Galaxy defeats San Jose to advance in MLS Soccer playoffs to the Finals vs.New England (11/05)

LA Galaxy take first step to MLS Cup Game

 

Carson, Calif; The Los Angeles Galaxy jumped to a three to one goal lead over the San Jose Earthquakes in the MLS western conference semifinals tonight. The team with the best aggregate score after a home and away two game playoff series will advance to the conference finals.

 

The Galaxy, seeded 4^th, entered the game with a mediocre 13-13-6 record (45 points) while the Earthquakes entered the game as the 1^st seed and winners of the 2005 Supporter’s Shield for the team with the highest season point total with an 18-4-10 record (64 points), which included a 14-game unbeaten streak to end the regular season. However, as the Galaxy players can attest, the playoffs are a different season entirely and they showed why.  As we watched live from the Home Depot Center Press Room, The Galaxy came out like they were the leagues #1 team.

 

The teams each started the game cautiously, with direct attacks down the middle; the first real chance came in the 11^th min for the Earthquakes on a Mark Chung blast from 20 yards that went high and just over the crossbar. The Galaxy on a quick counter through Cobi Jones drew a free kick from just outside the box. Hercules Gomez’s ensuing 25 yard free kick found the back of the net for the Galaxy (13^th min). It was his first career playoff goal in his first career playoff game. The Earthquakes came close to tying the game in the 23^rd min through a Brain Mullan header from a Chung cross, but Galaxy goalkeeper Kevin Hartman was there to parey the shot harmlessly over the crossbar. The Galaxy made it 2-0 in the 37^th on an opportunistic Landon Donovan goal from a missed Earthquakes’ clearance just inside the box. The Donovan goal tied him for third with former DC United Striker Roy Lassiter for all time playoff points. The end of the half was marked by two missed chances, one by Jones of the Galaxy on a fast break counterattack that would have made it 3-0 and the other on a Dwayne De Rosario free kick on the last play before the half which was skillfully controlled by Hartman to leave it 2-0 Galaxy over the Earthquakes. The only blemish to the Galaxy’s first 45mins was an early substitution in the 21^st with Paulo Nagamura replacing the injured Marcelo Saragosa. The Galaxy already playing without the ineligible Jamaican national Tyron Marshal (red card suspension) would now have to play without the middle playmaker Sarogosa for the rest of the game.

 The 2^nd half started out sluggish with the Galaxy content to sit on its two goal lead and bunker down with defense. The Earthquakes’ Ricardo Clark returned the favor by scoring on a bad Galaxy clearance, from a Chung corner, in the 68^th min of play.  The game then opened up with faster pace and hard fouls after the Clark goal, which lead to a 70^th min scuffle between Jones of the Galaxy and Clark of the Earthquakes, and ended with a yellow card being issued to Chris Albright of the Galaxy. A 75^th min Chung rocket form 25 yards out almost tied the game at 2-2, but the ball traveled just wide of the near post. The Galaxy believed they had a possibility to make it 3-1 in the 80^th from an apparent penalty on a Donovan breakaway; however the referee motioned play on despite protests from Donovan and the Galaxy bench. Shortly after, in the 87^th min, Donovan calmly converted, from a perfectly weighted 30 yard Jones’s pass, with a nice flick and a header that beat both the Earthquake’s goalie Onstad and former Galaxy defender Danny Califf, to make it 3-1. After an uneventful four mins of stoppage time the whistle blew and the game ended in a 3 to 1 Los Angeles Galaxy Victory over the San Jose Earthquakes. Donovan (pictured above after the game) was named Honda Player of the Game with his two goal performance. Cobi Jones’s performance, although only showing up as an assist on the score sheet, was instrumental in frustrating the Earthquake’s defense; drawing three San Jose yellow cards including the one which lead to the Gomez goal in the first half. The Galaxy fans below had plenty to cheer about in the first game of the playoffs.

  The Galaxy traveled to San Jose for the second game of the home & home with a 2 goal aggregate advantage.  They played the Earthquakes tough again and came out with a 1-1 tie to advance to the Semifinals vs. the Colorado Rapids in Denver.  They once again showed their confidence and Landon Donovan scored both goals and the Galaxy were on its way to the Finals defeating Colorado 2-0.  On  November 12 vs. the New England Revolution and league MVP Taylor Twellman, the Galaxy overcame all obstacles and won the MLS Cup 1-0 on a 2nd Overtime Goal by Cup Final hero Guillermo Ramirez who ironically had by far the poorest season, shooting accuracy-wise, in MLS history. He had 62 shots, 30 on goal, and only one goal (and that from a penalty kick).  The game was carried live on ABC at 12:30pm PST and visit www.mls.com  for more info.