but only as far as Robbie Findley, who knocked home the rebound from close range.
• FC Dallas regained the lead in the 54th minute. Galaxy defender Ty Harden tripped up Dominic Oduro in the area, and Abe Thompson converted from the spot for his second goal of the season. Drew Moor then finished off the match for FCD in the 73rd minute, when he got onto the end of a Dax McCarty free kick sent in from the right and dove to head home from inside the goal area.
• The game ended on a sour note when Galaxy center back Tyrone Marshall was sent off after a tackle on FCD striker Kenny Cooper. The incident left Cooper with a fractured right tibia.
• Here's Morrow's team (4-3-3): Dario Sala - Drew Moor, Clarence Goodson, Alex Yi, Chris Gbandi - Marcelo Saragosa, Pablo Ricchetti, Juan Toja (David Wagenfuhr 87) - Arturo Alvarez (Dax McCarty 64), Abe Thompson (Kenny Cooper 68), Dominic Oduro. Substitutes Not Used: Shaka Hislop, Ramon Nunez, Aaron Pitchkolan, Bobby Rhine
• Here's Yallop's team (4-4-2): Joe Cannon - Nathan Sturgis, Tyrone Marshall, Kyle Veris, Ty Harden - Cobi Jones, Kyle Martino, Peter Vagenas, Santino Quaranta (Mike Randolph 82) - Robbie Findley, Nate Jaqua (Quavas Kirk 72). Substitutes Not Used: Steve Cronin, Troy Roberts, Josh Tudela
LOS ANGELES GALAXY
The Los Angeles Galaxy saw their skid reach 11 of 12 league games without a victory, coming back to take a lead against Real Salt Lake before a late equalizer left the teams with a 2-2 draw Wednesday night at Rice-Eccles Stadium. The Galaxy are still in sixth place in the Western Conference with 18 points from 23 matches, 13 points out of the last playoff spot heading into the weekend and still two points behind Real Salt Lake in the division.
LAST MATCH
• The Galaxy came into the game having lost their last two and eight of their last nine, while Real Salt Lake had followed back-to-back losses with a scoreless draw in Toronto as both teams scrapped to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.
• Each team hit the woodwork in the opening 45 minutes, Edson Buddle's quick shot on the turn pushed onto the post by RSL 'keeper Nick Rimando, and Kyle Beckerman's angled effort glancing off the face of the bar. Then in the 56th minute, after spilling a rebound, Galaxy 'keeper Joe Cannon pulled down RSL striker Yura Movsisyan as he was first to it, and Carey Talley converted from the spot.
• On Sept. 1, RSL scored two goals in five minutes to come back for a 2-1 win against the Galaxy, and it seemed like the Galaxy would return the favor. Mike Randolph was pulled down by Jean-Martial Kipré in the left side of the area, and Terry Vaughn pointed to the spot for the second time. Landon Donovan - who had missed a spot kick in that game, his second consecutive miss - hammered home the chance this time for the leveler (79).
• Then in the 85th minute, Donovan laid on a perfect through ball for Gavin Glinton to run onto from deep, and he slotted home past Rimando to send the Galaxy into the lead.
• Yet barely a minute later, Real won a free kick just outside the top of the LA area. Javier Morales - who had come on a substitute just before the goal - whipped the dead ball around the right edge of the wall and into the upper corner, beating Cannon cleanly for his first MLS goal.
• Morales was a threat over the final minutes and nearly provided RSL the winner. He found Chris Brown with a cross and his header beat Cannon. But Kelly Gray chested it across the goal while standing on the goal line, keeping it just far enough out for Cannon to recover and the punch the ball away to safety.
• Galaxy head coach Frank Yallop made four changes to the team that lost 3-1 to Houston Dynamo the Sunday before at home. Cobi Jones and Peter Vagenas were out injured, so Josh Tudela and Kelly Gray came into the midfield. It was an all-change strike pair, as Edson Buddle and Carlos Pavon started in place of Alan Gordon and Gavin Glinton.
