Coming into Sunday's game against D.C. United, the Los Angeles Galaxy hadn't won in their last seven games. Cobi Jones had missed the last three of those, suffering from a strain to the Achilles tendon on his right leg.
The Galaxy seemed to be headed toward yet another shutout loss, until Jones came on in the 67th minute. The long-time Galaxy veteran was greeted by a roar from The Home Depot Center crowd, and the ovation lifted not only Jones, but also seemed to spark the entire team.
Although Jones admitted after the game that he was playing at only about 70 percent, he gutted out the final 23 minutes, and after nearly providing an assist to Herculez Gomez, took matters into his own hands. In the 88th minute, he used his speed to get to a long ball first, rounded United 'keeper Troy Perkins and tucked home the equalizer into an empty net to secure a 1-1 draw for the Galaxy.
"It's something I feel we need to see a lot more, is the runs from the outside guys cutting in and getting the ball over the top," said Jones about the set-up that led to his goal. "There was definitely eye contact with Paulo (Nagamura) and he hit a great ball. It was just a perfect set-up for us."
The goal sparked a late Galaxy rally that almost led to a game winner. While the Galaxy didn't get the win they've been craving for more than a month, they did manage to get a point, and are looking at the result as something to build from. The draw also provides a small measure of relief for a team that was sliding further and further into last place.
"I thought once we scored the goal I think you saw the team actually got the weight off their shoulders in the game," said head coach Frank Yallop. "I think they decided we can win this now. We haven't been in that position in a while. So I'm looking forward to seeing how we come out in the game against New York."
Yallop gave a lot of credit as well to Jones, attributing the late surge to the MLS original.
"Any time you add a person of Cobi's quality to any team it's going to lift the team and the crowd because he does things correctly," said Yallop. "He's in the right place at the right time for the goal. It's just general game savvy, which is nice to have that available."
While Yallop was lauding the efforts of his team, his players were quick to give some of the credit to their new coach. Since his arrival in Los Angeles there has been a general shift in the mood in the Galaxy locker room. Even after the loss against Chivas USA on Thursday night, the attitude was upbeat.
"He (Yallop) really wants us to enjoy the game, and play free. Obviously there's expectations for us, but at the same time he's treated everyone as professionals," said Kevin Hartman, who made his second consecutive start in goal for L.A. "I think when you do that you get good reactions out of people."
Hartman wasn't the only Galaxy player making a second consecutive start. For the first time all season, the Galaxy starting 11 was exactly the same as the previous game. It's the general change in philosophy and mentality that the players are pointing to as the catalyst for any change in fortunes.
"I think you can attribute all of that to the addition of Frank. He's definitely a player's coach," said Jones. "I think he knows exactly how to deal with us as players. It's something the fans are enjoying, this different style of play that Frank has brought. We obviously seem to be very composed under Frank."
Yallop has had less than a week to implement his philosophies on how his team will play. Yallop has described the style he wants to play as a high pressure, force the tempo game. He's already narrowed the field at The Home Depot Center to give the opposition less space to operate in. His next step, he says, will be to improve the fitness level of his team.
Yallop has another week to mold the Galaxy roster to his liking before taking on the New York Red Bulls at the Meadowlands next Saturday. The Red Bulls are struggling to find wins as well, having cornered the market on draws, tying seven out of 10 games this season. The Galaxy are looking for more than just a point though, and now have a foundation to build from to do just that.
Greg Daurio is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
