LOS ANGELES GALAXY vs REAL SALT LAKE
THE HOME DEPOT CENTER, Carson, Calif.
June 13, 2009 (WEEK 13) / MLS Game #97
7:30 p.m. PT (FSN-PT; KUTV-2.2)
The Los Angeles Galaxy and Real Salt Lake meet for the second time this season on Saturday night, after the teams played to a wild 2-2 draw May 6 that featured three goals in stoppage time. The Galaxy just continue to produce results, stretching their undefeated streak to nine games and still having lost just once on the year, though securing their first victory in more than a month in last weekend's 2-1 win at Toronto FC. Since their record-setting 6-0 win against New England on April 25, Real haven't won. They succumbed to a late game-tying goal in the second Rocky Mountain Cup meeting with Colorado over the weekend.
REFEREE: Jasen Anno. SAR (bench): Emiliano Monje; JAR (opposite): Jeff Hosking; 4th: Kevin Stott MLS Career: 6 games; FC/gm: 24.3; Y/gm: 4.0; R: 4; pens: 1
INJURY REPORT: LOS ANGELES GALAXY - OUT: DF Sean Franklin (R hamstring surgery); DF Yohance Marshall (R MCL sprain) ... REAL SALT LAKE - DOUBTFUL: FW Robbie Findley (R ankle sprain); PROBABLE: FW Fabian Espíndola (R patella tendonitis); DF Ian Joy (L hamstring strain)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: LA: Landon Donovan (USA; FIFA Confederations Cup)
SUSPENDED: RSL: Robbie Russell (through June 14)
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: RSL: Robbie Russell
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: LA: Eddie Lewis, Stefani Miglioranzi
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (14 meetings): Galaxy 5 wins, 23 goals ... Real Salt Lake 4 wins, 22 goals ... Ties 5 AT SALT LAKE (7 meetings): Galaxy 4 wins, 12 goals ... Real Salt Lake 2 wins, 10 goals ... Ties 1
• The last four meetings between the clubs have ended in draws.
• The first meeting this year was the Galaxy's first appearance at Rio Tinto Stadium. They have not won in Utah since since April 29, 2006, a span of four matches.
• The clubs have split their season series each of the last three seasons. In 2006, each won two games, each winning once at home and once away, then in 2007, the teams split their two meetings in Carson with the lone matchup at Rice-Eccles Stadium reaching a draw.
• Coaches record: Bruce Arena v RSL: P5 W1 L0 D4 ... Jason Kreis vs. LA: P6 W1 L1 D4
LAST MEETING (MLS):
5/6: RSL 2, LA 2 (Findley 34; Johnson 92+ - Donovan 91+; Magee 94+)
• The teams played to a remarkable game on May 6 at Rio Tinto Stadium, the Galaxy twice tying the game in stoppage time before settling for a 2-2 draw.
• RSL got off to a good start with a 34th-minute opener. Clint Mathis swung in a corner from the left and Robbie Findley dove at the near post, flicking the ball inches from the ground back into the far corner for his fifth goal on the campaign.
• With the game entering stoppage time, suddenly it blew apart. First, a ball bounced up and Will Johnson was adjudged to have played it with his arm, referee Michael Kennedy awarding the penalty kick. Landon Donovan slid it under Chris Seitz for the leveler, his league-leading fifth goal on the year.
• Yet barely a minute later, RSL was back ahead - from the penalty spot, after substitute Bryan Jordan was ruled to have pulled down RSL's Fabian Espindola. Johnson made amends for his earlier action by converting for his first goal on the season.
• But four minutes in stoppage time, the Galaxy pulled out another improbable equalizer. RSL couldn't clear their lines and a deflected shot from the edge of the box fell right to Mike Magee at the left post, and he pushed it between Seitz's legs for his first LA goal.