• Here's Yallop's team (4-1-3-2): Joe Cannon - Chris Klein, Ty Harden, Troy Roberts, Mike Randolph - Kelly Gray - Landon Donovan, Josh Tudela, Kyle Martino (Quavas Kirk 68) - Edson Buddle (Gavin Glinton 46), Carlos Pavon. Substitutes Not Used: Mike Caso, Steve Cronin, Alan Gordon, Israel Sesay
• "I am unhappy that we didn't get all three (points)," Yallop said. "I mean, with five minutes to go in the game and one goal up, it would have been good to come away with obviously all three, but (RSL) stuck with it, and they scored a free kick goal, which was very well-placed."
TEAM NEWS
• While the Galaxy have certainly suffered this season, there could be a bright spot in that some players who otherwise would not have seen regular game action have been thrust into the lineup. The first goal was created by Randolph, who did not play a single minute of first-team soccer last year, and the second was scored by Glinton, who returned last year after two years out of the league.
• "The guys gave me everything they had which is very important," said Yallop. "A little bit unlucky maybe, not to see the game out, but that's us right now. We're not a team that's completely jelled and ready and there are a lot of changes we've had to make and I was proud of the way the guys fought and kept going."
• "This year ... we don't know who's playing until we get to lunch before the game," said Donovan. "So, we just kind of go -- you know what, whoever's out there, deal with it and you know what -- it's a good thing. There's a lot of guys who are playing that probably wouldn't normally be playing and they're taking advantage of it and they're doing well.
• For Donovan, his penalty conversion came after back-to-back misses, first in the SuperLiga final with a chance to give the Galaxy the title, and then in the meeting with RSL about three weeks before, which could have put away an eventual 2-1 loss. "Landon is brave to take those," said Yallop. "We'd talked about it a little bit, he wanted the next one and he buried it great."
• Said Donovan, who at one stretch in the year had scored six goals from penalty kicks in five games, for both club and country: "Believe it or not it's been a good year for penalties. It's tough when you miss a couple, especially one as important as the SuperLiga final. So I wanted to take it and I'm glad I scored. I think you could probably see the relief in my face."
• Glinton's goal was his second of the season, his first coming June 23 of this year against Toronto FC. That had been his first in MLS since the 2003 season. He did not play professional soccer for two years while coaching at his alma mater, Bradley University, making one appearance in his return a year ago.
• "It's been a long time between goals," said Glinton. "Today was nice; it would have been nicer if we would've been able to get the three points with it but that's kind of been our luck this year. The guy hit a nice free kick but not bad to come out of here with a point."
• The Galaxy are now left with a maximum of 39 points attainable for the season, a figure already bested or matched by five teams. With the Chicago Fire in eighth place and the final playoff spot, any combination of 10 points won by the Fire or lost by the Galaxy would eliminate LA.
• "Who knows," said Donovan. "Seven games [left in the season]. If we can get five wins maybe we have a chance. But I don't think we're looking that way. I think we want to perform well and I thought we did well tonight. We would've felt better if we would've won the game but we can still move forward."
• If Cobi Jones is able to play against FC Dallas, it will be 300th league appearance - all with the LA Galaxy. Jones, who is set to retire after the completion of the season, will join Steve Ralston, Chris Henderson and Jason Kreis as the only MLS players with 300 league appearances. Ralston leads the group with 332.
FC DALLAS
FC Dallas weren't able to come away with the victory they needed, but still managed to salvage a valuable point thanks to a stunning stoppage-time equalizer, grabbing a 1-1 draw with the Chicago Fire on MLS Primetime Thursday at Pizza Hut Park. FCD now has 40 points from 25 matches, still firmly placed within the MLS Cup Playoffs race, but still four points behind Chivas USA and five behind Houston Dynamo in the bid for the top two automatic spots in the conference.
LAST MATCH
• The Fire had four victories and two draws in their last eight games, coinciding with the arrival of Cuauhtémoc Blanco to the squad, while FC Dallas had lost three of their last four games, including conceding four goals in each of their last two losses.
• The home side held the majority of the opening 45 minutes, but the closest either team came was in the 17th minute when FCD 'keeper Dario Sala tipped a Chris Rolfe blast onto the crossbar.
• But Sala had no answer for Rolfe in the 56th minute. He latched onto the ball some 35 yards from goal before hammering a wicked blast that sailed past the goalkeeper into the upper right corner of the goal.
• It was time then for Chicago goalkeeper Matt Pickens to shine, and he did so with a number of quality saves down the stretch, then helped just before the end of regulation time when C.J. Brown cleared away a rebound from inside the goalmouth as Clarence Goodson came sliding in with the open goal gaping.
