for the visitors. In the 25th minute, a terrific ball from Brandon McDonald from the center circle freed Chris Klein all alone down the right flank, and he finished with aplomb for the opener.
• Edson Buddle started his goal-scoring bonanza six minutes later. Taking the ball outside the area, he raced forward, powered through a trio of FCD defenders and lashed a left-footed shot home.
• The score was 3-0 in the 34th minute when Duilio Davino deflected a Landon Donovan cross from the left side into his own goal, then five minutes later, Davino popped up a corner kick clearance in the goal area and Buddle came in to poke it home from close range.
• FC Dallas pulled a goal back after the break when Kenny Cooper stood up his defender on the left and popped in a cross from Dominic Oduro to head home for his first goal on the campaign. But 10 minutes after FCD were left a man down when Adrian Serioux was sent off for a hard tackle on David Beckham, Buddle completed his hat trick when he headed home a classic Beckham outswinging early cross from the right flank.
• Galaxy head coach Ruud Gullit made three changes to the team that lost 2-1 to the New York Red Bulls the previous weekend at home. Abel Xavier returned to the back four, in place of Troy Roberts, and Alvaro Pires came into a new-look midfield, in place of Mike Randolph. Edson Buddle also returned to the starting lineup, in pace of Alan Gordon.
• Here's Gullit's team (4-3-2-1): Steve Cronin - Chris Klein, Sean Franklin, Abel Xavier, Greg Vanney - Joe Franchino (Josh Tudela 46), Brandon McDonald, Alvaro Pires (Troy Roberts 53) - David Beckham, Landon Donovan - Edson Buddle. Substitutes Not Used: Ely Allen, Ante Jazic, Mike Randolph, Carlos Ruiz, Josh Wicks
• "I think it was an important game for us, especially after the last game where we lost at home. But we came into this game; we were refreshed; we were ready for it," said David Beckham. "We organized all week and prepared all week for this game, and we knew how good they were and how they played. But I think we started off well. In the first half, especially, we played some really good football, we kept the ball, and we played some really good football."
TEAM NEWS
• Facing FC Dallas, Gullit changed his tactics again for the match, putting Alvaro Pires into the starting lineup in a central midfield triangle along with Brandon McDonald and Joe Franchino, and allowing David Beckham more forward movement to partner with Landon Donovan off the shoulders of Edson Buddle.
• "He (Beckham) had a lot of freedom and played more on top," Galaxy head coach Ruud Gullit said. "I think that worked very well because they didn't know what to do with him. He did a lot of sneaking in behind the fullbacks. That creates problems for the opposition, so we tried to do things that would make his game better than before. We worked hard on that in training and I think today was a good exhibition of that."
• "I think that the team played excellent," Gullit said. "The gameplan worked. The key for us was David (Beckham) going outside and we also got Alvaro (Pires) back, which was important. Putting them in the right positions made it very difficult for them to play their game. We could play our game and I think the first half was excellent. It boosted our confidence."
• With Alan Gordon out with a hamstring injury, Buddle got the chance to return to the lineup and it was an opportunity that he took advantage of. Coming into the game, while the Galaxy led the league with 14 goals scored, just three players had contributed to that total: Donovan (eight), Beckham and Alan Gordon (three each)
• "Edson did really well for us today and it was great for us," Gullit said. "Many people think that only David and Landon can score for us. But last week, it was Gordon and today it was Edson. That means that we have various players now who can score goals and that's good."
• For Buddle, it was his first hat trick since hitting for the trifecta for the MetroStars in a win against Real Salt Lake on Aug. 26, 2006. Buddle once scored four goals in a game for Columbus, Sept. 18, 2004 against the MetroStars.
• "Today, we were able to find each other early and move the ball well," he said. "We played a little bit differently today as far as our formation. We used that very well today and want to continue that on the road, which is tough. They just wanted me to stay busy, active and in motion. If I did that, they told me that the ball would always seem to find me."
• There was pleasure with the effort on the defensive side, as well, for the Galaxy. While FC Dallas recorded a season-high in shots, just one beat Galaxy goalkeeper Steve Cronin - and that after the match was decided. Coming into the week's matches, the Galaxy had allowed 15 goals, tied with Chivas USA for the most in the league through seven weeks.
• "You start defending up front," Gullit said. "If you make mistakes up front and don't track back, then you will give up goals. I think it was a better overall performance from the team to defend and was a compliment to the team. They worked very hard but it all starts up front. We forced them to make mistakes and when we had the ball, we had the composure."
