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Galaxy 2, Dynamo 2: A Supporter’s View

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It isn’t normal for a home team to come away from a tie content while the visiting team leaves disappointed, but that was the case after the Galaxy’s comeback to tie the Houston Dynamo on Saturday night.

Landon Donovan’s brace, set up by two beautiful David Beckham assists, helped give the Galaxy some hope after some rough results in recent weeks.

Speaking of rough results, the Dynamo keep looking for a win despite playing yet another game where it could have easily bagged three points. Houston has to feel like two more points slipped away after taking the lead twice in this match.

SBI Correspondents Nathan Henderson-James and Alex Swaim watched the match and filed their takes on the game:

A gritty tie signals hope for the Galaxy

BY NATHAN HENDERSON JAMES

Well, that wasn’t terrible.

On paper, this game looked like death for a Galaxy squad trying to figure out how to support the Beckham-Donovan show with offensive creativity or defensive bite. Houston, despite its lack of wins, is still a two-time defending league champion guided by a nucleus that has played together for years. With two more injuries (Ely Allen and Alvaro Pires) and a goalkeeper playing hurt, I was prepared for a replay of some of the more dire games from 2007.

But a funny thing happened on the way down flashback lane.

A gritty, determined team showed up with just enough offensive flair to put last year’s best defense to the test. True the first half was totally dominated by Houston. The G’s defensive weaknesses were repeatedly exposed and only Cronin, stealing moments from last year’s U.S. Open Cup 14-save victory over the Red Bulls, kept the scoreline as close as it was.

But it simply didn’t feel as awful as any of the eye-bleeders I suffered through, Tammy Wynette-style, last year. My notes from half-time tell the tale: "Not the worst defensive effort ever" and "Verdict: Not horrible."

Despite Ruud Gullit’s man-crush on Alan Gordon, which can be the only explanation for starting a man with feet of stone and the creativity of a lemming in the midfield, and despite the inability of Josh Tudela to have an impact on the left side of the field, I was actually entertained throughout the first half. Even being outplayed by the Dynamo, the G’s managed good looks and great chances. At the end of the first half I was in the best mood I’ve ever been in with the Galaxy trailing 1-0.

And then, to my surprised delight, a game broke out.

The Beckham-Donovan Connection was in full force in the second half. The first goal, with Landon’s header to the near post off a perfect Becks cross has to be Goal Of The Week. A brilliant Beckham run that baffled Wade Barrett and enabled another perfect cross, one that nutmegged Patrick Ianni, set-up a far-post-crashing Donovan for the second.

Sure the G’s continue to look shaky on set pieces, especially corners, and were continually victimized by their inability to mark and shut down space, two things that Houston will always punish you for, but this team showed something that was sorely lacking all last year: 90 minutes of fight and resolve.

Credit Gullit for the half-time substitutions. Randolph as left winger brought terrier-like speed and tenacity, even if his crosses still hit defenders as often as they get into the box. Joe Franchino impressed me in his return to Los Angeles, bringing bite to a midfield that hasn’t had any for years. Xavier and Vanney in the middle still scare me, but the craftiness factor increased exponentially. And any time you take Gordon off the field, it’s like adding an offensive player. (I bet the G’s could play with 10 on the field just as well as 11 if the 11th player was Gordon. Probably better. There’d be more space for runs and offensive build-ups would have to find someplace else to go and die.)

Walking to my car I took stock. Simply put, I can’t remember the last time I felt this good about dropping points at home to a conference rival. Well done, guys, well done.

Oh, one last thing. Does anyone else think that the referee wasn’t ready for prime time? He looked like a very determined 6-year-old learning to ride a bike without training wheels. "No dad, I CAN DO IT MYSELF!" And then he plows into a tree. Put the training wheels back on and get me a grown-up ref.

More dropped points for the champions

BY ALEX SWAIM

What a subpar week for the Dynamo.

