and when he was tripped up in the area by Marco Reda, referee Terry Vaughn sent him off. Landon Donovan stepped up to complete the maximum sanction by converting from the spot.
• But in the 68th minute the Reds drew level. Chris Pozniak sent a long pass from the center circle, and after holding off a defender Collin Samuel hit a low drive from outside the box that beat Joe Cannon for his second goal on the season.
• Yet the Galaxy would not be denied, and again it was a substitute who made a difference seconds after coming on. Donovan unlocked the TFC defense with a through ball on the right for Chris Klein, and he drove a low cross across the face of goal where Edson Buddle strolled in to knock into the goal, immediately after making his entrance, and the Galaxy were still alive.
• Galaxy head coach Frank Yallop made one change to the team that defeated Houston Dynamo 2-1 at Robertson Stadium the Sunday before. Mike Randolph came back into the back four, in place of the injured Ty Harden.
• Here's Yallop's team (4-4-1-1): Joe Cannon - Chris Klein, Ante Jazic, Troy Roberts, Mike Randolph - Cobi Jones, Josh Tudela (Edson Buddle 77), Peter Vagenas (Kevin Harmse 69), Kyle Martino (Gavin Glinton 53) - Landon Donovan - Carlos Pavon. Substitutes Not Used: Mike Caso, Steve Cronin, Kelly Gray, Abel Xavier
• "It wasn't the greatest game, but at this point we know that we need three points and we got three points, and that's all that matters, to be honest," Yallop said. "At the end of the game, we did what we needed to do and got the result."
TEAM NEWS
• Yallop's two attacking substitutions made all the difference shortly after each came onto the field. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don't. With Edson (Buddle), he played well when he first came here, and then he had that hamstring injury," Yallop said. "Gavin's been the guy off the bench for us. Edson did a good job and scored the winning goal against his old team. A few guys scored against us after we traded them, so it was nice to turn it around and have one of our players score against one of his old teams, and to be the winning goal. It was important to him, I think."
• As well, bringing Glinton on gave the Galaxy two out-and-out strikers and moved Landon Donovan into a wide attacking role from his spot as an underneath forward as he had been playing for the entirety of the Galaxy's hot streak.
• "It wasn't easy to find space during the first half, and we did a good job being organized and difficult to break down. We talked about moving the ball quicker, and taking more chances with our attack. We were sort of too safe," Yallop said. "I think at this time of year we have to take risks. Kyle Martino has struggled with injuries, so we decided to get him off and get Gavin on, and move Landon. Landon found a little more space wide left than in the middle. Landon is one of the best players, if not the best player, in this league. When you give him time and space, he picks players out and does the right things. He wins you games."
• Said Donovan: "The first half (Toronto) never looked like they cared about coming to play the game, so it was difficult. It was frustrating having all the possession but not getting anywhere. (In the second half) when I went out to the left I got a little more space, we opened up, and tactically we did things a little better."
• The Galaxy are now in a position where a draw with New York does not even hurt. Even with a single point against the Red Bulls, LA could still defeat the Chicago Fire on Sunday and qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs, assuming results go the right way on Saturday night in Dallas and Colorado.
• "Winning boasts confidence. We can't wait 'til Thursday. It's five wins in a row and no matter what, any coach is happy with that," Yallop said. " ... I think for us talking about this, the playoffs, it's quite surprising. But all along I didn't think this team was so bad, and some people gave up on us and me. And here we are. And it's good because it shuts some people up, and that had a dig at us and the players. It's nice to at least have the chance to make the playoffs now."
• Added Donovan: "Frank, like the rest of us, is relaxed. He's able to just go on his instincts right now. His instincts are good and that's when he's best. He's been allowed to do that, and we're seeing the results."
• Yallop said he intends to not "change a winner," and keep his team the same for the Red Bulls - even as David Beckham has returned to full training. "He would be a pretty valuable substitute I would think if he's available for our team," Yallop said. "We know the quality of David and what he brings to the team, so if he is feeling good and we want to do it, we will."
NEW YORK RED BULLS
The New York Red Bulls won for the first time since Sept. 1, getting two goals from Juan Pablo Angel for a 2-1 win against the Kansas City Wizards on Saturday night at Giants Stadium. The Red Bulls have 42 points with one game remaining, and already know they face an Eastern Conference Semifinal Series against the New England Revolution.
LAST MATCH
• The Wizards came into the game with just one win in their last seven games as they gamely tried to secure a place in the MLS postseason for the first time since 2005, while the Red Bulls were already secure in their place and matchup despite a five-game winless run.
