THE HOME DEPOT CENTER
CARSON, Calif.
5 pm PT (FSN-W2)
Two long-time rivals in the Western Conference - now separated by expansion - play in the back end of their home-and-home series over two weekends still with a lot on the line. The Los Angeles Galaxy have secured their place in the MLS Cup Playoffs; the Kansas City Wizards are still holding onto to the final spot in the East, but now with their margin lessened to just a single victory. The Galaxy however have fallen into third place in the West and out of home-field advantage for the conference semifinals, and yet for the Wizards, they are just four points out of second place and home-field advantage on their side of the draw.
REFEREE: Abbey Okulaja. SAR (bench): Steven Davidson; JAR (opposite): Thomas Supple; 4th: Marcel Yonan
MLS Career: 39 games; FC/gm: 30.8; Y/gm: 3.6; R: 3; pens: 12
Games involving Galaxy: P10 W3 L5 T2; FC/gm: 32.2; Y/gm: 3.8; R: 0; pens: 4
Games involving Wizards: P9 W2 L2 T5; FC/gm: 29.8; Y/gm: 3.0; R: 2; pens: 1
INJURY REPORT: LOS ANGELES GALAXY - OUT: DF Ben Benditson (sports hernia) ... KANSAS CITY WIZARDS - OUT: GK Martin Hutton (R MCL sprain); DF Diego Gutierrez (R knee contusion); QUESTIONABLE: FW Ryan Pore (R MCL first-degree sprain); PROBABLE: FW Josh Wolff (R upper rib contusion); MF Sasha Victorine (R fifth metatarsal contusion); DF Shavar Thomas (R hamstring strain); MF Jermaine Hue (L hip contusion)
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS: LA: Naldo da Conceicao (18 CP); Herculez Gomez (17 CP/good behavior) ... KC: Davy Arnaud (18 CP); Jose Burciaga Jr. (9 add'l CP); Jimmy Conrad (18 CP); Diego Gutierrez (20 CP); Shavar Thomas (19 CP)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: LA: FW Quavas Kirk (U.S. U-17 national team)
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (37 meetings): Galaxy 16 wins (0 shootout), 58 goals ... Wizards 15 wins (2 shootout), 46 goals ... 6 draws
AT LOS ANGELES: (18 meetings): Galaxy 10 wins (0 shootout), 30 goals ... Wizards 4 wins (1 shootout), 16 goals ... 4 draws
This is the second of two meetings this season between the one-time bitter Western Conference rivals, who will meet just twice this year after the Wizards' move to the East - both encounters coming in a home-and-home series over the past two weekends.LAST MEETING
The Galaxy held a 2-goal lead at halftime before the Wizards scored two goals in the final 10 minutes, the teams settling for a 2-2 draw last Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium.
The Wizards had lost back-to-back home games by 1-0 scorelines, winless in three games after a four-game road winning run as they faced the Galaxy in the front end of a home-and-home set over two weekends.
Their home troubles continued in the first half while the Galaxy seemed to have shaken their hex away from southern California, taking a 2-0 lead by halftime, both on corner kicks. First Chris Albright was allowed to chase down a second chance in the box and pound home a flying volley (26), then 10 minutes later Herculez Gomez rose up alone at the back post to head home his sixth goal in the last four games in all competitions.
But the Wizards saved a vital point with two goals in five minutes at the death. First Davy Arnaud got free on a corner, heading home a Preki cross after it was played short (81), then Josh Wolff finished off the comeback when he headed home the rebound of a Sasha Victorine shot that crashed off the face of the crossbar.
Here's Bob Gansler's team (4-4-2): Bo Oshoniyi - Nick Garcia, Jimmy Conrad, Shavar Thomas (Preki 65), Jose Burciaga Jr. - Chris Klein, Sasha Victorine, Kerry Zavagnin, Jermaine Hue (Davy Arnaud 46) - Scott Sealy, Josh Wolff
Here's Sampson's team (4-4-2): Steve Cronin - Troy Roberts, Ugo Ihemelu, Tyrone Marshall (Michael Umana 83), Todd Dunivant - Chris Albright (Cobi Jones 52), Paulo Nagamura, Guillermo Ramirez - Landon Donovan - Joseph Ngwenya, Herculez Gomez (Peter Vagenas 61)HISTORY
Last year, the Wizards didn't lose to the Galaxy in five matches over the year. In league play, the Wizards won twice - once on each ground - the teams also played to a pair of draws.
The Wizards came back from a goal down to claim a 2-1 win on June 5 at The Home Depot Center. Alejandro Moreno gave the Galaxy the lead (59), but six minutes later Francisco Gomez equalized. Then four minutes from time, Josh Wolff whipped a low ball across the face of goal that Diego Gutierrez slid in to turn home.
On July 24, a tense match truly exploded into life when the Wizards scored twice in a three-minute span just before the hour, Davy Arnaud first finishing off a neat tic-tac-toe movement with a rolling shot from inside the area (57), then Jack Jewsbury ripping home a low blast from outside the area.
