Galaxy, Rapids to meet yet again
Third matchup in a month ahead for Western Conference foes
DICK'S SPORTING GOODS PARK, Commerce City, Colo.
April 25, 2009 (WEEK 6) / MLS Game #40
7:30 p.m. MT (Altitude; FSN-W)
The Colorado Rapids and Los Angeles Galaxy meet for the third time this month when the Western Conference clubs face off at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. The teams played three weeks ago at The Home Depot Center, a 3-2 Colorado win - and the Rapids then followed that up by eliminating the Galaxy from the U.S. Open Cup for the second consecutive season three days later, also in Carson. The Galaxy are looking to end a four-game winless streak to start the season with their first-ever goal in Commerce City; the Rapids are coming off a 1-1-1 three-game road swing.
REFEREE: Alex Prus. SAR (bench): Paul Scott; JAR (opposite): Peter Balciunas; 4th: Ben Chouaf
MLS Career: 141 games; FC/gm: 29.3; Y/gm: 3.4; R: 32; pens: 41
INJURY REPORT: COLORADO RAPIDS - DOUBTFUL: DF Ty Harden (hamstring); QUESTIONABLE: MF Jacob Peterson (L groin), DF Cory Gibbs (R groin); PROBABLE: DF Ivan Guerrero (R ankle sprain), FW Omar Cummings (L ankle contusion) ... LOS ANGELES GALAXY - OUT: DF Leonard Griffin (sports hernia surgery); QUESTIONABLE: FW Edson Buddle (R quadriceps strain); MF Kyle Patterson (R knee irritation); PROBABLE: DF Todd Dunivant (R ankle post-surgery); GK Donovan Ricketts (R groin strain)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: none
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: COL: Cory Gibbs
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (51 meetings): Rapids 20 wins (1 shootout), 61 goals ... Galaxy 26 wins (2 shootout), 81 goals ... Ties 5
AT COLORADO (25 meetings): Rapids 15 wins (0 shootout), 35 goals ... Galaxy 7 wins (1 shootout), 26 goals ... Ties 3
• The Galaxy have not won in their last 11 league visits to Colorado, since a 3-1 win July 13, 2002 at Mile High Stadium. The Rapids have won their last seven league home games against the Galaxy, winning nine and drawing two over the undefeated span, though the Galaxy did defeat the Rapids 2-0 in the Western Conference Championship in Denver in 2005.
• The Galaxy have yet to score a goal at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. The teams have met in Commerce City on three occasions, the Rapids winning all three by a combined score of 8-0.
• Colorado's win in the first meeting this season was their first in five league trips to take on the Galaxy. The Rapids last league win at LA had been May 20, 2006.
• Three days after their league meeting this year, the teams met in a U.S. Open Cup play-in game, the Rapids eliminating the Galaxy from the tournament for the second consecutive season, 4-2 in a penalty shootout after a scoreless draw over 120 minutes. Preston Burpo made two saves in the shootout for Colorado, who played a man down for 84 minutes after Greg Dalby was sent off.
• Coaches record: Gary Smith vs. LA: P2 W1 L1 D0 ... Bruce Arena v COL: P13 W8 L4 D1
LAST MEETING (MLS): 4/4: LA 2, COL 3 (Gonzalez 37; Gordon 48 - Casey 1, 49, 84)
• The Rapids opened the scoring just 16 seconds into the game - off the Galaxy kickoff. The ball was played to the left touchline, where it eventually came to Rapids defender Ugo Ihemelu. He sent a long ball back down the flank where Omar Cummings chased it down and sent a rolling cross to the far post for Casey to tap it in. It was the second-fastest goal at the start of a game in MLS history.
• The Galaxy gained the lead with goals on either side of halftime. First, in the 37th minute, rookie defender Omar Gonzalez scored his first professional goal, heading home a corner kick. Then three minutes after the restart, Sean Franklin set off on a mazy run before finding Landon Donovan on the left of the area, and he slid a square pass for Alan Gordon to provide the easiest of finishes.
• But Casey wasn't done. Barely a minute after the Galaxy goal, Cummings was again freed on the right flank, and again centered the ball for the burly forward to knock home.