• Here's Kreis's team (4-3-1-2): Chris Seitz - Tony Beltran, Nat Borchers (David Horst 69), Robbie Russell, Chris Wingert - Clint Mathis, Kyle Beckerman, Will Johnson - Andy Williams (Ned Grabavoy 77) - Robbie Findley, Yura Movsisyan (Fabian Espindola 56). Substitutes Not Used: Jean Alexandre, Raphael Cox, Luis Miguel Escalada, Kyle Reynish
• Here's Arena's team (4-4-2): Donovan Ricketts - Sean Franklin, Gregg Berhalter, Omar Gonzalez, Todd Dunivant - Chris Klein (Bryan Jordan 61), Dema Kovalenko, Stefani Miglioranzi (Mike Magee 76), Eddie Lewis (Alan Gordon 69) - Edson Buddle, Landon Donovan. Substitutes Not Used: Jovan Kirovski, Tony Sanneh, Josh Saunders, Josh Tudela
LOS ANGELES GALAXY
The Los Angeles Galaxy extended their unbeaten run to 10 games - but won for the first time in six - getting a late goal for a 2-1 win at Toronto FC on Saturday afternoon at BMO Field. The Galaxy have 15 points from 12 matches, sitting in fifth place in the Western Conference, 12 points behind overall leaders Chivas USA.
LAST MATCH
• The Galaxy had last lost on April 4, their lone defeat on the campaign, though they had won just once since then. TFC had won just once in their last five league games and were coming off a demoralizing loss in the Canadian Championship at midweek.
• The visitors took just five minutes to take the lead. A corner kick came in deep from the right and Alan Gordon was left completely unmarked, heading home from the top of the six for his third goal.
• The Reds pulled even in the 64th minute. From a wild goalmouth scramble, Marco Velez's header came back off the post, and a shot on the rebound was blocked by prone LA goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts. But Danny Dichio was there to nod home that rebound from almost on the goal line.
• But the Galaxy hit for the winner in the 77th minute. In a sweeping movement out of midfield that featured a pair of one-twos initiated by Edson Buddle, Gordon sent him in alone behind the TFC defense with the second of the return passes, and Buddle coolly curled a shot around 'keeper Stefan Frei on the run for his second goal in as many games.
• Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena made two changes to the team that played to a 1-1 draw with the Kansas City Wizards the weekend before. With Gregg Berhalter suspended, Tony Sanneh came into central defense, and Chris Klein came back into the team with Landon Donovan on international duty.
• Here's Arena's team (4-4-2): Donovan Ricketts - A.J. DeLaGarza, Omar Gonzalez, Tony Sanneh (Leonard Griffin 74), Todd Dunivant - Chris Klein (Edson Buddle 66), Dema Kovalenko, Josh Tudela, Eddie Lewis - Mike Magee (Stefani Miglioranzi 64), Alan Gordon. Substitutes Not Used: Bryan Jordan, Jovan Kirovski, Kyle Patterson, Josh Saunders
TEAM NEWS
• While he was beaten for a goal from a wild scramble, Donovan Ricketts was called upon to make a season-high 10 saves in the win at Toronto. Ricketts has allowed more than a single goal just once since coming into the lineup - in the 2-2 at Real Salt Lake.
• "Donovan was outstanding, he's a great goalkeeper. It's part of the reason we don't lose games, it's largely or partly due to Donovan. I think he's an excellent goalkeeper and it showed again today. When he needed big saves he was there. He had a fantastic game," Arena said.
• The Galaxy have now gone more than two months without a loss, since losing back-to-back games to Colorado in league and U.S. Open Cup play on April 4 and 7. Their only previous win, on May 2 vs. New York, was then followed by five consecutive draws.
• "I think our team refuses to lose, and that's a positive sign. Certainly we need to win more games ... I mean, how many teams in the league have only won one game? Nobody. So it's one of those glass is half empty and half full sometimes and the habit of not losing is good now we need to have a habit of winning," Arena said.
• Buddle scored for the second consecutive league match, against his former club where he was a member of the club's original roster before being traded to LA in mid-June 2007.
• "It feels good. I wanted to get a win here. I haven't won in Toronto yet and to get the game-winner is even more special. I had a rough time when I was here and to finally get a goal here feels even better," Buddle said.
• On Tuesday, Buddle - one of three regulars to start - scored in the 14th minute to give the Galaxy a 1-0 win against Costa Rica's Club Sport Herediano in a friendly at The Home Depot Center. Buddle was joined by defenders Gregg Berhalter and A.J. DeLaGarza in the first team.
