Dallas 5-6 Galaxy

Oh. My. Lord. And no, you’re not reading the score wrong. LA six, Dallas five.

How can I be this frustrated in a game when the Galaxy scored six goals?

Well, for starters, one would think that when one’s team scores four goals in the first twenty minutes, one could relax. But if one thinks that, one is not a Galaxy fan.

I think I’ll sum up the game this way: Twenty minutes of incredible, unbelievably stellar firecracker play, seventy plus minutes of mediocrity (and calling a lot of those minutes mediocre is being extremely charitable) and just enough fizz left in the pop bottle to score the last two goals that got them the win. Outside of those first twenty minutes, it was not pretty. I don’t think we had a sustained possession in the second half long enough for my heart rate to even come close to normal.

I have to admit, when I saw the lineup, particularly the midfield, my first thought was, “Oh. Crap.” (No offense, guys. But when you’re missing Cobi and Martino it puts everything up in the air. And I’m not listing Beckham here because he hasn’t been around long enough for me to mentally count on him. Cobi and Kyle are known quantities.) But then the Galaxy scored those first four goals, and everything anybody touched was turning to gold goals and I thought, “Okay, so I was wrong.” And then they fell apart, particularly in the second half, and I thought, “Perhaps those first twenty minutes were an anomaly.”

To be sure, there were some bright spots. Six goals! SIX! Two for Alan Gordon and one each for Klein, Harmse, Donovan and Pavon. Yes, Carlos Pavon scored at last! The game winner! He was finally able to do what he does best — hang out in front of the goal to receive the cross (this one from Landon) and blast it past the keeper. This was what he was brought in for. (Which is good, because I’d hate to think he was brought in to dribble past defenders. I’m just sayin’.) With luck this will boost his confidence and get him ready for the day when Beckham is healthy at last and those crosses will become a regular thing.

And by far the best moment of the entire game was when Ty Harden hip-checked Carlos Ruiz, El Pescadito — the Little Flopping Fish — (I think it was even in the box?) and sent Ruiz into a 360 airborne front flip, but despite much complaining Ruiz couldn’t get the call. Ever hear the story of the boy who cried wolf, Carlos? If it had happened to anybody else, I would feel bad. But with Ruiz? Poetic justice.

And, of course, best of all, we won! We advance in SuperLiga at the top of the group! This morning I would have put our chances at fifty-fifty at best, particularly given the injury situation. (Of course, in the twentieth minute I would have listed our chances at 100%, but that assessment went steadily downward as the game wore on.)

All in all, though? A very mixed bag.

I think I need a drink.

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Category: 2007 Games, International Games and Issues, Player News, Team News