I’ve Got Three Words: Galaxy vs. RSL Post-Game Analysis

And those words are: That was disappointing.

I admit that I was suckered by the recent 10 game non-losing streak into believing that the technical deficiencies of the team could be compensated for by heart and determination. Even as I wrote about the mediocrity of the midfield, the ability to gain points on the road and refuse to lose got me into the dangerous head space of thinking that the Galaxy could consistently compete with any team in the league.

I overlooked the fact that team after team got on the wrong end of referee decisions (just look at the ungodly number of penalty shots the team took over the first 13 games and the huge number of red cards sustained by our opponents) and that the Galaxy managed to take advantage by pulling out some late game heroics.

Based on the team’s away showing to TFC last week, in which they pulled out a victory and scored twice without Landon Donovan on the field, and the fact that Real Salt Lake is famously futile on the road, I admit that I had my hopes up. Three points at home, getting to 18 overall, it would make a statement about the development of the team, it would put the team firmly in the playoff hunt with just over half the season to play, and it would begin to redeem the patience of the fans since the disastrous hiring of Alexi Lalas in the wake of the tragic death of Doug Hamilton.

But last night. Ugh. That was what mathematicians call “reverting to the mean” and everyone else calls having the law of averages catch up with you. Unless you are a Galaxy fan, in which case you call it just plain ugly.

Last night there was no hiding the weakness of the attacking midfield, the dependence of the team on Landon Donovan, the necessity for role players to consistently play above their talent level, and the need for the team to never, ever have flat game. Last night the reality of the team’s situation cut through the miasma of creeping hope and willful self-delusion and made clear that this team is still very much a rebuilding effort that will take a least another off-season (and probably longer) to get all the right pieces together. The fact is that the Galaxy, after two years of an unmitigated awfulness, an awfulness who’s true dimensions were masked by the more bombastic type that accrues to expansion teams, the team has built itself up to mediocrity. Average has yet to be achieved.

So let’s look at the game itself.

In the back, Donovan Ricketts was his usual solid self, left with no chance on either RSL goal. The backline of AJ Delagarza, Omar Gonzalaz, Gregg Berhalter, and Todd Dunivant was shakier than it has been over the 10 games streak. For example, over the first 15 minutes, the backline couldn’t keep RSL contained, allowing at least five shots. And they never really had an answer for Yura Movsisyian’s speed. Further, over the entire game, the outside backs contributed little to the offense except for poor crosses and bad passing decisions.

Delargarza was especially at fault here. I chalk this up to his rookie status. His positioning continues to be adequate and he provides solid defense, but he still isn’t moving at MLS speed getting forward and the crispness of his passing leaves a lot to be desired. I wish I could use a similar excuse for Dunivant, but I can’t. He just wasn’t getting it done on the left getting forward and his crosses were rarely dangerous.

I continue to be happy with the centerback pair of Gonzalez and Berhalter (some fans started calling him Redhalter during the Tuesday night friendly), but they aren’t really the fastest guys around and players like Movsisyian can really take them off their game.

That’s the backline. So now the midfield.

Oh the midfield. Let me be clear, the midfield is much better than it was last year, not as much improved as the backline, but that would have required both superhuman effort and salary cap room, neither of which are in large supply with the team. But its still not good enough to control a game and definitely not good enough to launch attacks. Witness the formation from last night: Josh Tudela as sweeper, Dema Kovalenko and Eddie Lewis on the wings, and Mike Magee as the number 10. I’m sure that Jason Kries looked at that and said, “Oh no! It’s Mike Magee sparking the attack” with the same sense of danger that I used to greet The Bruce’s decision to replace Magee with the team’s answer to Sominex, Jovan Kirovski, late in the second half.

I don’t get the fixation with Magee. He’s had about two good games in the past 14. He disappears for long stretches and unlike Landon Donovan, rarely pops back up in dangerous spots at key times. Similarly I don’t get using Klein as a substitute. He’s consistently better on the right than anyone else. I mean, I love Kovalenko’s bite in the midfield, but its been a long time since he’s been an offensive threat against any team, even one as bad on the road as RSL. Once Chris Birchall and David Beckham get on the roster things may be different, but until then, just start Klein on the right and stop trying to be cute while Donovan is out with national team duty.

The lack of creativity and danger in the middle is directly why the forwards could never get on track all night long. I’m not a fan of having both Edson Buddle and Alan Gordon on the field at the same time, since they tend to play the same kind of game, though Gordon does it with the subtlety of a longhorn steer while Buddle manages to bring ball handling skills and sharper passing to his version. So they don’t play well off each other for the most part. And when the service is lacking, then Buddle’s impact is easy to limit. Once I saw him check back to his own third of the field to get the ball, a sign of deep frustration he must have been feeling as the game wore on.

That’s not to say that the team didn’t have chances. They did. They are, after all, much better than last year. RSL keeper Nick Rimando camed up with three huge saves that kept the Galaxy off the scoreline and mentally out of the game. And then once Jamison Olave cleared a sure goal out of the goal mouth after Buddle had beaten Rimando. So all was not total doom and gloom.

But the game was typified by the ejection of Eddie Lewis with about 20 minutes to go. That was clearly a soft red, giving for allegedly throwing a ball at a prone RSL player who had just been fouled, but he got in that situation by being frustrated with the referee’s calling of the game rather than challenging the team to step up what was mostly a flat, emotionless performance.

While I don’t think the wheels were falling off the bus, it is clear that the team has been playing above itself for the last 10 games and when they play a solid team having a solid game without the benefit of penalty kicks or red cards to the opposition, they have to continue to play above themselves to remain competitive. I think they had convinced themselves that they were actually a team that could rely on their talent to play strong games. Last night’s performance shows that’s not true. This team has to play with heart, they have to play with grit, and they have to play with a determination to not get beat in order to get results. Especially when Landon Donovan is absent.

Next up is San Jose, which has been fairly consistently awful all season long. But if you watched yesterday’s game in Seattle, you saw a team that could give the Galaxy a lot of trouble next week in Oakland. Darren Huckerby is back to prowl the left, their new holding midfielder looks strong, and Chris Wondolowski is much more mobile than Cam Weaver. All of a sudden the San Jose midfield outclasses what the Galaxy can bring. It will be much harder to get points against the Quakes than it would have been even two weeks ago.

The real question is can the Galaxy hold on for the next month while it waits for Donovan, Birchall, and Beckham to all be available for selection?

Man of the Match: Edson Buddle for his tireless work up top.

What do you think? Who did well? Who didn’t? Did I get it right, or was I watching a different game from you? Who was your man of the match?

What others are saying:

Nick Green at 100 Percent Soccer
Phil Collin at The Daily Breeze
Grahame Jones at the Los Angeles Times
Michael C. Lewis at the Salt Lake Tribune
The Sports Network via the Miami Herald
Andrea Canales at Goal.com
The Associated Press hosted by Google News
Richard Manfredi at Examiner.com

Some Related Galaxy Posts:

Category: 2009 Season