Yet it took just six minutes for the Galaxy to respond, Sasha Victorine left alone to coolly sweep home a Cobi Jones cross. Then after tempers had flared and threatened to boil over, in the fifth minute of stoppage time Andreas Herzog whipped in a rebound of a cleared corner, Tyrone Marshall sending a glancing header inside Tony Meola's far post to finish off a 2-2 draw.
In a 1-1 draw on Oct. 2 in Carson, the Galaxy dominated proceedings from the start, winning an early penalty kick, but Kansas City 'keeper Bo Oshoniyi turned aside Carlos Ruiz's 16th-minute attempt.
The home side finally went ahead through Tyrone Marshall after 65 minutes, when he was left unmarked at the near post to nod home a corner from close range. But the Wizards drew level in the 89th minute thanks to an own goal, Sasha Victorine turning a rolling Josh Wolff cross from the left flank into his own net.
Then on Oct. 16, the Wizards rode a Josh Wolff goal midway through the first half and another stout defensive performance to defeat the Galaxy 1-0 at home.
In the Western Conference Final, Davy Arnaud hit for goals in each half to give the Wizards a 2-0 victory and send them to a second MLS Cup Final. The Western Conference top seed got goals from Arnaud on lethal quick strikes midway through each half (24, 69).
The Galaxy have won just one of the last nine league meetings between the clubs, a 2-1 victory on June 14, 2003. The Wizards have won five of the regular season games since '03, with three draws.
But the Galaxy had won the season series for five consecutive years before the '03 campaign, including a clean sweep of all four matches in 1998 - all coming in normal time.
The teams have met four times in the MLS Cup Playoffs, with a trip to the final on the line on three occasions. In 1996, the Galaxy won both games of their Western Conference Final series (1-0, 2-1), but in 2000 the Wizards gained a measure of revenge, winning in a sudden-death overtime game after the teams had split the first three matches in regular time. The other meeting came in the 2002 Western Conference quarterfinals, the Galaxy winning the third and decisive match.
Coaches record: Steve Sampson vs. KC: P3 W0 L1 D2... Bob Gansler v LA: P25 W9 L10 D6LOS ANGELES GALAXY
The Los Angeles Galaxy lost the first installment of what could be a running series with FC Dallas over the next month or so, falling 4-1 at Pizza Hut Park on Wednesday night. With the defeat, the Galaxy fell back into third place in the Western Conference, now with 39 points from 29 matches, three behind FCD (who also have two matches in hand). They now trail the San Jose Earthquakes by 17 points in the Western Conference.
FC Dallas gained the upper hand in what could be an extended rivalry with the Los Angeles Galaxy over the next month, the teams meeting next Wednesday in the U.S. Open Cup Final, once more in league play, and are also currently on course to face each other in the Western Conference Semifinals.
The Hoops blew the game open with three goals in the final 11 minutes of the first half. A bizarre own goal gave FC Dallas the lead, right back sending a rolling pass back to goalkeeper Kevin Hartman - who watched with horror as the ball rolled over his boot into the goal (34).
Roberto Mina then scored twice in seven minutes, his second consecutive game with multiple goals. His first had a bit of forture: collecting the ball in the left corner he ran toward goal before shooting from a tight angle. But it took a deflection off defender Pablo Chinchilla, sending Hartman the wrong way for the FCD second.
He then made it 3-0 in the 45th minute with the easiest of finishes. Bobby Rhine sent Ramon Nunez free on the right, and after racing into the area his angled shot was saved by Hartman, but the rebound went only as far as Mina all alone at the edge of the goal area and he tapped into the empty net.
The Galaxy were the recipient of an own goal of their own in the 86th minute, Rhine heading a cross from the right flank straight past FCD 'keeper Scott Garlick. But the Hoops restored the margin in stoppage time through Abe Thompson, who ran onto a wonderfully weighted pass from Ronnie O'Brien before skipping past a defender and firing through Hartman.
Galaxy boss Steve Sampson made four changes to the team that played to the 2-2 draw with the Wizards at the weekend. Kevin Hartman returned between the posts for Steve Cronin, while Pablo Chinchilla returned to central defense for Ugo Ihemelu. Peter Vagenas and Ned Grabavoy also came back into the team, for Guillermo Ramirez and Joseph Ngwenya.
Here's Sampson's team (4-4-2): Kevin Hartman - Troy Roberts (Joseph Ngwenya 46), Pablo Chinchilla (Guillermo Ramirez 77), Tyrone Marshall, Todd Dunivant - Chris Albright, Paulo Nagamura, Peter Vagenas, Ned Grabavoy (Marcelo Saragosa 46) - Landon Donovan, Herculez Gomez
"I think that if we could've finished a couple of early opportunities in the game, that would have made a difference for us," Sampson said. "Chris Albright's opportunity, which Scott Garlick saved, was a big psychological boost for them. Then we take the own goal and the two things combined caused some problems."TEAM NEWS
The result could give FC Dallas a boost heading into next Wednesday's U.S. Open Cup Final, which will be played at The Home Depot Center.
