The two hottest teams in MLS square off in a matinee showdown between D.C. United and the Los Angeles Galaxy at RFK Stadium (12pm, ABC).
D.C., unbeaten in its past five matches (with a 4-0-1 mark during that stretch) take on a Galaxy squad which boasts a 4-1-1 record in its past six MLS matches. You can expect goals galore today as the league’s two most dangerous attacks square off againts two of the league’s most inconsistent defenses.
If you will be watching the match, or want to follow the match, please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.
Enjoy the match.
is beckham even in the feild in the second half? hahahah damn this is great to watch.
79th minute- Buddle from a few yards away from the penalty area blasted a shot which Wells went to the ground to save.
It has been LA’s first chance in awhile.
80th minute- emilio was coming in alone on goal, but slowed up his run as the keeper was coming out, but couldn’t put it past the keeper. emilio was once again close to getting a hat trick.
77th minute- DC sub, Dyachenko is coming in for Fred.
Hooray! It’s the unfrozen caveman midfielder!
Welcome back, Ben
74th minute- Martinez played a ball on the ground to emilio, who took a shot from the top of the box that went just wide!!!
Another instance where LA gave too much space, and emilio came with feet of netting a hat trick.
Ben Olsen is making his 1st appearance of the season for Moreno, and gets a predictably great reaction from the fans.
71st minute- Randolph with another risky challenge in the box, but it was just inside the box and DC is up 4-1, so there was no way he was getting that call.
yes life is pretty good .a BEAT DOWN!! i love seeing LA getting wooped.
Gallardo sends a pass to Fred streaking down on the right side of the penalty area, sends a simple ball on the right side of goal for Emilio, who puts it home rather simply.
LA looks exhausted at this point.
68th minute- GOAL DC!!!!
66th minute- Martinez was wide open on the left flank, and got the ball to emilio who was streaking on the left side of the penalty area. He did well to get off a shot from a bad angle which was saved well.
62nd minute- Donovan gets a great pass from Buddle as he was streaking into the area, did well to get around the 1st challenge, stayed up as he was pushed by Burch, but could only get off a low shot that was saved by a diving Wells.
Donovan was pushed, but he didn’t go down so there was no way he was getting the penalty call.
64th minute- Birch’s free kick from thirty or so yards out and hits the post!
Alan Gordon in for Pires.
A lofting ball was sent in from the left flank. Emilio took a touch to it at the top of the area, and rolled into the penalty area where Gallardo fought off a defender and getting as foot onto it, putting it into the net!
3-1 DC.
LA Sub, Jakic for Franchino.
60th minute- GOAL DC!!!
58th minute- Emilio had a long ball played to him, and was alone on the right side of the penalty area. He cut the ball back away from goal, and laid the ball of to Gallardo, who had a good position for a shot at the top of the area, but hit a terrible shot.
55th minute- Gallardo passed up a chance to send the ball to a couple of teaamates, and took a shot that went wide.
Fred with a chance on goal, but took a bad touch and had to try to slide it under him. Cronin did well to be in position on that shot.
The posession had been going back and forth for a few minutes before those chances, but there wasn’t a solid scoring chance.
50th minute- Randolph with a turnover right next to if not inside his own penalty area, and then makes a risky challenge in the area, but it was judged to be clean.
2nd half begins
46th minute- DC start out attacking, with Fred finding himself 1 v 1 on the right flank, but the defender did well to disposess.
Galaxy come back, but Klein didn’t quite connect with a long ball played to him.
@ Joe Quake – thats JP Dellacamera for ya, he’s been giving the “basic rules of soccer” for as long as he’s been calling games in the US. I think it’s one of his most endearing quirks.
On another note, the defense in this game is beyond atrocious, and that’s putting it politely.
Buddle is superb all around right now, touch, shot, hustle – WTF???
i think LA isnt finished just yet
As a Red Bulls fan, watching Moreno and Buddle score a goal apiece after watching them do nothing for my team makes me a little queazy. Besides that, it’s been a pretty entertaining game.
simona- oh man i feel for ya!, where do you live? game’s pretty damn good so far. mls has got to be happy. oh no that’s right galaxy is the golden child of the league not dc. i’m a quakes fan so nothing makes me happier in life than to see LA get a beat down. hope dc scores a couple more after the break.
A fun first half comes to an end, 3 goals and 2 more called back due to offsides. But that’s what we came to see, right? All the big guns are playing well.
Anyone else notice that this announcer is stating very basic rules for the audience? Is this on purpose? I would imagine that most Americans are familiar with the game since it’s the most popular youth sport in the country, but maybe they’re going after a different demographic with those comments. It’s annoying, but if it means that soccer will get more play in the mainstream media, it doesn’t bother me too much.
