With their season on the line, having lost a chance to ensure they would finish the season with a trophy and also the biggest name in the squad possibly for the year, the Los Angeles Galaxy started out Saturday night heading the right direction up the mountain they have yet to climb.
But after controlling the run of play for the first hour and taking an immediate lead thanks to Alan Gordon, things unraveled from there as the Galaxy gave up two goals and went down a man in less than 15 minutes before going down to a 2-1 defeat by Real Salt Lake at The Home Depot Center.
The Galaxy showed early signs that they weren't going to pack it in for the season, and trotted out as strong of a team as possible given their injuries. They showed their intentions to be the more aggressive team early on, and for the first time in several games avoided a flat start.
It took just six minutes for the Galaxy to open the scoring. Landon Donovan worked a quick give-and-go with Chris Klein and crossed a ball to the penalty spot. Gordon rose up and won the ball, sailing a header over the outstretched arm of RSL 'keeper Nick Rimando to open the scoring.
The Galaxy continued to press, and Donovan was proving to have quite an effect playing on the right wing. This time he sprung Klein loose in the area with a well weighted diagonal pass. Klein dribbled into the area, cut back across the face of the goal and beat two defenders, but shot high.
Minutes later, Klein sent a ball to the back post where Edson Buddle was waiting. Buddle hit a full volley that looked goalbound, but Rimando got in the way to stop the shot.
Donovan and Klein tried to hook up again in the 32nd minute, this time Donovan played a looping ball over the top of the defense. Klein ran onto it, dribbled into the area and fired from close range, but again Rimando came up big to keep RSL in the game.
Two minutes later the Galaxy had two chances in quick succession. Donovan continued to drive the Galaxy attack, and found Buddle in the penalty area. Buddle shot from close range and Rimando made the save, but coughed it up a bit, allowing the ball to trickle behind him for a corner kick.
On the ensuing corner, Troy Roberts ran free from his marker and got to Donovan's cross at the back post, but his header sailed over the crossbar.
Steve Cronin wasn't forced into his first difficult save of the half until stoppage time. Alecko Eskandarian stepped over a free kick from 20 yards out, and put his shot on target, but Cronin made a diving save to keep the Galaxy in front.
The Galaxy continued to press coming out of the locker room. Just three minutes in, Gordon was trying to run onto a cross and was dragged down in the box by Carey Talley, and referee Abbey Okulaja wasted no time pointing to the spot. Donovan stepped up with a chance to redeem himself after his miss in Wednesday's SuperLiga final, but Rimando guessed correctly and made the save.
The Galaxy defense continued to look well organized, limiting Salt Lake's chances to shots from outside of the area that Cronin had little trouble saving. Real's first threat on goal of the second half came in the 63rd minute, from a long range shot off Eskandarian's right boot that was easily saved.
Cobi Jones came on in the 65th minute and almost paid immediate dividends. He collected a poor clearance off of a corner kick and hit a bending left-footed shot that rung the crossbar.
The Galaxy's inability to finish came back to bite LA seconds later. On the counterattack from Jones' miss, former Galaxy striker Robbie Findley outraced Mike Randolph, dribbled in on Cronin and beat him at the near post to level the game in the 67th minute.
Four minutes later the Galaxy were trailing. Eskandarian fired another free kick on target and Cronin again made the save, but in the scramble for the rebound Eddie Pope poked the ball past Cronin and into the back of the net.
Things went from bad to worse for the Galaxy. Roberts was shown his second yellow in a span of eight minutes to earn himself an early shower and put his team down a man.
Yet the Galaxy showed immediate resilience in the 79th minute. From a free kick Gordon won a header that looked to be on target, but Rimando made another huge save to keep Salt Lake on top.
But that was the last hurrah for the Galaxy, who fell four points behind Real Salt Lake in sixth place in the Western Conference. The only bright spot is that they now have a full week to rest for the first time in more than a month before their next game, at home against Colorado.
Greg Daurio is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
