Galaxy 3-1 Chivas (WooHoo!!)

This is the Landon Donovan we’ve needed. When he’s on, the team is unstoppable.

Excellent first half, followed by a mediocre first half of the second. (My youngest son brought me one of those stress-ball things to squeeze after the Chivas goal because I was so tense and kept yelling at the TV screen. Hey, I’m passionate about soccer, okay?) Fortunately the Galaxy were able to follow up with a dynamite finish. Goals by Landon Donovan (8′), Kevin Harmse (off a Donovan assist)(17′) and Cobi Jones (off a perfectly placed Donovan cross.)(78′)

This is the team we all knew the Galaxy could be, right? They controlled the ball better and spread out the field, and their passes were SO much more accurate than in the FC Dallas game. And Joe Cannon was amazing! Not just the multiple saves, but also his way of controlling the field and directing play. Solid and stable — just what the team needs.

I really liked seeing Donovan and Findley starting up front together, and Cobi Jones was the perfect set of fresh legs to sub in later in the game. (Question: Are we going 4-4-2 now? This wasn’t the lineup listed in the Game Guide, but I liked it better.) It also makes a whole lot of sense to let Kyle Martino take some of the corners and free kicks — splitting them up seemed to give set pieces a more dynamic, energetic feel.

And yes, I did get to see the game. How awesome is my husband? Today’s his birthday and he still arranged the evening around letting me watch the game. And he doesn’t even like soccer. (In my defense, we can’t get the family together to celebrate till tomorrow. But still.) I think I’ll keep him.

More about the game tomorrow. Go Galaxy!!

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Category: League Game Recaps, Team News