LA Galaxy pair Juninho and Marcelo Sarvas have stepped right into the midfield void left by David Beckham.
The English veteran has not played since August 6 due to yellow card accumulation and Olympic Games duties, leaving the Brazilian duo to step up and take the mantle as the Galaxy's key players through the centre of the pitch in the past two matches.
Sarvas feels that he and Juninho have definitely connected well during the 4-0 win over Chivas USA and 1-1 draw with Columbus Crew whilst the latter was also full of praise for the newfound partnership.
"I think we are doing well," Sarvas said. "You see with the communication, the way we are thinking during the games, the way we talk.
"It's hard to replace David (Beckham) because everybody knows that he's important for this team, but when me and Juni are in midfield we did very well. We create chances, we defend well. I think we are doing a very good job."
Juninho added: "Latinos are very passionate, and Marcelo is always motivating players on the field to do more.
"He's not afraid to go out there and show that passion.
"All of the midfielders that we have on this team are very talented. For Marcelo and I things tend to be a little more easy because we're from the same country.
"The fact that David went to the Olympics created an opportunity for us to play, and that definitely helped us work together."