L.A. Sides Stumble in Playoff Race
Galaxy midfielder Eddie Lewis was unable to repeat his late game heroics against Columbus. Photo by Getty Images
Columbus and the Galaxy met up in Ohio in another battle for the top spot in MLS. However, the Crew defense proved too difficult of a task for the Galaxy offense and the blue-and-gold was not able to generate much of an offensive threat, unable to penetrate the final third for the vast majority of the match. Columbus had the upper hand and would eventually take the lead at the 33rd minute when Eddie Gaven headed home a shot past Galaxy 'keeper Donovan Ricketts. Steven Lenhart would extend the lead for the Crew to 2 goals at the 59th minute when he pounced on a rebound off of Ricketts and buried it.
Later in the day, Chivas USA took on New York at the Home Depot Center.
Chivas USA dominated the game, generating numerous scoring opportunities, but in the end, the mood was more like that of a tough loss. The reason? A late second half defensive gaffe allowed New York forward Juan Pablo Angel to tie the game and take two points away from the home side.
The draw was specially frustrating to the team given other league results had fallen in favor of the red-and-whites, giving them an opportunity to better position themselves in the playoff race.
Maicon Santos put in a strong performance and was clearly the most dangerous player for Chivas USA. The Brazilian nearly scored on multiple occasions during the match, including multiple hard shots directly on goal, one of which hit the woodwork. His work, however, only served to make New York 'keeper Bouna Coundul shine, forcing him to make multiple excellent saves to keep his team in the match and set the stage for Angel.
Angel's tying goal seemed to deflate the spirits of the L.A. side, but Chivas USA continued to press forward. Despite running up against nothing but bad luck all game long, it seemed that the red-and-whites had stumbled upon a great stroke of good luck in the dying minutes of injury time when they were awarded a penalty kick. Sacha Kljestan stepped to it with fans already celebrating what seemed like a sure win, but Kljestan missed and the game ended in a 1 - 1 draw.