Article excerpt:

CARSON, Calif. – Brad Davis has received a lion’s share of the credit for the Houston Dynamo’s return to prominence in 2011. But to the LA Galaxy, it’s someone else on Houston’s roster that’s the most important player.

“Brian [Ching] is the heart and soul of that team,” Galaxy defender Todd Dunivant said at training on Thursday. “He’s been there for years. He’s won two championships for them, and he’s a great player.”

Without Davis around – the midfielder won’t play a role in Sunday’s MLS Cup final due to injury – Houston lose a player who is a finalist for the MLS Most Valuable Player award as well as the league leader in assists. But even without Davis to send crosses in towards Ching, the veteran forward will be a load for Galaxy defenders to deal with.

“He’s a very good competitor; he’s good in front of the goal,” Galaxy coach Bruce Arena said on Thursday. “He’s got physical qualities and scores a lot of goals with his head. He’s an experienced guy, knows how to move off the ball, can finish with both feet and obviously good in the air.”

Full article: http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2011/11/17/galaxy-expect-dynamos-ching-be-handful