LOS ANGELES GALAXY vs FC DALLAS
THE HOME DEPOT CENTER, Carson, Calif.
Sept. 12, 2009 (WEEK 26) / MLS Game #181
7:30 p.m. PT (FSN-PT; KFWD-52)
Winners of seven matches in their last 10, the Los Angeles Galaxy now sit just two points off the lead for the Supporters' Shield. They could take over the top spot in the MLS overall table Saturday night with a victory against FC Dallas, moving ahead of both Columbus and Houston, who play on Sunday afternoon. The Galaxy have recorded shutouts in three consecutive games; they take on an FC Dallas club which is winless in its last three games after back-to-back wins.
REFEREE: Hilario Grajeda. SAR (bench): Fabio Tovar; JAR (opposite): Paul Scott; 4th: Kevin Stott MLS Career: 24 games; FC/gm: 28.4; Y/gm: 4.0; R: 6; pens: 7
INJURY REPORT: LOS ANGELES GALAXY - OUT: DF Sean Franklin (R hamstring surgery); DF Julian Valentin (R foot fracture); QUESTIONABLE: MF Chris Birchall (L hamstring tightness); FW Edson Buddle (R foot sprain); FW Alecko Eskandarian (broken nose); MF Dema Kovalenko (R Achilles tendonitis) ... FC DALLAS - OUT: MF Alvaro Sanchez (R ankle); QUESTIONABLE: DF Anthony Wallace (L knee); DF Kyle Davies (concussion); MF Jair Benitez (L groin)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
SUSPENDED: DAL: Daniel Torres (through Sept. 13)
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: LA: Eddie Lewis, Stefani Miglioranzi ... DAL: Atiba Harris
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: LA: Alecko Eskandarian, Omar Gonzalez, Alan Gordon, Jovan Kirovski, Mike Magee ... DAL: Ugo Ihemelu, Pablo Ricchetti, Andre Rocha
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (49 meetings): Galaxy 23 wins (1 shootout), 88 goals ...FC Dallas 17 wins (1 shootout), 65 goals ... Ties 8
AT LA (24 meetings): Galaxy 17 wins (1 shootout), 49 goals ... FC Dallas 4 wins (1 shootout), 20 goals ... Ties 3
• The teams engaged in a wild season series a year ago, splitting the set with a win apiece (and a third match ending in a draw), scoring seven goals each. The two meetings at Pizza Hut Park were remarkable, the Galaxy winning 5-1 on May 18, and FC Dallas winning 4-0 two months later.
• The last previous meeting at Pizza Hut Park was also a wild contest, the Galaxy taking a 6-5 win in SuperLiga in Frisco, winning advancement out of Group A in the process. The teams played to a tame 1-1 draw in Frisco earlier this year.
• The FCD victory at The Home Depot Center in the first meeting in 2007 was the first-ever by FCD at The Home Depot Center. The Galaxy had won all eight prior league meetings between the clubs in Carson, as well as the 2005 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final. The last Dallas win against the Galaxy on the road had been Sept. 6, 2000, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
• The Galaxy won for the first time ever against FC Dallas at Pizza Hut Park in league play in the 5-1 victory last year. Their last MLS win against the club in Texas came May 8, 2004 at the Cotton Bowl. The Galaxy did defeat FCD in the 6-5 match in SuperLiga in 2007 - as well as, of course, capturing MLS Cup 2004 in Frisco.
• Coaches record: Bruce Arena vs. DAL: P13 W6 L5 D2 ... Schellas Hyndman v LA: P3 W1 L0 D2
LAST MEETING (MLS):
5/23: DAL 1, LA 1 (Moor 26 - Donovan 3)
• FC Dallas came back from a goal down after going a man down before settling for a 1-1 draw with the LA Galaxy in their first meeting this season on May 23 at Pizza Hut Park.
• The Galaxy jumped ahead after just three minutes. Mike Magee freed Eddie Lewis on the right, and his curling cross into the six was swept home by Landon Donovan with his back to goal just in front of goalkeeper Ray Burse.
• The home side then went a man down in the 26th minute when Marcelo Saragosa was sent off with a straight red card.
• But five minutes later, it was FCD that pulled even. Dave van den Bergh drove in a corner from the right and Drew Moor flashed across goal to head home from the heart of the area for his second of the season.
