a long ball from behind midfield chested down by Gordon for Donovan to drive inside the left-hand post for his eighth goal on the campaign.
• Gordon then sent the blue-and-yellow side of Victoria Street into rapture with his second after coming off the bench, tapping home from close range after Donovan relayed a David Beckham pullback from the right side toward the far post.
• Here's Gullit's team (4-4-2): Steve Cronin - Chris Klein, Sean Franklin, Abel Xavier, Greg Vanney - David Beckham, Joe Franchino, Brandon McDonald, Mike Randolph - Edson Buddle (Alan Gordon 70), Landon Donovan. Substitutes Not Used: Michael Gavin, Bryan Jordan, Troy Roberts, Peter Vagenas, Julian Valentin, Josh Wicks
• Here's Preki's team (4-4-2): Brad Guzan - Lawson Vaughn, Claudio Suarez, Shavar Thomas (Atiba Harris 79), Jonathan Bornstein - Sacha Kljestan, Jesse Marsch, Paulo Nagamura (Raphael Wicky 81), Francisco Mendoza - Maykel Galindo (Ante Razov 57), Justin Braun. Substitutes Not Used: Jim Curtin, Dan Kennedy, Chris Pozniak, Keith Savage
LOS ANGELES GALAXY
The Los Angeles Galaxy saw the New England Revolution once again come away with points from a trip to The Home Depot Center, this time a 2-1 Revolution last Saturday in Carson. The Galaxy still lead the Western Conference with 21 points from 15 matches, now level with Chivas USA, a point ahead of Real Salt Lake and the Houston Dynamo.
LAST MATCH
• The Galaxy came into the match still atop the Western Conference, despite a loss and a draw in their last two games. The Revolution had lost just once since early May, and hadn't lost to the Galaxy in league play since April 2004.
• The Revolution took the lead with two goals in five minutes midway through the first half, both by Adam Cristman, and both from corner kicks. First, in the 33rd minute, Sharlie Joseph's snap header was blocked by Galaxy 'keeper Steve Cronin, but Cristman swept in to stab the rebound to the back of the net.
• Then in the 38th minute, another corner was swung in from the right and Cristman rose up over defender Abel Xavier to power a header past Cronin for his sixth goal on the season.
• Galaxy star Landon Donovan was not able to start due to illness, but with his introduction in the second half, the Galaxy attack started to find seams in the Revolution defense. In the 66th minute, Donovan finished off a nice movement with a shot that was blocked by Joseph, but only to the top of the area, where David Beckham steamed in to send a volley goalward that took a slight deflection before nestling into the goal.
• Galaxy head coach Ruud Gullit made two changes to the team that lost 4-1 to D.C. United the previous Sunday. Joe Franchino came back into the team, in place of Ely Allen, and Alan Gordon started in place of an ill Landon Donovan.
• Here's Gullit's team (4-4-2): Steve Cronin - Chris Klein, Sean Franklin, Abel Xavier, Ante Jazic - David Beckham, Alvaro Pires, Joe Franchino (Carlos Ruiz 84), Mike Randolph - Edson Buddle, Alan Gordon (Landon Donovan 46). Substitutes Not Used: Ely Allen, Vito Higgins, Troy Roberts, Josh Tudela, Greg Vanney
• "If you look at the first half, I think our biggest problem was our midfield. People panic under pressure and give the ball away to the opposition and you lose your rhythm," Gullit said. "I thought we came back and played better in the second half. Today I feel that we had a lot of chances, a lot of possibilities so therefore it feels unfortunate that we lost the game today."
TEAM NEWS
• Landon Donovan has suffered from flu-like symptoms in the final days leading to the team, and was kept out of the first XI to start. He came on at halftime; after the break, the Galaxy had all three of their shots on target, scored their goal and also hit the crossbar.
• "It is always good to have your best players out there. Obviously Landon is one of the best players we have got so it is good to have him out there. He has been ill for two or three days and he has not even trained so it was impossible for him to start from the word go," Beckham said. "When he did come on it changed the game and it set their players back because they know his pace and they know what he can do. It put us on the front foot and gave us for opportunities to create chances."
• Beckham and his service was a particular point of emphasis of the Revolution throughout the match - while wide midfielders Mauricio Castro and Sainey Nyassi had quiet games, they did their part in shackling Beckham.
• "I think they were looking to get me the ball when they could. They closed us down well in the midfield," he said. "Sometimes in games you receive the ball a lot and sometimes you only receive one or two passes. You have to make those one or two passes pay for goals or assists." Said Gullit: "He was the most dangerous player for us, especially in the second half. They also on purpose put an extra man in there to hold him which means that he was dangerous. He was involved in everything, so I think he played excellent."
• Joe Franchino was given his first start in the Galaxy midfield since May 31, playing alongside Alvaro Pires in the central midfield axis.
• "There was a lack in confidence (in the first half). We could never get out and so once they had us kind of pinned in, we could never find our way out and relieve the pressure," said Donovan. "You resort to hoping you can catch someone on some sort of counter as opposed to getting them in their end and getting chance after chance like we did more of in the second half."
