Donovan flawless for LA Galaxy
Three year old Kai Raider shows off a jersey he was given by David Beckham
SANDY, Utah ● Real Salt Lake got sloppy, and the LA Galaxy were only too happy to take advantage of their mistakes Wednesday night, scoring three unanswered to run out 3-2 winners at Rio Tinto Stadium.
A pair of defensive gaffes and a terrific individual performance by Landon Donovan – who had a brace and an assist – negated a terrific start for the Western Conference leaders.
RSL began as well as any team could hope. In just the ninth minute, Chris Wingert fed Fabián Espíndola on the right flank, and the Argentine beat Todd Dunivant to the endline and sent it across the middle for Kyle Beckerman, who tapped home for the opener.
Then in the 24th minute, Espíndola played creator again, sending another ball to the middle to Álvaro Saborío. The Costa Rican just a piece of the cross, sending it bouncing up in the air a couple or times and to the lower-left corner of the net.
Then the tables turned. RSL defender Tony Beltran, deep in his own third, tried to send a pass back to ‘keeper Nick Rimando six minutes later. Donovan, however, saw the pass coming and rushed to intercept the ball and deposited it unopposed after beating Rimando.
It was only a sign of things to come. Real’s giving mood continued just five minutes into the second half, with Jámison Olave giving the ball away to Donovan about 30 yards from goal. The Galaxy captain hit a perfect through-ball to Mike Magee, who took a touch and hit a brilliant, left-foot strike to the right corner that caromed off the inside of the post.
RSL looked to press and regain their lead, but LA caught them with too much space in the back in the 68th. Magee sent a ball from the left over the top toward Donovan, who beat an onrushing Rimando to ball, took one touch past and calmly booted it into the open net for the 3-2 lead.
Real threw everything it had for the remaining time, but the Galaxy defense and keeper Josh Saunders came up huge time and time again, holding on to the final whistle and grabbing the road win.
The Galaxy improve to 5-8-2 after winning their second straight and return home to host Vancouver on Saturday.
RSL, meanwhile, fall to 10-4-2 and saw their lead on second-place San Jose reduced to just two points ahead of Saturday’s home clash with the Earthquakes.
Chivas USA 2, Montreal Impact 1
Juan Pablo Angel scored in the 82nd minute to give Chivas USA their second win at home this season, defeating the Montreal Impact 2-1 at the Home Depot Center.
Seeking to put the Impact off-balance from the start, Chivas opened the scoring in the 15th minute. A shot by Juan Agudelo deflected off the thigh of Moreno and past goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts.
After the Chivas goal, Montreal began to pressure the Rojiblancos and found the equalizer in the 42nd minute. Davy Arnaud’s cross created space for Brazilian midfielder Felipe, who beat a diving goalkeeper Dan Kennedy from close range.
Just five minutes after the pair came on as substitutes, Jorge Villafana fired a cross from the left side of midfield to Angel, who headed his third goal of the season past Ricketts to give Chivas three points.
Houston Dynamo 3, Toronto FC 3
Will Bruin scored twice in the second half, and the Houston Dynamo came back from a two-goal deficit in the final 17 minutes to tie Toronto FC 3-3 Wednesday night.
Danny Koevermans scored twice for Toronto, which built a 3-1 lead at halftime only to get its first draw of the season and first point on the road.
Houston (5-4-5, 20 points) tied the game in the 90th minute on Bruin’s header from the left side of the goalkeeper’s box off a cross from Geoff Cameron.
Houston cut the lead to 3-2 in the 73rd minute as Bruin took a pass from Brad Davis at the top of the box and chipped it into the upper right portion of the net from 16 yards.
”We knew it was going to be difficult the second half, but I am so proud of the lads,” said Paul Mariner after his second game as coach. ”We had a fantastic performance in the first half. I thought we were terrific. A point away from home against Houston is fantastic.”
Koevermans put Toronto (1-10-1, 4 points) ahead 2-1 in the 22nd minute, taking a cross from Eric Avila and shooting it in from just outside the 6-yard box on the left. Koevermans extended the lead to 3-1 in the 45th minute, heading Julian de Guzman’s pass inside the near post from 16 yards.
”Definitely, we come into every game to win,” defender Ashtone Morgan said. ”We were up 3-1 at the half, and we thought we were going to be in cruise control. They threw the big boys up there and scored two goals.”
Jeremy Hall put Toronto up 1-0 in the 13th minute. Houston tried to clear the ball, but Avila sent it back in from the above the half circle. Hall gained possession near the penalty area, turned and shot,. with the ball ricocheting off the near post, bouncing on the end line and off the far post before going in.
Bobby Boswell tied it in the 20th minute with a header off Davis’ corner kick from 8 yards.
Three Toronto players arrested for public intoxication earlier in the week were sent home before the game: Miguel Aceval, Luis Silva and Nick Soolsma.
San Jose Erthquakes 2, Colorado Rapids 1
Wondolowski scored on a penalty kick in stoppage time after an own goal tied the game in the 83rd minute as the San Jose defeated the Colorado Rapids 2-1 Wednesday night.
The Earthquakes are 4-2-3 this year when conceding the first goal. They won in stoppage time for the fourth time this season.
Colorado goalkeeper Matt Pickens caught the foot of Alan Gordon, earning Wondolowski the penalty kick. It was the 12th goal of the season and the fifth game-winning goal for Wondolowski.
Steven Lenhart had his shot from inside the penalty area stopped by Pickens before Gordon, situated in front of the goal, saw the ball come directly to him. His shot went in off defender Hunter Freeman for the own goal.
San Jose (9-3-3) peppered Pickens with quality chances all night.
Brian Mullan scored on a header in the 18th minute for Colorado (6-8-1) even though the Earthquakes controlled play for the first 17 minutes, when they had three quality chances against Pickens.
The Rapids hadn’t gotten past San Jose’s defenders until Freeman took control inside San Jose territory. Freeman lofted a cross over the head of two defenders and Mullan easily beat Bingham with a header from just outside the left post.