• "They got some good minutes and some good experience tonight," Arena said. "Young players like Tristan Bowen played 30 minutes tonight, coming in for Edson. That's invaluable for him. I thought Kyle Patterson took advantage of his minutes tonight, had a pretty good evening. I thought Stefani (Migliorzani) had a good game, Leo Griffin had a good game. ... There were a lot of positives tonight."
REAL SALT LAKE
Real Salt Lake were minutes away from ending a six-game winless run only to see the Colorado Rapids hit for the equalizer as the teams ended in a 1-1 draw Saturday at Rio Tinto Stadium. Real have 12 points from 12 games on the season, good for sixth place in the Western Conference, three points behind the Galaxy and 15 points off the pace of MLS overall leaders Chivas USA.
LAST MATCH
• The Rapids came into the second Rocky Mountain Cup meeting of the season with two wins and three draws in their last five and just one loss since the season opener. RSL was trying to put the brakes on a six-game winless run, including four losses.
• The game's first goal finally came 11 minutes from the end. Taking a crossfield pass in the right side of the area, Yura Movsisyan cut back inside, skipped away from a trio of defenders and lashed a shot inside the left corner for his second on the season.
• Yet just three minutes later Real were left a man down when Robbie Russell was sent off by referee Jeff Gontarek for a second bookable offense.
• It took the Rapids just six minutes to take advantage through a stunning strike. Omar Cummings spun off his marker at the edge of the area and hammered a blistering drive that sailed over RSL 'keeper Nick Rimando and off the underside of the crossbar and in, his third goal of the year and first since March 28.
• Real coach Jason Kreis made four changes to the team that lost 2-1 at the San Jose Earthquakes the week before. Tony Beltran came back into the back four for Chris Winger. Clint Mathis, Yura Movsisyan and Robbie Findley came into a new-look attacking scheme, with Kyle Beckerman and Javier Morales suspended and Luis Miguel Escalada on the substitutes' bench.
• Here's Kreis's team (4-2-1-3): Nick Rimando - Robbie Russell, Nat Borchers, Jamison Olave, Tony Beltran - Ned Grabavoy (Andy Williams 70), Will Johnson - Clint Mathis - Yura Movsisyan, Robbie Findley (Luis Miguel Escalada 76), Fabian Espindola (Chris Wingert 83). Substitutes Not Used: Jean Alexandre, Raphael Cox, Tino Nunez, Kyle Reynish
TEAM NEWS
• While it was not the result RSL was looking for, they did score a goal in consecutive games for the first time since April 2-11 and came within a couple of minutes of ending the six-game winless skid.
• "They really played with some self-belief, and I thought they really looked like a team that was wanting to fight and do all those things together. At the end of the day I am pleased; pleased with the guys, obviously not pleased with the result, because we always want three points at home," Kreis said. "But I think this may be something to build off of."
• After playing a couple of games with a five-man midfield, Kreis took the opportunity to change his tactics once again at home, playing forwards Yura Movsisyan, Robbie Findley and Fabian Espindola together in a three-pronged attack with both Kyle Beckerman and Javier Morales suspended. Real had 12 attempts at goal with three on target in the opening 45 minutes.
• "Everybody is up in arms about formations at the moment. It doesn't really matter. Defensively, you got the guys in the same positions. It limits the amount of opportunity teams are getting against us, and that is what I liked," Kreis said.
• With the expulsion of Russell eight minutes from the end, Kreis brought on defender Chris Wingert for forward Fabian Espindola. "It hurt," Kreis said. "There's no doubt about it because the sub we were about to make would have kept us in the same shape and then we have to switch shapes and we're shifting our midfield completely."
• Yura Movsisyan scored his second goal on the season, his first since April 25, the third goal in the 6-0 rout of New England. It's been a tough start for the striker who scored six goals in the final eight games of the 2008 season then added another in the playoffs.
• "Throughout the night I was trying to mix things up, taking it in, taking it out. I saw some space in the box and held on to it, held on to it, then decided to take it left-footed and hit it on frame for once," Movsisyan said. "It was good for me to get that goal. It was good for my confidence, but it was disappointing not to get the three points."
