The Galaxy put on a rare show on the road in a warm and windy Frisco, Texas this afternoon.

Coming off a loss to New York last Saturday, the blue-and-gold quickly attempted to assert themselves against FC Dallas. In the 5th minute, midfielders Alvaro Pires and David Beckham combined to find forward Edson Buddle in the Dallas penalty area, but Buddle's shot only served as a warning shot for what would come later and the score remained at zero.

Pires, returning from an injury, would play a critical role in the match as his prowess in the midfield served the Galaxy well, helping the team thwart many of Dallas' offensive pushes.

However, Dallas was able to quickly counter in the opening minutes, creating a great opportunity for forward Kenny Cooper at the 7th minute, but Cooper was unable to capitalize.

The remainder of the first quarter of an hour saw a few more offensive opportunities being generated by the Galaxy, mostly centered around forward Landon Donovan. At the 13th minute, rookie defensive sensation Sean Franklin combined with Donovan on a give-and-go but he was unable to release a shot as he streaked across the Dallas penalty box. Only 2 minutes later, Buddle and Donovan combined off a throw in and got a shot on to the Dallas goal which was turned away by 'keeper Dario Sala.

It seemed as though it would only be a matter of time before a Galaxy goal would go in, but Dallas began to exploit the right flank of the Galaxy defense. Dallas' ability to run the ball up their left wing resulted in multiple golden opportunities for Cooper to open the scoring for Dallas, but Galaxy 'keeper Steve Cronin to make a great save with his foot on Cooper's close range shot at the 17th minute, then his shot at the 18th minute, also from close range, hit the side of the net. Only a minute later, Cooper tried from long distance, but again, Cronin stepped up and made the save. The ensuing corner resulted in a great header from Dallas, but the ball missed the goal, although Cronin had already been beaten.

Despite that corner, Cronin was having a great day and seemed to be en route to his best performance thus far in the young season. His save on Dallas forward Abe Thompson's shot at the 23rd minute seemed to underscore this point.

Meanwhile, the Galaxy offense had disappeared since the 15th minute, with Dallas taking it to the Galaxy. Had it not been for Cronin's play and Cooper's misfortunes, the blue-and-gold could have easily been down 2 or 3 goals.

Then at the 25th minute, the Galaxy offensive machine roared to life. Galaxy rookie stand out Brandon McDonald connected with defender Chris Klein who was streaking down the right wing. Klein controlled and put a great shot on goal to beat 'keeper Dario Sala to open the scoring.

Only six minutes later, Buddle picked up a ball that Donovan had fought to win just outside the box. Buddle charged through the Dallas defense, dribbling past 4 defenders, including Mexican standout Duilio Davino -- Dallas' big name signing -- then rifled the ball into the top left corner, past Sala, increasing the Galaxy lead.

At the 34th minute, the Galaxy's Pires combined with Donovan to penetrate the Dallas penalty area. Donovan took the ball into the left of the box, looking to center to one of his teammates. Davino, who was in charge of defending Donovan came out to meet him, but ended up deflecting Donovan's centering pass behind his own 'keeper.

Dallas could not control the Galaxy attack. The Dallas midfield could not retain possession and their defense was unable to cope with the pace of the Galaxy attack. Much of the first half from the 25th minute onwards was played in the Dallas half, capped off with a 4th Galaxy goal at the 38th minute when he pounced on a ball with Sala out of position after a corner kick that Davino had attempted to clear while fighting off the Galaxy's Pires.

Dallas made a couple of changes at the break and came out eager to get on the board.

Dallas forward Dominic Oduro replaced Abe Thompson and immediately had an impact on the game. His speed helped Dallas find more opportunities and in the 6th minute generated an important foul. The Galaxy's Alvaro Pires was forced into a rough fould against Oduro which should have been yellow card against Pires. Referee Baldomero Toledo chose not give Pires a card, which would have resulted in his expulsion from the game given that Pires had already earned one in the first half.

Galaxy head coach Ruud Gullit wisely put in Troy Roberts in place of Pires at the next dead ball, eliminating the possibility of Pires getting ejected as the chances of him getting a yellow card later on due to a make up call on the ref's part were pretty high. Pires' absence would be noticeable almost immediately. The game opened up and there were chances for both teams, with the Galaxy noticeably having a difficult time trying to stop the Dallas attack due to Pires' absence.

For Dallas, Oduro put a shot on goal at the 54th minute, but Cronin was up to the task. Only seconds later, Oduro was back and this time he would not be denied, putting a header behind Cronin and opening the scoring for Dallas, making it 4 - 1 for the visitors.

With plenty of time left on the clock, both teams continued to push. The Galaxy threatened at the 57thm minute when Chris Klein found Beckham floating down the right wing. Beckham then put in a great centering pass into the Dallas penalty box. Buddle dove to get a head on to it, but 'keeper Sala was well positioned and made the save.

While Buddle had already scored two for the Galaxy, Cooper couldn't buy a goal for Dallas, although he had just as many great opportunities to score. In the 60th minute, it seemed as though Cooper would finally shake that monkey off his back, but his close range shot beat 'keeper Cronin only to hit the crossbar and bounce out.

A few minutes later, Dallas midfielder Juan Toja, who was mostly unnoticed for much of the match, missed an empty net goal after Cronin had made a terrible play while coming out to defend a shot towards the box. This latter play was a bit reflective of Cronin's play during the first 20 minutes of the second half, seeming increasingly nervous and uncomfortable.

Cronin would later settle down and regain his form from the first half, helping the defensive side settle down while the offensive side continued to press the Dallas goal.

The game turned at the 75th minute when Dallas defender Adrian Serioux was ejected from the game after a reckless foul on Beckham. Beckham was enraged by the play and his reaction to it earned him a yellow card, but also motivated him to show the Dallas crowd why he gets paid what he gets paid.

Only 10 minutes later, Beckham put in a great cross to Buddle, who finished up his hat trick and brought the score to a final of 5 - 1 for the visitors.

For the Galaxy, it was a great offensive showing, but the defense once again showed its weakness, as has been the story for most of the year. However, despite these issues, it is a rare occasion when the Galaxy walk away with such a wide margin of victory when playing as visitors.

Let's keep it rolling for Saturday night against Kansas City!

Go Galaxy!!

Photo by John M. Padilla/used with permission