Another game they dominated (less so in the second half) ends in a draw, where the team missed more than their share of chances. Seriously, where were Brian Ching and Dwayne DeRosario on Franco Caraccio’s beautiful play to get around Steve Cronin and almost put the ball in from the corner flag? This is the game where Caraccio showed he can play at the MLS level – and should only get better – but the team’s stars have to at the lest follow up on the attacks all game long. Mix that play with the crossbar/Cronin goalkeeping combo, and you get a scoreline that doesn’t reflect the play. Oh, and I’m in the Wade Barrett should have shot camp, if you were wondering.

On the other half of the ball, play was solid. Patrick Ianni proved he can, at the very least, be a good sub off the benches. His goal line clearance in the 90th minute saved a point. Sure, he got beaten twice by Landon Donovan, but I don’t see anything he could have done better. Bobby Boswell didn’t get beaten (though he was not tested much), but I still don’t like how he quits chasing plays once he’s decided they’re gone. Tony Caig had a second game in a row where he looked like a serviceable backup. Rico Clark did a great job as well, though he got forward less than if Eddie Robinson was playing.

Credit for the draw goes to the entire LA team, all three-and-a-half of them. Donovan, David Beckham, Cronin, and one half of Joey Franchino played very well. After Donovan fell down from running into Ianni’s back, he played angry and found two pinpoint Beckham crosses. He never gave the Dynamo a chance to stop him on those goals. Cronin kept the game from being 4-0 before Donovan scored his first. Franchino’s introduction after halftime kept the game from being a series of Dynamo attacks. The rest of the alloted players sufficiently clogged the box and booted upfield. The Galaxy earned their point.

Speaking of points, the Dynamo have three points on four games. They’re last in the West and second to last in the league. Who’s last? D.C. United. Both Houston and DC are too good to not be in the playoffs by the end of the season. Form in soccer comes and goes, and it will return to both of these squads before too long. With 26 games left to play, I’m not worried.

I’m more worried about MLS meddling in the team’s affairs. Robinson got the suspension he deserved, but these punishments are still quite inconsistent from instance to instance. Clark’s nine games still seems absurd, but I suppose punishment-as-a-message over punishment-as-a-consequence is going to be the norm for Don Garber’s tenure.

And I can’t figure out who’s trying to squeeze money out of the city on the stadium deal: is it AEG because they don’t want to pay, or is it Garber because he doesn’t want Houston’s low-subsidy deal being used as a precedent in other cities. All I can tell you is that it didn’t work, unless it was done to secure the Mayor’s reputation as a tough businessman when he runs for state office. If it’s done within the next month, I’m willing to believe that. In any case I don’t think MLS will move the team after adding Golden Boy into ownership, the promotion value for them in the Houston area is worth too much for them to not make a suburban deal first.

Comments

  1. thanks nathan, i agree with all you’re saying. certainly i expect (and welcome) so friendly banter and trash-talk. and you are correct, the people sitting around us were friendly while still giving us some crap after goals — that was all good-natured fun. the stupid stuff was in the parking lot after the game from two separate groups of suv-driving, frat-boy-looking dorks. no big deal. thanks for your write-up. hope to see ya in the playoffs. peace!

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  2. On the suspension thing – what isn’t to get about “in the run of play” and “after the run of play”?

    Eddie was at least trying to play soccer, albeit in a way that was too aggressive.

    Rico just flat out lost his head and tried to hurt Ruiz. I doubt Eddie wanted to bloody Tyson’s face. Rico was trying to break something.

    As for the game, I agree – Houston isn’t going anywhere but up. Between it being early in the season and the focus being on CONCACAF, I’m not surprised DC and Houston haven’t been All That. But in Houston’s case, that will change. Not so sure about DC – when they needed to add defense, they added new attacking players….?

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  3. When I watched the game, I initially didn’t know what Donovan was making a fuss about because it was such a bang bang play. But, watching the replay in SLOW MOTION, it was obvious that the ball crossed the line. In fact, the defenders head was in the goal. I agree, the ref is not going to call this in real time with only a few minutes left in the game.

