Galaxy need win in visit to Utah
Time running short on playoff hopes for Los Angeles
MLSnet.com Staff
Ty Harden and the Galaxy have games in hand, but need to get on a roll immediately. (Juan Miranda/MLS/WireImage.com)
REAL SALT LAKE v LOS ANGELES GALAXY
RICE-ECCLES STADIUM, Salt Lake City, Utah
7 p.m. MT (HDNet; KSL-NBC; FSN-W)
Sept. 19, 2007 (WEEK 25) / MLS Game #159
MLS Career: 80 games; FC/gm: 31.0; Y/gm: 4.0; R: 26; pens: 23
Games involving Real: P4 W1 L1 T2; FC/gm: 23.8; Y/gm: 4.0; R: 0; pens: 2
Games involving Galaxy: P15 W4 L8 T3; FC/gm: 31.7; Y/gm: 3.7; R: 6; pens: 4 INJURY REPORT: REAL SALT LAKE - OUT: DF Nik Besagno (R meniscus tear); MF Nathan Sturgis (L calf strain); PROBABLE: FW Alecko Eskandarian (L hamstring strain); FW Robbie Findley (R foot contusion) ... LOS ANGELES GALAXY - OUT: DF Chris Albright (R hamstring); MF David Beckham (R knee); QUESTIONABLE: FW Edson Buddle (L hamstring); MF Kevin Harmse (R knee); DF Quavas Kirk (L foot); MF Peter Vagenas (L quad); DF Kyle Veris (R hip); DF Abel Xavier (L knee); PROBABLE: FW Alan Gordon (L foot); MF Kelly Gray (R calf); DF Ante Jazic (R ankle) SUSPENDED: RSL: Fabian Espindola (through Sept. 20); Matias Mantilla (through Sept. 20; five cautions)
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: RSL: Kyle Beckerman, Atiba Harris, Alecko Eskandarian ... LA: Kevin Harmse
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: RSL: Jean-Martial Kipré, Carey Talley, Chris Wingert ... LA: Ty Harden, Kyle Martino, Mike Randolph, Kyle Veris, Abel Xavier
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (10 meetings): Real 4 wins, 14 goals ... Galaxy 5 wins, 15 goals ... Draws 1
AT SALT LAKE: (4 meetings): Real 2 wins, 6 goals ... Galaxy 1 win, 5 goals ... Draws 1
• This is the final of three meetings between the clubs this season, the only one to be played at Rice-Eccles Stadium. The teams split their first two meetings this season, both at The Home Depot Center.
• A year ago, the teams evenly split their season series, each winning once at home and once away as they traded victories. The last three wins were all by shutout.
• When RSL scored the equalizing goal in their 1-1 draw on June 22, 2005 against the Galaxy, it marked the club's first goal after 557 scoreless minutes - which was the MLS record until this season.
• Coaches record: Jason Kreis v LA: P2 W1 L1 D0 ... Frank Yallop vs. RSL: P4 W2 L2 D0
2007 (MLS)
6/17: LA 3, RSL 2 (Jaqua 3; Buddle 25; Jones 65 - C. Brown 6, 73)
9/1: LA 1, RSL 2 (Gordon 6 - Findley 67; Pope 71)
• In the first meeting between the teams, the LA Galaxy claimed a 3-2 on June 17 on Victoria Street. Nate Jaqua knocked in the rebound from a goalline clearance in the third minute, but Chris Brown hit for the equalizer three minutes later.
• Edson Buddle again put the Galaxy on top in the 25th minute, from an Abel Xavier long all, then Cobi Jones hit for the eventual game-winner, side-footing home a Kyle Martino pass. Brown scored his second game of the eight minutes for the final scoreline, heading home a Freddy Adu corner.
• In the last meeting, RSL won in back-to-back games for the first time on the season, coming back for a 2-1 victory in Carson.
• The Galaxy opened the scoring quickly, after just six minutes. Peter Vagenas and Landon Donovan played a neat one-two on the right and Donovan swung in a cross to the spot. Alan Gordon rose up to nod down the service past RSL 'keeper Nick Rimando.
• The Galaxy held the lead into the final half hour, then things started unraveling. First, on the counter, Andy Williams sent Robbie Findley in behind the Galaxy defense and he finished well against the club that had dealt him away in July for a 67th-minute equalizer.
• Four minutes later the Galaxy were trailing. Alecko Eskandarian put a free kick on target and Steve Cronin made the save, but Eddie Pope was there to knock home the rebound for the eventual game-winner.
• The Galaxy finished the game a man down when Troy Roberts was sent off with 12 minutes to play after being booked twice in the span of eight minutes.
