Galaxy/Wizards running blog

Hi folks. It's actually a bit chilly here in LA. Las chance for LA fans to see Becks and Donovan for a bit.
Steve Cronin, Chris Klein, Sean Franklin, Abel Xavier, Greg Vanney, David Beckham, Alvaro Pires, Brandon McDonald, Joe Franchino, Edson Buddle, Landon Donovan (someone said the nicknames were anoying, so I'm desisting for a bit).
KC - Kevin Hartman, Chance Myers, Jimmy Conrad, Tyson Wahl, Michael Harrington, Davy Arnaud, Jack Jewsbury, Carlos Marinelli, Sasha Victorine, Claudio Lopez, Scott Sealy
Kickoff!
1 - Wow, Galaxy in trouble from the start - can't clear their box well, but KC isn't quite able to work a shot out of it.
2 - Offside called on Lopez
4 - Pretty lively crowd right from the start, but it doesn't look like a sell-out. Course, LA crowds typically fill in late.
6 - KC with the majority of possession so far. Galaxy in their own half a lot.
7 - Interesting sequence, Klein overlapped Beckham, who passed to LD, who tried to onetime to Klein off his chest. Didn't come off - ball went out for throw, but it would have looked cool had it worked.
8 - Nice LA counter - almost. Beckham to Buddle, to LD, who gets a step on his defender and shoots towards goal. Hartman is on it and blocks. Crowd a bit confused. they don't want to boo Hartman, but they can't cheer the save, either, because he plays for KC no. So they're oddly silent.
11 - Handball! Well, I guess not if the ref doesn't call it. But it was pretty clear. Cronin stops the shot anyway, and Xavi clears.
13 - Galaxy defending a lot. Anytime anything gets going for them, a pass goes wrong. But they do earn a deep throw on a counter just now. Nothing comes of it.
16 - Beckham to Buddle - whose header goes wide.
20 - Galaxy keep getting caught offside. THe KC line is almost to centerfield.
21 - Whoa - on a deep throw - two Galaxy defenders miss clearing headers, but somehow escape without a KC shot on goal.
25 - Lopez shoot from outside the box - Cronin saves, but it looked like it might have gone a bit wide anyway.
28 - Free kick for the galaxy. Bit far, bit of an extreme angle - Becks lines it up, steps to it - serves it - All the Galaxy guys miss it, but LD chases it down, and then tries to go back into the box - and then things get weird and confusing. the whistle blows, but we're not sure why and then Buddle gets a yellow card. We're still not sure why.
33 - Interesting - Becks got fouled, but there was no call for about a minute. I guess play-on applied. finally Victorine got a yellow.
34 - Looks like the ref misses another handball, this one in the box by Jack Jewsbury. Galaxy scrum around in the box, but the final shot is wide.
40 - GOAL! The Wizards are a much more mobile and skilled team than they once were. Fun to watch, really, -- Ohhh - wow, Lopez jukes at the top of the box and no one shuts him down. So he winds up and sends a scorcher of a shot at an excellent angle that beats Cronin. 1-0.
44 - Galaxy attacking furiously now. Where was this a few minutes ago?
45 + Donovan overhits Becks badly with a pass.
Halftime
Wizards hold off the Galaxy charge, go into the locker room with their lead intact.
49 - Becks freekick - Pires with a weak header - Hartman catches.
52 - Scrappy play by both sides - Wizards have a FK. Cronin catches it.
54 - Penalty! LD in the box. Wahl with the foul. LD will take against his old teammate, Hartman.
55 - GOAL! LD slams it just slightly right while Hartman dives the other way. 1-1.
56 - Gordo in for McDonald. Becks leads out a counter, pases to Buddle, whose shot is parried by Hartman over the bar. Corner. foul leads to goal kick.
60 - Corner for KC. Marinelli sets up. Cleared. Becks sends long pass to LD on the counter, who manages to settle against two defenders in the box and lays off to Allen, open on the trailing run - Allen's shot is weak and wide. Poor.
63 - Galaxy comdy on defense just now, but they finally clear and pass to Gordo, who is offside.
66 - KC FK in a prime spot. Franklin's poor pass set up the fould situation. Marinelli sets up - and sends the kick over everybody and out. Lucky escape for LA.
70 - Yikes - The Galaxy go box to box - they nearly let in a goal because they expect an offside call that doesn't come, then, then on the counter, an LD pass goes begging by both Allen and Gordon.
72 - Becks FK. Everyone misses it.
74 - GOAL! Becks to Gordon to LD, who flicks it past the final line for Buddle. Perhaps the hat trick wasn't a fluke. 2-1 Galaxy.
77 - Gordo gets a yellow for a late and clumsy tackle on Jewsbury.
79 - KC charging, the Galaxy looking for chances on the counter. Still an open game.
81 - SAVE! Off the line by Klein after Galaxy got caught on a counter and Sealy beat a scrambling Cronin to the ball - Cronin couldn't quite grab it and Sealy kept at it until he got his shot, but Klein managed to clear it from behind. Amazing.
82 - KC FK. Hits the wall.
84 - Ruiz returns. Enters for LD.
85 - Buddle off the post! So close to sealing up the game.
86 - Klein in the box - somehow doesn't see Ruiz, Klein's soft shot caught by Hartman.
88 - KC corner. marinelli, becks fights for ball, in on the run on a counter, swept from behind, pops up angrily. Sure - he doesn't want an injury before going to England. He has words and the ref has to break things up.
90 - I'm aurprised Donovan was taken out, the Galaxy have trouble controlling the ball without him. Galaxy counter finds Ruiz, who fights the hold of Conrad until he finally gets a foul call.
90 + Four minutes stoppage.
Buddle misses a great Becks pass in the box. Just whiffs it.
That would have been a great defense-breaking pass, but Allen held it too long and Ruiz was caught offside.
OOOh, KC have a late corner. Hartman comes up for it.
GOAL! The Galaxy clear. It's on Becks' foot. He lines it up and hits it from behind the centerline as Hartman runs desperately back. It bounces perfectly into the goal. 3-1 Galaxy
The Galaxy get over .500 for the first time this season, sending Becks and LD off to their international duty with a victory.