"I think this team understands that we have to be able to resolve those issues in the first half and bring more energy to the game, and play more tactfully more intelligently. More players have to have better games than what we saw tonight," Sampson said. "We have to use this game as a motivator for our upcoming matches and I'm sure that they will. This team will show its abilities, I'm sure in the final parts of this season and I'm sure that they will so our fans get what they want to see in the Open Cup Final against Dallas on Wednesday."
The teams also have one more league meeting ahead (Oct. 1 in Carson) - and then if the standings hold, they will face each other in the Western Conference Semifinals.
"We've got to know that it's going to be a tough game. We can't think that just because we are playing at home that it will be a walk in the park," said Pete Vagenas. "Obviously, they showed tonight that they want to end in second place in our conference and want home-field advantage, so it's going to be a huge statement, because this is going to be the team will either going to end our season or going to be the springboard to our championship, so we'll have to deal with them."
With Cobi Jones out with flu-like symptoms, Sampson moved Chris Albright forward into midfield and put Troy Roberts in at right back - only to see him send the back pass that skipped past Hartman for the own goal opener. The second half gave the Green-and-Gold new life with the addition of Joseph Ngwenya for Roberts, as Albright moved back to right back, as well as Marcelo Saragosa and Guillermo Ramirez (on the left side of midfield for Ned Grabavoy).
"The second half I think we came out well and we played well. We got that goal and a couple of other opportunities to score but didn't put it away, but overall I thought the effort was good," said defender Tyrone Marshall. "We came back and showed some heart and tenacity."
Added Sampson: "I felt in the second half the players played with a lot of pride and they showed they weren't going to drop their heads and roll over and that was important. They wanted to show the Dallas fans that we can play this game too."
Still, with the likes of Carlos Ruiz and Eddie Johnson missing from the lineup, the Hoops showed Sampson some things in advance of those meetings.
"They are nicely balanced with [Arturo] Alvarez on one side and [Ronnie] O'Brien basically free in the midfield. And I think [Mark] Wilson is a nice addition. Mina is also a very talented player - you have to give him credit, he had a very good night tonight. But Dallas is a very balanced team," said the Galaxy boss.KANSAS CITY WIZARDS
The Kansas City Wizards saw their winless streak stretched to four games, but still found the back of the net at home after suffering a pair of 1-0 losses, in the 2-2 draw with the Galaxy. With the draw, the Wizards fell out of a tie for third place in the Eastern Conference, now in fourth with 43 points from 28 matches, two behind the Chicago Fire and just three ahead of fifth-place MetroStars - as the top five places in the division are separated by just 11 points.
Wizards boss Bob Gansler made just one change to the team that lost 1-0 to the MetroStars at home the previous weekend. Jermaine Hue was given his first MLS start wide on the left of midfield, preferred to Davy Arnaud, though Arnaud returned to the spot as a halftime substitute.
"It was just one more time that we indicated to ourselves that we are capable. It is a 90-minute game and we need to take the second 45 minutes and take it into the next game," Gansler said. "We had our shot in the first half. The psychological effect of not getting that breakaway in the fourth minute and the shot off the post that came back out, we have to overcome those kinds of things and keep going forward with urgency."
Gansler said he wasn't watching the out-of-town scoreboard. "I wasn't watching the scoreboard; I had no idea what was going on. This is what you can take care of right here," Gansler said. "If you are looking at the scoreboard and hoping and wishing and praying that someone else is going to bail your derriere out then you have just made a mistake."
But some of the Wizards players were very well aware of what was going on elsewhere in the conference. "I felt like I was on the leader board of some golf tournament," said Josh Wolff. "I came out at halftime and every team in our [conference] was getting the result they needed to get. That certainly set the tone for what we had to provide in the second half."
This time a second-half substitute for Jermaine Hue at left midfield, Davy Arnaud gave his side a longed for breath of life, but not until the 81st minute.
"If you come off the bench you want to try and have an impact on the game," Arnaud said. "Kleiny whipped in a good ball to the back post, and I just tried to get there just in case it went past everybody."
The two first-half goals put the Wizards in a real difficult place, after following a four-match winning streak (the third on the road) with two losses and a draw.
"We don't give up many opportunities [at home], but for whatever reason they were able to find the back of the net - good luck, good bounces, what have you. But tonight we were able to dig in. A point is a point, it's very important," Wolff said.
After the trip to L.A., the Wizards have two consecutive home games before ending the season with a trip to FC Dallas. "It's about putting ourselves in a spot where we can get three points. The momentum was certainly going our way," he said. "I was just having fun out there. I haven't scored a lot at home lately The second half is the way we need to play at home. Hands down, this was probably the best, most offensive all-out pressure we were able to put on for an entire half. It's something to build upon."
"We've had 2 1/2 lackluster performances here," Gansler said. "Let's see if we're the road warriors we think we are."
