Galaxy-Red Bulls Post-Game
AP Photo
Landon Donovan's attacks were the focal point of the Galaxy team and the center of attention by New York Red Bulls defender Kevin Goldthwaite.
A ho-hum, but welcome win for the Galaxy with a fortuitous call in their favor, as even most players realized; another night of futility for the Red Bulls when there was little to choose between the teams and New York could well have stolen a point.
Highlights:
Predictably, Galaxy Coach Bruce Arena was pleased with the win, but realistic about the performance:
"It was a game when there weren't a whole lot of chances by either team. ... We're taking baby steps. We're rebuilding this team ... It takes time to get it better. You can only make so much progress."
Red Bulls Coach Juan Carlos Osorio was unhappy a suspect refereeing decision decided the game:
"I've been advised not to talk too much about the officials, so I will resist the temptation," he said. "We felt very, very hard done by, by the decision."
(Arena and Todd Dunivant agreed they wouldn't have been happy had the call gone against them; Donovan was only to pleased to take what he could get from what he said was a correct call stemming from an intended cross).
Among the pluses for the Galaxy: the return of Edson Buddle and steady Todd Dunivant. He sounded relieved to be done both with his 10-month injury layoff and his return to Southern California.
He had never wanted to leave in the first place, he observed. When I asked if the Galaxy's inability to fill the void at left back his departure caused had given him a degree of pleasure, he quickly replied: "no comment." That was his shortest comment of the night. From a reporter's perspective it's good to have another good quote back in the starting lineup. Whether I'll have time to blog the rest of our conversation this time around is another matter.
Still, after two road ties - and the Galaxy are now unbeaten in their last four games for those of you who believe I'm sometimes too negative - they will look to their first-ever visit to Rio Tinto Stadium in Salt Lake City Wednesday and Sunday's game in Seattle with a greater degree of confidence, said Landon Donovan and Bruce Arena.
I will blog from both games so please join me then; but for now now I must finish packing, so I'll cut this short.
Good night.
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About 100 Percent Soccer
Sportswriter Nick Green has written the 100 Percent Soccer column since 2005 for the Daily News, Daily Breeze and other Los Angeles area newspapers. The blog of the same name began in 2007. A native of England, he began writing about soccer in the mid-1980s and in 2000 permanently exchanged a seat in the stands for one in the press box. He lives six miles from Carson's Home Depot Center, home of the Los Angeles Galaxy, Chivas USA and the training headquarters for U.S. Soccer and is married to a long-suffering soccer widow. Join Nick on FaceBook and follow him on Twitter.
Another predictable anti-Galaxy take on the game and post.
From my vantage point directly behind Landon and the AR, the hand ball in the box call was neither suspect nor fortuitous, but correct. Your anti-Galaxy bias is so strong, that I am hardly surprised that you once again got in wrong even with the benefit of replay. Interesting that even the MSG annoucers for the Red Bulls disagreed with your take and said it was a good call as the defender's arm was out and away from his body. I strongly suggest that you review the Laws and Referee guidance materials for what is or isn't a hand ball.