Cargreen

They arrived at the final stop of the Western Conference playoff race via different paths.

The Galaxy, with the attack in overdrive, looked unstoppable, scoring 15 goals in three playoff games, setting a new MLS record to start the playoffs.

“I think the group is locked in and playing with purpose,” Galaxy coach Greg Vanney said. “Connected and playing with real intention and I think if we do that we’ll be a really good team. We make good decisions.”

On the other side is the fortified defense of the Seattle Sounders, Saturday’s opponent in the Western Conference finals.

In their two-match series with the Houston Dynamo, the Sounders scored and allowed only one goal in regulation, winning both matches on penalties. In the conference semifinals, Seattle lasted 120 minutes, LAFC ahead 2-1.

“When you talk about Seattle and the playoffs and this time of year, you have to talk about the culture they have in the club,” Vanney said. “The grittiness, the resilience, the maturity, they’ve played in a lot of big games and won a lot of big games.

“So for me over the years it’s been a recycling of players and personalities, even when new guys come in or young guys come through, the culture is ready for these guys, they work and they grind and they make things difficult, they defend and they have players who can hurt you on offense. It will take every action and every moment to get rid of them and take them out in a situation like this.

The situation leaves the Galaxy in their first conference final since 2014 and one win away from their first MLS Cup final since that same year. As expected, things haven’t been easy against the Sounders this season.

The teams met three times. The Galaxy won the first match (March 30) after a Gabriel Pec goal in the fourth minute. The teams met on May 5 in Seattle and the match ended in a scoreless draw. The Galaxy did not have Dejan Joveljic or Riqui Puig available. The third meeting took place in the round of 32 of the Leagues Cup tournament (8 August). The Sounders took a 2-0 lead before the 10th minute on the way to a 3-1 victory.

“They bullied us a little bit in front of the goal and headed balls in,” Vanney said of the third meeting when the Sounders scored twice on corner kicks.

The Sounders didn’t score much, but they certainly didn’t allow much either. They led the league with just 35 goals allowed during the regular season, presenting a new challenge for the Galaxy.

“They do a lot of things well on the defensive end, both from a collective and individual standpoint,” Vanney said. “We have to find ways to break them down, create scoring opportunities and finish our moments when we have them