The last time these two teams met, in May, Chivas pulled off an unexpected 1-0 win over LA Galaxy. Although, to be fair, LA wasn’t playing that well at the time. In fact, LA had lost 5 of the 6 games they played that month (they tied the other game). So maybe it wasn’t such a surprise that LA lost to them. Regardless, this was a game that LA wanted (and needed) to win. That’s exactly what they did. Not only did they beat their rivals and get the 3 points, they did it in a convincing manner, winning 3-1.
I mentioned in my preview that if LA was going to win this matches, their 3 DPs- Landon Donovan, David Beckham, and Robbie Keane- were going to have to step up. They also needed to find a way to get through Chivas’ defense and their goalkeeper, Dan Kennedy. Before this game, Kennedy had only conceded 18 goals all season long and had kept a clean sheet in each of his last 3 games.
LA Galaxy was playing without defender Todd Dunivant, who was subbed out with a minor injury against Vancouver Whitecaps on Wednesday. Rookie Bryan Gaul would take his place in the starting lineup.
LA got off to a good start. They scored early (and first) in the game, something they hadn’t done in a while. Keane scored first, and was assisted by Juninho and Beckham. LA had a few more chances, but weren’t able to take advantage. Chivas’ first chance to score came towards the end of the first half, but Josh Saunders made a good save and kept the score 1-0.
The second half started off much like the first half. Donovan doubled LA’s lead and scored in the 48th minute after Keane passed assisted him. Minutes later, Chivas scored their only goal of the match, thanks to former Galaxy player, Paolo Cardozo. When he was a Galaxy player, I remember watching him and thinking he’s a really good player, I hope he scores for LA soon. That didn’t happen unfortunately, and he was traded to Chivas earlier this season. Cardozo’s goal gave Chivas players (and fans) hope. However, in the 78th minute, Donovan scored his second goal of the match and LA would go on to win 3-1.
Although Beckham didn’t score any goals in this match, he did contribute to two of the Galaxy goals. Another positive thing for Galaxy fans is that Omar Gonzalez got some playing time and is showing some of his form from last year, when he won MLS Defender of the Year.
I’ve always said that possession isn’t the most important thing in a match. You can have 70% possession and still lose. This match was a good example. Believe it or not, Chivas had a slight advantage in possession over LA (54% to 46%) and they still lost this match. Some other stats from this match, Saunders made 5 saves for LA, while Kennedy made 3 saves for Chivas. LA had 15 shots, 6 on goal, and Chivas had 10 shots, 6 on goal.
Next up for LA Galaxy is a friendly at the Home Depot Center against EPL team Tottenham Hotspur. After this, they will travel to Dallas and play FC Dallas. The bad news for LA fans is that Donovan won’t be playing against them. He received a yellow card against Chivas and will be suspended for that game, thanks to yellow card accumulation.
(image courtesy of Getty Images)
