Landon Donovan and Kyle Martino might have played the role of heroes against the Chicago Fire, but it was a team effort that led the Los Angeles Galaxy to just their third win of the season. Martino drew two penalty kicks and Donovan put them away to lead the Galaxy to a 2-0 win Wednesday against the visiting Fire.
Jon Busch came up with a half-dozen saves for Chicago to keep the game from turning into a blowout, but it was the effort of the Galaxy on the defensive side of the ball that was the difference in the game. Los Angeles allowed just two shots all night long, both coming after the 70-minute mark, and neither was on target.
"It was a good performance by us. I felt we worked hard all week at certain things in the game and I think they came out in the match," said Galaxy head coach Frank Yallop. "I was very pleased with the dedication and spirit of the team. I think the whole team, defending-wise, was what we were trying to achieve. I think it was good solid teamwork that got us the result tonight."
It was a much different atmosphere both on the field and in the locker room. There had been a cloud of tension surrounding the team, and at least for a night, the cloud seemed to have been lifted. Following the game the entire Galaxy squad gathered in the center circle and huddled together. It was a literal showing of a team starting to come together.
"We're starting to see things coming out of players that we knew they were capable of, results coming that we new we were capable of getting," said Kyle Martino. "Everything's been said, it's all been put out there. I think that (huddle) was an opportunity for us to say it here, 'guys, it's starting to come together.' We can't shake hands yet because we all realize this is a stepping-stone."
It was Martino's aggressive runs into the penalty area that led to both Galaxy goals, and after the match Donovan, who converted both spot kicks, had nothing but praise for his teammate.
"Kyle's been great. Kyle's probably been out best player all year," said Donovan. "He's just hard to play against. Every time he has the ball he's making his defender nervous. He's aggressive and he's going at people. Tonight he deservedly got two penalties."
Donovan also joked about his recent run from 12 yards out. In addition to his two goals Wednesday, Donovan scored four goals from the penalty spot for the U.S. national team in the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
"It's the only way I score now," said Donovan. "My last six goals have come from penalties. That's all right -- freebies."
But even with two goals, the focus in the locker room continued to return to the defensive effort. A week ago the Galaxy had given up three goals to Columbus, two from set pieces, and players were calling each other out. Those calls were answered against the Fire.
"Finally we put together a 90-minute performance where we defended. I don't know if Chicago even had a shot," said left back Ante Jazic, before being told that the Fire had indeed recorded two official shots. "I don't even remember which shots they had. If we have that kind of effort we're going to beat a lot of teams because we have too much quality going forward."
With all the changes made recently in the roster, there are still some worries within the squad, but results dictate the attitude in the front office, and the club has spent the last week addressing their problems internally.
"We talked all week that as a unit we have to put things together. We have to play well for 90 minutes and we haven't been doing that. We've been so inconsistent," said Jazic. "Every player had the right attitude today. I won't lie to you -- everyone's been on edge. But the only way to keep our jobs is by winning games."
The Galaxy managed to do that with an impressive collective effort. With several games in hand on all their Western Conference foes, Los Angeles is poised to make a move in the standings, but it will take consistency over the course of the rest of the season, rather than just 90 minutes, to accomplish that.
Greg Daurio is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
