Final: Galaxy at San Jose Earthquakes
The Galaxy (2-3-9) took one shot on goal and scored. It was well-worked: a Mike Magee free kick was headed on by Alan Gordan and met by a ghosting Jovan Jirovski.
But Earthquakes goalkeeper Joe Cannon wasn't forced into making a single save the rest of the way. And the Galaxy continue to generously give struggling opponents a boost. The Earthquakes move to 3-8-3.
Central defender Gregg Berhalter was to blame for the early first goal holding Pablo Campos to give up the PK.
Let's recap: Former Pasadena City College star Yura Movsisyan completely turned Gregg Berhalter inside the penalty area last week to score Real Salt Lake's first goal in their road win; Berhalter was sent off against the Wizards for holding Claudio Lopez just outside the box as the last man back; he was sent off in similar circumstances on his Galaxy debut against Chivas USA.
Anyone sense a pattern?
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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.
I also have noticed "the pattern" regarding Berhalter. He initially put in some decent performances and surprised me, but his age is starting to show in that Abel Xavier and Claudio Suarez kind of way.
I hope Bruce acknowledges and addresses this. The team needs to pickup a solid first or third option at CB in the July transfer window. Tony Sanneh isn't the answer, while Marshall and Valentin probably still lack the experience to step in. Griffin showed well in limited minutes, but that seems like a gamble.
Nick replies: I know DeLaGarza is on the short side, but he played in central defense with Gonzalez at national champions Maryland; wonder if Bruce is still pondering that option?
Perhaps, but DLG is often outmuscled by wingers while playing on the right side of defense, which makes me think he wouldn't be able to handle some of the league's bigger strikers.
For chemistry reasons I can see why DLG would be considered, but being small and getting pushed around in central defense was one of the many problems with last year's rotating CB combinations.
I really think Bruce wanted to bring in Osman Chavez to pair with Gonzalez and when that didn't go through, no backup plan was in place.
That is, unless you consider Tony Sanneh playing CB an adequate backup plan...
I understand Oguchi Onyewu is without a contract right now . . .