Galaxy/DC running blog

The Empire Strikes Back behind the Galaxy bench.

This game could be the death knell for the Galaxy if they lose. Predictions - get them in before kickoff.

DC don't have Jaime Moreno or Marcello Gallardo. Apparently Moreno has an inflamed knee. Gallardo hasn't played since hernia surgery and is actually in Argentina.
DC - Louis Crayton, Bryan Namoff, Marc Burch, Devon McTavish, Gonzalo Martinez, Fred, Santino Quaranta, Clyde Simms, Ivan Guerrero, Thabiso Khumalo, Luciano Emilio.

LA - Josh Wicks, Chris Klein, Sean Franklin, Troy Roberts, Ante Jazic, David Beckham, Landon Donovan, Greg Vanney, Eddie Lewis, Edson Buddle, Alan Gordon.



2 - GOAL! Well, that was quick. An early Galaxy foul set up a FK, which was put out for a corner, which Guerro took. McTavish scored, beating his defender, Edson Buddle. 1-0, DC.
4 - Jazic and Klein work the ball up the sideline, but lose possession before they can get a cross off.
6 - Again a little possession, but no cross before ball is lost again.
7 - Beckham overshoots Buddle on a long pass. DC gets back, gets another corner.
8 - Khumalo takes this one - it's cleared.
9 - Vanney looks like he gets ball on a tackle, but Vaughn whistles for a foul. vanney tempts fate by arguing vehemently.
11- Becks gets up slowly from a tackle, limping a bit. He grabs his left ankle. Yes, that's the notorious one from last season.
13 - Guerrero goes tumbling from a Becks tackle.
14 - Jazic finally gets off a dangerous cross - Buddle heads over the bar.
16 - Guerro seems to be embellishing, but Vaughn is giving him the benefit of the doubt.
17 - Galaxy attack, but Lewis sents a cross high that Buddle can't get, DC tries to clear, Edson!
just wide.
19 - Emilio on the break - deflects over the bar. Corner looks dangerous, finally out for a throw.
20 - 00000h - Becks gets shoved, no call. It's possible that Vaughn didn't see the hand push by Guerrero, as he was behind the play.
Becks gets up, furious. He screams at Vaughn. Play continues and Wicks has to make a desperation tackle on the edge of his box for a FK. Becks is still yelling at Vaughn. Yellow card for Becks.
23 - GOAL! Landon gets a perfect outlet pass from Klein, and he gets a touch on the ball as Crayton comes out low for the ball. LD keeps cool and just flicks it over him - Crayton gets a slight touch, but the ball trickles over the line. 1-1
25 - Galaxy corner. Becks sets up. Oooh, Franklin knocks down Crayton, who goes after him and gives him a shove. This is a testy game. Vaughn forces the players to hug it out. Hmmmm. That didn't look sincere.
28 - Jazic with a nice slide to claim a ball, but Lewis' probing cross gets cut off.
30 - Franklin knocks the ball out for a corner. DC will take that happily. The Galaxy are vulnerable on corners. Wicks catches this one.
32 -Jazic steals another ball.
33 - Lewis crosses, Gordon misses, ball falls to Becks, who crosses back in, Lewis rushes in an knocks the ball toward goal past Crayton - off the post.
34 - LD gets caught half from behind - yellow on Simms. The FK is flicked on, but misses the onrushing players and goes wide.
35 - LD works the give and go with Gordo, who is free in on goal, but Crayton saves his shot.
36 - GOAL! Becks gets the ball back, tries a give and go with LD, but falls for some reason. LD looks up, sees a gap and rockets a low shot into the corner of goal. 2-1 Galaxy
38 - GOAL! A through ball springs Edson, who leaps over Crayton, whose dive pushes the ball out as defenders rush behind him to cover. A DC defender tries to clear, but the ball falls to Lewis, who tries from distance. Crayton has recovered just enough to dive and block that one, but crucially, can't grab it and the rebound falls to Gordon. With two DC defenders on the goal line, Gordo isn't offside and he shoots between them for the goal. 3-1 Galaxy
42 - Buddle almost breaks through but the ball is cleared away inside the area. Buddle would have had an empty net in front of him.
43 - Buddle has another chance on a corner kick but cant quite get to Becks' cross.
44 - Simms with an opening in front of Wicks but the cross screams into the area and Simms can barely get a head on it.
45 - Becks wins corner, takes it and ball bounces around for a second before it gets cleared.
45+ Buddle in alone on Crayton - who stops the ball, but gives up a rebound again. Buddle gets to the ball, has the goal open with only one defender - and he hits the crossbar!
