For the second consecutive match against the LA Galaxy, Seattle Sounders manager Sigi Schmid played his tactics to perfection. 

Following a 2-2 draw at StubHub Center six days ago, all the Sounders needed was a draw at home in front of 57,673 boisterous fans at CenturyLink Field to clinch the Supporters' Shield. 

For the second game in a row, Schmid opted to take a more defensive approach to his starting 11 by aligning Brad Evans in front of DeAndre Yedlin on the right side. That move was made in order to shut down the attacking threat on the left wing put forth by the Galaxy.

The plan once again worked, as the Galaxy were held to three shots on target in a game where they held 59 percent of the possession, per MLSSoccer.com. 

Schmid let the game play out until the 73rd minute, when he opted to bring on Guatemalan winger Marco Pappa in favor of Evans. 

Six days after the same substitution produced two goals to earn a road draw, Pappa scored both goals in the 2-0 victory to hand Seattle its first Supporters' Shield in franchise history. Goal USA's Seth Vertelney gave an update on Seattle's history-making path: 

Once Pappa entered the match, the Galaxy had no answer for what the Sounders were throwing at them. Pappa benefited from a smart, quick free-kick taken by Obafemi Martins in the 85th minute. Then in the 90th minute, he slotted home the second strike after a defensive lapse by Galaxy 'keeper Jaime Penedo let Pappa walk in on goal. 

There is no debating how valuable a player such as Martins or Clint Dempsey is to the Sounders, but what some may not realize is that role players like Pappa are crucial to the team's success as well.

Schmid, whose side suffered embarrassment in the form of an early playoff exit in 2013, was fully aware of that, which is why he let Pappa stay on the bench until it was time to go in for the kill. 

By the time Pappa found his way onto the turf in Seattle, the match was on the verge of a full-blown fistfight between the enforcers on both sides of the ball. 

With things getting chippy, it was time for an attacking adjustment to be made in order to switch up the pace of the match. Bleacher Report UK highlighted a tense encounter between Los Angeles and Seattle:

Schmid did that nine minutes before LA manager Bruce Arena, whose side was playing without star forward Robbie Keane, and the Seattle boss reaped the rewards after the match.

Arena's first substitution in the 82nd minute saw Alan Gordon replace Baggio Husidic, but it was too little, too late for the Galaxy, who were in need of a win to clinch the top seed in the Western Conference and the Supporters' Shield. 

The wrong tactical change was also made by Arena during that switch, as he decided to move Gyasi Zardes out on the left wing instead of Landon Donovan. 

While Zardes may have more pace than Donovan at this point in the respective careers of the two players, Donovan is the more experienced player. It should have been Donovan who was playing out on the left wing during the final eight minutes tearing into the tired Seattle defense, but that was not to be. 

There can be an argument made that the Galaxy's attack wasn't as potent as usual due to the loss of Keane. Or you could point to the absence of the suspended Omar Gonzalez as to why the defense broke throughout the final minutes. 

Those arguments do have some merit, but when the all-time league leader in goals and assists is out on the pitch, excuses should not be made. The Galaxy also received one heck of a defensive effort from Leonardo, who was thought to be the weak link of the back four with Gonzalez out. 

Looking back at the match, it was not the individual performance of one particular player that defined the result, it was an astute managerial decision that did. 

With the Supporters' Shield now in the possession of his club, Schmid can now set his sights on winning the MLS Cup with the same superb tactics that took away the consistent scoring threat of the Galaxy in order to earn home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

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