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| Landon Donovan controls the ball. Photo: Steven Bisig-US PRESSWIRE. |
Two
equally matched teams came on the pitch, led by two of the best
managers. There was no doubt this game would be full of excitement,
regardless of the score. At the start of the match, the crowd of
60,000 at CenturyLink Field held a moment of silence for 22-year-old
Columbus Crew midfielder Kirk Urso, who passed away earlier today.
The first half was pretty even, although LA had the initiative, and
the Sounders' attacks were mostly counters. The Galaxy had the first
attempt on the 3rd minute, when Donovan played the ball
for Keane, whose shot earned a corner for LA, yet no one took
Beckham's delivery. Eddie Johnson, whose prowess is evident in both
his goal-scoring and his assisting abilities, got the early goal for
Seattle on the 6th minute. Gonzalez provided a great cross
into the box, and Johnson was there to head it in. LA could have had
the equalizer from Robbie Keane, but Gspurning was there to block it
at the bottom right corner. The Sounders fired back, and the Galaxy
responded with Juninho's attempt from outside the box, which went
wide of the net. At this point, LA led 4-3 in shots. A free kick by
Fredy Montero was caught by Gspurning, and his next attempt went
wide. Eddie Johnson was brought down, resulting in a free kick and
the booking of DeLaGarza. Montero took the shot, which ricocheted off
the wall and went high. The preceding corner was headed away. David
Beckham provided a nice cross to Landon Donovan, who got the ball to
Robbie Keane. The Irishman played it sloppily, but earned a corner
for his team. Rosales tackled from behind, giving away another set
piece to LA. Beckham's shot ricocheted to a corner, and in the end
the ball was punched away by Gspurning. Seattle had a lot of
counters, but LA retained the initiative throughout. Franklin didn't
play wide enough and didn't get the pass he needed in time to make
the cross from the right flank, and the Galaxy finished the first
half 0:1.
The
Sounders kept finding space, and Fredy Montero's great finish earned
them their second goal of the match. A great combination featuring
Eddie Johnson fed the ball to Montero, whose shot nested in the upper
right corner of the net. Saunders appeared to make the save, but the
ball continued its trajectory into the net. Johnson's presence helped
Montero once again (the latter scored five goals with EJ in the
lineup, and zero without). Bruce Arena subbed in Magee for Franklin
in an attempt to strengthen the attack, but to no avail. Seattle
continued the raid with Montero hitting the ball high. Eddie Johnson
made yet another great run but Saunders saved the ball. What happened
next can only be described as impeccable technique. 24-year-old Alex
Caskey picked up the ball on the rebound and netted it in from afar
for his first-ever goal for the MLS (the rookie midfielder previously
played for USL teams). The Galaxy weren't sitting this one out;
Gspurning knuckled away Beckham's cross from the right flank. Sigi
Schmid had DP Christian Tiffert come on for Brad Evans. The veteran
German player made his MLS debut in style. Tiffert previously played
for such teams like the Austrian Red Bull Salzburg and Bundesliga's
VfB Stuttgart. David Beckham's free kick on the 64th
minute brought a lot of controversy to the game. Robbie Keane, whose
mood was gradually worsening in the second half, nearly lost it when
LA should have been given a penalty kick after A.J. DeLaGarza was
taken down by Patrick Ianni. A minor fight broke out involving
several players, including Johnson and Donovan. EJ grabbed Landon's
jersey, but was prevented from doing anything else by his teammates.
The Galaxy went forward, but Seattle was hot on their heels. Beckham
passed to Magee, whose shot went over the net. It was no use for the
Galaxy; the home team was much sharper and faster on the attack, and
had technically advanced counters to match nearly every moment
produced by the guests. Donovan's chance to brighten things up for LA
resulted in a header that went wide of the net. LA's defense thwarted
an attempt by Seattle, and Johnson's shot went wide of the Galaxy's
open net. Donovan finally got a shot on goal, but it was knocked away
by Gspurning. Keane still couldn't get into the game; none of his
plays were anywhere near productive. Andy Rose, who came on earlier
for Fredy Montero, took Gonzalez's cross from the left flank and hit
the ball low, a simple finish for his first MLS career goal and a
great end to the match. The goal-thirsty Sounders weren't finished,
and took the last two minutes of the match as an opportunity to show
off to the masses of loyal fans. Eddie Johnson found enormous space
on the right for the umpteenth time and made a cross, but Saunders
got the ball away before a teammate could finish the job. Seattle's
free kick in added time went wide of the left side of the net,
sparing the Galaxy from any more goals. It would be unfair to say the
guests deserved to lose. Bruce Arena's team went on the attack from
start to finish. Conceding early and not having enough spice up front
are LA's achilles' heels. Keane's performance today was subpar; he
should have been subbed off at some point. The Galaxy need to mix
things up; Donovan spends most of his time in the middle, so he can't
always be counted on to make the runs. Arena should find players that
work well on the flanks to create those moments for Beckham and
Donovan in order for the Galaxy to find their way back to the top.
Meanwhile, the Sounders continue their 6-game unbeaten streak.
[MLS]
Game of the Week
Stadium: CenturyLink Field
Seattle Sounders vs. LA Galaxy - 4:0 (1:0)
Goals:
Eddie Johnson (6') Assist: Rosales, Alonso
Fredy Montero (52')
Alex Caskey (61')
Andy Rose (88') Assist: Burch, Rosales
Stadium: CenturyLink Field
Seattle Sounders vs. LA Galaxy - 4:0 (1:0)
Goals:
Eddie Johnson (6') Assist: Rosales, Alonso
Fredy Montero (52')
Alex Caskey (61')
Andy Rose (88') Assist: Burch, Rosales
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