Carson, California—In their last meaningful match against the New York Red Bulls the LA Galaxy defeated the New Jerseyans 3-2 at Dignity Health Sports Park on April 25, 2021. Chicharito scored the winning goal in the sixtieth minute. Coach Greg Vanney and members of his technical staff will be the only participants from that match at the MLS Cup final on Saturday.
As a matter of convenience, or perhaps tradition, LA played the Red Bulls in the last game of preseason three years running. Former Hertha manager Sandro Schwarz took charge of New York to start the 2024 MLS season, so past experience will offer little help for either side in the Final.
After tinkering for the majority of the season, much of it without designated player Emil Forsberg, Schwarz managed to guide his charges into the playoffs on Decision Day. With Forsberg healthy he crafted a throwback 3-5-2 setup with man-marking inside zonal principles to combat Columbus’ flexible 3-4-3.
In a pure man-marking system, each player follows his mark everywhere on the pitch. Players switch marks only when a teammate loses his mark. The Red Bull set up in a narrow zonal shape that shifts from a 5-3-2 in the defensive third to a 3-5-2 in the midfield and a narrow 3-4-3 in the offensive third. Each player identifies a mark in their zone and positions themselves to pressure their mark when the ball arrives.
As opposition players move between the zones, Red Bull defenders pass responsibility to each other, reorganizing as the play progresses. Communication plays a critical role, occupying a large portion of training sessions. Columbus likes to create overloads, so the Red Bull shape shifted to the side of the field with the overloads. Against New York City the formation spread out more to account for City constantly switching the point of attack.
By matching up in each zone, the defender can apply immediate pressure on the receiver of any pass. That triggers the Red Bull defenders closest to the ball to mark tightly while defenders farther out maintain their zonal positions. When the Red Bulls get ball pressure, they push up their defensive line to compress the field.
When the opposing ball carrier finds space, they all drop as a unit, maintaining the zonal structure until they can apply ball pressure once again. When facing numbers-up situations, players track back toward the middle of the field so players behind the ball can release and apply ball pressure. New York players sprint back into their defensive positions with the best in MLS.
When the New Jerseyans maintain ball pressure it looks exactly like signature Red Bull energy-drink soccer. The moment they win the ball they pass forward, playing diagonal balls to straight runners if possible. Ball carriers push the ball toward the middle looking for a diagonal pass or a through ball. Every moment during the transition they look for their number ten Emil Forsberg.
Ideally, they want to flood the center of the box, push the ball to the by-line, and pass it into the mixer. Failing that, they will pepper the box with crosses, feasting on deadball situations with clever set pieces and threatening freekicks. Few players in the MLS craft better freekicks and corners than Forsberg. Success in Schwarz’s setup depends upon defensive team cohesion, deadball danger, and opportunistic chaos on offense.
Columbus, New York City, and Orlando defended well enough and created enough chances to win against the Red Bulls. Ball pressure and tight marking principles break down when the opponent can pass and move as a team quickly enough to limit the amount of ball pressure the Red Bulls can apply. Red Bulls defeated the champions by winning their duels and top-class goalkeeping by Carlos Coronel.
With Riqui Puig in the lineup, it’s risky to focus on ball pressure, because the quick shifty midfielder can dart past two or three defenders into the open field. Schwarz would be forced to reconsider his pressure-first man-marking approach in the high press against Puig. An ACL tear in the Spanish maestro’s left knee solved that problem for the Red Bulls. Schwarz will likely prepare the same game plan for the Galaxy he did against his last three opponents.
But the New Jerseyans never faced anything like the Galaxy this season. Fleetfooted attackers like Pec and Paintsil make it harder to recover defensive shape when the press breaks down. Clean high-tempo passing and movement can pull defenders out of their assigned positions. The fluidity of movement and constant exchanges of position can complicate communication as players pass defensive responsibility through the different zones.
The Galaxy displayed an elite level of team cohesion, especially in their El Traffico victory at the Diggity. They dueled toe-to-toe against Seattle, the toughest defense in the league. With Puig out of the lineup, the Galaxy depended less on lightning-quick transitions and more on defending with possession, and swirling team movement, laced with a liberal sprinkling of precision passes behind the defense.
The Galaxy allowed only three goals in four games, pitching two shutouts, after the Decision Day loss in Dallas. A decided favorite with Puig, the game evens up with him out of the lineup. Puig orchestrated every aspect of the game, leaving New York with minimal video footage to analyze the Galaxy without him.
Vanney may select German legend Marco Reus to play the creative midfield role in a 4-2-3-1 setup, with Delgado and Cerrillo in a double pivot behind Reus with Paintsil and Pec stretching the field on the wings. Rather than beat the first defender, Reus relies on quick combinations and smart movement to beat midfield pressure and open up passes behind the defense. With Reus in full flow, the Galaxy create overloads in possession and combine in the final third, creating high-quality scoring opportunities.
Reus will be familiar with Schwarz-coached teams during his Dortmund days, having defeated Hertha on two occasions in the Bundesliga. While Schwarz will be intimately acquainted Reus, the German legend can provide valuable tactical intel for Vanney and his staff, and in-game adjustments when necessary. Reus may be as important in the tactical battle as he is on the field in the final.
In transition, the Galaxy rely on passes from deep-lying midfielders, or quick combinations on the flanks to release their speedy wingers into space. Pec thrives when isolated against a defender, whereas Paintsil prefers to attack through balls from deeper positions where his elite speed gives him an advantage.
Forward Dejan Joveljic creates goal-scoring opportunities by finding pockets of space in the box, finishing with clinical precision. Describing the game-winner against Seattle, “I knew he (the goalkeeper) would take a step to the left, so I hit it about sixty percent (power) to his right. He got a touch on it but luckily it went in.” That’s elite speed of thought in a high-pressure moment.
As the two opposing coaches prepare their game models for opponents they’ve never faced, they can’t replicate the pace of the game. Will Red Bull be prepared for the sheer speed on the Galaxy flanks? Can the Galaxy possess the ball against the Red Bull high press? Both teams won their duels throughout the playoffs. Which one will prevail in this game?
Red Bull will most likely roll out the same lineup that beat Orlando. Reus continues to nurse a groin injury. Will he be available to play the chance creator in Puig’s absence? If Reus can’t go, will Vanney opt for Cerrillo behind Delgado and Fagundez, or will he introduce Gaston Brugman? The injury forces the Galaxy to make some changes. The Galaxy remain unbeaten at the Diggity this year, winning the last ten home games against MLS teams. The Galaxy will be favored at home, but the game hangs on a knife edge without Puig in the lineup.
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