The Los Angeles Galaxy kept their playoff hopes alive with a 2-1 comeback win against Houston Dynamo on Sunday at Robertson Stadium, in front of the Dynamo's first sellout crowd in team history.
Houston scored the first goal of the game as Nate Jaqua hit home in the 21st minute, but Carlos Pavon tied the score for the Galaxy just before halftime and Gavin Glinton hit for the game-winner in the 77th minute to disappoint the crowd of 30,588.
With the win, L.A. won their fourth consecutive game and remained within six points of eighth-place Chicago, while Houston fell to second place in the Western Conference, trailing Chivas USA by three points.
Houston was playing the game without All-Star midfielder Ricardo Clark, who was missing the first of his MLS record nine-game suspension. Just before kickoff, Brian Mullan was inserted into the Dynamo starting lineup for U.S. international forward Brian Ching, who had a tight back.
Dynamo got the game's first chance in the 10th minute when Joseph Ngwenya received a pass from Brian Mullan in the left side of the area, but Joe Cannon came off his line to bat away Ngwenya's shot. A minute later, Richard Mulrooney let one go from 30 yards out in the center of the field, but his rocket went high.
Cobi Jones let loose with LA's first shot in the 14th minute when he let loose a bullet from just right of the restraining arc that Pat Onstad caught easily.
The Orange got on the board in the 21st minute as Jaqua scored his seventh goal of the season. Ngwenya went up the right side and crossed a pass into the box for Dwayne DeRosario, but when it went by DeRosario, Jaqua was there to corral it and knock it into the right corner.
The Galaxy nearly knotted the score 10 minutes later, but Pavon's header from in front of the area went right into Onstad's waiting hands.
But, the Galaxy tied the game just before halftime on a goal by Pavon. Landon Donovan served Pavon a pass in the left side of the area, and Pavon let a one-timer go that went past a diving Onstad and inside the far post for his third MLS goal.
To start the second half, Houston tcame close. Craig Waibel served the ball into the middle of the box where Jaqua headed it to Ngwenya in the right of the area, but his shot went outside the post. LA went back down the field and Glinton, who had come on at halftime, let loose a shot in the box that Onstad stopped to keep the game tied.
The Galaxy stayed on the attack with Donovan going through the left side of the area and letting loose a dribbler that Onstad made a diving save on. Jones followed a minute later with a shot from outside the box that went high. In the 53rd minute, Pavon let loose a direct kick from 30 yards out on the right side that sailed high.
DeRosario countered for the Dynamo in the 54th minute with a shot on goal from the left box that Cannon got down on his knees to corral. Six minutes later, Mullan took possession of a loose ball outside the right box and dribbled into the right area where he passed it to Corey Ashe, who was wide open in front of the goal area. Ashe, however, let loose a bouncer that went over the net.
In the 66th minute, Waibel served up a pass from outside the right box in the area that Stuart Holden headed on, but before Jaqua could head it in, Cannon came off his line to haul it in.
L.A. took the lead in the 77th minute. From a Donovan free kick from the left side, Jones headed it from the center of the area back across the goal. Glinton came racing in from outside the post and past Onstad for the goal, his third in the last five matches.
Houston attacked from the kickoff, but a Ryan Cochrane shot in the 79th minute sailed high. Perhaps Houston's best chance for a tie came in the 87th minute when Ngwenya got his foot on the ball in the area and moved just to the left of Cannon before taking a shot that went just outside the lower post.
In second-half stoppage time, substitute Brad Davis let loose a weak shot in the box that dribbled just to the left of the goal that Cannon picked up. DeRosario then had two chances to tie it, but his shot from the center went high but not before being deflected.
On the second of two corner kicks, DeRosario headed it just above the crossbar. On the scramble that followed a third corner kick, Jaqua had one final shot for Houston in the middle of the box that went just outside the foot of the post, and the Galaxy held on for their fourth victory in a row.
Jeremy Rakes is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
