Photo courtesy of Los Angeles Galaxy
By ADAM SERRANO
MORELIA, MEXICO – Three points were there for the taking, but errors in goal and by the officiating crew in the last 10 minutes proved disastrous for the Los Angeles Galaxy, who fell 2-1 to Monarcas Morelia in their CONCACAF Champions League match Tuesday night.
After a stellar goalkeeping performance making as many as seven saves on the night, Josh Saunders allowed an Adrian Aldrete shot from distance to slip between his legs for the equalizer. The bad lucky only continued in the 90th minute when Robbie Keane–who had scored the Galaxy’s first goal in the 52nd minute— was ruled offside on an apparent go-ahead goal.
According to replays after the match, the call was clearly incorrect as defender Gerardo Lugo clearly played Keane onside on the play. After the call, the Galaxy’s disaster culminated just a minute later when Miguel Sabah capitalized on poor marking on a corner kick to score the winning goal for Morelia. Following the match, Saunders was understandably gutted about the one moment even sheding a few tears after the match as one of his greatest nights turned into one of his worst.
“It’s disappointing for us to come down here and give up two goals late,” said Saunders. “We worked really hard and I feel gutted to have the situation that happened, questionable or not, it was still a mistake by me. The ref made a judgment call to call it a goal, I say otherwise, but that’s how the game goes. I commend the guys because they played extremely well tonight, but we couldn’t come away with the result.”
At the outset of the match, it was Morelia, who came out the more motivated side, capitalizing on a Galaxy team that appeared to be struggling with the altitude as well as the hostile atmosphere. With Ecuadorian left winger Joao Rojas leading the Morelia attack, the Monarcas peppered Saunders net with chances. Despite the lack of possession, it was the Galaxy with the finest chance of the half as in the 31st minute, Omar Gonzalez headed a ball off the cross bar that nearly into the Morelia net.
In the second half, the script switched as the Galaxy appeared to have more confidence dealing with Morelia’s advances. In the 52nd minute, Los Angeles broke through on the counter attack as Landon Donovan found Keane, who expertly went around Jorge Gastelum for the goal.
“We broke out a little bit and Robbie broke out well,” said Donovan. “I wanted to get it to him as quickly as possible. His first touch was great and then he did a good job to knock it around the guy and had a great finish.”
As the Galaxy took the lead, the chants in Morelos changed from “Vamos Morelia” (Go Morelia) to a more nationalistic slant as “Vamos Mexico” overtook the crowd. This support in the stands led to a response from the team as Morelia began to dominate possession and press Saunders for a goal.
In the 90th minute, Gonzalez smashed a header onto goal that forced a save from Morelia goalkeeper Federico Villar that appeared to lay stationary on the goal line. Keane raced onto the ball and fired it into the back of the net, seemingly giving the Galaxy the lead. However, moments later, the goal was called off as Honduran linesman Oscar Velasquez ruled the Irishman offside. According to replays following the match, Morelia’s Lugo was three yards in front of Keane as the ball was played to the Irish DP..
Just moments after their goal was called off, the night got worst as right back Frankie Hejduk was called for a foul setting up a free kick for Morelia, which led to two corners for Morelia. On the second corner, poor marking on the Galaxy’s part allowed Sabah to break free and head in the game winner.
“I don’t really know what happened, they just started coming at us late in the game, the first goal, they hit a shot outside and they got lucky,” said Gonzalez. “They didn’t get any chances from behind us, we kept us in front of us, and they just got that shot from outside the box that’s exactly what we wanted. It was anyone’s game and they sort of came back.”
The Galaxy is now tied with Morelia on points in group A with six, but Monarcas are on top due to their head-to-head advantage. The pair will return to Champions League action with the Galaxy traveling to Costa Rica to face Alajuelense on Sept. 21 while Morelia travel to Honduras to take on Motagua on Sept. 22.
Although the Galaxy departs Morelia with a loss, the impact of the atmosphere at the intimate Estadio Morelos clearly had an effect on Los Angeles. Following the match as the team pulled away, fans lined up to get in one last shot at the Galaxy with their middle fingers proudly in the air.
“It’s pretty impressive actually how much cache there is around our team now,” said Donovan. “Everybody knows who we are wherever we go. Most MLS teams come down here and people aren’t aware of who they are.”