Halftime - Well, the Galaxy really bounced back from a really crappy start. Perhaps Becks fired up his team with the passion he showed on that non-call.
I just ran into Martin Rogers. He said, "Unusual things happening here today." "Like what?" I asked him. "Well, the Galaxy are winning," he pointed out.
46 - McTavish foul. It's a ways out, but Becks sets up for it - sends it bending to Crayton, who gives up a rebound, but catches the ball again. Becks then steals the ball and then takes another shot - Crayton saves. Becks didn't hit it very hard - ball was moving away from him.
47 - GOAL! Khumalo beats Klein, and Wicks, for some reason, it way out of position, Khumalo sends in a low hard shot for the score. 3-2, Galaxy still lead, but DC pulled back quickly.
49 - Galaxy FK - Becks sends it in well, but Crayton kick-saves the header from Buddle. The follow shot is no good - players are offside.
50 - DC really took the energy out of the crowd with that goal. Galaxy fans are nervous now and there's tons of time left.
52 - Galaxy build an attack, but Lewis' outside shot gets blocked and DC counters. Shot by Emilio from middle distance is wide.
53 - Becks hits a poor cross.
55 - LD tries to control an outlet pass - defenders cut the ball off.
56 - LD falls trying to head a Becks cross - Gordo tackles a DC player from behind and gets a yellow. Something tells me this game will see a red card somewhere.
58 - Gordo tries to reach a ball over the top - foul negates his effort.
60 - Galaxy playing with fire as DC attack in numbers - Becks takes off on the counter, but Buddle can't reach his pass and DC regains possession.
61 - Franklin is down, but Vaughn can't whistle play dead. Finally DC sends the ball out.
62 - Vagenas subs in for Gordo.
63 - Hey, I was right about the red card. Beckham steals the ball fromBurch, but Burch goes after him and knicks him from behind - after the ball was already out. Vaughn comes over and gives Burch a red card. For a bit it looked like Becks might get a second yellow, too, but Burch finally leaves and no other cards come out.
68 - Crayton dives to make another save - LD rushes in, hopeful, but no rebound here. Emilio shoots the other way - Wicks dives, but the ball is wide.
69 - DC manage a bit of zippy possession for a bit, but the Galaxy get the ball back. Eddie Lewis in on the run from the throw-in - shoots, Crayton catches, gives up a bit of a rebound, but grabs the ball again. "Has this goalkeeper held on to the ball once on the first try?" asks a reporter.
71 - Galaxy corner - it bounces around, leads to an acrobatic one-hand save from Crayton.
72 - FC FK. Wicks catches - hangs on.
73 - Becks on the attack. loses ball, though he seems to get grabbed a bit. DC with another nice little run of possession.
75 - DC still maintaining possession, oooh Galaxy counter, Becks give and go with Klein, who crosses to LD - McTavish cuts the ball off to Crayton.
77 - Total miscue on the Becks pass to Klein. Klein was looking to run on to it, so the ball was way behind him.
78 - Becks blocks a cross out for a corner. Good chance for DC here. The ball bounces around, and DC get a shot off that is blocked, clearance for a throw.
79 - Ryan Cordiero comes in for Martinez. Arena takes out Vanney and puts in McDonald.
81 - GOAL! Pete! LD had the pass on a Galaxy attack - a little chip that Pete ran onto and volleyed at an extreme angle past Crayton. 4-2 The Galaxy have some breathing room.
83 - The Lewis is caught offside, though the crowd gripes about it.
Quaranta is off, Rod Dyachenko in.
84 - Oooh, Becks and Buddle on the break, Buddle springs Becks, who backheels - oooh, Buddle wasn't expecting that. Too bad, that would have been a great looking play.
85 - Wicks bobbles a catch, but finally hangs on.
86 - Jazic as last man pulls another one of those sliding tackles - good thing he's so good at those.
87 - Did Jazic hurt something? Franchino is coming in for him.
88 - Francis Doe comes in for Emilio.
90 - DC building up a play again, but the Galaxy counter - Buddle with a hard shot - Crayton blocks it. Out for a throw.
90+ Doe dribbles in for a shot - Wicks hesitates, but then makes the catch.
GOAL! LD again. Klein with a long pass finds LD, who puts the ball away. The press box argues whether or not Buddle touched the ball along the way, which would have put LD offside. Not that it would have changed the outcome of this game. 5-2 Galaxy.