• Here's Yallop's team (4-4-2): Steve Cronin - Chris Klein, Troy Roberts, Abel Xavier, Mike Randolph - Landon Donovan, Kevin Harmse, Peter Vagenas (Gavin Glinton 88), Kyle Martino (Cobi Jones 65) - Edson Buddle (Carlos Pavon 70), Alan Gordon. Substitutes Not Used: Joe Cannon, Mike Caso, Josh Tudela, Kyle Veris
• Here's Kreis's team (4-2-3-1): Nick Rimando - Jean-Martial Kipre, Matias Mantilla, Eddie Pope, Ritchie Kotschau - Kyle Beckerman, Carey Talley - Chris Brown (Robbie Findley 58), Javier Morales (Andy Williams 63), Fabian Espindola (Chris Wingert 75) - Alecko Eskandarian. Substitutes Not Used: Nikolas Besagno, Atiba Harris, Chris Lancos, Chris Seitz REAL SALT LAKE
Real Salt Lake finished their four-game road trip with a draw after a win and two losses, playing a man down for 55 minutes before holding on for a scoreless result against Toronto FC last Saturday at BMO Field. Real now have 19 points from 24 matches, two ahead of the LA Galaxy in the Western Conference and 11 points out of the final playoff spot with six games to play.
LAST MATCH
• The losing streak had reached four, and the unbeaten streak nine, as Toronto FC were still looking for a first goal since July 7. Real Salt Lake had once again lost back-to-back matches after winning consecutive games for the first time all year, after their midweek loss at D.C. United.
• In the 34th minute, a fracas ensued and changed the game. Aggrieved by what he felt was a hard tackle from Marvell Wynne, RSL midfielder Fabian Espindola charged at the TFC fullback, and after the resulting contact was sent off by referee Tim Weyland.
• Minutes before, TFC had shown the kind of stretch it's been. Marvell Wynne burst through on the right to latch onto a loose ball in the area, but his low shot was parried well by RSL 'keeper Nick Rimando. Then seconds later a cross fell to Todd Dunivant all alone in the six with an open goal gaping, but by the time he tried to take a second touch, Rimando had flown across to knock the ball off his foot.
• Toronto FC dominated the match from there out. They set new team highs for shots (24) and shots on goal, as Rimando made 12 saves, but still couldn't find a way to the back of the net. The club's MLS-record scoreless streak now stands at 822 minutes.
• Real head coach Jason Kreis made two changes to the team that lost 2-1 to D.C. United on Wednesday in the nation's capital, both in his back four. Chris Lancos and Eddie Pope came in along the back line, in place of Jean-Martial Kipré and Ritchie Kotschau.
• Here's Kreis's team (4-2-3-1): Nick Rimando - Chris Lancos, Matias Mantilla, Eddie Pope, Chris Wingert - Carey Talley, Kyle Beckerman - Fabian Espindola, Javier Morales (Ritchie Kotschau 47), Chris Brown (Robbie Findley 62) - Alecko Eskandarian (Andy Williams 71). Substitutes Not Used: Atiba Harris, Kyle Brown, Jean-Martial Kipre, Chris Seitz
• "They were obviously the better team tonight and created a lot of chances," Kreis said. "There aren't a whole lot of positives I can say about our team's game except that they fought very hard."
TEAM NEWS
• The Real goalkeeper emerged from the match with his fifth clean sheet of the season and raised his MLS-leading save total to 121. By comparison, New England's Matt Reis is second in the league with 98 saves, and Reis had played 25 games to Rimando's 22. "Nick Rimando, in my eyes, has been so good that I think we should give him two MVP trophies," Kreis said.
• Real Salt Lake ended their four-game road trip with a 1-2-1 record and now have four of their remaining six games back at Rice-Eccles Stadium. But it certainly looked like RSL was destined for their ninth loss in 13 road games this season.
• "They were knocking on the door all day searching for that elusive goal," said Eddie Pope. "We went down a man, had our backs against the wall ... certainly we could've crumbled at some point and given up a goal. But we were able to fight, scratch and all that stuff and get out of here with a point."
• However, RSL took small solace in the fact that they were able to keep Toronto's scoreless streak alive. RSL's record 557 scoreless minutes in 2005 stood as the league record until TFC's drought this season.
• "You know they'll be pushing and pushing, trying extra hard," Pope said. "The thing about it is we've been in that position ... when you haven't gotten a win or haven't scored a goal in however many games. We've been there in their shoes and we knew how hungry they would be. But we also knew that if we held fast and stood up to it we'd be difficult to score on. Nick Rimando in goal, he was unbelievable."
• Despite the draw that felt like a victory, the bare truth is that RSL needed the full three points if they were to have any real chance to claim a first playoff berth in club history.