Although the Galaxy was hated when on the field, their impact in the city of Morelia was unmistakable as Galaxy jerseys were sold and worn even in Morelia’s city center. Upon learning this fact, even the battle-hardened Donovan couldn’t help but be amused.
“It’s good, it’s putting our league in a good light and it’s a positive,” added Donovan.
Hey q-dub, after watching the replay it turns out the player was Chad Barrett….but still, LA needed a bonafide defender marking lethal goal scorer Miguel Sabah.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CF5lf-xzLU
Hard to say. Statistically it seems odd to have three major calls at the very end of the game.
1 – No passive offside or foul for contact with Saunders on the first Morelia goal.
2 – Very obvious incorrect passive offside called against Keane on Galaxy goal.
3 – Relatively weak foul called outside of the box for what hasn’t been a foul for the previous 90 minutes.
I would love to see some data mining on CONCACAF games, but I don’t think it would prove bribes vs home crowd bias. You’d need to seem some sort of betting anomalies or actual evidence of bribes for that.
I hated the reffing at the end of game about as much as I hated the bunkering.
Anyone know how ref bribing has actually work when it’s been discovered? Do they get paid by the call or get paid if they can make an obvious call to swing a game?
very Authentic of you Kejsare
f- LA
But how do you really feel?
Hush,
You have some anger issues may I suggest some professional help?
Get em’. In my opinion, you straight put him back in place haha
no one is forcing you to read the comments from a PRO MLS audience …but then again, maybe someone actually has a gun to your head and im being totally “ignorant” about it
Colorado, at least on the supporter’s group level were outchanted in their home opener as well by some upstart team.
Color me not surprised.
I’ve never noticed you do anything but troll.
I don’t really care for him or his style, but it’s hard to fire a guy who always finishes 1st or 2nd.
Oh ok, then that means the man can speak three languages…..Clown
I don’t know what’s more entertaining, watching LA bunker down and blow a lead or the ignorant comments in this site……definitively the comments
+1
‘Merica.
Those things being said, the second Santos goal was the most offside thing I’ve ever seen.
Hahahah. Who’s laughing now? LAme.
I believe there was a criminal investigation that uncovered lots of bribery in Bulgaria and other Balkan countries based on statistically odd sports betting activity.
Colorado Rapids are not very good at soccer.
Colorado’s fans are being chanted down by Santos in their own home.
When you have Scott Palguta at centerback against Santos, sorry but you’re gonna get f*d.
Mor. had probably 75% of the possession in the second half, and created numerous chances. While the ref seemed to have blown the keene call, there were so many chances mor. could have reasonably had 3-4 in the second.
The refs are not the root of the problem with the results. Sorry, but its still the talent gap – we are getting there though.
This is what they used to do in Bulgaria, many referees were paid off and made ridiculous calls.
If the refereeing is really that biased, what would happen if MLS simply boycotted the competition. CONCACAF would lose a lot of money. Then they might decide it was in their interest to get referees that are not as biased. On the other hand maybe the refs are just not very good rather than really biased. From the games I have watched I think they are just biased, I also suspect that bribery is occurring. Anybody else?
It goes back to Brue Arena tactics of buker down,punt/run, counter attack….what does Colorado and LA have in common- no possesion. Look at FC Dallas, RSL, Seattle they posses the ball, control the tempo and attack EVEN when they are up a goal. There offense is there defense, rather than counter attacking all game long. Which is why they have been susseful against CONCACAF teams
Robbie Keane should also learn a thing or two about defending corner kicks. It was Keane who badly lost his mark and let the Morelia player basically get a free header in stoppage time to win the game. You wouldn’t expect such an amateur lapse from a player like that.
I have a DREAM that one day MLS teams will decide not to bunker up as soon as they score.
Refs blow! But L.A should have kept some pressure in the midfield, instead they give them the entire field to play around with.
I wish more NAT players had heart like Frankie… He’s not the best player, but the old man plays his heart out.
Hahaha what a shame the mls champs losing 3-0 at home.
Hush, Hush.
I was just kidding around, besides I speak two languages…….English and American.
How sad is it that when I saw the scoreline, I pictured exactly what had happened?