• If he starts against the Wizards, Chris Klein will set the all-time MLS record with his 94th consecutive start. He's currently tied with Kansas City goalkeeper Kevin Hartman - who set the record of 93 while playing between the posts for the Galaxy.
• "He's one of the leaders on the team and he lives by example," said Gullit. "He's a very good guy. He's an easy guy to work with. He loves people that work hard and that's good."
KANSAS CITY WIZARDS
The Kansas City Wizards remained on the road but rebounded from back-to-back losses, although the New York Red Bulls got a late equalizer after going a man down for a 1-1 draw on Saturday evening at Giants Stadium. The Wizards are tied for fifth place in the Eastern Conference with 11 points from eight matches, level with Toronto FC, just a point behind the fourth-place Red Bulls though eight points out of first.
LAST MATCH
• The Red Bulls had quietly put together a four-game unbeaten run while the Wizards were playing the fourth of their six-game road swing, losers of two in a row.
• The visitors took the lead after 20 minutes. Carlos Marinelli swung in a corner kick from the left and Jimmy Conrad flashed forward before sending a glancing header from the near post back inside the far upright for his third goal on the season.
• The Wizards then looked to be home and dry 13 minutes from the end when Red Bulls midfielder Dave van den Bergh was sent off after throwing an elbow toward the head of Kansas City's Davy Arnaud as the two battled for the ball in midfield.
• But the Red Bulls hit for the equalizer four minutes later. Jozy Altidore found Juan Pablo Angel at the top of the area, and he turned and slipped the ball to Danleigh Borman, who raced in and stabbed home his second goal in as many matches.
• Wizards head coach Curt Onalfo made four changes to the team that lost 2-1 to the Columbus Crew two weeks previous. Ryan Pore and Sasha Victorine came into the wide midfield spots, in place of Eloy Colombano and the suspended Roger Espinoza. Carlos Marinelli reprised his playmaking role, instead of Kurt Morsink, and Scott Sealy returned to partner Claudio Lopez in attack, preferred to Ivan Trujillo.
• Here's Onalfo's team (4-3-1-2): Kevin Hartman - Chance Myers, Jimmy Conrad, Tyson Wahl, Michael Harrington - Ryan Pore (Eloy Colombano 85), Jack Jewsbury, Sasha Victorine (Kurt Morsink 79) - Carlos Marinelli - Scott Sealy (Davy Arnaud 61), Claudio Lopez. Substitutes Not Used: Aaron Hohlbein, Eric Kronberg, Ivan Trujillo, Kerry Zavagnin
• "We did a poor job of managing the game in the last 10 minutes. I look for our veteran players in those moments to do a better job on those occasions. I'm very disappointed that we walk away from here with just one point," said Onalfo.
TEAM NEWS
• At the start of the match, the Red Bulls three-man forward line of Dane Richards, Jozy Altidore and Juan Pablo Angel caused the Wizards some problems. But, for the most part, the back four of Chance Myers, Tyson Wahl, Michael Harrington and Conrad held strong, especially in the opening 45 minutes, and Conrad's opener gave Kansas City some light.
• "We played a very good first half," said Onalfo. "We took the game to them. We did a really good job of keeping the ball. We went into halftime exactly where we wanted to be."
• For Conrad, it was his team-leading third goal of the season. His single-season career high is four, set in 2003, his first year with the Wizards after four in San Jose.
• "It's been a point of emphasis this year to be dangerous on set pieces," Conrad said. "Marinelli plays in a great ball so it's just a matter of us getting to good spots to make it happen. For that one (tonight), it was probably harder to miss than to make. I was happy it went in."
• However, after the break, the Red Bulls put six shots on target to zero for Kansas City. "We came into halftime 1-0 up and the plan for the second half was just manage it and continue to play. They made an adjustment and went back to the 4-4-2 and really pushed their two outside guys wide. They also became very, very dangerous on set pieces which really were throw-ins. Our guys didn't do a good enough job dealing with those. We gave them too many chances," Onalfo said.
• Two fantastic close-range saves on Juan Pablo Angel and Kevin Goldthwaite in the second half by Wizards goalkeeper kept his team in the game. "I think I gave us a chance to come away with three points and we weren't able to do it," said Hartman.
• Now the Wizards head to the West Coast for the fifth game of their six-game road swing. After this weekend, they will have another weekend off before a trip to Real Salt Lake, then finally returning home for a June 14 date with the Columbus Crew, their first home game since April 12.
• "There's only two left. It's an uphill battle but we have to stay strong and make sure we regroup and are a little bit better for our game in L.A. next week," Onalfo said.
