Donovan's goal stands as LA tops Fire

Galaxy win puts Los Angeles on verge of playoff clinch

The win will give the Galaxy a playoff spot, provided rivals Chivas USA do not lose to D.C. United on Saturday at RFK Stadium.

Los Angeles is on the verge of reaching the playoffs for the first time since winning MLS Cup in 2005. The Galaxy were the last club to have participated in every MLS postseason since the league's inception in 1996, but their three-year playoff drought has now become a burden. However, this year's team has been competitive from the start of the season, and Friday's match was the second-to-last step in the team's climb back to a championship chase.

The Galaxy are now close to playing for their first MLS Cup since 2005, the only question being what road the Galaxy need to take to get there.

Against the Fire on Friday, the Galaxy encountered a team that did little to put on much pressure.

The Galaxy had more possession than their Chicago counterparts from the start of the match. Chicago, minus Cuauhtemoc Blanco, sat on the defensive as the Galaxy pushed forward often into the Fire's third.

Chris Klein was the first to test Chicago's Jon Busch, as he fired a shot on goal from close range but Busch held his ground well and knocked the ball away.

In the 22nd minute, Klein again tested Busch, and again Busch did well to make a save. This time, the ball caromed out for a rebound and fell to Chris Birchall, who stood at the top of the penalty area. Birchall found the handle on the ball and sent a shot at goal, but the ball was well high of the crossbar.

Chicago seemed to regain some composure afterward and did well to create some possession of its own. In the 37th minute, Chicago had its first chance of the game when Marco Pappa got to a bouncing ball outside the box on a corner kick. Pappa hammered a shot on goal, but Galaxy 'keeper Donovan Ricketts made the save.

The Galaxy, though, finally broke through in the 42nd minute, when Donovan and Klein connected to give the Galaxy the lead. Klein sent a ball over the top of Chicago's defense and Donovan beat Wilman Conde in a footrace. Conde fell, and Donovan had ample room to get to the ball. Busch charged the bouncing ball, but after the second hop Donovan corralled it and chipped it over the Fire 'keeper for a 1-0 LA lead.

After the break, the Galaxy did little initially to add to their advantage. Los Angeles finally strung some passes together in the 59th minute and nearly got another one past Busch. Donovan sent a ball to Klein on the right side of the field. Klein dribbled into the box and sent the ball back to Donovan, who pushed it on to Franklin, but the 2008 MLS Rookie of the Year hit a soft shot on goal, and Busch had no problem making the save.

Chicago showed little offensive prowess in the second half. Patrick Nyarko tried to break through the Galaxy's backline but was met with resistance from Omar Gonzalez and Gregg Berhalter. The team also failed to find Brian McBride in positions of danger.

Donovan nearly scored his second goal of the game in the 75th minute when he found a bouncing ball inside the box on a corner kick. Donovan ripped a left-footed shot on goal but Busch pushed the ball over the bar.

Chicago received a rare indirect free kick inside the penalty area in the 85th minute. Chris Birchall scrambled back to try and catch up to Marco Pappa, who had gotten past the Galaxy's defense. Birchall kicked the ball back to Ricketts, who scooped the ball up.

From the resulting restart, the Fire botched it entirely when one of the players standing over the ball touched the ball, thus putting it into play. The Galaxy picked up the ball and Beckham ended up with a 20-yard attempt on goal on the other side.

The Fire nearly scored a late equalizer. In the 89th minute, the Fire won a corner kick and sent the ball into the box. The ball bounced around inside the area and nearly over the goal line before Ricketts dived on top of a weak Stefan Dimitrov effort to stop it from crossing the goal line.

It took nearly the entire match but the visitors finally showed a sense of urgency, but in the end it was not enough to overcome the Galaxy.

Both teams will have next weekend's international date off, with the Fire playing at the New England Revolution on Saturday, Oct. 17 and the Galaxy next playing at the Houston Dynamo on Sunday, Oct. 18.

Luis Bueno is a contributor to MLSnet.com.

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