Final: Chicago Fire at Galaxy
Galaxy 1 Chicago Fire 0
Frantic ending to this one that began about five minutes from the end of regulation time.
First we had a rare indirect free kick inside the Galaxy penalty box after the referee ruled the Galaxy's Chris Birchall had deliberately made a back pass to Donovan Ricketts that the goalkeeper picked up (it appeared it bounced off Birchall's shin accidentally, but no matter). Nothing came of it after the Fire fiddled around with it, apparently accidentally touching it in the process and an alert Mike Magee sprinted up the field with the ball ending the danger.
Then David Beckham put the cherry on a fine performance with a 20-yard shot four minutes from time that needed Fire goalkeeper Jon Bush to acrobatically push the ball over the bar with a one-handed save.
Finally, a sequence that started with an alleged Sean Franklin foul on Marco Pappa (it didn't appear the Galaxy right back even touched him) and resulted in a free kick just outside the Galaxy penalty box led to a goalmouth melee that ended when A.J. DeLaGarza cleared a shot off the goal line.
Whew! Hell of an ending to the game.
The bottom line: the Galaxy qualify for the playoffs Saturday if Chivas USA ties or beats D.C. United.
More later.
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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.
Credit where credit is due. Beckham had a fine game. He worked hard and created quite a bit, was unlucky not to get an assist and a goal himself. Busch had at least three terrific saves tonight.
Lots of luck in this game. It could have been 5-2. But I'll take it, happily.
On to Houston.
The ref tookth away and gaveth back in the same sequence. The bad back pass call was erased with the equally bad call of allowing Magee to play the ball after the first touch on the ensuing indirect kick. The ball must roll a complete turn before another player can hit it. It was just touched by Mcbride.
Fun game to watch, very tense for us in the stands. gaLAxy should have won 4-2. Buddle was totally rendered useless by Conde. Young gaLAxy defenders had many senior moments but Ricketts saved the day.