Hoops look for turnaround vs. L.A.
FC Dallas endure four-game winless streak as they host the Galaxy
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FC DALLAS vs. LOS ANGELES
GALAXY
PIZZA HUT PARK, Frisco, Texas
July 27, 2008 | 6 p.m. CT (FSN-SW; FSN-W)
WEEK # 18 | GAME # 117
Just a couple of months removed from a heavy head-to-head loss, FC Dallas once again plays host to the Los Angeles Galaxy when the teams meet Sunday evening at Pizza Hut Park. The Galaxy claimed a 5-1 win on May 18 in Frisco. Since then, the Hoops have won just twice in nine games, currently on a four-game winless streak, though they have drawn the last three. The Galaxy haven't won in five games, with draws in their last two.
REFEREE: Michael Kennedy. SAR (bench): Greg Barkey; JAR (opposite): Sean Hurd; 4th: Jasen Anno MLS Career: 99 games; FC/gm: 32.3; Y/gm: 4.0; R: 19; pens: 39
INJURY REPORT: FC DALLAS - OUT: DF David Wagenfuhr (concussion); QUESTIONABLE: GK Ray Burse (R ankle); PROBABLE: MF Bobby Rhine (L ankle) ... LOS ANGELES GALAXY - OUT: GK Vito Higgins (R foot); DOUBTFUL: GK Charles Alamo (R knee); DF Sean Franklin (R knee); MF Bryan Jordan (R hamstring); MF Brandon McDonald (L foot); PROBABLE: GK Josh Wicks (L knee)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: DAL: Dax McCarty (U.S. Olympic team)
SUSPENDED: DAL: Marcelo Saragosa (five cautions; through July 28)
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: LA: Greg Vanney
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: DAL: Pablo Richetti, Andre Rocha, Juan Toja ... LA: Alan Gordon, Brandon McDonald, Alvaro Pires
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (46 meetings): FC Dallas 16 wins (1 shootout), 58 goals ... Galaxy 23 wins (1 shootout), 85 goals ... Ties 7
AT DALLAS (23 meetings): FC Dallas 12 wins (0 shootout), 40 goals ... Galaxy 6 wins (0 shootout), 38 goals ... Ties 5
• This is the second of three meetings on the season, the second of two to be played at Pizza Hut Park. The lone encounter at The Home Depot Center concludes the season series and the MLS regular season, Sun. Oct. 26.
• FC Dallas won the season series a year ago, winning the first two meetings (once in each stadium) before LA took the series finale at home. The Galaxy captured a 6-5 win in SuperLiga at Pizza Hut Park, winning advancement out of Group A in the process.
• The FCD victory at The Home Depot Center in the first meeting last year was the first-ever by the Hoops at The Home Depot Center. The Galaxy had won all eight prior league meetings between the clubs in Carson, as well as the 2005 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final. The last Dallas win against the Galaxy on the road was Sept. 6, 2000, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
• The Galaxy have defeated Dallas 17 of 23 meetings at home, equaling their record against Colorado as their most victories at home against a single club.
• The Galaxy won for the first time ever against FC Dallas at Pizza Hut Park in league play in the first meeting this year. Their last MLS win against the club in Texas came May 8, 2004 at the Cotton Bowl. The Galaxy did defeat FCD in the wild, 6-5 match in SuperLiga last year - as well as, of course, capturing MLS Cup 2004 in Frisco.
• Coaches record: Schellas Hyndman v LA: first game ... Ruud Gullit vs. DAL: P1 W1 L0 D0
LAST MEETING (MLS):
5/18: DAL 1, LA 5 (Oduro 54 - Klein 25; Buddle 31, 39, 85; own goal 34)
• The Los Angeles Galaxy scored four goals in a 15-minute burst in the first half as Edson Buddle hit for a hat trick in a 5-1 win at Pizza Hut Park on May 18, in what was Steve Morrow's final match in charge.
• FC Dallas saw a goal ruled out for a foul early on, but then the floodgates opened -- for the visitors. In the 25th minute, a terrific ball from Brandon McDonald from the center circle freed Chris Klein all alone down the right flank, and he finished with aplomb for the opener.
• Edson Buddle started his goal-scoring bonanza six minutes later. Taking the ball outside the area, he raced forward, powered through a trio of FCD defenders and lashed a left-footed shot home.
• The score was 3-0 in the 34th minute when Duilio Davino deflected a Landon Donovan cross from the left side into his own goal, then five minutes later, Davino popped up a corner kick clearance in the goal area and Buddle came in to poke it home from close range.
• FC Dallas pulled a goal back after the break when Kenny Cooper stood up his defender on the left and popped in a cross from Dominic Oduro to head home for his first goal on the campaign. But 10 minutes after FCD were left a man down when Adrian Serioux was sent off for a hard tackle on David Beckham, Buddle completed his hat trick when he headed home a classic Beckham outswinging early cross from the right flank.
