Galaxy host Bulls in coastal matchup

LA GALAXY vs. N.Y. RED BULLS
THE HOME DEPOT CENTER, Carson, Calif.
May 10, 2008 | 7:30 p.m. PT (HDNet; FSN-W; MSG)
WEEK # 7 | GAME # 47




A couple of teams still looking to find their way in the season meet at The Home Depot Center, when the Los Angeles Galaxy return home to take on the New York Red Bulls. The Galaxy haven't lost in three games - their 13 goals scored lead MLS this season, but their 13 goals allowed also unfortunately lead the league (tied with Chivas USA). The Red Bulls also haven't lost in three games, their last match coming 10 days ago in a draw at Toronto FC.




REFEREE:
Alex Prus. SAR (bench): Paul Scott; JAR (opposite): Frank Anderson; 4th: Ramon Hernandez


MLS Career: 125 games; FC/gm: 30.0; Y/gm: 3.4; R: 28; pens: 41




INJURY REPORT:
LOS ANGELES GALAXY - OUT: GK Charles Alamo (R knee surgery); DOUBTFUL: MF Ely Allen (R hamstring), FW Edson Buddle (R hamstring), MF Alvaro Pires (L knee), FW Carlos Ruiz (R knee surgery), MF Peter Vagenas (R quad); QUESTIONABLE: FW Ante Jazic (R ankle surgery), DF Abel Xavier (L knee) ... NEW YORK RED BULLS - OUT: MF David Roth (L knee surgery); DF Michael Palacio (L knee injury); FW Oscar Echeverry (R knee LCL sprain); QUESTIONABLE: DF Chris Leitch (L MCL sprain); DF Carlos Mendes (L quadriceps strain); MF Claudio Reyna (L calf strain)




INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES:
none


SUSPENDED:
none


WARNINGS:


SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: none


SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: LA: Greg Vanney ... NY: Sinisa Ubiparipovic




HEAD-TO-HEAD


ALL-TIME (29 meetings): Galaxy 12 wins (1 shootout), 44 goals ... Red Bulls 13 wins (1 shootout), 44 goals ... Ties 4


AT LOS ANGELES (13 meetings): Galaxy 7 wins (0 shootout), 23 goals ... Red Bulls 3 wins (0 shootout), 16 goals ... Ties 3


• This is the first of two meetings between the teams this year, the only one set for The Home Depot Center. Their lone encounter this season at Giants Stadium will come on July 19.


LAST YEAR (MLS):


8/18: NY 5, LA 4 (Angel 4, 88; Mathis 45; Altidore 49, 70 - Pavon 6, 8; Donovan 71; Buddle 82)


10/18: LA 1, NY 1 (Roberts 15 - Altidore 16)


• The Red Bulls won the season series a season ago, winning the remarkable 5-4 game on Aug. 18 at Giants Stadium before 66,237 fans, then playing to a draw in the penultimate weekend of the season in Carson with both goals coming less than a minute apart.


• The teams also met last year in a U.S. Open Cup play-in match, the Galaxy claiming a 3-1 victory in extra time. The Red Bulls' goal was scored by Juan Pablo Angel in his debut for the club.


• The visiting team hasn't won in the series since June 23, 2004, a 3-0 victory by the New York club at The Home Depot Center. That is only road victory in the last 18 matches in the series - dating back to the 2000 campaign, when the visiting team won both meetings that year.


• Coaches record: Ruud Gullit vs NY: first game ... Juan Carlos Osorio vs. LA: P1 W1 L0 D0




LOS ANGELES GALAXY


The Los Angeles Galaxy went behind early but came back through two world-class strikes from David Beckham, securing a 2-2 draw with Real Salt Lake on the road last Saturday evening. The Galaxy sit in third place in the Western Conference with eight points from six matches, one point behind co-leaders FC Dallas and the Colorado Rapids.


LAST MATCH


• Real Salt Lake were returning back home after losing both games on a two-match road swing to the East, while the Galaxy were playing their first road game in more than a month, after winning twice and tying once in a lengthy homestand.