It’s the same old story, and why I no longer watch MLS teams play on foreign soil in the Champion’s League. FIFA is an absolute disgrace. They know exactly what is going on and they do nothing. I can certainly understand when people watching games like these think soccer is an absolute joke.
I would suggest that in the future MLS counter this continued disgrace by instructing referees in the return matches to fix the game for the U.S. I guarantee you FIFA would spring into action then!
Man, the announcer from concacaf is butchering the rapids names.
Don’t act clueless dude. You know damn well what he means…. I hate bums who play the English 1301 professor role on SBI..
I would like for you speak or write in Spanish in another forum to see how good you are at it. The man can speak two languages yet you act superior???? Ooook… Clown.
Surely no refs are better than that one was!
You do that, and meanwhile you should go to the store to get a clue.
You have already made the playoffs. I don’t see how u think LA will easily make it through the group when they still have to go to central america twice
You guys, please stay away from MLSNET for a couple of days…those commenters are sore losers,they always blame the refs when a MLS team loses…you win some you lose some…right?
One would think that MLS fans would be used to incompetent referees.
Refs? We don’t need to steenking refs!
Questionable calls? In Mexico? Whah?
This is Robbie Keane’s first step into learning American soccer that refs like to disallow goals and rob games and be bias. Beckham figured this out and look what he does. He delays the game and fights with the ref. CONCACAF refs are so bias especially when we go against Mexico.
So gutted right now. Ref was wrong calling off Keano’s 2nd goal, but it was close so it’s understandable. What I absolutely do not understand is how the 4th official decided 4 minutes of stoppage were necessary. Watch the 2nd half again and try to find even 2 minutes of down time. Bullshite.
“At least” 3 points? And Chris take a chill pill.
Looks like a Google Translate from spanish to English.
Huh? What language is that?
agree that there are calls that seem to go against MLS teams, but can you honestly say that LA deserved to win or tie that game. They got a goal then gave up loads of possession and chances – literally the same script seen at least a half dozen times from MLS teams in Mexico.
It’s frustrating, but the Mexican teams seem to know that if they keep up the massive amounts of pressure the MLS teams will crack.
a 1-0 lead in the middle of the game for MLS teams may even work in favor of the mexican teams, because 99% of the time when the goal is scored by the MLS team its one way traffic.
Like always Galaxy score a beautiful goal from Keane and another was on the way but the Morelia GK send it out. Now after keane score the goal I saw all Galaxy playing Bunk ball, everyone was in the quarter of their own field letting Morelia take control of the game instead of keep playing forward and putting pressure. If Arena was afraid of loosing see what happen Galaxy lost the game cause the were letting Morelia shoot from every where. I hate to see Keane all by himself and STUPID DONOVAN playing defend instead of going forward that is the reason we never going to win in Mexico cause playing safe.
If you’re arguing that there are better players out there than Barret and Cristman then yes you are right about that. If you’re saying we should’ve had Beckham, Franklin and Ricketts out there I disagree. We were top of the table going in and we won’t have an issue getting through this round. In addition if it weren’t for a terrible call we’d be going home with at least 3 points.
I’m so pissed right now. The refs screwed MLS teams yet AGAIN. It’s so sad that the Mexican teams need all that help to win. The league needs to straighten things out south of the border. The whole CCL competition won’t be taken seriously until there’s fair reffing. That game should have ended 2-2.
the ball bounced of a player before it was finally hit in, if it was a Morelia player it would have been onsides, if it was an LA player then it would have been offsides the ref must have though it came from a Galaxy player… need to watch a replay to be sure who it bounced off of
why don’t they just use instant replay?! it literally took us all of 3 seconds to realize that Robbie Keane was CLEARLY on side!
They wanna keep technology out of soccer but yet all the refs rock headset’s [sigh]
Terrible f*cking display by the Galaxy. Typical bunk ball bullsh!t. LA could be a powerhouse in CONCACAF but they decide to play Barret and Cristman. A complete f*cking joke
Ugh, are you kidding me? I turned it off a few minutes after the disallowed Keane goal because I had to go somewhere.
Ives,
Does CONCACAF have someone in charge of officials? I’d love to hear the explanation on the “offside” call…