• "We came into this game feeling like there was 21 points on the table [over the rest of the season] and we were probably going to need to get all 21 of them to have a very realistic shot at the playoffs," Kreis said. "Now we're going to need probably a couple of teams to falter for us to have a chance." LOS ANGELES GALAXY
The Los Angeles Galaxy now have just one win in their last 10 league games, Houston Dynamo snapping a 1-1 tie with two second-half goals for a 3-1 win Sunday evening at The Home Depot Center. The Galaxy are still in sixth place in the Western Conference with 17 points from 22 matches, now 13 points out of the last playoff spot and two points behind Real Salt Lake in the division
LAST MATCH
• Dynamo came in riding a four-game unbeaten streak but out of first place in the Western Conference for the first time in months, while the Galaxy were coming off a Thursday 3-0 loss in the Super Clasico to Chivas USA, their seventh reverse in eight matches.
• The teams traded goals from corner kicks midway through the first half. Richard Mulrooney swung one in from the left that was nodded on on its way through the mixer, and Ryan Cochrane slipped it at the back post to knock it first-time into the roof of the goal (21). It was just his second career goal in MLS. But five minutes later the Galaxy pulled level when Alan Gordon shook his marker and snapped home Landon Donovan's service with a free header.
• Barely seconds into the second half, Dynamo regained the lead. From the kickoff, the ball went into the right corner, and Brian Mullan nicked it away from Mike Randolph before slipping into the area. Mullan was pulled down by the young Galaxy fullback, and Dwayne De Rosario duly converted the resulting penalty kick.
• Dynamo finished off the win in the 73rd minute by punishing another mistake. Ricardo Clark and De Rosario tried to play a neat one-two at the top of the Galaxy area, and as the ball slipped behind the two Galaxy defenders, both held up, allowing Clark to sneak behind them and slap home a low shot.
• LA head coach Frank Yallop made two changes to the team that lost 3-0 to Chivas USA in the final Super Clasíco of the season on Thursday evening. Troy Roberts came in for Abel Xavier in central defense and Alan Gordon replaced Carlos Pavon in attack.
• Here's Yallop's team (4-3-1-2): Joe Cannon - Chris Klein, Ty Harden, Troy Roberts, Mike Randolph - Cobi Jones, Peter Vagenas (Carlos Pavon 79), Kyle Martino - Landon Donovan - Gavin Glinton (Kelly Gray 64), Alan Gordon (Edson Buddle 69). Substitutes Not Used: Steve Cronin, Quavas Kirk, Israel Sesay, Josh Tudela
• "You can't give goals away like we did tonight. Talk about a long year -- I keep saying that, but we are so naïve in certain spots. We are so naïve with our fight and our will to do better. We just expect that another goal has gone in and guys just don't take responsibility," Yallop said. "A lot of times, you have to make sure that you feel like something is your fault, and a lot of guys don't. They think that the players think that maybe they could have done in a situation, but they don't take responsibility and that's difficult."
TEAM NEWS
• With the desperation of needing the full points from the games still in hand, there was some hope the team would react. But the early goal in the second half took the wind of the Galaxy's sails.
• "You just have to hope that everyone goes home and kind of lets this hurt a little bit," said goalkeeper Joe Cannon. "I think there are some people around here, you get the feeling that they don't, and that's the most frustrating part. I didn't have a summer this year, and there are a lot of guys that feel like that, but there are some that don't."
• Defensive breakdowns have been an issue for the club, which has run out a young group this season. Neither Mike Randolph nor Ty Harden had made a full league appearance before this season, while Chris Klein has spent much of his career as a wide midfielder. In addition, Troy Roberts and Kyle Veris had made a total of 38 appearances between them entering the year. Sunday, Chris Albright, Ante Jazic and Abel Xavier were all unavailable injured.
• "Again, our confidence level is poor, especially in the back. We are nervous and indecisive. All the things you are not supposed to be as a defender, we are. Granted, there are some young kids back there, but they have played a lot of games, including Mike Randolph. He's played enough games to have learned and know what to do, and how to conduct himself. Yeah, he gives a penalty away and he drops he's head down," Yallop said. "Troy Roberts and Ty Harden have both played a lot of matches, and Chris Klein's not a defender, but he's an experienced player. As a group, we just expected it."
• Kelly Gray made his first appearance in seven matches, coming on for the final 26 minutes for Gavin Glinton.
• "He's trained one day, and he's played 30 minutes in one match. We are down to bare bones. It's not an ideal situation for Kelly," Yallop said. "He comes into the game and tries his best. He's miles of being game fit, and miles of being any kind of stamp on the game. Usually Kelly is a smart player. He handles the ball well, but we don't have a lot of options. That's the thing."
