Gavin Glinton came off the bench to head home a cross from defender Mike Randolph, keeping the Los Angeles Galaxy's postseason hopes alive with a 1-0 victory against the Kansas City Wizards on MLS Primetime Thursday at Arrowhead Stadium.
The Wizards were playing a man down after Jimmy Conrad was sent off for a hard tackle on Peter Vagenas in the 57th minute, and then 10 minutes from the end, Galaxy fullback Mike Randolph had time to pick out Glinton running across the face of goal he sent a glancing header inside Kevin Hartman's left-hand post.
The win lifted the Galaxy to 11th place overall in the MLS standings, now just eight points behind the Chicago Fire, who hold the last playoff spot. On Sunday, the Galaxy travel to Columbus to take on the Crew, who are also one of the teams just ahead of them.
The win was also the first for the Galaxy on the road since Aug. 26, 2006, and disappointed a crowd of 32,867, the largest ever to see an MLS match at Arrowhead Stadium.
The Wizards had plenty of opportunities, especially in the first half, but a combination of Galaxy defending and missed chances from the home side led to the victory.
The Galaxy nearly scored a goal in the third minute -- but it was almost defender Troy Roberts scoring into his own goal. A cross came in from the left flank and Roberts tried to deflect it clear, the ball just slipping outside the post as Galaxy goalkeeper Joe Cannon was left flat-footed.
Eddie Johnson was very active from the start of the start, and nearly put the Wizards ahead in the ninth minute. He dribbled in from the left side of the goal and sized up his shot, slipping just past Cannon, only to see the effort bounce off the woodwork. Johnson put his hands to the side of his head, expressing dismay at missing the chance.
The 13th minute saw Galaxy midfielder Kyle Martino find forward Alan Gordon to the right of the goal. But Gordon's header narrowly missed the goal.
Johnson had another chance in the 19th minute, charging at Cannon from outside the area on the left. Cannon came out of the goal to limit Johnson's shooting angle, and Johnson rolled his shot just outside the right-hand post.
In the 32nd minute, Roberts nearly struck again -- against his own team. Jack Jewsbury's ball from outside the area was sent on frame this time by Roberts, nearly flying over Cannon, but he deflected the ball over the goal with his left hand.
The Wizards should have opened the scoring in the 54th minute. Carlos Marinelli sent a through ball for Eloy Colombano, who perfectly timed his run. He raced in alone on goal and deked his way around Cannon, but put his shot well wide of the empty net.
Then Conrad was sent off for the tackle on Vagenas in midfield, apparently going in studs-up and referee Baldomero Toledo did not hesitate in pulling out the red card.
But the Wizards continued to threaten the LA goal. Johnson again controlled the ball on the left and again slowly and deliberately set up his shot before letting fire. This time it was on target, but Cannon was able to save it easily.
Marinelli nearly caught Cannon off his line in the 72nd minute with a shot from nearly 40 yards away, but his chip just sailed onto the top of the goal. Then three minutes later the Wizards won a free kick about 25 yards out from the right post, but Jose Burciaga Jr.'s effort did not curl and missed the goal.
The Galaxy finally broke through in the 80th minute when Randolph's low cross from the left corner of the penalty area was perfectly met by Glinton for his third goal of the season and his second in three games. It was the Galaxy's first shot on goal in the match.
The Wizards finished the game two men down when midfielder Davy Arnaud was also ejected for a violent foul. It again involved Vagenas, as Arnaud came in with a hard tackle, then the two were involved in a brief scuffle, but referee Toledo had already brandished the red card.
Thomas Foote is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