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  4. Brent,

    May have seen you climbing the stairs to your seats on the way in. I seem to remember a couple of Dynamo jerseys, but that could have been on the concourse as well.

    I know it’s not pleasant to become the target of home fan epithets, but, umm, you came to LA’s home stadium in a Dynamo jersey. I mean, what did you expect? I grant you, “go crawl back into your hole” is less than hospitable, but it’s also totally uncreative and completely juvenile. Let it roll off your back until someone yells something _smart_ and insulting.

    As for soccer IQ. I don’t know. The guys I sit next to seem to understand the game pretty well. The guy behind me spent all game ripping the defense and the poor passing, and yelling to get it to the feet of Becks (and he was clear that it should go the feet). That all seemed pretty right-on to me.

    Gunner, that’s for the props, man. Love me some Riot Squad.

    Pancho, Chris Klein is the guy you mean. And, yes, his through ball was perfect. Klein’s got a good soccer brain. He’s the unsung hero of the right-side combo.

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  5. My take on Buddle’s header, no referee in the world will call that a goal in the 90th minute of a tie game. Too close to go either way so the safe call is to let it go. It probably was across the line, but there’s no way that gets called a goal. Too risky.

    As for Donovan and his “dive”… He was midstride when Ianni stepped into him. And yes, Ianni stepped into him. That cannot be argued, unless you’re Johnny Cochran. Anybody running at full pace like Donovan was who gets stepped into midstride will go flying. It was a normal shielding play by Ianni who caught Donovan at the perfect time.

    And as an LA fan, I was loving Donovan showing up Ianni. The League needs villains and Donovan is filling that void. LA fans love him, the rest of the League’s fans hate him. Perfect.

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  6. Great reviews from both perspectives.

    In the comments we’ve seen how “hope” can be confused with “fact.” PS & John, I agree that refs aren’t free from mistakes, but the Buddle mishit cross (which turned dangerous for the Dynamo and had to be cleared from the line) was not from any fast break that outpaced the AR. The AR was right there with the pefect angle to assess whether the whole ball crossed the line. PS did right in saying that the ball “looked in” from his perspective, but John’s “obviously broke the plane” is hyperbole based on wishful thinking. Based on where Ianni’s feet were when he headed the ball, it’s just as “obvious” that the whole ball couldn’t have crossed the goal line entirely, if it even crossed the plane at all.

    While I’m sniping: Beck’s cross for the second goal could be considered a nutmeg on Ianni, I suppose. It’s not a classic nutmeg though. Ianni stretched to intercept the ball before it crossed the face of the goal, and Ianni’s foot did just barely miss it. I think the ball did go just behind his outstretched leg (and thus, technically, between his legs), so one could call that a nutmeg, but it’s not of the flat-footed, through the wickets sort of thing. It wasn’t like the pwning Donovan did to Ianni on the first goal.

    Does anyone else think that Mulrooney was lucky that Donovan got to the ball first for that 2nd goal? If Donovan hadn’t, Mulrooney probably would have made a forced own-goal.

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  7. Poor Houston fan…two straight championships and the league is….picking on you?? GMAFB. Still moaning about Ricardo Clark is pretty weak – after all you still won without him last year. And Garber is right to call out Mayor White – your town is filling it’s coffers with gas at an all-time high.

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  8. Agreed that Caraccio looked like a serviceable forward, and more likely to get better then to stink out the joint. Sure they could use more depth, but who couldn’t, it’s MLS.

    It’s still early, but I just don’t see how Hou can overcome their lack of speed at the back. I’ve seen every game this season plus the CCC games, and every single friggin’ game they’re getting burned on breakaways. Their only hope seems to be if their opponents miss (CD Municipal) or lack break away speed themselves (KC).

    What is Hou’s salary cap situation like? Because they need to add someone at the back.

    (Btw, I just lost 20 mins clicking thru their roster, it’s weird – 6 Defenders, 4 F’s, and 13 M’s?!?)

