ASN: MLS Cup Pocket book: All of the Newest Updates from L.A.

ASN’s Brooke Tunstall is in Southern California for as we speak’s 2014 MLS Cup, and has the newest information and updates on the match, together with scouting reviews on Bobby Shuttleworth and Gyasi Zardes.

BY

Brooke Tunstall

Posted
December 07, 2014
2:05 PM

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CARSON, Calif.—Matt Reis began for the New England Revolution in three straight MLS Cups, is shut pals with a number of gamers on the present Revs roster, and has nice affinity for the crew’s followers. And he actually hopes the crew loses as we speak’s MLS Cup.
Reis is now the Los Angeles Galaxy’s goalkeeper coach, a place he took after retiring final season partially as a result of it allowed him to return house to Southern California.

“I’m very close with Jay (Heaps, the Revolution coach) and a lot of the guys over there and I know what a big deal this is for them. But I want to win the cup,” Reis mentioned. “I’m all about this organization and doing whatever I can to help us win.”

Reis mentored present Revolution beginning goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth for six seasons and the 2 stay pals. However Reis was coy when requested to establish his former apprentice’s weaknesses. “If he has them, I’m certainly not going to tell you,” he mentioned, with a smile.

Requested if he would possibly point out Shuttleworth’s strengths and weaknesses with present Galaxy gamers, Reis mentioned, “Did I mention I want to win the cup?”
Reis turned critical when discussing his father-in-law, John Odom, who was severely injured in April of final yr when shrapnel from the Boston Marathon bombing tore via his legs as he watched Reis’ spouse, Nicole, end the race. After months of rehab in Boston, Odom was allowed to return house to the Los Angeles suburbs.

“He’s doing well, making a lot of progress,” mentioned Reis. “He has some other medical issues now, some that are just a result of getting older and some that are compensatory. But he’s a fighter and he’s battling through them.”
Accepting the Galaxy goalkeeping place allowed Reis and his spouse to be nearer to Odom. “It’s been nice,” he mentioned. “It wasn’t the reason I took the job. This is a great organization and a great place to start the next phase of my career. But it was definitely a bonus, to be close to both her family and mine.”

TEST ON THE LEFT

Robbie Rogers’ transition to left again has been one of many extra fascinating developments of the season however will probably be examined Sunday as he’s matched with Teal Bunbury, who has rediscovered his kind within the playoffs whereas beginning at proper midfield for New England.

“He’s playing really well for them,” Rogers mentioned of Bunbury. “He’s very athletic but he’s good with the ball at his feet and likes to cut in. We’ve studied him and know what he likes to do. But it I don’t think of it as a match-up of me versus him. It’s not like he’s the only guy I have to defend or other guys won’t help with him.”

Galaxy affiliate head coach Dave Sarachan mentioned matchups like this one have been why the crew selected to maneuver Rogers again from a extra attacking position. “He’s so athletic, so fast and explosive. There are a lot of really fast, strong midfielders in this league, especially on the right, and we thought he’d matchup very well with them and still be able to help us with his skill going forward.”

Farrell’s HANDS are FULL

Rogers pushing ahead is simply one of many matchups second-year defender Andrew Farrell has to cope with as we speak. Then there’s that Landon Donovan man, who’s nominally listed because the beginning left midfielder however shifts everywhere in the area as he switches locations with MVP Robbie Keane and fellow striker Gyasi Zardes.

“They present so many problems because they attack from different angles and different places on the field,” mentioned Farrell. “They change up greater than some other crew within the league after which you’ve gotten Robbie overlapping—and it places a whole lot of strain on a backline.

“We actually have to speak properly and ensure every of us is aware of who we’re marking and we’re shifting off so if Landon cuts in, the middle backs have him. Or if Keane is over on my aspect we don’t get stretched too large. That’s what they do. Keane drifts over and a middle again goes with him and there’s this enormous gap and Zardes or another person fills it.

“We’ve got to be actually tactically disciplined.”

The highest participant within the 2013 SuperDraft, Farrell has began each sport of his transient professional profession. “He’s been everything we expected when we drafted him and more,” mentioned Heaps. “He has the pace to play as a great right back and the strength to play in the middle and he’s adapted to this level so fast and as he continues to learn he just gets better and better. As good as he’s been so far, I don’t think he’s come close to as good as he’s going to be.”

WITH A LITTLE LUCK
Farrell was considered one of a number of key draft picks or academy signings who’ve blossomed and allowed the Revs to make this run to MLS Cup. It’s the byproduct of a blueprint the membership carried out three years in the past when it sought to patiently add items to construct a membership it hopes will contend for a few years.

When it succeeds like this it makes its architects look sensible. However common supervisor Mike Burns mentioned the membership additionally obtained fortunate. “You have to have a good plan and follow it, and we have,” Burns mentioned. “But you also need some luck. We got lucky when we got Jermaine (Jones, who was awarded to the team in a blind draw this summer.) We got lucky that Lee (Nguyen) fell into our laps three years ago. We got lucky that Charlie (Davies, who is from New England) wanted to come home last summer and has gotten healthy again and has become the player he was before his (2009 car) accident. “Every team needs some of that to get this far and we’ve gotten it. They key is to put your club in a position so that when you do get lucky like that you have the pieces in place to take advantage of it.”

LOOKING TO BREAK OUT

The emergence of second-year ahead Gyasi Zardes was a key purpose for the Galaxy’s robust common season, as he helped carry the offense and took strain off Keane and Donovan by scoring 16 objectives this season. Nevertheless, Zardes scored solely as soon as within the ultimate seven common season video games and is scoreless in eight straight—together with the whole postseason.

“He’s pressing a bit,” mentioned Sarachan. “But that can be a good thing because he’s fighting through it. It’s not that he’s doing something different. He just needs to keep doing the things he did that let him score goals in the regular season. I won’t be surprised he gets one Sunday.”

Brooke Tunstall is an American Soccer Now contributing editor and ASN 100 panelist. You may observe him on Twitter.