CARSON, Calif. -- It's been an often magical season for the LA Galaxy, filled with blowout wins, tons of goals, record-setting performances, end-of-season drama, a superb (so far) playoff run, and lots of beautiful soccer -- perhaps the nicest the club has ever played.
LA might have been no more dominant than in their opener, a would-be rout that they somehow lost, but they came through more often than not, with big wins over Philadelphia (4-1), New England (5-1), Seattle (3-0), D.C. United (4-1), Colorado (6-0), New York (4-0), Chivas USA (3-0, twice), Toronto FC (3-0) and Real Salt Lake (5-0).
There are at least a dozen moments that could make the Galaxy's top five for 2014. But here are our five favorites:
5. Luca Knows Heart: Galaxy 4, D.C. United 1 (Aug. 27)
A.J. DeLaGarza and his wife, Megan, learned in April that their first child had a congenital and usually fatal heart condition, and the Galaxy and their fanbase -- and the broader MLS community -- rallied in support of the veteran defender, starting with this showdown against the Eastern Conference leaders.
Luca DeLaGarza was to be delivered by Caesarean section the following morning, and there was no telling how things would play out. So the Galaxy donned under their jerseys T-shirts printed with “Luca Knows Heart” -- and the shirts also were sold in the stadium to benefit Children's Hospital Los Angeles.
It was an emotional game for DeLaGarza, of course, and his longtime friend Omar Gonzalez provided the most memorable moment, scoring in the 25th minute for a 2-0 lead, lifting his jersey and rushing to DeLaGarza with “Luca Knows Heart” visible on his chest.
The victory was one of LA's finest in a year full of them, and the DeLaGarzas' tragedy -- their son lived for a week before succumbing to the condition -- brought even closer the team that already had uncommon chemistry.
4. Record-setter: Galaxy 4, Philadelphia Union 1 (May 25)
Landon Donovan was back in LA's camp after he was stunningly booted from consideration for the World Cup team, still looking to break the tie with Jeff Cunningham, forged the previous October, for MLS' career goals record after failing to score in his first seven league appearances of the season.
He gave a statement-making performance, scoring two goals -- his 135th and 136th -- and setting up a third as the Galaxy romped past the Union. The record-setter, at the left post from a give-and-go with Keane four minutes into the second half (watch below), didn't make an impression on him until he was in mid-celebration.
“It's great,” Donovan said afterward. “I mean, it is, but I think, more importantly, I want to make sure I enjoy the rest of the season and keep helping our team. I want to get back to enjoying football, because this has been a week where I had moments where I fell out of love with it a little bit. I want to make sure I keep enjoying it.”
3. A reminder: Galaxy 5, Real Salt Lake 0 (Nov. 9)
LA was clearly the best team in Major League Soccer during the summer months, but they'd faded in fall and hadn't won in more than a month when they arrived home following a scoreless draw, thanks to goalkeeper Jaime Penedo's heroics, in the first leg of their Western Conference semifinal series with RSL. This wasn't the Galaxy of July, August and early September.
That was the assumption, but the Galaxy offered a powerful reminder of what they were capable, with Donovan and Robbie Keane returning to impressive form -- Donovan scored a hat trick and set up a goal for Keane, who had three assists -- and LA blazed into the Western Conference title series against Seattle with their second most-lopsided triumph of the campaign.
2. Romp in Seattle: Seattle Sounders 0, Galaxy 3 (July 28)
The embarrassment of a 7-0 loss to Manchester United in a meaningless Rose Bowl friendly was still hanging over the Galaxy, when they visited runaway Western Conference leader Seattle for the first meeting of the season. They put that, and any other existing woes, behind them in a hurry.
LA, returning to a flat 4-4-2 alignment after playing in a midfield diamond much of the year, absolutely dominated the Sounders in the first 45 minutes, putting the game away on goals by Gyasi Zardes in the eighth minute, Donovan in the 18th and Stefan Ishizaki in the 36th. They might have scored more, and they followed the onslaught with a wise second half, didn't concede a shot on goal until nearly an hour had passed, and left with one of their most emphatic victories in the series.
“The way we played from start to finish, I thought was magnificent,” Keane said. “Certainly, I think, our best performance all season. ... For me, this is the Galaxy of old.”
1. The big comeback: Colorado Rapids 3, Galaxy 4 (Aug. 20)
The Galaxy's fine form had been severed in a 4-1 loss four days earlier in Columbus -- their worst competitive defeat of the season -- and things weren't going any better in suburban Denver, with a listless performance enabling the Rapids to open 2-0 and 3-1 advantages before halftime.
Head coach Bruce Arena gave his harshest, most impassioned speech of the season to his charges at the break, and the Galaxy responded with a three-goal comeback.
Gonzalez headed home a Donovan free kick to pull LA within a goal, new arrival Alan Gordon netted the equalizer moments after coming off the bench, and, in the 80th minute, Donovan streaked into open space for a ball from Keane, rounded goalkeeper Clint Irwin and slotted into an open net to provide an unexpected victory (watch below).
“I think the second half was the defining moment in our season,” Arena said, and LA followed with their purplest patch of the campaign: 2-0 over Vancouver, 4-1 over D.C. United, 3-0 over Chivas USA and 6-0 when the Rapids visited Southern California.
