October 18, 2009 TEXAS TIE Empty nets for both Galaxy, Dynamo
LASoccerNews staff report
Donovan Ricketts made four saves against Houston to earn his eighth shutout of the season. Linda Cuttone/Sports Vue Images
HOUSTON—The LA Galaxy (11-6-12) didn’t lose any ground in the Western Conference playoff race Sunday at Robertson Stadium. But they didn’t gain any either, settling for a scoreless tie with the Houston Dynamo (12-8-9) that pulled both teams back into a three-way tie for first place.
It was an opportunity lost for both teams, either of which could have taken over first place in the division with a win. Instead, the three teams – LA, Houston and Chivas USA – that started the weekend deadlocked at 44 points finished it level at 45 with one week remaining in the regular season.
The Galaxy appeared to have everything they needed to snatch a win on Sunday – returned international stars Landon Donovan and David Beckham, a hot goalkeeper in Donovan Ricketts, who neutralized the Dynamo attack with four challenging saves, and a man advantage in the closing minutes, after Dynamo forward Brian Ching was ejected for an on-field altercation. But none of that was enough, as the Galaxy were outshot and generally outplayed for 90 minutes.
With Donovan resting on the bench after playing two full World Cup qualifying games for the USA in the past eight days, midfielder Chris Birchall stepped up to give the Galaxy attack some early spark. Still, the game was more than 10 minutes old before the T&T international got off the Galaxy’s first shot on goal. Birchall sent netminder Pat Onstad sprawling to block a hard shot. The ball rebounded to Eddie Lewis, whose follow-up just missed wide.
The Dynamo didn’t do any better with their own first look at goal, a free kick from just outside the box after rookie defender Omar Gonzalez fouled Ching in the sixth minute. Brad Davis sent a free kick into the box for Stuart Holden, who sent the ball over the bar. The early foul was one of a total of 31 called in the game, 19 of them on the Galaxy, which kept both teams from developing any sustained momentum.
Nevertheless, Houston became more dangerous as the half progressed. Luis Angel Landin spun around his defender in the 26th minute and sent Ricketts diving to push a wicked shot just wide of the far post. Holden sent the ensuing corner kick swinging in toward the goal. Geoff Cameron got above the crowd for a header, but it sailed off target.
Three minutes later, Ching led Holden into the box. Once again, Ricketts came up with the save, then got a leg on Brian Mullan’s follow-up attempt. Shortly after, the Galaxy netminder stopped a close-in header from Ricardo Clark, and before the intermission defender Sean Franklin blocked two more Houston shots in the box.
The Galaxy also got consistent help from Houston’s own poor timing, which resulted in five potential breakaways being called back for offside before halftime, and four more in the second stanza.
Mike Magee almost put LA on the board in the 25th minute, running down a loose ball in the box and cutting around Onstad toward the open net. However, he held the ball too long, and a defender scrambled into position to prevent a shot.
The tide seemed to turn LA’s way for a while early in the second half, with Beckham putting a shot on goal in the 49th minute and Buddle catching Onstad off his line with a floater toward the empty net that Cameron managed to save off the goal line. Donovan’s entry into the match for Magee in the 53rd minute further energized the Galaxy. His first contribution was to draw a foul by Houston’s Mike Chabala, setting up a 45-yard Beckham free kick that Onstad punched away from the goal. The Galaxy retained possession, with Beckham and Birchall both sending crosses into the box before Buddle shot wide from inside the six-yard box.
Birchall’s shot straight at Onstad in the 72nd minute turned out to be the Galaxy’s last serious chance of the game. Houston seized the momentum soon after and did not relinquish it even after losing Ching, although there were few serious chances created beyond Stuart Holden’s hard shot that forced Ricketts to make another reflex save in the 78th minute.
Three minutes later, Houston’s Ricardo Clark lashed out after a hard foul from Beckham, and the rhubarb escalated until Ching was sent off for striking a Galaxy player. Beckham also received a yellow card for the foul on Clark.
The only other significant development for the Galaxy before the final whistle was a stoppage time yellow card on Alan Gordon for a reckless tackle on Cameron, which will leave Gordon ineligible for next Saturday’s season finale against San Jose – the critical last chance for the Galaxy to pull away from the pack and cement their final playoff position.