• Here's Morrow's team (3-4-3): Dario Sala - Drew Moor, Duilio Davino, Adrian Serioux - Andre Rocha, Pablo Ricchetti, Juan Toja, Anthony Wallace (Bobby Rhine 46) - Kenny Cooper, Abe Thompson (Dominic Oduro 46), Arturo Alvarez (Ricardinho 79). Substitutes Not Used: Eric Avila, Mike Graczyk, Aaron Pitchkolan, Marcelo Saragosa
• Here's Gullit's team (4-3-2-1): Steve Cronin - Chris Klein, Sean Franklin, Abel Xavier, Greg Vanney - Joe Franchino (Josh Tudela 46), Brandon McDonald, Alvaro Pires (Troy Roberts 53) - David Beckham, Landon Donovan - Edson Buddle. Substitutes Not Used: Ely Allen, Ante Jazic, Mike Randolph, Carlos Ruiz, Josh Wicks
FC DALLAS
FC Dallas played for the third consecutive draw, seeing the Colorado Rapids come back to claim a late 2-2 result at Pizza Hut Park last weekend. FCD sits in sixth place in the Western Conference with 19 points from 17 matches, two behind the Colorado Rapids and five in front of the San Jose Earthquakes.
LAST MATCH
• FC Dallas returned to action for the first time in two weeks, following a loss with a pair of draws, while the Rapids had rebounded from a four-game winless streak with a win and a draw.
• Colorado had not won in league play in Dallas since March 2000, but the Rapids took the lead after just five minutes. Mehdi Ballouchy drove a ball from near the halfway stripe that sailed over the FCD defense where Herculez Gomez latched onto it and slotted home for his first goal. It was the earliest goal of the season for Colorado.
• But after the break, the Hoops regained the lead with two goals in a quarter-hour. First, Facundo Erpen was adjudged to have pushed over Dominic Oduro as he tried to get onto the end of a Kenny Cooper cross, and Cooper converted the resulting penalty, his ninth goal on the season.
• Then in the 64th minute, a long cross from Marcelo Saragosa found Cooper on the left, and as Bouna Coundoul came out to claim the cross he missed, allowing Cooper to head down for Juan Toja to drive into the empty net.
• The Rapids took just three minutes to respond. Terry Cooke found Christian Gomez racing through on the right side, and he sent in a well-placed cross that found Conor Casey at the far post, who headed home for his third goal of the season and second in as many games.
• FCD head coach Schellas Hyndman made one change to the team that played to a 1-1 draw with the Kansas City Wizards on July 4. Dax McCarty made his return to the lineup, coming in on the left of midfield for Blake Wagner.
• Here's Hyndman's team (3-4-1-2): Dario Sala - Drew Moor, Duilio Davino, Adrian Serioux - Andre Rocha, Pablo Ricchetti (Eric Avila 77), Marcelo Saragosa, Dax McCarty (Arturo Alvarez 72) - Juan Toja - Kenny Cooper, Dominic Oduro. Substitutes Not Used: Josh Lambo, Aaron Pitchkolan, Brek Shea, Abe Thompson, Blake Wagner
• "The teaser is taking the lead 2-1 and then scoring within four or five minutes to make it an even game," Hyndman said. "They came into our field and got a point, which is disappointing for all of us. I think it showed a lot of character on our part to play with a lot of enthusiasm, to get crosses off and to have more people in the attack. I saw that we're making some progress but we have to eliminate that big boo-boo."
TEAM NEWS
• Cooper not only contributed his team-leading ninth goal of the season, but also assisted on Toja's go-ahead strike, the first time since April 6 he had been involved in more than one goal in a game, when he scored twice in the 3-3 draw with the Houston Dynamo.
• "I wanted Kenny (Cooper) to get more touches, not so much run out wide and make the crosses but to be a target player," Hyndman said. "I thought today he was very dangerous, especially in transition. He was able to get behind them. One of the things we look for from our strikers is that we all want them to score but we also want them to hold the ball, create opportunities and make assists."
• In five of FCD's six losses so far this year, they have allowed a goal in the first 28 minutes of the game. Under new head coach Schellas Hyndman, the trend hasn't reversed. In the four league games with Hyndman at the helm, FCD has allowed the first goal each time, all of which were in the first half, and have a 1-0-3 mark. The Hoops also started from behind in each of their two U.S. Open Cup matches.
• "I don't think in any sport, you want to be giving up early goals and soft goals," Hyndman said. "It's been an Achilles heel with this team and they're goofy goals. It's not like it's something that I can come out here and say, hey let's work on intercepting this pass. It's a 40-yard pass and let's work on intercepting it 100 times, so that you can get better at it. They can do it. It's just that something happens."
• Said Oduro: "In (our last) three games, we have been scored on early. We have to avoid that and all those little mistakes that have cost us. We need to try and score early goals. We also need to try and keep the ball and stay focused for the whole game."
• Third-year midfielder Dax McCarty returned to the starting 11 for the first time since April 24 against New England. McCarty had only played five times since his last start after having sports hernia surgery in late May.
