Galaxy-Sydney FC Liveblog at 8:00 Pacific

By: Laurie | February 23rd, 2008

I get ESPN360, and a family member has offered me his laptop to sit alongside mine so I can watch on one and type on the other, so I’ll be liveblogging the game at 8:00 for anybody who doesn’t want to stay up for the 12:30 ESPN Classic rebroadcast.

I’ll post the scoreline below the jump for anybody who wants to be surprised. Stop back by at 8:00 (or so) for more.

And do we think Kevin Harmse will be playing? He’s taking his life in his hands if he is. The Aussies are out for revenge!

Galaxy 2-1 Sydney FC

3′ Allen, 45′ Tudela; 43′ #26

Note to self: Wine + Liveblogging = Bad. Even a tiny touch of alcohol makes it much harder to break the symphony down into individual notes. Also? They’re showing the goal replays, and the Beckham to Allen one was really pretty. And Tudela did a nice job with that second goal. And Beckham is such a politician, making everybody happy with waves and hugs after the game. He gives his shirt to some kind of scrawny little kid with glasses. Life is good. The end. Go Gals!

90′ Okay, I finally know what the time is. Game’s over. Galaxy win it!!

Sydney almost scores, but Wicks leaps into the air and grabs it just off the line.

Sydney gets a corner, Wicks gets a hand on it, there’s a whistle for something I didn’t see. I really miss having commentary. And I apparently didn’t miss as much as I thought, because the game’s still going on. McDonald is either warming up or going on — it was hard to see.

87ish. I haven’t noticed Vanney tonight. Hate to say it, but that’s a huge improvement over the Gamba game.

Jordan gets pushed down on his stomach, but is in pain and holding his backside. I dunno.

I still have no clue how much time we have remaining. I missed several minutes in the beginning, but I don’t know how many.

80ish. another corner for Becks. Jordan gets a head to it, but not accurately. It goes wide, but bounces off a Sydney player for another corner. This one also goes nowhere.

79ish. Beckham crosses to Klein just outside the box. Klein shoots but it goes way high.

78ish. Sesay gets a good chance, but the keeper charges out to collect the ball before it falls to earth. My screen freezes again.

77ish. They show Buddle saying, “I feel pain right there” as a trainer manipulates his colarbone.

77ish. It was Sesay, and now he’s in for Buddle.

76ish. Valentin and Sesay(?) both warming up

75ish Buddle collides with a Sydney player and goes down rolling in pain and holding his shoulder. Buddle’s not one to exaggerate. He looks hurt. He’s helped off the field. Looks like collarbone.

73ish. Sydney gets a good chance. It looks like somebody (Allen? what’s he doing on defense? Oh, wait, he’s midfield today. I’m so confused) may have taken a Sydney guy down in the box, but they don’t get the call.

71ish. Gavin gets yellow for…um…falling on the ball? I’m really going to have to watchi this game again.

70ish. Buddle gets scissored down, and Becks gets another free kick. Goes to the defense.

63ish Wicks makes another save, then sends it down the field and out of bounds. A bit later Bryan Jordan gets sent flying, no call, blatant foul. But when the ball goes the other way, Sydney gets a call. Also, Alvaro out, Franklin in for the Gals.

62ish. Beckham goes down, then is up holding kind of the ribs/armpit area. I didn’t see what led up to it. Josh Wicks makes another good save.

60ish. The official blog is telling me nothing. Buddle falls on the ball and gets called for an apparent handball? Then the ball heads to the other end, where Wicks saves with confidence.

59ish. Just noticed that Wicks is in in goal. Must go visit the official blog to see other changes.

58′ish. some itty bitty Galaxy figure on my screen misses a sitter.

We’ll guess 55th-ish… Sydney has a chance. Cronin saves. Then Gals have a chance. Sydney keeper saves.

Edit after the fact: 50′ Brandon McDonald in for Josh Tudela. And in real life I made it to the end of the game without seeing the substitution. Don’t ask me how this happened — it’s a danger of multi-tasking.

Klein blows his nose on the field. That’s always so sexy.

I’m waiting for somebody to score so I have some clue what minute we’re in.

Alvaro goes down holding something. He is a bit melodramatic, no? Maybe not Ruiz melodramatic, but still…

40 or 50 something. I have no idea what the time is, but I have soccer again.

46 or so. WTF? My screen suddenly went to the Golden Gophers. Basketball. Do I look like I care about freakin’ basketball?

Okay, the Official Galaxy blog description of the goal. It was really pretty.

