Soccer <\/p>\n
CARSON, Calif. \u2013 He won\u2019t be in uniform on matchday, and he\u2019s keeping a low profile as he pivots towards the surgery and lengthy rehabilitation process by which he\u2019ll heal the ACL he tore in the LA Galaxy<\/a>\u2019s dramatic Western Conference Final victory last weekend.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Riqui Puig<\/a>\u2019s figure looms large over Saturday’s MLS Cup 2024 presented by Audi against the New York Red Bulls<\/a> just the same (4 pm ET | Apple TV – Free<\/a>; FOX, FOX Deportes; TSN, RDS).<\/p>\n \u201cWe have to win for Riqui,\u201d Galaxy captain Maya Yoshida<\/a> told reporters as he and other key protagonists fielded questions during media day at Dignity Health Sports Park on Thursday afternoon.<\/p>\n The Spaniard\u2019s catastrophic injury<\/a> robs his team of its beating heart for the biggest game of the year, opening up a hole too big for any one teammate to fill. Yet it also provides another potent source of motivation for a side who\u2019ve picked up a sense of destiny as they churn through the Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u201cI’m really sad for him, because this is also something that really means a lot to him. So for us as players, we are not only doing this for ourselves, we are also doing this for him,\u201d said LA winger Joseph Paintsil<\/a>, revealing that he\u2019d exchanged text messages with Puig about the group\u2019s collective resolve to complete their championship quest at DHSP, where they\u2019ve yet to taste defeat in 20 matches this year.<\/p>\n \u201cHe even was like, \u2018Hey guys, let bygones be bygones. I’m injured, just focus and just do whatever you need to do.\u2019 And the kind of spirit that he gives us, I think on the field of play on Saturday, even though Riqui is not on the field, we will feel his presence. And with his presence, I think everything will be possible.\u201d<\/p>\n The motor of the Galaxy\u2019s attack, a one-of-one metronome maestro whose influence is unmatched, Puig ran head and shoulders ahead of the rest of MLS in multiple statistical categories this season, including touches, passes attempted and completed, fouls suffered and multi-assist performances. His mastery helped LA impose themselves week after week via possession, chance creation and field tilt, unlocking the abilities of frontline mates Gabriel Pec<\/a>, Paintsil and Dejan Jovelji\u0107<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Galaxy head coach Greg Vanney was pragmatic in addressing the loss, weighing how it will affect his team\u2019s approach against the upstart Red Bulls.<\/p>\n \u201cWe’re going to miss Riqui. There’s not another player in the league, honestly, that’s like him,\u201d Vanney said Wednesday. \u201cHe’s special and unique and he does special things for us. He can turn a game on a dime in one quick play \u2013 he\u2019s extraordinary.<\/p>\n \u201cWe’re going to have to take up that slack in a collective way, both with and without the ball and how we move the ball quickly and the things that we do in attack. But also in the ways that we do defensively in trying to clog things up, create turnovers, do some things that maybe with Riqui, we don\u2019t have to do as much, but we\u2019re going to need to do a little bit more of it [Saturday].\u201d<\/p>\n Without Puig, Vanney and his staff face a tricky lineup decision in their central midfield trio, particularly given RBNY\u2019s rugged pressing qualities, sturdy defensive structure and counterattacking menace.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Riqui Puig tore his left ACL in the second half of the Western Conference final against Seattle Sounders.<\/p>\n He continued to play and in the 85th minute assisted the winner to send LA Galaxy to the MLS Cup final ???? pic.twitter.com\/FKEbPQR4D4<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2014 B\/R Football (@brfootball) December 2, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n Edwin Cerrillo<\/a> has quietly been a vital stabilizing force at the No. 6 spot with defensive reliability that helps liberate the stars ahead of him to attack with confidence, and German star Marco Reus<\/a> would be an important linking presence if he can work through the groin issue that forced him to leave last week’s match at halftime. He\u2019s not the same sort of creator as Puig, however.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re just two different players,\u201d said Diego Fag\u00fandez<\/a> on Thursday. \u201cThe way you see Riqui play, you can tell he’s a young player with a lot of energy, a lot of speed; he can break players down. And then you look at Marco, and he can calm down the play. Sometimes I tell him, ‘You look like you’re playing in slow motion,’ because he doesn’t have the speed. But the way he gives you the passes, his touches and stuff, just shows a different quality of player.\u201d<\/p>\n Could LA continue with two offensively-minded No. 8s, perhaps with Fag\u00fandez stepping into Puig\u2019s slot next to Reus? Or will a tough, ball-winning presence like Mark Delgado<\/a> be needed to help win the engine-room battles and limit the influence of Emil Forsberg<\/a>, Lewis Morgan<\/a> & Co. in key moments?<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s not a team that necessarily wants to have a ball, but they’re going to put you on your heels, and you’re going to try to make you defend in transition moments,\u201d said Vanney of the Red Bulls. \u201cSo making sure that we try to win the middle of the field is going to be really important. How we set up our midfield and how we structure ourselves, both behind our attacks but also just in defensive moments, is going to be really important.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Eyes on the prize ???? pic.twitter.com\/OcfEEotPCo<\/a><\/p>\nMLS Cup’s biggest absence<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
An irreplaceable player<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
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