LA Galaxy defeat Chicago Fire as Donovan returns and Beckham is on his way (7/07)
The LA Galaxy got back on track with the help of Kyle Martino and London Donovan on the American Independence Day. The Galaxy leads the league in attendance, which should dramatically improve in the weeks to come. David Beckham’s formal introduction is scheduled for July 13the with his debut on July 21st vs. English powerhouse Chelsea.
Martino set up both goals with nifty moves pas Chicago Fire defenseman Chris Amas (16th minute) and Ivan Guerrero (87th minute). Both times he drew penalties in the box to permit Donovan to take penalty shots. Donovan is a master on penalty kicks beat Fire goalie Jon Busch both times and the Galaxy won 2-0 and dominated 14-2 shots on goal. This was also the debut of forward Carlos Pavon from Honduras. He came on in the 56th minute and showed flashes of brilliance for the year to come. He is fast and has great dribbling skills. With he and Edson Buddle upfront, Donovan and Beckham joining the team, LA will be tough as the season goes on. Add to the fact the Galaxy have played fewer games (11) than any other team in the league. With Abel Xavier and Ante Jazic anchoring the defense and Joe Cannon in goal the team is destined to make a run at the 2007 MLS Cup.
The Fire were short handed with a couple key players playing tin the COPA America tournament in Venezuela including up and coming American star Justin Mapp. The Galaxy next takes on Kansas City on July 7th at the Home Depot Center. Since the US Team was just eliminated from COPA America forward Eddie Johnson may be back in time for that match for the Wizards.
For more information, tickets and the team schedule, visit www.lagalaxy.com