• "I feel good," McCarty said. "It's been a while since I've gotten a start and it felt good to walk out the tunnel with the guys. I had a little bit of nerves at first but once I got my first touch, I settled down pretty well and felt nice, loose and warm. I felt like I combined well with the guys and that we created a lot of chances. Unfortunately, we didn't finish enough of them."
• For FC Dallas, they consider the Galaxy game almost a must-win. After the contest, they will have 12 matches remaining - seven on the road.
• "How important is it to get a win? I think it's crucial. Even though the West division I think is a weak division and teams are always within striking distance of another team, you've still got to win," Hyndman said. "Since I've coached, we've had three ties and that's equal to one win while other teams are getting their wins. We need to find a way to get some more points and the best place to get those are at home. So, we'll be focusing extremely hard on winning this one."
LOS ANGELES GALAXY
The Los Angeles Galaxy played to a draw for the second consecutive match and saw their winless streak reach five games, snatching a last-gasp 2-2 draw with the New York Red Bulls last Saturday at Giants Stadium. The Galaxy are now tied for second place in the Western Conference, with 23 points from 17 matches, with the Houston Dynamo, a point behind Real Salt Lake.
LAST MATCH
• The Red Bulls were back home after losing back-to-back matches and seeing their winless run stretch to three games, all on the road. The Galaxy were on a four-game winless run of their own, playing to a draw in their last outing, the second SuperClasico of the year, after back-to-back losses.
• In front of the largest single-game attendance in the league this season, the Galaxy took the lead in the 29th minute on Carlos Ruiz's first goal of the season. David Beckham picked out Edson Buddle on the left with a long ball, and after Buddle cut into the area, he floated in a cross and the Guatemalan international headed home.
• But just six minutes later the Red Bulls pulled level as Jorge Rojas made his impact in his MLS debut. He played the ball between his legs to Dave van den Bergh and the Dutch midfielder beat LA goalkeeper Steve Cronin inside the near post with a low shot from 35 yards out, his team-leading fifth goal of the year.
• Rojas then set up the New York go-ahead goal in the 71st minute. Sending Juan Pablo Angel into the area, the Colombian international dribbled past Galaxy defender Greg Vanney and sent a sublime chip over Cronin for what looked to be the game-winner.
• Yet two minutes into stoppage time, Landon Donovan gathered the ball outside the penalty area and looked to flight an inswinging ball for Buddle. It sailed over the forward's head, but curled inside the right-hand post past Jon Conway for his league-leading 12th goal of the year. Donovan almost secured the full three points moments later, but his rasping drive crashed off the left post.
• Galaxy head coach Ruud Gullit made two changes to the team that played to a 1-1 draw with Chivas USA the previous weekend. Carlos Ruiz made his first start of the season and came into the team along with Alvaro Pires, as Mike Randolph and Ely Allen went to the substitutes' bench.
• Here's Gullit's team (4-4-2): Steve Cronin - Chris Klein, Troy Roberts, Greg Vanney (Alan Gordon 78), Ante Jazic - David Beckham, Peter Vagenas, Alvaro Pires, Landon Donovan - Carlos Ruiz, Edson Buddle. Substitutes Not Used: Ely Allen, Eduardo Dominguez, Joe Franchino, Mike Randolph, Josh Tudela, Josh Wicks
• "I think it was a good performance by my team. I think there were some circumstances, like playing on the turf which you are not used to, and the heat with the humidity, so I thought that the team fought really hard to get a result out of that," Gullit said. "I thought in the first half, we played excellent and I thought we had the best chances. In the second half, you could see that the players were struggling with the environment here but nevertheless, we got a result."
TEAM NEWS
• Veteran striker Carlos Ruiz, starting his first game since the season opener after a lengthy injury layoff, scored his goal of 2008.
• "Eventually, when he gets confidence, he's going to score every game if not a couple times," said Landon Donovan. "Tonight he could have had four or five goals."
• Gullit was pleased with the Guatemalan international's effort, and also with the way Ruiz responded after being told recently that he might be traded if he can't contribute on a regular basis.
• "I had a conversation with him and said 'You haven't done anything for us. It's difficult to get you into good shape. If you continue like this, I have to think about trading you.' The good thing is that (tonight) he showed that he wanted to stay with the LA Galaxy. His commitment was unbelievable. I think he proved tonight that he's the player everyone knows. He took my conversation very seriously and I'm very proud of him."
• For the first time in the season, Donovan was moved to a wide attacking midfield role as Gullit started Ruiz with Edson Buddle in his strike partnership.
• "Landon has done very well up front, he scored a lot of goals, but we also ask him to do other things. Today, he was excellent. In the first half, he was so threatening for the opposition, people are afraid of him. To do that all of the time, the whole game, is difficult, especially under these circumstances," Gullit said. "He's shown good improvement and it's very good for the LA Galaxy."
• Donovan's late cross then put him back atop the MLS Golden Boot standings, ahead of Buddle.
• "It was a cross of course. But I think he kicked it so well that even if Edson (Buddle) had touched it, it would have been a goal also. That's why the goalkeeper didn't know what to do. It's the quality of the play itself that made it difficult for the goalkeeper," Gullit said.
