Carson, California—Peer through the confetti, past the spectacle, beyond the rapturous din to an embrace, a father figure consoling a favored son. Galaxy starlet Riqui Piug’s shoulders shaking with uncontrollable sobs tenderly wrapped in coach Greg Vanney’s arms. Witness the kiss on the crown of the head, the pursed lips, and the squeeze that said, “Everything’s going to be okay.”
Puig suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in the sixty-fourth minute during a period of sustained Sounder pressure. Seattle winger Georgi Minoungou beat left-back Miki Yamane to the end line, shanking his cross to the opposite side of the penalty box for Puig and Seattle midfielder Pedro de la Vega to chase. De la Vega touched the ball past Puig who stumbled, limping noticeably after that. Remarkably, he kept playing.
In the sixty-eighth minute, while Seattle’s Albert Rusnak received treatment in the middle of the field with apparent groin tightness, Galaxy head athletic trainer Cesar Roldan, brother of Seattle midfielders Alex and Christian, checked Puig’s left knee for ligament damage. Whatever they found, Puig did not leave the game, soldiering on until the eight-fifth minute, able to walk and jog, but not much more.
As commentator Taylor Twellman pontificated about Seattle as the better team in the game overall, substitute Mark Delgado, forward Dejan Joveljic and left winger Joseph Paintsil pressured Alex Roldan into a poor chipped pass. Delgado immediately lifted the ball to Puig. The injury to his left knee did not hamper his magical right foot as the Galaxy maestro stroked a perfectly weighted pass to Joveljic who slotted it past wrong-footed keeper Stephan Frei, 1-0 Galaxy. Game over.
The broken figure of Puig stood sobbing alone in the midfield, his agony a sharp contrast to the ecstasy of victory swirling around him. His pass earned his team a chance at their sixth MLS Cup title, a game he could not play. Puig’s head nestled against Vanney’s chest, the embrace, the kiss, revealed a glimpse of a godfather-like relationship between a coach and his soccer son.
Reporter Sophie Nicolau asked winger Paintsil how Vanney helped him through difficult times. Paintsil’s answer explains that poignant moment with Puig, “He’s like a father. He always comes to you as his own son and talks with you patiently. It gives us that confidence we need so we can give him what he deserves.”
The best fathers strive to know their sons, guiding each one toward the path that suits their talents and abilities. Sons don’t always listen, wanting to carve out their own path. Puig insisted on dropping deep, initiating every attack, and defining how the Galaxy play. Vanney would undoubtedly prefer for Puig to play further forward, speeding up attacks after patient possession. Instead of insisting, the coach set about helping the rest of the team learn to balance out Puig’s perpetual improvisation.
Left-footed Gabriel Pec insisted on playing as an inverted right winger. Rather than forcing Pec to share time with the naturally right-footed Ghanaian speedster Paintsil, Vanney challenged the Brazilian to keep scoring goals. Pec obliged, recording nineteen goals and seventeen assists over thirty-five games. Pec’s success meant convincing Paintsil to contribute defensively and float between the left touchline and tucking inside as a false striker.
It also meant that forward Degjan Joveljic would be relegated to the inglorious task of disorganizing opposing center backs with off-the-ball runs to make space for the two inverted wingers to attack the box. He could latch on to an occasional slip pass and mop up rebounds, but only rarely would he receive crosses from the end line.
The Serbian striker said as much in his comments about Vanney after his Western Conference-winning goal, “He’s the reason that I came to LA Galaxy, and I don’t regret the decision. He’s a really good man. I like his style of football, but he doesn’t let our wingers put crosses inside of the box. That’s the only thing I disagree with him.”
Good fathers allow their sons to fall, ready to pick them up, massage their bruised egos, and set them on course again. Pec never threatened the goal against Seattle, completely neutralized by Seattle left-back Nouhou Tolo. Pec can’t outrun him, evade him, dribble past him, or win the aerial battle against him. Only when Pec combined effectively with teammates did he break free.
If Pec wants to play in the best European leagues he must realize that his individual talent will be matched by opposing defenders. There may be only one Tolo in MLS, but dozens of them play in the English Premier League, Serie A, La Liga, and Bundesliga. Moving to the left side would have forced Seattle to make unwanted adjustments. Would they swap the fullbacks to match the Galaxy switch, especially with Paintsil now positioned on his favorite side? How would they deal with a steady diet of crosses from the end line typical of traditional wingers? Vanney chose not to pose those questions as the season progressed, giving Pec a chance to learn a difficult lesson.
In all but five games Vanney left Puig on the field for ninety-plus minutes. The Spanish midfielder amassed 2,531 passes, three hundred more than any other MLS player, completing eighty-eight percent. He recorded seventeen goals and eighteen assists in the regular season and playoffs. Everything the Galaxy did revolved around him.
Nothing changed when elite chance creator Marco Reus joined the team. Puig continued to demand the ball, using Reus to further his own attacking ideas. Reus complied, partnering with Vanney to help these talented youngsters grow and learn. Without a doubt, after the Decision Day defeat in Houston that cost the Galaxy first place in the West, Reus contributed to the commitment to defense that fueled the Galaxy’s dominance in the playoffs.
When Puig left the field before the Western Conference trophy presentation, it was Reus who followed him to the locker room and convinced him to return. The fans who cheered for him, his teammates who facilitated his ideas, and the coaches who mentored him needed him to be there. Joveljic said of Reus, “When you sit next to Reus in the locker room he makes you a twenty percent better player,” and in this case a better person.
The nature of an ACL injury makes it difficult to know what caused the rupture. Puig left little room for the attacking ideas of others, dominating possession, dictating movement—the orchestra conductor directing his teammate instruments. Perhaps he drove himself too hard. Overuse and inflammation, certainly play a role in ligament tears. Like Pec, if Puig wants to realize his dream of playing in a top league, he must learn to share the creative responsibility with others. Both his career and his knees will benefit.
Through it all Vanney perches on the precipice of another MLS title, this time with his beloved Galaxy. His victorious Toronto teams played attractive offensive soccer, relentless in pursuit of goals and stingy in preventing them. His fatherly approach suits this group of players and fits comfortably in Will Kuntz’s plans to make stars rather than take them. Gone are the days of designated players like David Beckham, Robby Keane, Chicharito, Zlatan, and Steven Gerrard. Hello to Pec, Puig Paintsil with support from TAM/GAM players like Reus.
The ingenious Vanney managed to allow his players latitude in the particulars without compromising his principles, negotiating buy-in from every player on the roster. No player saw that pitch without contributing; from Miguel Berry’s magical last-minute toe poke to Edwin Cerrillo’s rocket to John Nelson’s cultured curler and Mauricio Cuevas’ one-touch rainbow and cross. Nobody was left out, everybody prepared to make a difference in key moments. One big galactic family loving one another by sacrificing for each other.
How will the Galaxy respond on Saturday at one o’clock when the whole family gathers in that living room they call Dignity Health Sports Park? They will pour out every ounce of passion, precision, energy, and skill for their fallen hero, Papa Greg, Grandpa Will, Uncle Phil and their beloved friends and neighbors who will fill the atmosphere with a buzz gone missing for more than a decade. The Galaxy are back, with the New York Red Bulls playing the villain in another epic LA tale.
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