July 4, 2006: The Galaxy get their first home win of the season. It is not quite as monumental as what our forefathers did in 1776, but it's big, boys and girls - real big.
Something is happening with this club, and it is good stuff. Tuesday night's performance was a good one. It was not as good as the win in Kansas City, but the Galaxy seem to be on the track of making positive strides. The kids are improving. The vets are getting healthy. Something special might be on the horizon for this club.
The Green-and-Gold are starting to become consistent in their play. They had multiple chances in the first half to put New York down for the count. The execution on offense is still a bit lacking, and that did show against the energy drinks out of the Big Apple.
Landon Donovan could have had two goals in the first 45 minute. Chris Albright's header that found Tony Meola on the goal line could have been another. And by the way, how did Ugo Ihemelu earn a yellow card on the loose ball on that play? Meola made the save and coughed up the ball in the six yard box. Ugo crashes in on the ball and is pushed by the defender. Everyone falls in to the goal and it's a yellow against Ugo. How?
Still, the Galaxy played well again.
"I thought the team preformed very well tonight. Obviously, it was fantastic to get three points at home and the win," said Galaxy coach Frank Yallop. "I am really happy for the boys, they worked hard for this. We played really well in the first half and had a bit of a low in the second half, but came through in the end and got a goal. We fully deserved to win."
It is a different type of swagger for the Galaxy these days. It is not the type of swagger where they take the field and the opponent knows they will have to deal with a couple of big names and a great history. Now, opponents know they are in for a fight. This is not a finesse match anymore. It is a fight with a junkyard dog that has nothing to lose and everything to gain. Just notice how Galaxy opponents are winded by halftime. It happened against Houston and again at Kansas City. Against the Red Bulls they did it again.
Tuesday's 1-0 win marks three straight clean sheets for the Galaxy defense. So far, so good for the retooled back four. Tyrone Marshall, the Jamaican sensation, looks a lot like his former self. I think he had his best game in quite sometime Tuesday night. Ihemelu continues to be a horse. I'm thinking we might see him and Oguchi Onyewu in the middle of the defense in four years for the Stars and Stripes. Keep making progress young man. I like how he is stepping up and hounding opposing forwards. Oh, and welcome back to the offside trap. That had been gathering dust for a few years.
"We worked on it in training," Yallop said about the Galaxy's defense. "Defending is a mentality; it is not necessarily about positioning. It is about wanting to clear the ball, wanting to get your head on the ball, and tonight we were first to everything. They had a couple of chances tonight, because good teams will get chances against you, but we defended very well. Kevin [Hartman] had a good save in the first half and I thought we really kept them away from the goal, which was good."
Whatever you have to do to keep that mentality, give 'em more of that potion. Double the dose is what I say. Break out an I-V if you have to.
Hartman did make a few nice saves. The one that comes to mind is in the second half where he pushed a low drive to the near post wide. The shot was a difficult one to handle as it came in with pace and bounced up on the astro dirt of The Home Depot Center. It's good to see Hartman returning to his old cat-like performances in the 18-yard box.
I think the biggest change for this club has come in the midfield. Yallop talked about the mentality it takes to defend. I think there is also a new mentality in the middle of the park as well. It appears he has instilled a new mentality to move the ball more quickly, get through the center circle and in to the opponent's offensive third. It has been a while since we have seen those long, rainbow passes switching the point of attack, which is a good thing. The opponents were just playing in center field and waiting for the ball to come their way. Now this Galaxy club uses short, quick passes. The Galaxy use one- and two- touches through the middle and then launch forwards down the center of the field. Donovan's goal was a good example.
"Someone played it up to Pete [Vagenas] in the middle, and he was able to get to it and push it up through the defense," said Donovan. "He played it through and I was just trying to control it. I felt Tony [Meola] coming out and then I felt the defender right on me, so I just put all I had into getting it down and to the corner."
Donovan had a second break, but was fouled by Marvel Wynne and instead of being given the advantage as he was able to keep control of the ball, the referee stopped the play. Wynne deserved the yellow card he received, but I don't think you stop that play.
At any rate, progress is being made. You cannot get your second home win without the first, and I am glad that hurdle has been crossed. Whew.
OUT OF THE CELLAR ... Holy cow, the Galaxy are out of last place in the Western Conference. It was a big night for the Galaxy in that regard. Los Angeles gained points on the rest of the conference, except for Colorado. With the win, the Galaxy have 15 points to RSL's 13 and the showdown between the two is this Saturday at The Home Depot Center.
So fans, make sure you are out there for this big match-up. Yes, the team has struggled, but this club won two titles last season. That was huge. They have a wonderful facility to play in and they are turning the corner. This is your team, support the club. Don't be apathetic. We're all in this together.
PROOF WE'RE MAKING PROGRESS ... While in Kansas City for the July 1 Galaxy-Wizards matchup, a few of us were in the hotel's version of a sports bar and in walks a little boy with his father. The boy turns to his dad and says, "Look, Argentina and England are zero-zero!" They found a place to sit and watched the rest of the match.
The second generation can watch a match with their dad now and both are knowledgeable of the game. But then again, there was the rude couple that walked in front of all of us and sat down right in front of the big screen during the overtime. What can I tell you, it's Middle America.
THE MEDIA TROLLS ARE COMING OUT OF THEIR HOLES ... While Team USA was in the World Cup, those of the old guard media who get that pained look on their faces when the world's game takes center stage were very quiet. It was ruining their summer that the United States was about to advance to the knockout round. Then we choked and out they come.
Some genius from Reuters writes how only 11 percent of Americans really care about the World Cup. Later in his article he reveals World Cup matches pulled in better ratings than the NBA Finals and the NHL Stanley Cup. How nice it would have been for that reporter to have to write about the U.S. team facing Brazil in the knockout round. The poor guy might have had to actually do his job.
I've covered every major sporting event from World Cups to Super Bowls. Do you actually think I love every sport? We all have our favorites, but the job is to be objective. If we are to report on ratings objectively make sure you note World Cup matches are played during the day U.S. time while basketball and hockey were in prime time. To me it is an even bigger accomplishment for soccer once the truth really does come out.
ARGENTINA AND SPAIN COACHES RESIGN, BRUCE? What, he's still hanging around? Look, I have a lot of respect for Bruce Arena. He deserves tremendous credit in setting the foundation on stable ground, but if coaches that took their teams farther in the tournament are big enough to walk away, how can Arena not do the honorable thing? Am I to believe the American exit was not a disgrace? Right.
I HAVE THE ANSWER ... While everyone is screaming for America's talent to go to Europe in order to better themselves for the national team, why don't we just better their competition here in the States? Let's be honest, the real reason why we Yanks get a chance to play in Europe these days is because there is an alternative now for the Americans - MLS.
In order to make the player pool better we must elevate the caliber of play in the league and that means the imports that do come in are of better quality. That will challenge the Americans to improve their performance and capture the eye of Jurgen Klinsman, err, whoever coaches the USA next. How many Italians play outside the Serie A? None.
Forza Azzurri! How about the Italians taking care of business against Germany? For once, Cattenaccio was complimented by a fierce offense. Marcello Lippi had more tools than Klinsman, and in the end it was the Italian offensive that eliminated the Germans. Lippi was smart enough to use those tools, unlike a certain coach we know.
Joe Tutino is in his eighth season as the English radio voice of the Los Angeles Galaxy. He can be reached at jtutino@aol.com. The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author's, and not necessarily those of the Los Angeles Galaxy or Major League Soccer.
