The LA Galaxy conceded two more points against the San Jose Earthquakes on Sunday afternoon, the second time they've done so in the last two months, and if it was the product of several things, the biggest share of the blame goes to their captain.
Robbie Keane had the chance to provide a two-goal lead in the 37th minute, after Earthquakes defender Jason Hernandez was whistled for a hand ball. But Keane fired his penalty kick off the crossbar, keeping the lead at one and breathing life into a previously sleepwalking San Jose.
The Quakes took charge, more or less, the rest of the way and rallied for a 1-1 draw at Buck Shaw Stadium on Chris Wondolowski's second-half goal.
“It's big,” Galaxy coach Bruce Arena said in his postgame news conference. “We've missed five penalty kicks this year, and it's cost us a good number of points. We have the best two penalty-kick takers in the league, in theory, and I don't know what our record is on the year. It's terrible.”
The Galaxy actually have missed four and made four, but Keane has scored on just one of four attempts. Real Salt Lake's Nick Rimando stopped him in stoppage time in the March 8 opener, a 1-0 defeat, and the Irishman fired wide right in the 62nd minute with a chance to even the score in a 1-0 loss May 3 at Colorado. He converted late in a 3-1 win over Portland in early August.
In the interim, Keane also missed for the Republic of Ireland in a June friendly against Costa Rica, making him just 1-for-5 on the year.
Landon Donovan, who missed Sunday's game through suspension, has made all three of his attempts, and Marcelo Sarvas missed on his try, saved by Rimando in stoppage time of a 1-0 LA win in mid-July.
“You have to make penalties, and, unfortunately, we didn't,” Arena said. “It's part of the game, but that's life. We've either lost games or only gotten a point in games where we've failed to convert a penalty. It adds up at this point in the season, when you're three points behind in the Supporters' Shield race. It's cost us between five and nine points.”
It's actually cost the Galaxy (14-5-9) four points in all, enough to push past Seattle in the Western Conference and Shield tables.
Keane's postgame comments to media in Northern California were not made available.
“Going up, 1-0, we usually come out with three points,” defender Omar Gonzalez said on Time Warner Cable SportsNet's postgame show, “but Robbie with the missed PK and then us not being tight enough on [Jordan Stewart, who fed the Quakes' goal] and leaving Wondo alone in the back, that was a mistake on Keano, a mistake on the defense, and we end up tying the game.”