• Said Beckham: "Sometimes you look to play passes which aren't on or you play passes to the person you think is free and they're not. That's about mentality. It's to make sure decision-making and to keep concentration. You have to concentrate for 90 minutes because everyone knows in seconds you can lose a goal by not concentrating."
• After getting their second shutout of the season, the Galaxy have conceded nine goals in the last three games. They have allowed more than a single goal in five of their last six games, and 11 of 15 on the league campaign.
• "It is just marking. You see how much freedom, especially with the second goal. It is unnecessary. If you look at it, I thought that they [Revolution] were playing excellent, especially in the midfield in the first half. It is not that they were better than us, it is just that we were giving the ball right to them, so they were getting right into the game, without any reason," Gullit said.
CHIVAS USA
A dramatic goal from Ante Razov gave Chivas USA a 1-0 victory against San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday - and moved them to the top of the Western Conference in advance of this week's SuperClasico. Chivas now has 21 points from 15 matches, level with the Galaxy, a point ahead of Real Salt Lake and the Houston Dynamo.
LAST MATCH
• Chivas USA were home for the fourth consecutive match, having following two losses with a win and a draw, while the Earthquakes were rounding out a four-game road swing, coming into the contest with a four-game winless streak.
• The Earthquakes narrowly missed a chance to take the lead in the 37th minute when a long-range blast from Ramiro Corrales beat Brad Guzan in the Chivas goal, but crashed off the base of the goalpost. Chivas also found the woodwork twice themselves, from a Bobby Burling header in the 41st minute, then a Razov effort midway through the second half.
• Then in the 88th minute, Chivas won a free kick straight out from goal. Razov whipped his effort over the San Jose wall and inside the right-hand post past Joe Cannon's despairing dive, for the game-winner.
• Chivas USA head coach Preki made two changes to the team that played to a 1-1 draw with the New York Red Bulls the previous week. Paulo Nagamura came back from suspension, coming in for Bobby Burling as Carey Talley moved to right back, and Atiba Harris started up top in place of Justin Braun.
• Here's Preki's team (4-4-2): Brad Guzan - Carey Talley, Bobby Burling, Claudio Suarez, Jonathan Bornstein - Sacha Kljestan, Jesse Marsch, Paulo Nagamura, Francisco Mendoza (Justin Braun 66) - Atiba Harris, Ante Razov. Substitutes Not Used: Jim Curtin, Jorge Flores, Anthony Hamilton, Dan Kennedy, Daniel Paladini, Shavar Thomas
• "We had a kind of slow start, for 10-15 minutes we were a little bit timid, we weren't as crisp with our ball movement, and after 10-15 minutes we picked it up," Preki said. "We were decent, we were pushing the tempo, we were starting to break them down, and they defended with numbers behind the ball. Sometimes eight, sometimes nine guys behind the ball, they were making it difficult for us and it was just about being patient, and trying to create enough opportunities that maybe we can put one away."
TEAM NEWS
• The late victory catapulted Chivas USA past four other Western Conference teams and into a first-place tie with fellow Home Depot Center dwellers LA Galaxy ahead of the SuperClasico, the first times both teams have been atop the division when they've met.
• "That's how our league is. You are always in it. Parity is what they want and certainly I think they've got it," Razov said. "It's not the greatest record. We know we're a long way from where we possibly could be once we get all our guys back we'll just keep plugging away."
• The goal punctuated an overall positive output from Razov, in his fourth consecutive start after three games where he came off the bench. The MLS Original finished with five shots and three on goal. He also rattled a shot off the left post in the 53rd minute and was active in the attack throughout the match.
• "Tonight was his best performance," Preki said. "He looked calmer on the ball. I don't know if it's his fitness ... but he was better on the ball tonight but so was the whole team tonight."
• For Razov, it was career goal No. 112, now six behind D.C. United's Jaime Moreno on the league's all-time list. He said he has been feeling healthy and comfortable on the ball in recent weeks.
• "We pushed the game. I think we played a pretty good first half, we got some ball movement [like in] previous years, we were moving balls side to side and getting some chances. It was just a matter of putting a play together," Razov said. "We were a bit unlucky, hit the post, but we were thinking positive, we were playing with confidence, we pushed the game. The goal didn't come from the run of play but it's still a big win."
• Razov has scored the most goals on either side of the SuperClasico with five, including a lethal volley to punctuate the Red-and-White's first-ever win against the Galaxy in a 2-1 win in June 2006. He also accounted for one of the goals in the earlier loss this year. Razov has also scored the Fire's most-ever goals against the Galaxy, as he bagged five goals during his time with Chicago.
• "It just so happens to have gone that way," said Razov, who began his MLS career with the Galaxy. "There are probably other teams that I've scored more goals against. It's just been the timeliness of the goals. There is no real special occasion. It's a big game for us, a derby game. There are more emotions in an atmosphere like that."
