Real Salt Lake to face former friend

SEATTLE — Dema Kovalenko has played every minute of all three playoff games for Los Angeles, and that trend figures to continue Sunday in the MLS Cup.

He'll bring a championship swagger to the field against his old team, and though he's still friends with several guys on Real Salt Lake, he said there are "no friends" in a championship match.

Kovalenko's return to prominence in the Galaxy lineup was made possible because of an injury to Stefani Miglioranzi.

Kovalenko started 12 of L.A.'s first 13 matches, but once Miglioranzi took over the holding midfield spot the Ukranian midfielder only played in one of the team's next 13 matches. Their roles reversed again when Miglioranzi came down with a groin injury in the final month of the season.

Kovalenko ended up starting L.A.'s final two regular season games and he hasn't stepped off the field since.

Chris Klein, another former RSL player, said Miglioranzi and Kovalenko are completely different players for the Galaxy. He said Miglioranzi likes to sit in the center of the park and facilitate possession, whereas Kovalenko is more of a ball winner who likes to search tackles out and pushes forward a bit more.

Even though Miglioranzi was the first-choice holding midfielder for the Galaxy for the latter part of the season, Kovalenko provides a veteran presence on the field, something the Galaxy have benefitted from all year.

"If you ask any player or coach that's been around Dema, he brings a competitiveness to a team. He brings a culture to a team, it's playful, it's fun, and Dema's brought that to our team and it changes the locker room a little bit," said Klein. "Obviously on the field Dema's a soccer player, no matter where he plays on the field he's a guy who gets the game, he's a guy who's always gotten the game ever since I met him in college."

Kovalenko played in 22 games for RSL in 2008, and heading into today's match he has a first-hand understanding of how his old team will want to play.

Kyle Beckerman enjoyed his time playing with Kovalenko, but also expects an intense battle in the midfield.

"He's on the borderline crazy out there. He's really intense. He likes to get in tackles. He likes to fight. He likes everything about a fight," said Beckerman. "So he really brings that competitiveness to his game every day in practice and on the field as well."

e-mail: jedward@desnews.com