• Here's Hyndman's team (3-4-1-2): Ray Burse - Drew Moor, Pablo Ricchetti, Daniel Torres - Andre Rocha (Anthony Wallace 46), Bruno Guarda, Marcelo Saragosa, Dave van den Bergh (Eric Avila 61) - David Ferreira - Kenny Cooper, Brek Shea (Alvaro Sanchez 46). Substitutes Not Used: Jeff Cunningham, Kyle Davies, Josh Lambo, Dax McCarty
• Here's Arena's team (4-4-1-1): Donovan Ricketts - A.J. DeLaGarza, Gregg Berhalter, Omar Gonzalez, Todd Dunivant - Mike Magee, Josh Tudela (Chris Klein 74), Dema Kovalenko, Eddie Lewis (Bryan Jordan 78) - Landon Donovan - Alan Gordon (Edson Buddle 67). Substitutes Not Used: Jovan Kirovski, Stefani Miglioranzi, Tony Sanneh, Josh Saunders
LOS ANGELES GALAXY
The Los Angeles Galaxy extended their undefeated streak to three games with a 1-0 victory against Chivas USA in their last match, the third SuperClasico of the season on Aug. 29. The Galaxy still sit in second place in the Western Conference with 38 points from 24 games, two points behind MLS overall leaders Houston Dynamo entering the weekend.
LAST MATCH
• The Galaxy were coming into the third SuperClasico with just one loss in their last nine league matches, while Chivas USA saw their modest two-game winning streak, that answered a five-game losing skid, ended with a thud at midweek in a 4-0 loss at Real Salt Lake.
• There was little between the teams until the 80th minute. A long throw-in from Todd Dunivant came out of a group of players challenging for the header in the area and fell right at the top of the box, where David Beckham strolled in and lashed a drive low into the left corner past goalkeeper Lance Parker for his first MLS goal of 2009.
• Chivas ended the game a man down after Maykel Galindo was sent off in the 82nd minute with a straight red card.
• Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena made no changes to the team that played to a scoreless draw with D.C. United the weekend before.
• Here's Arena's team (4-1-3-2): Donovan Ricketts - A.J. DeLaGarza, Gregg Berhalter, Omar Gonzalez, Todd Dunivant - Stefani Miglioranzi - Landon Donovan, David Beckham, Eddie Lewis (Chris Klein 68) - Jovan Kirovski (Alan Gordon 75), Mike Magee (Chris Birchall 86). Substitutes Not Used: Leonard Griffin, Bryan Jordan, Tony Sanneh, Josh Saunders
TEAM NEWS
• It was the first goal for Beckham this season, in his sixth match since his return from a loan spell with AC Milan. Since his arrival, he has played a central midfield role.
• "He's a very experienced and talented player. He has to find different places on the field to be effective. Tonight, [Jesse] Marsch and [Paulo] Nagamura did a good job trying to get around David when he was sitting in a central position," Arena said. "I prefer him going wide or going high instead of coming back to get the ball, and we saw a lot more of that in the second half."
• Beckham's return to the Galaxy has also meant Landon Donovan has featured more in a wide midfield role, more akin to where he plays with the U.S. national team.
• "I think he likes being able to face opponents and not playing with his back to the goal. He gets more involved in the game when he is playing in the midfield than he does up top as a striker. Obviously, his work rate and pace are special, and in those positions you can take advantage of that," Arena said. "I thought in the first half [Jonathan] Bornstein played him well. In the second half, we started him out on the left. We had success with that. Landon's been great this year. He's really grown as a player."
• It was the third consecutive shutout for the Galaxy, who have now not allowed a goal in 216 minutes. In addition, it was their fifth 1-0 victory on the campaign, out of nine victories total.
• "It's what we are trying to do with this team. To make it a real team you have to win games 1-0," Arena said. "This 4-3 stuff, this 5-4 stuff, I think it's nice. I was a part of a 5-4 game when I was with the New York Red Bulls, was maybe one of the worst games I've ever been a part of. It was a horrible performance defensively by both teams. For some reason, I read it was one the best games in MLS history, but it was a horror show in terms of defending. We have to learn to play in games like this and we have."
• Los Angeles has eight shutouts; the club record for clean sheets is 11 set in 1999. The Galaxy have allowed three goals only once this season - a 3-2 loss to Colorado on April 4 that featured Conor Casey's stunning goal just 16 seconds into the match.
• "The biggest key of our turnaround is the team focus on defense, and now we have three shutouts in a row," said left back Todd Dunivant. "It's always a work in progress. And again, tonight, Donovan [Ricketts] made big saves whenever we need him, and for the most part we kept them out off our ending, and limited their chances, and I think that was the key of our success."
