The Kansas City Wizards scored two goals in the first six minutes of the second half, but Cobi Jones scored two goals off of the bench to lead the Los Angeles Galaxy back into the contest before the teams settled for a 2-2 draw at The Home Depot Center.
The Wizards had been struggling scoring goals lately, outshooting their opponents by a wide margin in the last two games yet scoring just a solitary goal. But a pair of Galaxy miscues allowed Yura Movsisyan and Davy Arnaud to put Kansas City into the lead. But Jones scored two goals in a game for the first time in nearly five years, ensuring the first time this season the Galaxy wouldn't lose following a league win.
The Galaxy defense started the game strong, as the early chances all seemed to favor the home side. But with Jimmy Conrad back with the Wizards after U.S. national team duty for Copa America, Los Angeles had a hard time trying to get the final touch to go their way.
The first chance came in the ninth minute off of a Los Angeles counter attack. Landon Donovan led the break up the right side before switching fields with a long ball to Kyle Martino. Martino took a couple of touches then cut to the inside before shooting just wide of the near post.
Martino remained the most dangerous player on the field and minutes later produced another good scoring chance for the Galaxy. He used a nice bit of trickery to juke past Jack Jewsbury and drive a cross to the near post. Carlos Pavon, making his first MLS start, ran onto the ball, but his diving header lacked accuracy, missing wide of the target.
Again it was the Galaxy pressing, starting the attack in the midfield. Newcomer Kelly Gray intercepted a ball in the center circle and dribbled past a pair of defenders. As he approached goal, nobody closed him down and Gray hit a powerful shot on target and from distance that forced Wizards 'keeper Kevin Hartman to make a diving save.
For the second game in a row the Galaxy stymied the opposition's offense in the first half. The only sniff at goal that Kansas City had was a long distance shot that was blocked well before it ever even reached the edge of the 18. The Galaxy weren't much better though. While the Los Angeles attack showed more initiative, the service and final touch consistently let them down as the two sides went scoreless into the half.
However, Kansas City came out of the locker room like a team renewed -- while the Galaxy suddenly were lost in the back. In the 47th minute, Jewsbury swung in a cross from the right flank, and as it sailed into the penalty area, it sailed over Abel Xavier's head and right back Chris Klein swung and missed as he tried to clear.
The ball fell to Movsisyan, who had come on at halftime, and he brought the ball down with his chest, turned past the scrambling Klein and beat Joe Cannon low inside the left post to open the scoring.
The goal unraveled the Galaxy, and minutes later, Kansas City took advantage of another mistake by the Los Angeles back line. Carlos Marinelli put in an early cross from the left and Ante Jazic attempted to head the ball back to Cannon. Instead, it handcuffed his 'keeper, who coughed up a rebound, allowing Davy Arnaud to nod the ball into an empty net to double the Wizards lead.
Los Angeles tried to answer and nearly did when Donovan broke down the right side and got in behind the K.C. back line. Donovan cut the ball across the area for Martino, but his shot was blocked away by a pair of defenders.
The Galaxy did manage to pull a goal back in the 61st minute. Frank Yallop had gone to the bench in response to the two goals, bringing on Cobi Jones for Edson Buddle.
The play originated on another L.A. counter, as Donovan picked out Pavon, who rang the post with a left-footed drive. The rebound clanged back into the middle of the area where Jones ran onto the ball and finished past Hartman.
Kansas City nearly reclaimed a two-goal edge in the 71st minute from a corner kick. The Galaxy failed to clear the box and a floating ball fell right onto the boot of Ryan Pore. Pore unleashed a wicked volley that elicited an even better save from Cannon to keep the Galaxy within one.
The Galaxy tied things up in the 75th minute. Cobi Jones was again the goal scorer, this time the recipient of a fantastic ball from Donovan. The play started from a corner kick and when the Wizards failed to clear, Donovan collected on the right side and drove in a low cross to the near post. Jones ran onto the ball and tucked it home to level the score.
Jones came within inches of getting his hat trick in the 83rd minute. Donovan fed the ball into Jones again at the top of the six, and he settled, turned and shot toward the back post, just missing wide of the target.
There was one final chance for the Galaxy, as Hartman came well off his line but couldn't corral a cross from the right. It fell to substitute Gavin Glinton and he lofted a shot toward the open net, only to see it slip just wide of the right-hand post.
For the Galaxy, it was their last league contest for nearly a month, as they will not play an MLS game again until Aug. 5. In the meantime, they will participate in the inaugural edition of SuperLiga while also facing a number of international friendlies, though they also have a third-round match in the U.S. Open Cup ahead next Tuesday.
The Wizards have one more game before the All-Star break, facing Real Salt Lake at home next Saturday.
Greg Daurio is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