45+2- Josh Tudella in for Ely Allen. A strange decision to make a sub so late in the 1st half.
HALF TIME
45th minute- Donovan spent more than 10 yards dribbling the ball forward, twisting them back and forth before getting into the penalty area where the defenders finally closed him down, blocking his shot attempt.
42nd minute- Donovan and Gallardo get into a shoulder to shoulder struggle over the ball. Donovan ends up with the yellow despite Gallardo smacking Donovan in the face, bloodying him.
Burch sent in a good ball from the left flank. Emilio headed the ball as he was fading backwards from the right side of the penalty area. It was a great header, which was sent into the left corner!!
2-1 DC
39th minute- DC had another few chances to get another goal, but couldn’t quite connect.
Great goal by Emilio
37th minute- GOAL DC!!!
33rd minute- Simms sent a long pass on the ground to Burch, who sent a cross in across goal which didn’t connect.
There has been space all over the field, and as players get fatigued from the weather, the space will only increase.
31st minute- Beckham with a poor cross. He was wide open but hit it right to the keeper.
Donovan with a great chance. A Ball was played into him but hit a high bounce. The only thing he could do with try to head it over the keeper, as he didn’t have time to bring it down, but he couldn’t get enough pace on it.
28th minute- Gallardo with a good shot from a free kick to the left of the face of goal from a good distance, which Cronin did well to save.
Quaranto came off injured for Burch about a minute ago.
Donovan sent in a ball on the ground to Buddle, which a DC defender got a foot on but didn’t control. Then in the center of the area Buddle had 2 defenders between him and the ball, but he fought his way through them both and managed to poke it into the net!!
It was a very good bit of individual play from Buddle, and it is 1-1.
WTF Buddle couldn’t finish at all in NY. now if the ball finds his foot its in the back of the net.
26th minute- GOAL LA!!!!
24th minute- A great period of possession by DC United, great off the ball movement and smart passing. Too bad it ended with a long shot by Simms where he got almost no power on the shot.
20th minute- A really good bit of Moreno in his own defensive half to get around a few defenders and start a DC attack, which didn’t come to anything.
21st minute- Donovan with a cross across the face of goal, but no one was on the end of it.
A goal is called off for offsides! Beckham put in a beautiful ball into Donovan, who was marginally offsides. It was a good finish, even if it didn’t count.
18th minute- DC just taking a few moments to possess the ball between their defenders. With the temperature being what it is, I’m surprised there hasn’t been more of it.
16th minute- Beckham took a free kick on the right side of the field, from some distance. He put in a great cross which came diagonally and went out a few feet from the goal on the right. It was a dangerous ball if someone got on the end of it.
14th minute- The Galaxy play a give and go combination with Donovan giving the ball to a streaking Pires running along the right side of the penalty area, but a good tackle stopped him from putting a shot on goal.
Emilio on the other side was fed a ball on the ground, but was clearly offsides which negated the ball he put into the back of the net.
11th minute- A ball was played over the top to Emilio, who got behind his defender, and ended up taking a shot from near the top right corner of the penalty area, which was saved by Cronin.
Emilio may have been offsides, but the ref didn’t call anything.
8th minute- Beckham strips Martinez of the ball in the attacking third, but before another Galaxy player could get to it it was put out of play.
Can’t watch the game on ABC since there is a church service going on. Sigh I understand but the timing just clashes too much now. It happened with the MLS Cup which was frustrating!
Keeper’s left, Moreno’s right. My mistake.
7th minute- Beckham dropped in a ball to Buddle at the top of the box, who got the ball down but couldn’t do much more.
5th minute- GOAL DC!!!
Moreno puts the penalty to the keeper’s right.
Santino Quaranta was taken down from behind. It was a legit penalty.
David Beckham’s cross hit Martinez, but he was alright..
PENALTY!!!
1st minute- David Beckham attempts his first part of the match, and Gonzalo Martinez took the ball below the belt, and went down.
Starting Line-ups
——————
LA Galaxy
1 – Steve Cronin (GK), 2 – Mike Randolph,
4 – Ante Jazic, 7 – Chris Klein, 10 – Landon Donovan, 14 – Edson Buddle, 15 – Alvaro Pires, 17 – Abel Xavier, 23 – David Beckham, 26 – Ely Allen, 28 – Sean Franklin
DC United
1 – Zach Wells (GK), 2 – Gonzalo Peralta, 7 – Fred, 10 – Marcelo Gallardo, 11 – Luciano Emilio, 18 – Devon McTavish, 19 – Clyde Simms, 23 – Gonzalo Martinez, 25 – Santino Quaranta, 26 – Bryan Namoff, 99 – Jaime Moreno
Besides it being an entertaining game, I just hope the Barra Brava and Screaming Eagles and other groups put on a good show for the TV audience today.