The Los Angeles Galaxy have battled through many taxing obstacles this season. And as with any battle there have been many casualties.
But perhaps a bright spot is that some front-line absences have allowed other players to step into the breach and show what they can do. And so it was on Wednesday night as the Galaxy overcame a second-half penalty kick to score two goals late in the game, before being forced to settle for a 2-2 draw.
Mike Randolph, in his second season with the club after not having played in a game in his first year, won a penalty kick that Landon Donovan converted in the 79th minute to bring the Galaxy level. Then Gavin Glinton scored a fine goal from a Donovan pass in the 85th minute to give the Galaxy a short-lived lead.
"This year ... we don't know who's playing until we get to lunch before the game," said Donovan. "So, we just kind of go -- you know what, whoever's out there, deal with it and you know what -- it's a good thing.
"There's a lot of guys who are playing that probably wouldn't normally be playing and they're taking advantage of it and they're doing well."
Unfortunately, the lead lasted less than a minute as RSL substitute Javier Morales scored on a direct free kick. Still, Galaxy head coach Frank Yallop was pleased with the level of effort displayed by his players.
"The guys gave me everything they had which is very important," said Yallop. "A little bit unlucky maybe, not to see the game out, but that's us right now. We're not a team that's completely jelled and ready and there are a lot of changes we've had to make and I was proud of the way the guys fought and kept going."
The Galaxy initially fell behind after Carey Talley buried a penalty for Salt Lake in the early stages of the second half. LA answered when Donovan converted the spot kick.
When the foul was called and the referee pointed to the spot Donovan to take it, a sight that is not abnormal. The strange part was that Donovan had been unsuccessful in his previous two attempts from the spot, first missing one in the SuperLiga final, then missing one Sept. 1 at The Home Depot Center as RSL won 2-1.
"Landon is brave to take those," said Yallop. "We'd talked about it a little bit, he wanted the next one and he buried it great."
As the rocket he launched from 12 yards out struck the back of the net Donovan pumped his fist with a relieved grin on his face, like he had just gotten something bad out of his system.
"Believe it or not it's been a good year for penalties," said Donovan, who at one stretch in the year had scored six goals from penalty kicks in five games, for both club and country. "It's tough when you miss a couple, especially one as important as the SuperLiga final. So I wanted to take it and I'm glad I scored. I think you could probably see the relief in my face."
Donovan then sent up Glinton in the 85th minute, who found himself on the end of a perfectly weighted through ball as he raced from a deep-lying position into the RSL penalty area. The Galaxy striker drilled his second goal of the year low past Nick Rimando.
"A lot of guys, especially a lot of guys who haven't played a lot, panic in that situation and he relaxed," said Donovan of Glinton. "He looked over his shoulder, waited for the right moment, let Nick [Rimando] go and then put it down. It was a classic goal, a good finish."
Glinton liked feeling the back of the net again after a long absence. His first goal, on June 23 of this year, was his first in MLS since the 2003 season. He did not play professional soccer for two years while coaching at his alma mater, Bradley University.
"It's been a long time between goals," said Glinton. "Today was nice; it would have been nicer if we would've been able to get the three points with it but that's kind of been our luck this year. The guy hit a nice free kick but not bad to come out of here with a point."
At this point in the season a draw isn't incredibly helpful for the Galaxy, who's playoff hopes grow increasingly slim. The question now is if the postseason is a realistic goal.
"Who knows," said Donovan. "Seven games [left in the season]. If we can get five wins maybe we have a chance. But I don't think we're looking that way. I think we want to perform well and I thought we did well tonight. We would've felt better if we would've won the game but we can still move forward."
Scott McAllister is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