Becks sent a low cross across the face of goal which the Sydney goalkeeper got to just before Bryan Jordan, but he fumbled the ball and the rebound fell straight to Tudela who slotted the ball into the empty night, giving the Galaxy a 2-1 halftime advantage.

And that’s the half. We’re actually up a goal. Yea, Galaxy!

45′ GOAL!! TUDELA!!! I spoke too soon. Beckham crosses for either Allen or Jordan, who gets tripped and goes flying, but Tudela is there to deliver the shot. Is that his first Galaxy goal? Nice job, Josh!!

45′ Beckham has a promising moment, but it goes straight to the keeper.

44′ Sydney threatens again, but the shot goes wide.

43′ GOAL! Sydney #10 Sydney delivers a lovely cross to #26, who blasts it from distance at the far post. Sorry to say it, but it was pretty. And we’re not going to go into halftime with a lead, alas.

42′ Crowds are better tonight. Maybe 3/4 full.

41′ Cronin makes a nice, confident save. And my screen keeps freezing up.

39′ Alvaro is down holding his leg. Becks gets another free kick from the right, a few yards past center line. It looks pretty but goes straight to the keeper.

38′ We’re starting to play a whole bunch more in our own half now, and the defense is still scaring the hell outta me. But Cronin looks more self-confident tonight.

36′ Okay, so we have Tudela and Allen in the wall (for a free kick that Klein disputed, just fyi.) Did anybody else notice how Allen put his arm around Tudela’s waist and Tudela knocked it off?

34′ Sydney gets a great chance, but in the end it bounces in front of goal and continues on, with nobody there to knock it in.

32′ Sydney knocks it into goal, but the whistle has already blown. Not sure what the call was. I didn’t see anything blatant. Not offside. Maybe I’ll watch again at 12:30 to see?

31′ Gavin to Allen to Tudela to Buddle right in front of goal. Very nice, but Sydney knocks it out. The replay shows that it wasn’t as much of a missed sitter as it looked from the other angle.

28′ This defense still scares the hell outta me. Just sayin’.

27ish’ Gals are moving the ball a whole lot better tonight. A nice multi-person exchange, where Alvaro does a sweet little backheel to Beckham, who then sends it forward to…somebody who’s not there.

Oh, and by the way, Harmse didn’t even suit up. Smart on Gullit’s part!!

I was wrong about the identical lineup. Didn’t look that closely. Bryan Jordan is playing up top with Buddle and Ely Allen is left mid. Allen looks more threatening tonight. But again, how much is the competition?

23′ Galaxy get a good opportunity in the box. Pretty much everybody gets a foot on it, and we get three shots off in rapid succession. The first two are blocked, and in the end Edson Buddle sends it into the side of the net.

19′ Sydney is giving away a whole lot more corners and free kicks than Gamba did. Maybe their coach didn’t tell them that those are Beckham’s specialty. Ya think? This one is pretty and goes over the wall and just wide of goal.

18′ Becks and the ref share a nice, manly hug. I was typing, so have no idea what it was about.

17ish’ Cronin just had a nice save and a collision with a Sydney guy going for the ball. He looks better tonight, but he’s also under a lot less pressure.

Here’s the starting lineup. Same as the other night, I think, except 4-4-2. But they’re looking a lot better. Or Sydney is just that much worse.

GK – Steve Cronin
D – Chris Klein, Troy Roberts, Greg Vanney, Michael Gavin
M – David Beckham, Alvaro, Josh Tudela, Ely Allen
F – Edson Buddle, Bryan Jordan

Beckham is playing extremely deep and on both sides of the field. And Sydney is no Gamba Osaka. We’re not looking too bad.

Backpass to Cronin that looks scary. It bounces up and hits him in the midriff and an Aussie is coming on strong. Fortunately he’s able to bring it down and get it out.

3′ish Ely Allen

03?’ GOAL!!!! Allen. Ely Allen puts it in for the Galx after Beckham delivers a perfect ball. Woohoo! This is what it could look like! I also just realized that there are no minutes on the screen. I’m going to bag the liveblog, but will keep you updated on major developments.

There is no commentary, and I’m struggling to put names to these itty bitty fi

All right. I have a picture. Cronin is in goal. there doesn’t seem to be commentary, and I can’t tell who’s on the field. This might be the least detailed liveblog evah.

–Okay, it’s 8:00. The game is still listed as “Coming up next.” Maybe I’ll be watching at 12:30 after all.

Pregame. Okey dokey. Let’s do an equipment check.

Computer for watching the game? Check.
Computer for typing? Check.
Glass of chardonnay in case it’s as bad as the other night? Check.

Looks like we’re set. (But I don’t think I’ll play the Beckham drinking game. I’d like to live to blog another day.)