Galaxy victimized by Casey hat trick
LA has no answer for Colorado forward in home loss
The Colorado Rapids forward carved open the home team's back line in a Galaxy 3-2 loss at The Home Depot Center. The Galaxy defense couldn't keep track of Casey as he finished the night with his second career hat trick.
Casey scored 16 seconds into the match, also in the 50th minute and sent home the game-winner in the 84th minute.
Casey's second goal pulled the Rapids back into a 2-2 tie, after Omar Gonzalez scored his first career goal and Alan Gordon netted early in the second half to put the Galaxy into the lead. Then after Dema Kovalenko was sent off with a half-hour to play, when it appeared the Galaxy were headed to a second consecutive 2-2 draw, Casey snuck past the defense again.
Colin Clark sent a pass behind the Galaxy defense and Casey, who scored three goals in a 5-4 win against New York last year, had only Galaxy goalkeeper Josh Saunders to beat. He faked right then sped to his left around Saunders before tapping in a relatively easy goal.
Casey made all of his goals look easy with the help of Clark and forward Omar Cummings.
On his second goal of the night, Casey took a long rolling pass from Cummings, beating Saunders once again. It resembled his first, which came 16 seconds into the match.
It was the second fastest goal in MLS history, behind Dwayne De Rosario's record score 11 seconds into a San Jose-Dallas match on Sept. 27, 2003.
The quick goal came when Cummings sent another rolling pass from right to left into the area, finding Casey near the left post. Casey tapped in the ball for the easy score.
Casey's scoring play originated from a botched Galaxy opening kickoff. Gordon, who was subbed by Bryan Jordan in the 82nd minute, sent an off-target pass to open space, forcing Eddie Lewis to chase the ball to the sideline. He used his knee to keep it from rolling out.
But he didn't keep it away from Colorado's Ugo Ihemelu, who sent the ball into free space in the Galaxy end. That's where Cummings found space to send the rolling cross to Casey. Saunders dove but couldn't reach it before Casey tapped home.
Gonzalez, the Galaxy's first-round pick (No. 4 overall) in this year's Super Draft, got some redemption by scoring his first MLS goal. It came in the 37th minute off a Donovan corner kick.
Gonzalez's header beat Rapids goalkeeper Preston Burpo. Gonzalez beat Colorado defender Jordan Harvey to the ball.
The Galaxy took a 2-1 lead in the 48th minute when Gordon sent in a Landon Donovan rolling pass from left to right. Gordon, who made his first start of the season, can thank Donovan for the pinpoint pass but it was Sean Franklin who helped create the play. Franklin sprinted through two defenders before feeding Donovan with a filtered pass in the area.
Kovalenko was sent off in the 58th minute for a foul on Colorado's Mehdi Ballouchy, shown a straight red card by referee Michael Kennedy.
Both teams will meet again at The Home Depot Center on Tuesday in a U.S. Open Cup play-in game.
Ivan Orozco is a contributor to MLSnet.com.
Colorado Rapids
(2-1-0)
vs. Los Angeles Galaxy
(0-1-1)
April 04, 2009 -- The Home Depot Center
Scoring Summary:
COL --
Conor Casey 1
(Omar Cummings 1, Ugo Ihemelu 1)
1
LA --
Omar Gonzalez 1
(Landon Donovan 1)
37
LA --
Alan Gordon 1
(Landon Donovan 2, Sean Franklin 1)
48
COL --
Conor Casey 2
(Omar Cummings 2, Mehdi Ballouchy 1)
49
COL --
Conor Casey 3
(Colin Clark 2)
84
Colorado Rapids -- Preston Burpo, Kosuke Kimura, Cory Gibbs (Ty Harden 88), Ugo Ihemelu, Jordan Harvey, Nick LaBrocca, Mehdi Ballouchy (Jacob Peterson 79), Pablo Mastroeni (Terry Cooke 68), Colin Clark, Conor Casey, Omar Cummings.
Substitutes Not Used: Steward Ceus, Greg Dalby, Ivan Guerrero, Ross Schunk
Los Angeles Galaxy -- Josh Saunders, Omar Gonzalez, Tony Sanneh, Sean Franklin, Eddie Lewis (A.J. DeLaGarza 77), Chris Klein, Dema Kovalenko, Josh Tudela, Kyle Patterson (Stefani Miglioranzi 62), Landon Donovan, Alan Gordon (Bryan Jordan 82),
Substitutes Not Used: Miguel Benitez, Gregg Berhalter, Jovan Kirovski, Yohance Marshall
| Los Angeles Galaxy | Colorado Rapids | |||
| total shots: | 4 | (4 tied with 1) | 6 | (Conor Casey 5) |
| shots on goal: | 2 |
(Omar Gonzalez 1, Alan Gordon 1) | 3 | (Conor Casey 3) |
| fouls: | 9 | (3 tied with 2) | 11 | (Conor Casey 4) |
| offsides: | 6 | (Landon Donovan 4) | 3 | (Conor Casey 2) |
| corner kicks: | 3 | (Landon Donovan 2) | 1 | (Mehdi Ballouchy 1) |
| saves: | 0 | 0 | ||
Misconduct Summary:
COL -- Cory Gibbs (caution; Dissent) 46+
LA -- Dema Kovalenko (ejection; Serious Foul Play) 59
COL -- Conor Casey (caution; Persistent Infringement) 63
COL -- Mehdi Ballouchy (caution; Tactical Foul) 66
referee: Michael Kennedy
Referee's Assistants: Paul Scott; Frank Anderson
4th official: Jasen Anno
time of game: 1:52
attendance: 16,709
weather: Clear -and- 59 degrees
All statistics contained in this boxscore are unofficial
