by Marc Serber

The LA Galaxy are your 2011 MLS Champions. The perfect script was written just miles from Hollywood where the league’s biggest stars (including a certain David Beckham in possibly his last game) finished off a stellar season with a classy performance.

How perfect it was for Galaxy fans and MLS that the game winner was not only scored by American icon Landon Donovan, but also fashioned by the Galaxy’s two other biggest stars in Beckham and Robbie Keane.

This was a tremendous show piece event for MLS and a Cup final the league can be proud of even if it looked like only one team was ever going to win it.

In the first ten minutes, Houston started the brighter of the two sides, but LA eased into the game and quickly took control.

The Galaxy bossed the opening period but were wasteful in front of goal. Sean Franklin looked strong running down the right but his final balls were poor.

Keane was also doing a good job of pulling off the center backs and looking for the diagonal run onto the through-ball, but that pass needs to be inch perfect.

Beckham also put in some decent balls, but none of his services were “vintage Beckham.”

We later learned during the press conference that Beckhams, “cold” was actually a partially torn hamstring, which explains his services not living up to their incredibly high standards.

With LA committing so many players forward, their lines between the midfield and defense were stretched and Houston looked to take advantage of that on the counter.

The Dynamo also did a good job of pushing the Galaxy out wide so that every time they did work the ball in deep, the shots were coming from acute angles.

As the halftime whistle blew you had to of had the feeling that if the Galaxy didn’t bury a chance, the Dynamo would need just one opportunity to make the trophy theirs.

LA began the second half in much the same fashion as the first, but Keane flashed a volley wide when all alone in the box. He then had a goal called back for offside and Houston almost took full advantage as they marched right down the field only for Corey Ashe to put his effort into the side netting.

Adam Cristman then came off for Chris Birchall meaning Landon Donovan would push up and join Keane on the front line. The move changed the game and make Bruce Arena look like a genius.

Cristman had a good night. He did everything that he is good at; constantly running across the face of defenders and pressuring them so they couldn’t play freely out of the back. This work made it easier for the midfield to push up and pressure higher. But he came up short in his major task putting the ball in the back of the net. Cristman had several golden chances and if he finished these chances, LA would have had a lead at half-time.

Arenas tactical switch paid dividends in the 72nd minute as the Galaxy scored one of the best team goals of the season. A long ball played by Omar Gonzales was flicked on by Beckham into the path of Keane. The Irishman slipped a beautiful ball into the diagonal run of Donovan who flicked the ball beyond Tally Hall.

Arena said after the match that it was always his plan to bring Donovan up to partner Keane sometime after the 60th minute.

As Houston were forced to push up in search of the equalizer, it opened up the space for the Galaxy to hit on the counter. Houston always looked strong on the break but never going forward against a full LA defense.

As LA was able to sit back, Houston lacked ideas in the final third and never really looked like getting back into the match.

Based on the run of the season and the run of play this evening the LA Galaxy deserved to lift the MLS Cup.

HAVE YOUR SAY…What did you think of MLS Cup? Did it showcase the best of the league or was it too one sided to be considered something worth watching again? Post your comments below.