Plenty of the talk surrounding the 2014 MLS Cup Final has been about the brilliant attacking play of the LA Galaxy and New England Revolution during the postseason. 

We can gush over the play of Landon Donovan, Robbie Keane, Lee Nguyen and Jermaine Jones all we want, but when a champion is crowned Sunday at StubHub Center, the true star of the game will be a defender. 

During the terrific postseason runs put together by both sides, they have needed their respective defenses to put in star showings to earn a chance to hoist a trophy this season. 

LA's back four have been more visible during the postseason because they have conceded on just two occasions. Before the 2-1 defeat to Seattle in the second leg of the Western Conference Final, the Galaxy had not conceded in the playoffs. 

The LA defense succeeded thanks to a personnel change made by manager Bruce Arena before the 5-0 blowout win over Real Salt Lake in the second leg of the Western Conference Semifinal. 

In the big home victory, Arena utilized A.J. DeLaGarza at right-back instead of his normal center-back alignment next to Omar Gonzalez. The switch reaped its rewards in just 10 minutes, as DeLaGarza earned an assist on the first goal of the match. 

Not only did DeLaGarza shine moving forward alongside Stefan Ishizaki on the right wing, he also held RSL's Joao Plata to zero shots in an elimination game. 

Arena opted to start the error-prone Leonardo in place of DeLaGarza at center-back. And he delivered his second straight impressive showing next to Gonzalez following his outing against Seattle in the final game of the regular season. 

As hard as it to believe, DeLaGarza's shift to right-back hasn't been the best move by Arena this season. That move would be the change in position for Robbie Rogers, who now resides at left-back. 

Rogers has been a lockdown defender since his move to the back four, and he has become a dangerous asset moving forward in the postseason. With Rogers and DeLaGarza playing at a high level, Gonzalez's job has become easier, as he does not have to clean up a mess in the box every time an opponent attacks. 

Thanks to the defensive efforts of Rogers and DeLaGarza on the flanks, Gonzalez has had an easier time defending crosses. In the two-legged Western Conference Final, the Galaxy limited the Sounders to a success rate of under 20 percent on crosses in both games. 

The 17 percent accuracy in the first leg and 16 percent accuracy in the second leg were forced by tight marking from the full-backs. Because the full-backs forced poor crosses, Gonzalez and Leonardo were able to clear the ball out of the box easily. 

Keeping up the pressure on the wings will be key once again for the Galaxy with the dangerous left foot of Chris Tierney able to create a chance with one kick of the ball. 

Speaking of Tierney, his positioning on the pitch will be key for the Revolution to shut down LA's game plan in attack.

For the second leg of the Eastern Conference Final, Tierney was shifted up to the left wing, while Kevin Alston held down the fort at left-back. 

In the 2-2 draw at Gillette Stadium, Tierney and Alston combined to silence Lloyd Sam on the right wing. Without Sam playing a key role in attack, the Red Bulls were left to rely on Thierry Henry, who had a decent amount of success against Andrew Farrell on the left wing. 

The same will happen with Landon Donovan if the Revolution's left-sided defensive duo can keep Stefan Ishizaki quiet for long periods on the wing. 

If the focus is kept on Donovan, one of the two New England center-backs could be allowed to move over and help out Farrell on occasion. If that situation presents itself, the Revolution could open the door for Robbie Keane or Gyasi Zardes to find space. 

Luckily for the center-back combination of Jose Goncalves and A.J. Soares, they have Jones to rely on as defensive cover if one of them has to help out marking Donovan. It is worth noting Jones is now used as a center-back for the United States men's national team.

While we may focus on Jones' abilities as an attacker as the X-factor for the Revolution, his defensive abilities will be as important to the success of Jay Heaps' side. 

As much as we would like the MLS Cup Final to replicate the impressive attacking displays put on in the earlier rounds of the postseason, we are more likely to see extra time just like the 2002 and 2005 finals between the two sides. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. 

All statistics obtained from MLSSoccer.com. 

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