LA tries to build momentum at RSL
Coming off first win of 2009, Galaxy visit RSL at Rio Tinto
RIO TINTO STADIUM, Sandy, Utah
May 6, 2009 (WEEK 8) / MLS Game #54
6:30 p.m. PT (KUTV 2.2)
A key battle for positioning in the Western Conference looms as Real Salt Lake play host to the Los Angeles Galaxy in a midweek tilt at Rio Tinto Stadium. RSL is back home - where they been nearly perfect -coming off another lost road trip at the weekend. The Galaxy finally claimed their first victory of the season last weekend, but are undefeated in four matches and have just one loss on the season. The teams are separated by just two points in the tight West standings.
REFEREE: Michael Kennedy. SAR (bench): Peter Balciunas; JAR (opposite): Peter Manikowski; 4th: Tyler Ploeger
MLS Career: 110 games; FC/gm: 31.0; Y/gm: 3.8; R: 21; pens: 43
INJURY REPORT: REAL SALT LAKE - OUT: DF Ian Joy (L hamstring strain); GK Nick Rimando (L middle finger laceration) ... LOS ANGELES GALAXY - OUT: DF Leonard Griffin (sports hernia surgery); DF Yohance Marshall (R MCL sprain); QUESTIONABLE: FW Tristan Bowen (L knee sprain); MF Kyle Patterson (R knee irritation)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
SUSPENDED: RSL: Javier Morales (through May 6); Jamison Olave (through May 6)
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: RSL: Javier Morales
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: RSL: Kyle Beckerman
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (13 meetings): Real Salt Lake 4 wins, 20 goals ... Galaxy 5 wins, 21 goals ... Ties 4
AT SALT LAKE (6 meetings): Real Salt Lake 2 wins, 10 goals ... Galaxy 1 win, 9 goals ... Ties 3
RETURN MATCHES: 6/13: Real Salt Lake at Los Angeles Galaxy, 7:30 p.m. PT
LAST YEAR (MLS):
5/3: RSL 2, LA 2 (Espindola 6; Deuchar 18 - Beckham 36, 40)
9/6: LA 2, RSL 2 (Jordan 9; Buddle 69 - Movsisyan 21; Johnson 52)
• The last three meetings between the clubs have ended in draws.
• This is the Galaxy's first appearance at Rio Tinto Stadium. They have not won in Utah since since April 29, 2006, a span of three matches.
• The clubs have split their season series each of the last three seasons. In 2006, each won two games, each winning once at home and once away, then in 2007, the teams split their two meetings in Carson with the lone matchup at Rice-Eccles Stadium reaching a draw.
• Coaches record: Jason Kreis vs. LA: P5 W1 L1 D3 ... Bruce Arena v RSL: P4 W1 L0 D3
REAL SALT LAKE
Real Salt Lake once again hit the road and once again fell by a 2-0 scoreline, this time to the Colorado Rapids in the first Rocky Mountain Cup meeting of the season at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Real have nine points from six matches, sitting in fourth place in the Western Conference, 10 points off the pace set by Chivas USA.LAST MATCH
• The Rapids were carrying a three-game winless streak while RSL were coming off the club-record 6-0 win against New England at home, but had yet to win -- or score -- on the road.
• The Rapids continued that theme with the 11th-minute opener. Colin Clark took off down the left flank and swung in a cross to the heart of the box where Nick LaBrocca raced in unmolested to nod home his first goal on the season.
• In the 35th minute, RSL reserve goalkeeper Kyle Reynish was called upon to make his MLS debut when Nick Rimando suffered a cut hand that forced him from the contest. RSL was dealt a further blow four minutes from halftime when defender Jamison Olave was sent off with a straight red card after a tackle on Conor Casey.
• The Rapids finally took advantage at the hour mark. Jordan Harvey long cross from the left found Terry Cooke on the opposite side of goal. He laid the ball back for Kosuke Kimura just outside the edge of the area, and the Rapids fullback lashed home a low angled shot for his first professional goal.
• RSL head coach Jason Kreis made no changes to the team that defeated the New England Revolution 6-0 the weekend before at Rio Tinto Stadium.
• Here's Kreis's team (4-3-1-2): Nick Rimando (Kyle Reynish 35) - Robbie Russell, Nat Borchers, Jamison Olave, Chris Wingert - Clint Mathis (Tony Beltran 74), Kyle Beckerman, Will Johnson - Javier Morales - Robbie Findley, Yura Movsisyan (Ned Grabavoy 66). Substitutes Not Used: Jean Alexandre, Luis Miguel Escalada, David Horst, Andy Williams
TEAM NEWS
• For Real, it was their third 2-0 loss in three road games this season. Including their Open Cup play-in match at Seattle, RSL is now 0-4 on the road this year in all competitions, with one goal scored and 10 conceded.
• "We seem to be the only team everyone wants to talk about having troubles on the road, but just about every team in the league does," said Kreis. "I think it's something about character and personality of players and they tend to shrink up that little bit and the differences between players and teams are so very, very small that it takes a little bit of difference, a little bit of gap or confidence for the home team to come out on top most of the time."