• Buoyed by a heavy victory in a midweek Open Cup play-in against San Jose, RSL took a two-goal lead within 18 minutes. Javier Morales sent a long ball over the top of the LA defense from the midfield stripe, and Fabian Espindola brought it down with his chest and fired a low shot under Steve Cronin for the sixth-minute opener.


• Then on 18 minutes, Morales swung in a cross from the left flank that found Kenny Deuchar unmarked at the back post, and he coolly headed home for his second MLS goal.


• But David Beckham single-handedly pulled the Galaxy level before the half was out. First, in the 36th minute, he took a short pass well outside the RSL area on the right, and hooked in a masterful shot that sailed over Real 'keeper Nick Rimando and tucked inside the far side netting.


• Then four minutes, the Galaxy won a free kick some 30 yards straight out from goal. Beckham stood over the dead ball on his own, and hooked a trademark strike that sailed over the wall and dipped into the left-hand corner past Rimando's despairing dive.


• Galaxy boss Ruud Gullit made one change to the team that defeated Chivas USA 5-2 the previous Saturday at home. Troy Roberts returned to the back four, coming into the team in place of Abel Xavier, who remained in L.A. for precautionary reasons.


• Here's Gullit's team (4-4-2): Steve Cronin - Chris Klein, Sean Franklin, Troy Roberts, Greg Vanney - David Beckham, Joe Franchino, Brandon McDonald, Mike Randolph - Edson Buddle (Alan Gordon 12), Landon Donovan. Substitutes Not Used: Michael Gavin, Bryan Jordan, Josh Tudela, Peter Vagenas, Julian Valentin, Josh Wicks


• "After the game there was a feeling that we should have won this game, but if you saw the first 20 minutes, you know, it was incredible," Gullit said. "I think that the most difficult part is we tried to practice on turf, but nothing is like this turf, therefore players had difficulty getting into the game. We did things I didn't think we'd normally do, but after the 20 minutes this team battled back. This team should be very proud of itself, how they fought for this. It was a good result; if you'd ask me before the game if I'd settle for a draw, I would knowing the circumstances."


TEAM NEWS


• Of course, the talking point after the match was the two strikes from David Beckham, and even though the first came from open play, both showed his remarkable ball-striking ability from deadball (or all but) situations.


• "It's what great players do," said Galaxy defender Chris Klein of Beckham. "He delivers good balls, and you have to step to him because he can strike a great ball. On the free kick, everyone knows what he can do there. We're going to need a few of those this year, and he's been known to provide them. I think this is a tip of what he can do, and what everyone has been waiting to see."


• Said Gullit: "I think the first goal was the best one. On the dead ball, you have time. On the first he passed the ball to the far corner. That tells you his quality. Before it was Landon, now it's David."


• The goals also brought the Galaxy back from a disastrous beginning, in just their second road match of the season, where they first defeated 4-0 by the Colorado Rapids in the season opener.


• "We started coming back into the game just before then and when you're coming back into the game it's important that you keep your eyes on the play," Beckham said. "It was my turn to score the goals tonight instead of Landon, but it's important that all the players take a part of scoring goals and winning games and getting the team back into the game. So tonight it was my turn and I'm sure in other games to come it will be other players that do the same."


• Said Donovan: "His attitude in those two moments to make the difference," said Donovan. "Obviously, he has the quality to make the difference. Other people can try it, but can't pull it off - he can. Him saying, 'I'm going to make a difference because we're struggling right now,' then he went and did it - that was the difference between tying the game and losing."


• The free kick goal was Beckham's first in league play with the Galaxy. His goal in a competitive match for the Galaxy, though, was also a trademark deadball strike, against D.C. United in the SuperLiga semifinal last year.


• "I'm like a little kid every time a free kick is given on the edge of the box. The excitement comes into myself and most of the time I can score them," Beckham said. "Recently I've had a couple which have hit the wall, but tonight I was happy with the free kick and also happy with the first goal. But like I've said, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't."




NEW YORK RED BULLS


The New York Red Bulls return to action after a 10-day layoff, their last match a 1-1 draw with Toronto FC at BMO Field on May 1. The Red Bulls have eight points from five matches on the season, good for sixth place in the Eastern Conference, two points behind a three-way logjam for third place and seven points behind overall leader Columbus Crew, though they have a game in hand.