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  9. Nathan, Small point but an important one on the 2nd goal, the ball played to Beckham by Mr. Bicycle kick, (can’t remember his name right now lol) was a thing of beauty. Absolutely lovely read of a brilliant run…

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  10. @Nathan: I was at midfield second deck too. Did you see two guys in Dynamo shirts near you?

    Three draws in three weekends – bah! Dynamo looked the better team for much of the game, but the defense is vulnerable to fast-breaks and counterattacks (i.e.: speed). Caig still looks a bit shaky, especially on crosses into the box. A couple times I could hardly believe how bad his positioning was. The offense looks decent, but for some reason the team isn’t finishing opportunities. On both of the Houston goals Saturday night, the ball should have been in the net before someone eventually put it there.

    As an aside, I was pro- Landon Donovan before this game, but I’m finding it harder and harder to like the guy. His dive and feigned injury were shameless. And then standing over the defender after his first goal — that taunting crap has no place in the game and should have earned a yellow card.

    As a further aside, I was surprised at the obnoxious arrogance of numerous Galaxy fans. I think many were there to see Beckham and could care less about the soccer. FYI – it was a draw, people. The season is young, and Houston earned a point on the road. Yes, we were proudly wearing Dynamo shirts. No, I will not go “crawl back into my hole.” And I’ll take San Diego (where I currently reside) or Houston over Carson or HelL.A. any day. Perhaps they forget Houston are two-time defending champs. Chivas USA fans are, in general, much more knowledgeable and friendlier….

    My two pesos, fire away 😉

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  11. Thanks, Dick, for the warm words.

    JC McKenney, it’s “Mr. Henderson-James”. The difference between me and Jayson Blair, besides the fact that I never worked for a major news publication, is that I was actually at the game and then watching the MLSNet.tv Quick Kicks shots afterwards.

    Having said that, the angle is tricky on the shot of the second G’s goal, so I think people of good faith can disagree on the nutmeg. To me it looks like a nutmeg (and, umm, Donovan wasn’t goal-side of Ianni when Becks played the ball – that would be a fine piece of physics that could revolutionize our understanding of special relativity – were it to be true).

    And on the disputed “third” goal – I didn’t have the angle in from the stands (mid-field in the second deck) and the wonderful people at Quick Kicks chose not to put it up. Same with the soft yellow on Vanney in the 57th minute. I had to wait for the archived MLSNet.tv version, which didn’t go up until after I wrote the piece.

    BUT! If ANYONE out there in SBI-land wants to pay for my cable and a TiVO, I’m more than willing to spend hours going over every aspect of every game. I still may not be right in my calls, but I’ll be so much more arrogant in my assertions. 😎

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  12. Nathan’s is a wonderful statement from a Galaxy fan’s viewpoint. He put into words the thoughts and feelings I had during and after the game. He also nails why I felt such relief when Gordon was substituted. Gordon’s fumbling of almost every ball played to him has been hurting the Galaxy for years. He should be relegated. It’s not as if he’s a kid and might be expected to improve.

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  13. Not sure what Mr. James was watching on that second goal. The ball didn’t nutmeg Ianni, as Donovan had gotten goal side on him. Ives, you have a Jayson Blair on your staff!

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  14. Good effort from the Galaxy all in all. Figured they were going to get destroyed so 2-2 is solid by comparison. Gordon is a train wreck. I was stunned when he came out as a midfielder on Saturday. No touch whatsoever. Absolutely loved Franchino, totally chippy and edgy. Much needed. Happy to see Ruud send Vagenas back to the bench for the full 90. Nothing more frustrating than watching him play back or square everytime he touches the ball

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  15. Uh, Silent E — I back up PS…if you look at the replay, you will see the ball obviously broke the plane of the goal. The sideline ref was there and made no call? Refs are not gods and free from mistakes.

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  16. Ugh. Give it up. That goal was clearly not in. The sideline ref was there and made no call; anyone with an understanding of geometry and angles would know how to read from the bad camera angle whether the ball went in or not. If it were even difficult to say for certain don’t you think Nathan would have mentioned it? It’s only a controversy in *your* mind, not anyone else’s.

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