Nguyen Wished For More

Photo credit: Kari Heistad/capturedimages.biz

CARSON, CA. – It wasn’t the ending Lee Nguyen pictured to his storybook season. It was full of frustration.

Not just the fact that the Galaxy were able to come away with an extra time win in the MLS Cup, but the fact that Nguyen was forced to watch the entire extra period time from the bench.

Due to cramps in his calves and groin, Nguyen was subbed off just after the 90th minute mark, replaced by Andy Dorman.

“It’s tough, you obviously want to me in there and have an affect,” Nguyen said. “I couldn’t help the team anymore so I needed to come off. Someone else was going to be better for the team so it needed to be done.”

New England’s 2014 MVP had briefly left the field shortly before the sub, favoring his calves. He came back on soon before the final whistle, but his groin cramped up as well and he was forced to come off.

Without Nguyen, New England was without their regular season leading scorer – 18 goals – for the final 30 minutes of the game.

“I was cramping all over the place,” Nguyen said. “My calves and my groin.

“I wanted to stay, that’s why I came back on. Both my calves went and then when I came back on, my groin went. I was going to do more a disservice to the team if I stayed on so I went off.”

The Galaxy’s midfield, mostly Marcelo Sarvas was tasked with patrolling Nguyen in the midfield. After Gyasi Zardes put the Galaxy up 1-0 in the 52nd minute, Revolution head coach Jay Heaps credited Nguyen with helping the team orchestrate the tying goal.

“It’s tough,” Heaps said. “Lee’s your go to playmaker for every game. We tried to get him back in there but he just didn’t have enough and he was cramping. He did a lot of work and I thought he was pulling the strings after they scored.”

Leaving the pitch before extra time wasn’t the only frustration for Nguyen. The 28-year-old have a genuine shout for a penalty just before Zardes’ opener. In the 51st, midfielder Kelyn Rowe beat Robbie Rogers to the ball in the attacking third and carried the ball into the area. With a trio of Galaxy players around him, Rowe elected to send a low cross to Nguyen.

Nguyen chose to let the ball across his body but used a cut back move. Instead of being able to get back, Juniho crashed into the 28-yard-old midfielder, sending him to the grass and the Galaxy on a break the other way.

“I had it on my left and I cut it back in and the guy came in from behind and pushed me down,” Nguyen said. “It could have gone either way I guess. He didn’t call it so you have to move on.”

Nguyen was left with his hands raised in the air while on the pitch as the Galaxy pushed the other way.

“I was surprised,” Nguyen said of the non-call. “But that’s how it goes and you move on.”

Heaps agreed in his press conference, first saying he thought “the penalty on Lee was close,” but later adding, “to be honest, I really thought that was a penalty.”