I’ve got one word: Galaxy vs. Dynamo post-game analysis

By: NathanHJ | October 18th, 2009

Galaxy vs Dynamo October 18, 2009-Becks-Holden
And that word is: Punchless.

Or it could be seven words: This team is nothing without Landon Donovan.

So let’s start with the positive: shutting out Houston at home in front of a sell-out crowd and forcing Pat Onstad to actually make some saves. Once again Donovan Ricketts proves his worth making a busload of saves and the backline bends but doesn’t break. Though I saw a huge cord’s worth of kindling just waiting to burst into existence with one final blow from the Dynamo attack.

And let’s count the hinderances: David Beckham and Landon Donovan both coming off of World Cup Qualifying experiences and all the travelling that requires (not to mention the emotions that the USMNT went through on Wednesday). Starting right back and central midfielder both coming back from injuries. Playing away to one of the two best teams in the league. A ridiculously narrow field. Chronic anemia on the offensive side of things. Not starting Donovan for the aforementioned reason.

In the face of those challenges and a diciplined and fluid Dynamo team, the Galaxy came away with a point.

So why am I so frustrated? Because at this point in the season, having qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2005, I want to team to look sharp and dangerous, taking the game to the opposition, even if that opposition is Houston, rather than chasing and surviving on a stellar goalkeeping performance. I want my keeper bored to death and the forwards going for hat tricks.

Alas, that is not the Galaxy team with which we have been blessed. To be clear, this Galaxy team is worlds away from the disastrous embarrassments of the past two years. But it is worrisome that the team has only scored once in the last two games and that Edson Buddle has looked out of sorts over the same time period, which includes a bye week. It was especially worrisome today when the team included Buddle, Mike Magee, Chris Birchall, Beckham, Eddie Lewis and Dema Kovalenko but couldn’t put any sustained offensive threats together. That’s not a half-bad front six, but it wasn’t really giving Houston any problems.

Though, of course, it’s not like Houston sucks or anything. Not only have they put together their customary solid MLS run, they are still alive in the CONCACAF Champions League after a 2-1 defeat of Monterrey. And they’re pretty deep as well – losing Eddie Robinson, Craig Waibel, Cory Ashe and Wade Barrett to injuries and Cam Weaver to a red card. And did I mention they had three call-ups to the last round of World Cup qualifying? So, yeah, not slouches. And it showed on the field.

Having said that, it was also clear that the Galaxy had nothing going forward without Landon Donovan. The whole attack changed when he finally came on in the 55th minute. Buddle was out of sorts. I can’t tell you how many times his passes were off or he dribbled into trouble or made a bad decision ending in a turnover. For once taking him out for Alan Gordon wasn’t a serious downgrade in skill and offensive threat. Becks couldn’t dominate the middle with his passing game and the team kept getting trapped along the sides of the narrow field without any safe outlet passes of a means to switch fields. Magee’s creativity was absent.

Donovan brought calm, better vision, and a quicker touch to the game, opening up more space and providing more chances for the team as a whole. I don’t know if he would have had enough in the tank for 90 minutes, but I wonder what would have happened with an extra 10.

Final piece of disappointment: Not totally dominating the last ten minutes of the match after Brian Ching got sent off for headbutting someone. The Galaxy took it to Houston for half that time, but then the other half was spent giving the Dynamo a batch of corner kicks and scrambling to keep the ball out of the back of the net.

On the backline, I was consistently not happy with Sean Franklin. He’s still, it seems, trying to adjust back to the speed of game play and he seems very consistently to be a step late and off on many of his passes. With one game remaining and the playoffs looming, I’d love to get AJ Delagarza back on the field, if he’s fit to go. And for the first time all season, Omar Gonzalez didn’t have the 18 yard box on lockdown. All I can say is thank god the team was able to pull off 8 offsides traps. If they hadn’t I bet the Dynamo would have put two or three past a helpless Ricketts. Todd Dunivant was his usual steady self. Gregg Berhalter was his usual calming presence. Ricketts played the kind of game that The Bruce brought him in to play and that’s what allowed an out-played Galaxy team to walk off the Robertson Stadium pitch with a point.

One game left. Three teams tied for first in the West with 45 points (Chivas, LA, Houston). Chivas has a game in hand, but has to visit Chicago and then host Houston. The Galaxy hosts San Jose. Galaxy could win the West still if Chivas takes three or fewer points from those two games. The team needs to make a statement next week. They need to display an offense while avoiding another FC Dallas meltdown.

While it didn’t work well today, I’m still intrigued about a front six that has Magee and Buddle up top, Landon on the left, Birchall in the d-mid spot, Becks in the middle, and Klein/Lewis platooning on the right. I think that puts your fittest, sharpest, most creative players all on the field at the same time. One game left to see it in action. What do you guys think?

Man of the Match: Donovan Ricketts

What others are saying:

Zac Lee Rigg at Goal.com
The AP at Newsday
Andrew Ferraro at MLSNet.com with the game summary
Jeremy Rakes with the Galaxy perspective at MLSNet.com
Andrew Ferraro with the Dynamo Perspective at MLSNet.com
“Staff and Wire Reports” at the LA Times
Game Summary at the official LA Galaxy blog
Player reactions at the official LA Galaxy blog