• Just when it seemed the Fire would escape, a long ball came in from the right flank and was flicked on by Goodson to the top of the area. Ruiz made a masterful first touch to pull away from two defenders and round Pickens before slotting the ball home for the equalizer and a crucial point on the night.
• FCD head coach Steve Morrow made four changes to the team that lost 4-2 to the New England Revolution the previous Saturday. Adrian Serioux returned to the lineup into central defense for Aaron Pitchkolan, while Chris Gbandi came back in at left back for David Wagenfuhr. Juan Toja and Arturo Alvarez resumed their spots in the midfield, for Dax McCarty and Anthony Wallace.
• Here's Morrow's team (4-4-2): Dario Sala - Drew Moor (Dominic Oduro 81), Clarence Goodson, Adrian Serioux, Chris Gbandi - Arturo Alvarez, Pablo Ricchetti (Aaron Pitchkolan 46), Juan Toja, Denilson - Carlos Ruiz, Abe Thompson (Ricardinho 64). Substitutes Not Used: Ray Burse, Dax McCarty, Bobby Rhine, David Wagenfuhr
TEAM NEWS
• With 40 points, a victory on Victoria Street would give FC Dallas 43 for the season. If both the Colorado Rapids (currently on 29, with a maximum of 44 available) and the Columbus Crew (currently with 28, with a maximum of 43) fail to win, FCD will clinch a place in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
• Ruiz is starting to round into form at the right time of the season. Seemingly in danger of finishing without double-digits in goals for the year for the first time in his MLS career, he now has nine goals in his last 12 matches covering all competitions and five goals in his last seven league games, after scoring twice in the 4-2 loss at New England last Saturday.
• "He played well last week, worked very hard and got his rewards when he scored two goals. I thought he was a little bit quieter in the second half than he was in the first and wasn't moving quite as much but that's Carlos," Morrow said. "He's always going to get a chance somewhere. He had a couple that he was disappointed not to finish earlier in the game and he's always there right to the end of the game and a lot of credit to him. I thought he finished it very, very well."
• Ruiz had 74 goals in five seasons coming into this season, with a season-low of 11 in both 2004 (with the LA Galaxy) and 2005 (with FC Dallas).
• "I think it's always good to score goals at the end of the season because everybody is under pressure," Ruiz said. "Sometimes the team doesn't play well and the guys with more experience always have to play well. It was good for us to tie the game but seriously, we lost two points. We were at home and we have to win every game here."
• It was the fourth time this season Dallas has earned points with a stoppage-time goal. They also did so in April against Real Salt Lake as Carlos Ruiz struck late to pull even. Dominic Oduro's 93rd-minute effort nipped RSL by a 1-0 score in June. And Clarence Goodson's 92nd-minute goal earned all three points for the Hoops last month against Columbus.
• Juan Toja is still making his return back from an ankle injury after having missed three of the previous five league matches. "The ankle is fine. We need to get Juan back and match fit for the run now. We need to get him into the team, get him playing and playing minutes. I think he needs a couple more games to get in tune again," said Morrow.
• But Toja's central midfield partner against the Fire, Pablo Ricchetti, was forced to come off at halftime with an injury. "He's got a hamstring strain," Morrow said. "He possibly could have played on but we didn't want to take any chances with him."
• Morrow said losing Ricchetti disturbed the team's attacking flow, something that was echoed by the players in terms of the inability to maintain possession. "The big sticking point that we need to work on is keeping the ball," Chris Gbandi said. "There were too many opportunities where we ended up losing the ball and this was a counterattack game. As good as players that we have, we have to make teams run, especially on this big field. I think that is something we are going to work on."
• The draw also ensured the Hoops will keep the Brimstone Cup for the sixth consecutive season, awarded to the winner of the season series by the supporters groups of both teams. Dallas won 2-1 in Chicago in May.
• "They just have so many weapons. You have (Chad) Barrett, (Cuauhtemoc) Blanco, (Chris) Rolfe and (Paulo) Wanchope to worry about and know that one of those guys is going to have a good game. Today, it was Rolfe," Gbandi said. "I thought Dario (Sala) did a great job at keeping us in the game with big saves in a big time of the year. That's what we're going to need from him. I didn't think the defense did that well with all those guys coming at you."
