Galaxy 2 Oita Trinita 0

Jovan Kirovski converted a 53rd minute penalty after defender Omar Gonzalez was allegedly brought down on a corner kick that frankly looked like a dubious call with minimal contact.

Notable individual performers included:
*Hard-working Chris Klein, the best Galaxy player on the night, and Mike Magee who sparked a couple of scoring chances after coming on as a second half substitute.

*Goalkeeper Josh Wicks, who did well to get a hand to a 35-yard blast from Shingo Suzuki that appeared to be heading for the corner of the net in the 71st minute. Have we seen the last of Steve Cronin, who was uninjured?

*Omar Gonzalez and Tony Sanneh were quietly competent in central defense, although to be fair their opponents offered little in the way of dangerous scoring threats; right back Sean Franklin, however, was dispossessed in midfield at one point, bringing a concerned Bruce Arena to his feet.

The attendance: just 5,624.

The Galaxy win means they will face Korea’s Suwon Samsung Bluewings, which dispatched China’s Shandong Luneng Taishan 1-0 in the earlier game, in the final at 8 p.m. Saturday.

More later, but there’s no locker room access, which usually means players take their time getting to the mixed zone, so don’t hold your breath.