When the final whistle of the 2005 Major League Soccer season blew, it was the boys from Victoria Street who stood above the rest, their 1-0 victory against the New England Revolution in extra time giving the Los Angeles Galaxy a second MLS Cup title in club history.
Before the season began, that's just where many observers figured the Galaxy would be. One of the most experienced and talented teams in MLS -- bolstered by the addition of Landon Donovan just before the season start -- coupled with the consistency of excellence displayed by the club (having made the MLS Cup Playoffs in each of the previous nine seasons), it seemed to be a good bet.
The Galaxy's run to glory was anything but a model of consistency though, as the team showed a Jekyll and Hyde persona throughout the season. A number of factors contributed to the team's shortcomings during the regular season. The team suffered through its share of injuries, and an extended streak of games on the road smack dab in the middle of the season didn't help either. And as if that wasn't enough, seven key players missed time with the team due to national team commitments over the summer months.
But it didn't take until the dog days of summer for the Galaxy to receive their wake-up call. In the season's opening game, the Galaxy were completely outplayed on a bitter cold night where they found themselves playing against the elements just as much as their opponents, the Columbus Crew. The game ended in a 3-0 loss, and the entire Galaxy community was heard mumbling under their breath "here we go again", as the Green and Gold's road woes had carried over into the new season.
The Galaxy returned home though and quickly showed fans why they were hyped at the beginning of the season, reeling off four consecutive wins. The second game of that streak provided one of the more special moments in MLS history.
Chivas USA, new to MLS and the Galaxy's new roommate at The Home Depot Center, squared off against the Galaxy. The stadium was filled to beyond capacity as fans crowded every seat in the building and filled the hill on the north side of the stadium more than an hour before the game. The atmosphere was undeniably electric, and impossible not to notice by players during the pre-game warmups. The first game of what is now dubbed the "Super Clasico" was everything that league officials had hoped for.
"That's the atmosphere this league is looking for on a more consistent basis," said Galaxy veteran Chris Albright of that night. "That kind of rivalry, that kind of passion between the two rival fans and teams is great."
The Galaxy carried the momentum into the second week of June with a 7-2-2 record and first place in the Western Conference. They looked to be living up to expectations as the team to beat out West. Then the first major slide of the season occurred. The Galaxy went on to lose their next three games and went winless in their next six. The Galaxy managed just three regular season wins in three months during the summer and quickly fell from grace, passed in the standings by Western Conference rivals FC Dallas and in-state rival San Jose.
"We didn't deserve any accolades through the first part of the year, because we weren't good enough," said Donovan.
Despite the hardships of the summer months in the regular season, the Galaxy were treated to two games that very few players get a chance to experience.
On July 18, Spanish giant Real Madrid came to Carson, bringing its full complement of stars. David Beckham, Michael Owen, Luis Figo, Roberto Carlos, Ronaldo and the entire collection of world all-stars that make up the Real Madrid roster put their skills on display in front of another sold-out crowd at The Home Depot Center. The night belonged the guests from Spain, scoring a goal in each half to win 2-0, but the Galaxy showed flashes of brilliance themselves. More importantly, the Galaxy got the chance to play on a legitimate world stage.
"It was a boyhood dream," said Albright, practically speechless when reminiscing about that night. "It was legendary -- there's nothing you can really say about that."
A few short weeks later the Galaxy were involved in another special night. Playing in the first game of doubleheader at the Los Angeles Coliseum that featured Mexican league rivals Chivas and Club America, the Galaxy took on Chivas USA. Fans started to slowly fill the arena in the first half, and by the end of the game, 88,816 fans saw the Galaxy pull out a 1-0 win on a Landon Donovan penalty kick late in the game.
That was one of the few wins that the Galaxy recorded during the summer, and as often the case in the coaching profession, rumors began to fly about the security of head coach Steve Sampson's job. Even the headman himself hinted at certain points in the summer that heads were going to roll and jobs were on the line if things didn't turn around quickly.
"This was not an easy job to accept given the expectations and the circumstances. All you can do is put on your competitive hat and go to work and try and get it done each day," Sampson said. "This is what the best federations do and the best management does all over the world. They make a decision at the beginning of the year, they stick with that decision, then re-evaluate at the end of the year."
One of the best pieces of coaching that Sampson did all year was his unwillingness to accept defeat. All season long the Galaxy were struggling to defend set pieces. The Galaxy were being beaten to headers all over the penalty area, culminating in a game in San Jose on Aug. 27 that the Galaxy lost 2-1 when Danny Califf knifed in at the near post and tucked away a header to seal the victory.
Prior to that point, the Galaxy was using a zone marking system on set pieces. Sampson swallowed his pride and changed his tactics defensively, and almost immediately shored things up in the back. His willingness to concede and adapt had as much to do with the Galaxy's turnaround as anything else.
In the midst of all the speculation and inconsistent play, the Galaxy quietly started making a run at their first trophy of the year. Along the way to the U.S. Open Cup final, the Galaxy handed arch-rival San Jose its only home loss of the season, then earned the right to play FC Dallas at home in the final for the Dewar Trophy.
The final came just one week after getting blown out by Dallas 4-1 at Pizza Hut Park. The subsequent game showed that the Galaxy had the conviction of a champion, gutting out a 1-0 win off a goal from Herculez Gomez to lift their first trophy on the season.
Most of the Galaxy players point to the 4-1 league loss to FC Dallas as a turning point in their season. Even though it was a loss, that game is looked upon as one of the most important games of the year.
"We sat in the locker room for probably an hour and let it out. People said what they had to say and called each other out," said Donovan. "We just said, 'This isn't good enough,' and figured things out."
The Open Cup win preceded the close of the season. In the final game heading into the playoffs, the Galaxy were embarrassed on their home pitch 3-1 by San Jose, the team it now had to face in the opening round of the playoffs. Again, it was a loss that opened the eyes of the Galaxy players and sparked them to their improbable championship run.
"It really showed us that we're not a good team then. It showed us how much more we needed to work on," said Gomez. "We took it as a slap to the face by San Jose who knew they were going to have to face us if they beat us."
That loss in the season finale prompted the Galaxy to make one of the more impressive runs in playoff history. They knocked off the No. 1 seed in the West in the first round, then went on the road and beat Colorado, despite how unfriendly the road had been to the Galaxy over the past few seasons.
The ultimate dream was realized when they took out the No. 1 team in the East with a thrilling goal from Guillermo Ramirez in the first overtime period - vindication for the Guatemalan international who began the season as a starter but fell out of the first team after scoring just a single goal before the MLS Cup Final, that on a penalty kick that he would have also missed had it not bounced off the base of the post and then into the goal off the back of Colorado goalkeeper Joe Cannon.
Now qualified to play in two international tournaments next season, the Galaxy not only has a chance to repeat as MLS Champions, but has a chance to create just as many special moments for themselves and their fans next year.
Greg Daurio is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
