Anyone who saw only the first half of the Los Angeles Galaxy-Houston Dynamo game Saturday would be surprised to see the Galaxy managed to claim a 2-2 draw. Conversely, anyone who didn't see the game until the start of the second half would be hard-pressed to figure out how the Galaxy didn't manage a win.
Landon Donovan and David Beckham combined again for both of the LA goals, canceling out strikes from Brad Davis and Franco Caraccio.
In both halves, possession played a huge role in the fortunes of the Galaxy. In the opening 45 minutes, LA gave away possession cheaply, allowing the defending MLS champs to dictate play and take an early lead. The second half was a completely different story however, as the Galaxy dominated the run of play and fought for a share of the points.
"First half terrible, second half better," said David Beckham, who had two assists in the game. "I thought there was no urgency in our play in the first half. Throw-ins, free kicks, everything.
"A few words were said at halftime by players and by management. In the second half a few players were changed and we had a bit of fight in our game. That was what got us back into the game."
The Galaxy was forced to start somewhat of a makeshift lineup due to some injuries. Ely Allen and Alvaro Pires were both out, and in their stead Alan Gordon was moved back into midfield and Josh Tudela got his first start. The patchwork side early on showed its weaknesses as the Galaxy struggled on the ball throughout the opening half.
"We had to improvise and it was difficult with the personnel that we had," said Galaxy head coach Ruud Gullit after the match. "In the first half I think Houston showed why they are champions."
Houston could have put the game away early on if not for the play of first-year starter Steve Cronin in goal. The young 'keeper made two key saves to keep the Galaxy in the game. The first came off a Brad Davis free kick, to which Cronin got a fingertip. The second game when he denied Brian Ching on a breakaway.
"(Cronin) played excellent. He's a young guy, and I'm really proud of him," said Gullit. "Today he was excellent, especially with the free kick. He did well with crosses. He gets more confident every game."
After the game Cronin agreed that his confidence is growing.
"I felt confident, I felt good, especially making a couple of good saves in the first half," said Cronin. "The goal, I feel I could have done a little bit better on. At the same time, you look at it and there are two unmarked guys in the box."
The Galaxy made some changes in the second half that turned the game around. Center back Abel Xavier and newly acquired Joe Franchino entered the game. Franchino had an instant impact on the game, shoring things up in the middle of the park and helping the Galaxy maintain possession so they could get back into the game.
"You saw the kind of fight (in the second half). Guys laying tackles, knocking guys around and not getting stretched," said Cronin. "We changed things up in the center of our midfield and that simplified things. Bringing Joe Franchino into the game helped us a lot. He's a presence there. I think you could see it in them too."
While Franchino's contributions won't show up in the stat sheet, his play as well as the play of the re-tooled midfield in the second half, allowed the Galaxy attack to get forward with more consistency. As the game opened up, Beckham and Donovan ultimately made their mark on the game and are quickly developing a deadly partnership up top.
"I've always said that when you play with players that are intelligent, they know where to run and where the ball is coming," said Beckham. "That was the case tonight and the case in some of the other games. I've had a couple of assists in a few games now. It's just about the understanding of the game and tonight we had that."
The trick for the Galaxy now will be to stretch Saturday's second half performance over the course of an entire game. Lapses in the first half cost the Galaxy against Houston, and it was the same story last week, as a letdown at the end of the game against Toronto cost the team a point. It won't get any easier for the Galaxy next week as in-house rival Chivas USA is next on the schedule.
Greg Daurio is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