• For Kyle Reynish, his call to replace Nick Rimando between the posts came after two seasons spent with the club making only reserve team performances. He was a fourth-round selection in the 2007 MLS Supplemental Draft out of UC-Santa Barbara.
• "I've been waiting for a couple years," Reynish said. "Obviously you always try to be ready. I got called on tonight and thought I did fairly well. The goal was tough. I didn't really get to see it much. ... After two or three years, it's tough not getting real minutes. At the same time, it's what you're always preparing for every day. It's what you're working for day in, day out, just of the one chance that you get."
• RSL is expected to start Chris Seitz in goal for the Galaxy match. The U.S. youth international, who last started an MLS game in 2007, has been on loan to the USL-1 Portland Timbers to start the season, recording a clean sheet in each of that club's opening two matches last weekend against the Carolina RailHawks.
• In addition to the suspension for Jamison Olave for the first-half red card in Colorado, RSL will have another key starter lost to suspension. Midfielder Javier Morales was suspended for one match by decision of the MLS Disciplinary Committee after a late altercation with Rapids midfielder Pablo Mastroeni.
• Real have finally completed the return of striker Fabian Espindola to the club. After scoring seven goals in 24 matches over two seasons with RSL, Espindola returned to South America and Venezuela's Deportivo Anzoategui in the offseason, but is now back with Real, pending receipt of his international transfer.
LOS ANGELES GALAXY
The Los Angeles Galaxy won for the first time in 2009, a Landon Donovan penalty kick giving them a 1-0 victory against the New York Red Bulls on Saturday evening at The Home Depot Center. The Galaxy now have seven points from six matches on the year, good for sixth place in the Western Conference, still 12 points adrift of Chivas USA.LAST MATCH
• The Galaxy had played to draws in three consecutive games, but were still looking for a first win on the campaign. The Red Bulls had suffered back-to-back defeats following their only league win of 2009.
• Landon Donovan had been a part of each one of the Galaxy's six goals on the season, and he was again. In the 39th minute, he tried to quickly turn and fire goalward from inside the area. The ball bounced up and hit Red Bulls midfielder Seth Stammler in the arm, and after consultation with the linesman, referee Abbey Okulaja pointed to the spot.
• Donovan slipped the penalty under the dive of Red Bulls goalkeeper Jon Conway for his fourth goal on the season.
• Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena made two changes to the team that tied 1-1 with the Colorado Rapids the weekend before. Josh Tudela returned to the midfield in place of Stefani Miglioranzi and Edson Buddle made his first start of 2009, in place of Alan Gordon.
• Here's Arena's team (4-4-2): Donovan Ricketts - Sean Franklin, Gregg Berhalter, Omar Gonzalez, Todd Dunivant - Chris Klein (Bryan Jordan 75), Dema Kovalenko, Josh Tudela (Stefani Miglioranzi 68), Eddie Lewis - Edson Buddle (Jovan Kirovski 85), Landon Donovan. Substitutes Not Used: Alan Gordon, Mike Magee, Tony Sanneh, Josh Saunders
TEAM NEWS
• While the Galaxy were facing a number of questions about when the first victory would come, they had not hit the panic button, coming into the Red Bulls match after three consecutive draws. Still, taking the full three points was a welcome event.
• "The end of the day - we are six games in and it's good to get our first win. We've only lost one, so it's not like we are in a major crisis," Arena said. "I think we are starting to get better, we've seen progress over the last month. It's good to get some players back from injury."
• While the lone goal came from a penalty kick, the Galaxy kept a clean sheet for the second time on the season, after playing to a wild scoreless draw against Chivas USA. The Galaxy have scored just three goals over their last four matches, while conceding just two.
• "I think in the second half when New York pushed to get a goal we were very organized and very solid defensively. We really held them the entire evening. They really didn't have a good chance at goal. I think the defensive part was good. We had some moments in the second half where we could have produced a second goal to end the game, but we didn't do that," said Arena.
• In the first two matches of the season, the Galaxy allowed five goals. That's when Donovan Ricketts stepped in between the posts, and he has backstopped the defensive performance over the last four games.
• "Donovan has been a great addition. Obviously, starting the season without him hurt us a little bit. He's an outstanding goalkeeper. We would have not won this game last year. Maybe only gotten a point, but now that we have a real solid presence in the goal - we are getting better, defensively as a team," Arena said. " ... I think an important part of our team in the defensive part of the field has certainly been Donovan Ricketts. He has been really good since he's returned from injury."
• Landon Donovan has been involved in each of the Galaxy's seven goals scored this season, now with four goals (one off the league lead) and three assists (also one off the league lead).
• "What we did tonight is we had a complete performance," Donovan said. "That's what we haven't done. We've had long stretches where we've been good, and we've also made mistakes and given up goals. Tonight we didn't do that. You play like we did tonight, you're going to win games."
• After making his first appearance of the season the week before in Colorado as a substitute, Edson Buddle was able to make his first start of 2009 and played 85 minutes as the front striker. "I think tonight, although you don't see it on the scoresheet, Buddle had a really good game. He's presence up top, his ability to hold the ball was an important aspect of the game tonight," Arena said.
