The Los Angeles Galaxy ended their 2006 season on a high note Saturday night. In front of a sellout crowd intent on sending out their heroes with raucous support, the Galaxy routed FC Dallas 5-2. Prior to the game Landon Donovan was named the team MVP, and then showed his worth, scoring two first-half goals to pace the home side.
While Donovan was pleased with his team's efforts, there was an air of frustration in the Galaxy locker room following the match.
For the first time in MLS postseason history the Green-and-Gold will not take part. A lesser team could easily have thrown in the towel and put in a lackluster performance. But the Galaxy is a club comprised of tradition and champions, so anything less than 100 percent effort just wouldn't be good enough.
"I don't know how much you take from this. I'm proud of how the guys played," said Donovan. "This could be a game where guys say 'whatever' and don't care.
"It's frustrating. Really looking back since (Galaxy head coach) Frank (Yallop) has been here, if you carry that out over a full season, we really could have been the best team in the league. That's not the way it goes."
Cobi Jones, who will be missing the playoffs for the first time in his 11-year MLS career, echoed his teammate's sentiments following the game.
"This result doesn't matter. Let's be honest. This result is good for our egos going into the offseason," Jones said. "But when it comes to next season, this will have nothing to do with it. We'll have new players. It's a new year. It's a completely different scheme."
What was most frustrating for the Galaxy on Saturday was just how well they played. The offense put five goals on the board and easily could have added another five. There have been brief flashes of that type of performance all season long, but it's the long stretches between those games that has the Galaxy on the outside of the playoffs looking in.
"(The result) is frustrating because you see how good we can play," said Galaxy 'keeper Kevin Hartman. "That's kind of disappointing. You're leaving a lot out there on the table, and you're thinking about it. But it's better than thinking about a loss towards the end of the season. It was good to reward the fans who came out for Fan Appreciation Night tonight."
One thing that is clear heading into the winter break, there will be changes in Los Angeles heading into next season. Tonight's game might have been nothing other than a show for the fans, but in some instances, it was a final chance for players to show Yallop that they belong in a Galaxy uniform in '07.
"People who think that Frank isn't watching and (Galaxy GM) Alexi (Lalas) isn't watching the next couple weeks of training -- they're naïve," said Donovan.
One player who may have seen his stock rise a bit tonight is Herculez Gomez. Last year's breakout player for the Galaxy hit a slump this season. Saturday, Gomez was a late addition to the starting 11 after Alan Gordon was scratched with a strained hip flexor. All Gomez did was score a goal and add two assists.
"I thought Herculez played very well tonight. Maybe him being out of the side and watching from the sideline and working very hard in training, in the reserve games, he's listened and tried to add things to his game other than goal scoring," said Yallop. "He was a good team player tonight, and I was happy for him."
So while the season for Los Angeles ended on a positive note, it was overshadowed by inconsistency throughout the season. Yallop is building the team in his vision, and the only thing that is clear in Los Angeles at the moment is that there are many questions that need to be answered before next season opens.
While Saturday's win doesn't do much for the spirits of the Galaxy, it does provide the fans with something to look forward to in anticipation of next season.
Greg Daurio is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