FC DALLAS
FC Dallas twice held leads before settling for a 2-2 draw with D.C. United on Saturday evening at Pizza Hut Park. FCD has 24 points from 23 matches, still in seventh place in the Western Conference, 16 points behind division leaders Houston Dynamo.
LAST MATCH
• FC Dallas were back home and dropping back-to-back road games against Eastern Conference, in need of the full three points to keep their playoff hopes intact. D.C. United had defeated the Chicago Fire in their last league match to end a four-game winless run, but were coming off defeat in the U.S. Open Cup final at midweek.
• FC Dallas took the lead in the 18th minute. Dave van den Bergh played a long ball over the top from his own half and Jeff Cunningham held off a defender while chasing the ball down in the United penalty kick, finally lifting it over goalkeeper Josh Wicks for his 10th goal on the season.
• But United drew level just before halftime, Marc Burch ripping a low free kick from some 35 yards straight out from goal that took the slightest of deflections before slipping past Dario Sala in the FCD goal.
• Five minutes after the restart, the home side again nosed in front. van den Bergh again played provider, hooking in a cross from the left that David Ferreira chested down past a D.C. defender in the box and stroked home for his fifth goal on the year.
• Yet there was a final twist in the 57th minute. FCD's Daniel Torres was adjudged to have hauled down Santino Quaranta in the box, and referee Ricardo Salazar pointed to the spot and also sent off Torres. Jaime Moreno stepped up to convert the penalty, his seventh goal on the season, the 129th league goal of his career and his 42nd of those from the penalty spot.
• FC Dallas head coach Schellas Hyndman made two changes to the team that lost 3-2 to the New York Red Bulls on Aug. 23 at Giants Stadium. Ugo Ihemelu made his FCD debut, coming in for the man for whom he was traded to Colorado, Drew Moor. George John also returned to the team, in place of Brek Shea.
• Here's Hyndman's team (4-4-1-1): Dario Sala - Ugo Ihemelu, Kyle Davies (Daniel Torres 30), George John (Blake Wagner 76), Jair Benitez - Atiba Harris, Dax McCarty, Pablo Ricchetti, Dave van den Bergh (Brek Shea 73) - David Ferreira - Jeff Cunningham. Substitutes Not Used: Eric Avila, Ray Burse, Marvin Chavez, Andre Rocha
• "It was a bit of a rollercoaster, I think. We tried to catch D.C. on a bit of a recovery day - they just played the other day in an emotional game - so we came out pretty hard and scored an early goal and then Jeff had a second chance but it hit off the post," Hyndman said. "I thought that it would have been a difference-maker."
TEAM NEWS
• Jeff Cunningham's goal was the 114th of his league career, pulling him into a tie with Chivas USA's Ante Razov for second on the all-time list. D.C. United's Jaime Moreno scored his 129th league goal also in the match.
• "I wasn't even focused on it but I've got to keep putting them away, the record wasn't on my mind tonight. I feel disappointment from the game; the personal stuff was not a big factor tonight," Cunningham said. "I felt like I had enough chances to score another one it could have been a big difference tonight but it didn't happen. I felt a little disappointed about not putting away all the chances."
• David Ferreira scored his fifth goal of the season, his fourth in the last nine league games. He has also contributed two of his four assists over that time.
• "He's taken a lot of hard hits playing in MLS. It's been physical for him," said Hyndman of Ferreira. "There's an adjustment I think with the speed of play and the athleticism of the league. But he works hard, and he's finding the right mix right now, whether it's exploding by people or laying balls off and getting it back."
• After spending the majority of the last four months in central defense, Pablo Ricchetti was moved into a holding midfield role with George John slotting into central defense. It was John's first action since July 24 at Real Salt Lake.
• "I thought he did fine," Hyndman said of John's performance. "I thought he was a little nervous about playing because he hasn't trained a lot. He wanted to see how long his leg would last. He didn't want to go through another five or six weeks. I thought he did well. I thought he dominated the air. I thought he got called for a few calls that you have to look at."
• But John's central defense partner, Kyle Davies, was forced off after just a half-hour. "I guess it turned out to be a concussion," Hyndman said. "He started getting nauseated, couldn't see his feet and basically wanted to get off the field. The doc looked at him and said it was a concussion."
• As well, Hyndman will be without Davies' replacement in the match, after Daniel Torres was sent off with just more than a half-hour to go.