LAST MATCH


• Toronto FC came into the Primetime showcase riding a three-game winning streak, the longest in club history, while the Red Bulls were coming off a win against San Jose that ended a two-game winless run.


• On a windswept, rainy night on the shores of Lake Ontario, set pieces provided all the scoring. TFC opened the lead in the 22nd minute. Laurent Robert put in a free kick from the left touchline and as the New York defense pulled out, Marco Velez was left completely alone at the back post. Maligned by some for TFC's defensive play on the season, the Puerto Rican international powerfully headed home for his first MLS goal.


• But the Red Bulls drew level seven minutes before the halftime interval. From a free kick outside the right corner of the area, Dave van den Bergh drove a low, curling effort that snuck around the wall and inside the far post for his second goal on the campaign.


• Red Bulls manager Juan Carlos Osorio made four changes to the team that defeated the San Jose Earthquakes 2-0 the previous Sunday. Hunter Freeman returned from injury as did Juan Pablo Angel, while Mike Magee was given his first start of the season and Danleigh Borman his first professional start. Chris Leitch and Carlos Mendes were both injured while John Wolyniec and Luke Sassano returned to the substitutes' bench.


• Here's Osorio's team (4-2-3-1): Jon Conway - Hunter Freeman, Jeff Parke, Kevin Goldthwaite, Dave van den Bergh - Claudio Reyna (Sinisa Ubiparipovic 46), Seth Stammler - Jozy Altidore (John Wolyniec 91+), Mike Magee, Danleigh Borman (Dane Richards 55) - Juan Pablo Angel. Substitutes Not Used: Eric Brunner, Chris Megaloudis, Luke Sassano, Zach Thornton


• "I will probably speak on behalf of all my players but we probably wish we could play in an environment like this week in and week out because as we talked on the pregame talk, most of the players just thrive on the challenge of playing in front of 20,000 and there was great feeling and I think my players performed very well today in front of a lot of people, and took the challenge and did very well today," Osorio said. "We were the better team over the 90 minutes, with the better options, we controlled the game for the most part, we're happy with the point but we could have won it I think."


TEAM NEWS


• Facing a team riding a three-game winning streak, Osorio was pleased with his team's defensive posture. TFC outshot New York 6-5 and had a 3-1 advantage in shots on goal, but created few chances outside of the goal.


• "Amado [Guevara] didn't have a chance, [Danny] Dichio doesn't have a clear chance, [Rohan] Ricketts doesn't have a clear chance, Laurent doesn't have a clear chance," said Osorio of Toronto's main attacking weapons. "That tells me we controlled the game and we probably deserved more than a point."


• After being forced at halftime of the New England match and missing the entirety of the San Jose clash, hampered by a nerve problem in his lower back, Juan Pablo Angel was able to play the full 90 minutes, operating chiefly as a lone striker.


• "It's sore," Angel said. "It got very tight at the end. But I'm happy I managed to play 90 minutes, it'll be good for my fitness. We're just going to have to wait and see how it reacts in the next couple of days ... if it reacts well, that means I'm getting better."


• There was further good news on the injury front. Dane Richards and Hunter Freeman played their first matches of 2008, with Freeman starting and playing the full 90 minutes. Defender Kevin Goldthwaite was back in the lineup after coping with a back injury over the previous week,


• But defenders Chris Leitch and Carlos Mendes were both forced out of the lineup due to injury, and Claudio Reyna lasted just a half, suffering from a calf strain. Reyna is listed as questionable for the Galaxy match.


• "He felt it in the warmup," Osorio said. "Throughout the first half he felt more pain, [and] we made the decision at halftime to prevent further injury. But I think it's not really bad."


• After coming off the bench to score his first goal in nearly two years, Mike Magee was given the start in an attacking midfield role in Osorio's tactical shift. He played the full 90 minutes and had a look on the free kick that was eventually driven home by van den Bergh, his second goal on the season.


• "Me and [Mike] Magee talked about who had the best option," van den Bergh said. "Considering the wind it was going to be an easier ball for a left-footed guy because for a right-footed guy the wind would've slowed it down. I contemplated bending it over the wall but the wind was pretty strong so I figured I had a chance on the goalie's side."