and my worst year off the field personally. At the end of the game, you guys saw I just kind of laid there and sobbed a little bit. Obviously, I wish my son was here, so that was all I thought about.”

AJ's wife, Megan, kept a blog of their short time with their first child, Luca, which also includes information about donating in his name to charities that support families dealing with heart problems. 

I talked to AJ briefly on Saturday, before the match, where he explained that he'd recovered from a recent hamstring injury and was ready to play in the championship final. That hamstring was indeed put to the test on one particular play, where he prevented a likely Revolution goal in the 28th minute on a Charlie Davies breakaway.

"I think Robbie missed it, or it just slipped under him. Obviously, Charlie and I were on for a hundred yard dash. He's one of the fastest players in this league. I had to make the perfect tackle and challenge."

De La Garza's tackle so impressed some in the pressbox, that they were voting him for the game's MVP. Others opted for Zardes, who scored the opening goal. No one I knew put down Robbie Keane. That's because the ballots were collected near the end of regulation, before the game went into extra time and Keane scored. He was then named the game MVP.

So the question is, who voted for Keane? What happened to AJ's votes? 

Not that the defender would care. I asked him what his first thought was after the final whistle. 

"My first thought was relief, because I was too tired to run anymore."

Though Donovan's "fairy-tale ending" got a lot of press, the emotional impact of AJ and Megan's experience with Luca really affected the Galaxy players, many of whom have young children. They think the world of AJ, a hard-working, unassuming teammate. The strong bond already forged among the squad grew even stronger. Goals were dedicated to Luca as the team played toward the end of the season.

"These guys have been my support group," AJ said. 

Still, even after the Galaxy win, it was a little heartbreaking when I looked out at the confetti-strewn field and saw a large Luca Knows Heart sign in one corner. 

"A lot of guys got to have their kids out there, and that was hard," AJ admitted. 

No trophy could compensate the De La Garza's family's loss, but for his teammates, it was just added motivation to do all they could to mitigate AJ's pain in some way, if only briefly. 

Xolos - Galaxy Quote Clash

The second leg of the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal is here! Today the Galaxy and Tijuana Xolos face off in Estadio Caliente in TJ to see who moves on. In honor of the occasion, I'm posting here all the quotes from the first game in LA that I haven't already used in articles or posts. 

Tijuana Coach Cesar Faria

On the second leg

I think we can overturn the result in Tijuana.

Overview of game

In the first half, the Galaxy played with more energy, which we expected. We made a mistake that cost us a goal.  In general, the balance was very good. We had the chance to tie, and to score more than one goal.

Why didn't Benedetto start?

Dario didn’t start because he has an injury in his Achilles tendon, and if we don’t care for it, we’re going to lose him to that. He was very close to scoring. In the last game, he left because he was injured.

Worried about goal deficit?

This is not a 90 minute series. We’re going to play at home against the Galaxy, and we’re very confident at home.

Tijuana support from fans?

It was spectacular. It gave our players enthusiasm for 90 minutes. Now we have to finish things out in our house and we expect even more support there.

Joe Corona's performance

He’s an important player for us. He did everything we asked him to do. We took him out when he was a little tired. With a little bit more luck he would have had a goal.

Galaxy's Big Loss

The Galaxy got some horribly devastating news on Sunday. At the tail end of their match at Chicago, Leonardo suffered a knee injury that at first looked like it could be bad.

After the match, Galaxy coach Bruce Arena revealed just how bad it was.

"I don’t think Leonardo is going to do well. I think he has an injury that will put him out for the rest of the year," Arena said.

Not exactly the best news of the day. Now, the game went well for the Galaxy. Winning 2-1 on the road without Landon Donovan, David Beckham, Juan Pablo Angel and Juninho was clutch (Angel didn't start but came off the bench; the other three were not available for the game).

Leonardo, though, is a huge blow and it was a stiff price to pay for the win. Leonardo and Omar Gonzalez gave the Galaxy a strong pairing in central defense. While it isn't their strongest central D pairing - that distinction falls to Gonzalez-Gregg Berhalter - it still was one that helped give the Galaxy one of the best defenses in the league.

Without Leonardo, the Galaxy will turn to AJ De La Garza. This may not be a bad replacement for Leonardo. De La Garza and Gonzalez know each other very well; De La Garza has also performed well at center back when given the opportunity. Of course, De La Garza was a player Arena could put in at right back, left back or perhaps even on the flanks in the midfield to spell the club there, but now De La Garza's role is more stable.

What the Galaxy will miss, though, is Leonardo's size and physical presence. While not as towering as Gonzalez, Leonardo still gave the Galaxy some size in the back. And the Brazilian's decision-making abilities were improving from last season. Having had one year under his belt to not only play in MLS but to get used to living in the United States, Leonardo was well on his way to becoming a solid if not a standout defender in MLS.

That's shelved for now as the Gonzalez-De La Garza pairing will anchor the Galaxy through the rest of the season.