• Dema Kovalenko was sent off in the 59th minute and Casey and the Rapids took advantage six minutes from the end. Colin Clark won the ball on the left and sent Casey in alone, and he rounded goalkeeper Josh Saunders before sliding the ball home to complete his second career MLS hat trick.
• Here's Arena's team (4-4-2): Josh Saunders - Sean Franklin, Omar Gonzalez, Tony Sanneh, Eddie Lewis (A.J. DeLaGarza 77) - Chris Klein, Dema Kovalenko, Josh Tudela, Kyle Patterson (Stefani Miglioranzi 62) - Landon Donovan, Alan Gordon (Bryan Jordan 82). Substitutes Not Used: Miguel Benitez, Gregg Berhalter, Jovan Kirovski, Yohance Marshall
• Here's Smith's team (4-1-3-2): Preston Burpo - Kosuke Kimura, Cory Gibbs (Ty Harden 88), Ugo Ihemelu, Jordan Harvey - Pablo Mastroeni (Terry Cooke 68) - Nick LaBrocca, Mehdi Ballouchy (Jacob Peterson 79), Colin Clark - Conor Casey, Omar Cummings. Substitutes Not Used: Steward Ceus, Greg Dalby, Ivan Guerrero, Ross Schunk
COLORADO RAPIDS
The Colorado Rapids saw their three-game unbeaten streak come to an end in heartbreaking fashion, falling 1-0 to the Houston Dynamo on Sunday afternoon at Robertson Stadium. The Rapids sit in third place in the Western Conference with seven points from five matches, two behind Seattle Sounders FC and six points out of first place.
LAST MATCH
• The Dynamo had suffered two losses and two draws to kick off the season, while the Rapids were completing a three-game road swing that had started with a win and a draw, running their unbeaten streak to three games.
• The Dynamo took the lead in the 20th minute. Brad Davis put in a cross from the left flank and Brian Ching stooped to meet it for a looping header that sailed over Colorado goalkeeper Preston Burpo and settled just under the crossbar inside the back post.
• But the Rapids looked to have earned the point to keep their streak alive, when Conor Casey was tripped up in the area by Bobby Boswell seven minutes from the end. But Houston goalkeeper Pat Onstad first dove to turn aside Casey's penalty kick, then somehow scrambled to his feet to block Terry Cooke's rebound effort and save the full three points.
• Rapids head coach Gary Smith made two changes to the team that came back for a late 1-1 draw with the Columbus Crew the week before. Kosuke Kimura came back into the back four and Scott Palguta made his first MLS start, with Ty Harden both on the substitutes' bench.
• Here's Smith's team (4-1-3-2): Preston Burpo - Kosuke Kimura, Scott Palguta, Ugo Ihemelu, Jordan Harvey - Pablo Mastroeni - Nick LaBrocca (Terry Cooke 68), Mehdi Ballouchy, Colin Clark - Conor Casey, Omar Cummings. Substitutes Not Used: Greg Dalby, Cory Gibbs, Ty Harden, Jacob Peterson, Matt Pickens, Gregory Richardson
• "I was very pleased with the character and commitment for probably two-thirds of the game," Smith said. "I thought the opening 20 minutes belonged to Houston. That was a little expected giving the way their form had been coming into today. We turned the tables in the second period. It was very exciting. Sadly, that one goal in the opening 20 minutes was enough to see us off."
TEAM NEWS
• After scoring seven goals in their first four games, the Rapids were shut out for the first time on the season - though they certainly didn't expect to be with the late penalty decision.
• "I thought Houston did all right in the first half closing us down, and I thought we came out in the second half and did a lot better job," said Colorado midfielder Mehdi Ballouchy. "Other than the first early chances they had, there were not that many chances. We had a chance to finish at the end with Conor's penalty. Unfortunately, we could not put that in. He's won us a lot of games. We just have to move on from this one and get ready for LA [Galaxy] at home."
• After a road trip where the Rapids were able to come away from four points from three matches - they had 14 points in all of 2008 away from home - Colorado now has three of their next four games at home.
• "It was a long trip and long day not to get a point after Conor did everything he did to create the PK," said goalkeeper Preston Burpo. "There are some positives going on with us. We just have to keep building on that for next week"
• With Cory Gibbs hampered by a groin injury, that meant Scott Palguta was given his first MLS start, and Kosuke Kimura returned at right back.
