Major League Soccer

LA Galaxy Claim First Win At Expense Of NY Red Bulls

Los Angeles claimed all three points versus New York, leaving the Columbus Crew as the only winless team in Major League Soccer.

May 3, 2009 2:56:34 AM

MLS: Landon Donovan, Los Angeles Galaxy (ISI)

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MLS: Landon Donovan, Los Angeles Galaxy (ISI)

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LOS ANGELES, Calif. - The Los Angeles Galaxy earned their first win of the season versus the New York Red Bulls, even though the 1-0 victory wasn't particularly convincing.

First Half

Galaxy coach Bruce Arena made two changes from the previous game, starting Edson Buddle in the place of Alan Gordon and bringing on Josh Tudela instead of Stefani Miglioranzi.

Two early offside calls blunted opportunities for the Galaxy in the first five minutes.

A freekick in the 17th minute was whistled for a Seth Stammler foul on Dema Kovalenko. It had to be taken twice because players were jostling so much in the box. On the second chance, Gregg Berhalter broke free of the pack vying for the ball and looked like he only had to make contact to score on a relatively helpless Jon Conway in goal, but he was unable to reach the ball.

Klein passed to a breaking Donovan for a shot in the 19th minute that Conway was able to stop.

In the 23rd minute, a Rojas corner kick nearly found Kevin Goldthwaite in the box. As he tangled with his defender, the ball was redirected straight towards the goal. Galaxy keeper Donovan Ricketts got the hometown crowd on their feet with a diving stop of the possible own-goal.

This seemed to energize the Galaxy going the other way, and they were able to build up more attacks. Chris Klein's shot in the 31st was well-saved by Conway.

Generally, the Galaxy effort to work for each other on defense paid off, as players dropped back when needed and covered for each other if one went forward. On one New York attack, Sean Franklin tackled the ball away, and Omar Gonzalez on the follow-up fought for the loose ball, though he couldn't save it from crossing the line, which allowed the Red Bulls a corner.

The hustle on defense limited New York's opportunities. They waited to exploit cracks in the Galaxy's defensive armor. One chance came after a Galaxy attack in the 37th triggered a Red Bull counter. Jorge Rojas was perhaps too eager, however, shooting wide right from about forty yards away from goal.

The Galaxy finally broke the game open with a little help from the Red Bulls in the 39th minute. As Donovan attacked again in the box, his cross was blocked by the arm of Stammler. Although the midfielder protested that the contact was uninitiated by him, the linesman near the incident verified that the arm was away from his body. Referee Abiodun Okulaja obligingly pointed toward the spot.

Donovan stepped up to the penalty spot, putting away his fourth goal of the season with a low shot to Conway's left.

The Galaxy maintained their dominance through the rest of the first half, clearly eager to go into the break with a lead.

Second Half

After the break, New York did better testing the Galaxy defense, which fumbled badly at times under the pressure brought by the Red Bulls. It seemed evident that the squad was a little unusued to playing with a lead.

Though the Red Bulls enjoyed increased possession, it did not translate into effective opportunities on goal, as a gritty Galaxy defense bent, but refused to break against New York's best efforts.

Juan Pablo Angel drifted behind the Galaxy backline at various points, but the Galaxy did well to stifle him by cutting off passes before they could reach the forward.

The Red Bulls only managed one shot in the second half, a effort by Albert Celades in the 67th minute that went wide.

In the final fifteen minutes of the game, the Galaxy reasserted themselves. Late-game substitute Brain Jordan made some lively runs for the side and it seemed as if the Galaxy would extend their lead, but the final pass lacked quality on the various opportunities.

Donovan had perhaps the best look in the 82nd minute when he corralled the ball after a scramble in the box, but his quick shot, trying to take advantage of Conway while the goalkeeper wasn't set, went high.

Besides being the Galaxy's first win in the 2009 MLS season, the match was also notable because midfielder Chris Klein was taking part in his 300th game, an impressive milestone that his teammates were happy to mark with a victory.

Andrea Canales, Goal.com

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