• All the goals came in a six-minute span midway through the first half. The Red Bulls pulled level in the 18th minute from the penalty spot. Dave van den Bergh's cross from the left side banged off Jose Burciaga Jr's arm, and referee Mark Geiger immediately awarded the penalty, which Juan Pablo Angel thumped home.
• But three minutes the Wizards were level. Davy Arnaud swung in a free kick from the left touchline and Jack Jewsbury rose up to send a glancing header goalward for his second goal on the campaign.
• Yet three minutes later, the Red Bulls had pulled back in front. Burciaga lost the ball on the turf and Dane Richards alerted latched onto it, racing free toward goal before sliding a centering pass that Angel tapped in for his 19th goal on the season.
• New York goalkeeper Jon Conway then secured the full three points for the Red Bulls in the second half after Carlos Mendes hauled down Scott Sealy in the area and Geiger again called for a spot kick. But Conway dove to his right to stop Eddie Johnson's effort.
• Red Bulls manager Bruce Arena made four changes to the team that lost 2-1 to Toronto FC the Saturday before. Jon Conway returned to goal in place of Ronald Waterreus, while Hunter Freeman and Carlos Mendes came into the back four as Chris Leitch went to the substitutes' bench and Joe Vide was suspended. Francis Doe also came into the team as Clint Mathis returned to the bench.
• Here's Arena's team (4-4-2): Jon Conway - Hunter Freeman, Carlos Mendes, Jeff Parke, Dave van den Bergh - Dane Richards, Dema Kovalenko, Seth Stammler, Jozy Altidore (John Wolyniec 91+) - Francis Doe (Clint Mathis 74), Juan Pablo Angel. Substitutes Not Used: Elie Ikangu, Chris Leitch, Markus Schopp, Sinisa Ubiparipovic, Ronald Waterreus
• "As always the first goal is important, yet we certainly managed to let that disappear real quickly, which has been a characteristic of our team that is disappointing. The second goal we obviously capitalized on a mistake and then the penalty kick that they had in the early part of the second half was a very good save by Jon [Conway]," Arena said. "Kansas City came at us and we had the opportunity to get the third goal, but we didn't and probably sustained a lot of pressure for the last 20 minutes of the game."
TEAM NEWS
• Among the changes to Arena's team, he brought both Jon Conway and Carlos Mendes into the starting XI for the first time since the two combined for a costly own goal at New England Aug. 25. He also brought Hunter Freeman back, starting him in place of Chris Leitch, who had an own goal in a 2-1 loss at Toronto.
• "I'm not sure if everything is fixed, but it was good to see some of these guys fit back in. Since the last game, we had quite a few changes and with Conway in goal. With [Hunter] Freeman, I have been waiting a few weeks to pick an opportunity to let him play, along with [Carlos] Mendes," Arena said. " ... I don't think any of our first 11, with a few exceptions, have merited starts each and every game. We haven't really had a good run over the past few weeks and defensively we haven't played well enough. I thought it was a good opportunity to start Jon and I thought he performed well."
• On the attacking end, Arena once again aligned Jozy Altidore in a wide midfield role while starting Francis Doe alongside Juan Pablo Angel. But that meant that Angel often played as the second forward, dropping underneath to combine in the attack.
• "In different situations of the game, we were playing literally with three or four forwards, and one of us have to drop to the middle to get the ball, otherwise it was going to be a big gap between the midfielders and the strikers," Angel said. "It's not my strength, it's not what I like to do, but for the circumstances, you have to do it." Said Arena: "He typically does and when Francis [Doe] plays alongside him. Francis holds the ball very well and it's a good combination because they play well off of each other."
• Penalty kicks were also a theme. Over the first month of the season, the Red Bulls missed two penalties in competition - in the Open Cup loss to the Galaxy on May 8, and against Houston in league play on April 21 - and that came after missing two in the preseason. However, Angel is now 5-for-5 from the spot. In addition, Jon Conway saved Eddie Johnson's effort to preserve the tie.
• "I haven't stopped one since I've been here," Conway said. "In San Jose I stopped a few, but since I got here I hadn't stopped one. I got a little bit of a read on Johnson was trying to do."
• It was the first time in six games - and just the second time since mid-August - the Red Bulls allowed less than two goals in a game.
• "We've been giving up a lot of goals and as a defender I look at it as mainly our fault," Jeff Parke said. "If we can't get the ball in the net, we're not going to win, but if we hold (the opponent) to no goals or a goal, I think our offense is potent enough to keep us in the game."