• Casey was set to add to his league-leading four goals from the spot only to be denied; he is now tied for the MLS Golden Boot along with Brian McBride (Chicago) and Kenny Cooper (FC Dallas).
• "We saw at the end of last season that Conor gets a run of games and he starts to hit the back of the net regularly," Smith said. "Same thing [this year]: good preseason, training regularly, playing regularly, and he's finding the back of the net again. He's a very good center forward not only in this league, but I would imagine, his time in Europe, had it not been for some injuries, might have been more productive."
LOS ANGELES GALAXY
The Los Angeles Galaxy are still looking for their first win of the season, playing to a second consecutive draw, this time a 1-1 result against the San Jose Earthquakes on the road. The Galaxy have three points from four matches, sitting in eighth place in the Western Conference, now 10 points behind Chivas USA at the top of the division.
LAST MATCH
• The Earthquakes were finishing off a spell of four games out of their first five at home, where they had taken four points from the opening three. The Galaxy were still looking for their first victory, on the road for the first time after three games in Carson to kick off the campaign.
• The Quakes took the lead after just five minutes. Chris Leitch sent a long ball over the top of the Galaxy defense, and Pablo Campos latched onto it to race in alone on goal before slotting home for his first MLS goal.
• But the Galaxy gradually pulled back into the game and evened terms 14 minutes from the end. Landon Donovan swerved in a cross from the right side and Bryan Jordan sent a sharp, glancing header inside the far post for his second career goal and the equalizer.
• Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena made four changes to the team that played to a scoreless draw with Chivas USA. Tony Sanneh came into defense, Dema Kovalenko into the midfield and Mike Magee and Jovan Kirovski formed a new-look strike pair, with Gregg Berhalter and Alan Gordon suspended and Chris Klein and Josh Tudela on the substitutes' bench.
• Here's Arena's team (3-4-1-2): Donovan Ricketts - A.J. DeLaGarza (Chris Klein 65), Omar Gonzalez, Tony Sanneh - Sean Franklin, Dema Kovalenko, Stefani Miglioranzi, Eddie Lewis - Landon Donovan - Mike Magee (Bryan Jordan 56), Jovan Kirovski (Todd Dunivant 79). Substitutes Not Used: Tristan Bowen, Yohance Marshall, Josh Saunders, Josh Tudela
TEAM NEWS
• After starting the season with a 4-4-2 formation, Arena shifted his team into a 3-5-2, with Landon Donovan as the attacking midfielder behind a front two.
• "Overall I was encouraged by our performance tonight," Arena said. "We had a little bit of a makeshift lineup due to injuries and suspensions, but I thought the majority of the game we played pretty well. ... I don't think the formation matters as much as the movement of the players, the coordination, the communication. And for us tonight it was better than it's been, so that's encouraging."
• After the tying goal, Arena brought in Todd Dunivant in a return to the back four, one of three changes made in the second half that turned the tide of the game.
• "Bryan Jordan's pace helped in the second half. It changed our attack to have a little more speed in it. He did a very good job as did (Chris) Klein and (Todd) Dunivant," said Arena. "We brought in Todd to go to a 4-4-2 because he hasn't played for a long, long time."
• While still winless on the season, the Galaxy are confident the season will begin to turn around. A year ago, LA posted two wins and two ties in their first seven matches.
• "We're doing almost everything right. We've got to stop spotting teams a goal early. (San Jose) didn't have a lot of chances and it's unfortunate that we gave them such an easy one," said Donovan. "Our play, in the run of play was good. We were very good defensively, we were good on set pieces. We keep going, and the wins are going to come."
• The trip to San Jose was the first of four road games in a five-game stretch for the Galaxy, though they do not have to leave the West for any of them. After the trip to Colorado, they play at Salt Lake and at Seattle, following a home match against New York.
• "I thought our guys showed a lot of character and some quality at times (against San Jose)," Arena said. "Not only got a point but positioned ourselves to steal it end the end with a chance or two. I was encouraged by our guys effort. We have some young guys who are still learning, but it's all part of the process. I think for the first time going on the road this year it was all right."
