Beckham´s Galaxy book berth in MLS title match

November 14, 2009

Gregg Berhalter and Landon Donovan scored in extra time as the Los Angeles Galaxy secured their berth in Major League Soccer’s title match with a 2-0 victory over Houston.

David Beckham’s free kick set up Berhalter’s goal in the 102nd minute.

Houston’s Eddie Robinson tried to clear Omar Gonzalez’s header off Beckham’s free kick but Berhalter was able to slot the ball into the net from seven yards out.

Donovan added another goal in the 109th minute when he converted a penalty – setting an MLS record for career playoff scoring with 17 goals. The penalty was awarded after Dynamo’s Ricardo Clark tripped Alan Gordon.

The Galaxy’s triumph in the Western Conference title contest means they will play in their first MLS Cup final since 2005 on November 22 in Seattle against the winner of Saturday’s Eastern Conference final between Chicago and Real Salt Lake.

Not only did they have to overcome Houston, they had to wait out two power outages that saw the lights go out and play halted at the Home Depot Center for a total of 36 minutes.

The Galaxy will make their sixth MLS Cup final appearance since the league began in 1996. The Galaxy won championships in 2002 and 2005.

Another trip to the championship match seemed unlikely early in the season for a club that equalled the league’s worst record in 2008, and started 2009 with 11 draws in their first 13 matches.

England star Beckham was at the centre of a storm as he stayed on at Italian club AC Milan four months beyond his original loan period, provoking the ire not only of Galaxy fans but also of teammate Donovan – who questioned Beckham’s commitment to the US league in a book.

Coach Bruce Arena, named this week the MLS Coach of the Year, helped reconcile his warring stars in plenty of time for a playoff push.

Dynamo’s Brian Ching had the best chance to score in regular time, heading a ball from short range off Brian Mullan’s cross.

But Galaxy goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts got his right hand to the ball to deflect it toward the crossbar.

Houston’s Andrew Hainault appeared to score on a header off Brad Davis’s ensuing corner kick in the 80th minute but Luis Angel Landin’s foul before Hainault’s shot meant the goal was disallowed.

The two stoppages when the lights went out – for 18 minutes in each half – disrupted the flow of the match but didn’t faze the crowd of 25,373.

Players tried to stay loose and warm by running on the dim pitch or having treatment from trainers.

A statement released by the Home Depot Center said the outages were caused by “two significant power dips in the Southern California Edison industrial grid in which the facility sits” and caused the stadium lights to reset.

LOS ANGELES (AFP)

Tags: ac milan, alan gordon, Andrew Hainault, brad davis, brian ching, brian mullan, coach bruce arena, David Beckham, donovan ricketts, Eastern Conference, eddie robinson, gregg berhalter, home depot, home depot center, Houston, landon donovan, Los Angeles, los angeles galaxy, Luis Angel Landin, Major League Soccer, Milan, mls cup, mls record, omar gonzalez, real salt lake, Ricardo Clark, Seattle, title contest, U.S.

Galaxy´s Arena named MLS manager of year

November 12, 2009

Los Angeles Galaxy’s Bruce Arena was named the 2008 Major League Soccer coach of the year Wednesday, after guiding the club to its first playoff berth since 2005.

Arena, now in his second season as Galaxy head coach, led Los Angeles to one of the most dramatic single season turnarounds in MLS history.

In 2008, the Galaxy finished at the bottom of the Western Conference, surrendering a league-high 62 goals.

One of Arena’s biggest priorities during the 2009 off season was to solidify the club’s defense.

Arena drafted University of Maryland star defender Omar Gonzalez with the third overall pick in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft and brought in US national team veteran Gregg Berhalter at centreback.

Arena also handed the netminding duties to first-year MLS goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts, a 32-year-old Jamaican international who spent most of his career in Europe. Berhalter, Gonzalez and Ricketts were a big reason the Galaxy cut their goals-against average in half from 2008 allowing just 31 goals this season.

In addition to shoring up the defense, Arena also brought in a host of new players, meshed them together, and helped reconcile the highly-publicized differences between star players Landon Donovan and David Beckham.

Los Angeles opened 2009 slowly, but after Beckham returned in midseason from a loan spell with AC Milan the Galaxy began piling up victories. On Friday, the Galaxy host the Houston Dynamo in the Western Conference Championship match.

NEW YORK (AFP)