The Los Angeles Galaxy nearly handed a little payback to Real Salt Lake, until a stunning freekick goal left the teams with a 2-2 draw in a frantic affair Wednesday night at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Goals from four different players -- all in the second half -- highlighted an even affair between the Western Conference's bottom two teams, fighting to keep their slim chances alive of making the playoffs.
A few weeks ago at The Home Depot Center, the Galaxy held a 1-0 lead late into the second half until RSL scored twice within four minutes for an eventual 2-1 victory. And then Wednesday, goals six minutes apart from Landon Donovan and Gavin Glinton after Carey Talley scored seemed to have provided a response. But Javier Morales scored from a free kick barely a minute later for the game-tying goal.
The single point left the teams still at the bottom of the MLS overall table, RSL with 20 points and the Galaxy with 18. The Chicago Fire still sit in eighth place with 30 points; any combination of six points won by the Fire or lost by Real will eliminate the Utah club from playoff consideration.
The home side pinned the Galaxy into their own end from the opening minutes of play. After just three minutes, LA goalkeeper Joe Cannon made easy work of a strike from RSL front-man Alecko Eskandarian.
But the Galaxy just missed taking the lead in the 10th minute. Edson Buddle received a cross about 10 yards from goal, and despite RSL defender Ritchie Kotschau marking him tightly, Buddle was still able to spin off Kotschau and put a shot on goal that goalie Nick Rimando had to dive to deflect onto the post.
After absorbing a few more waves of Salt Lake attacks the Galaxy put some offense together in the 24th minute that led to a dangerously positioned freekick for LA. Donovan curled the set piece into the back post but narrowly missed the head of a diving Carlos Pavon.
Cannon was busy keeping his net clean over the following couple of minutes, facing a pair of chances from RSL. In the 26th minute, Cannon did well to track a volley from Yura Movsisyan through heavy traffic and push it just wide of the goal, the ball brushing the outside of the post on its way by. Then in the 27th minute, Cannon leaped high to stonewall a close header from Robbie Findley.
Just before the break Cannon got some more help from the woodwork to keep the shutout going into halftime. Kyle Beckerman carried the ball to the endline and then chipped Cannon, but luckily for the Galaxy it didn't beat the crossbar as it glanced off the frame and bounced away from the goal.
Real took the lead in the 56th minute. Yura Movsisyan, playing his first game with RSL after being traded from the Kansas City Wizards last week, found himself alone with the ball in the area after Cannon spilled a rebound. As he tried to touch it across the face of goal, Cannon pulled on the foot of the Salt Lake striker, sending him to the turf. Referee Terry Vaughn immediately pointed to the spot and Talley stepped up to convert, burying a hard shot into the left corner as Cannon went the other way.
A sloppy moment in the back nearly led to a second Salt Lake goal in the 61st minute. Defender Troy Roberts knocked the ball away from a rushing RSL attacker, but he also knocked it away from his own 'keeper. With Cannon out of position, the ball bouncing toward an open net, and Eskandarian crashing into the area, Roberts scrambled to the loose ball and skied it over the endline before Eskandarian could reach the play.
The Galaxy pulled level in the 79th minute after some hard work from left back Mike Randolph. He stormed the Salt Lake penalty area and fought to maintain possession before being pulled down from behind by Jean-Martial Kipre. Vaughn again pointed to the spot and Donovan, who had missed his two most recent penalty kick attempts this season -- including in the RSL game in Carson -- this time buried his chance.
The Galaxy comeback was completed in the 85th minute from a wonderful pass by Donovan. Skipping through midfield, he picked out a streaking Glinton running from deep and led him through with a perfect ball into the area that Glinton placed hard, low and into the back of the net.
But the lead didn't last long. Morales, who had been on the field for less than a minute, whipped in a free kick around the right side of the wall, beating Cannon for his first MLS goal.
Morales created some more danger for the Galaxy over the final minutes. He sent a pass into the area that just missed connecting, then he did find Kyle Brown with a cross from the left, but Brown put his clear header right into Cannon's chest from the center of the area.
Morales connected with Chris Brown in stoppage time and came inches from a dramatic game-winner. Brown's header beat Cannon but was chested off the line by Galaxy midfielder Kelly Gray, Cannon scrambling back to punch it away as it almost crossed the line on the other side.
Scott McAllister is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
