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.

Pumas faces Mexico City rival Cruz Azul with revenge as goal

February 24, 2009

Pumas may want revenge against Cruz Azul. This may not be the best time to expect it.

Cruz Azul comes into Wednesday’s opening leg of the knockout stage of the CONCACAF Champions League with the momentum of a huge road win in the seventh round of the Mexican Clausura on Sunday. Pumas, meanwhile, is riding a five-match winless streak.

If Pumas is looking to avenge its 3-1 loss at home on November 30, a defeat which eliminated it from the Mexican Apertura playoffs, it will need a reversal of fortunes on two fronts. Luis Angel Landin, Cruz Azul’s big off-season acquisition from Morelia, scored twice inside of 12 minutes, Jaime Lozano scored a goal and set up another and Christian Riveros also scored as La Maquina defeated Necaxa 4-2 to snap a five-match losing streak.

While Cruz Azul travels with the confidence of a big road win, Pumas UNAM hasn’t won since the second week of the Mexican league season and has been outscored 8-3 in its last five matches, including a 2-0 loss at Atlas on Saturday. The Clausura started with consecutive victories against Necaxa and Santos, but Pumas has had only one draw since.

A defense which allowed just 13 goals during the Apetura, already has conceded nine through seven rounds of the Clausura, including six in the past three games.

“We’ve gone five matches without a win and we obviously can’t feel good,” said Pumas manager Ricardo ‘Tuca’ Ferretti, who conceded his team lost on a pair of “golazos” Saturday. “Our fans are hurting and our club is hurting.”

Pumas cruised to the knockout phase of the CONCACAF Champions League as the only team without a loss in the Group Stage. Winners of Group B, UNAM also was the highest scoring team in the first round with 18 goals in six matches.

Veteran Paco Palencia led the way with five goals, enough for a four-way share for second-best in the competition with Gregory Richardson of Trinidad’s Joe Public, Pando Ramirez from Municipal of Guatemala GUA and Brunette Hay of Panama’s Tauro FC.

While Pumas limps in with the 16th-best record in the Mexican Clausura, Cruz Azul arrives in the middle of the pack with nine points, eight behind league-leading Pachuca.

It lost to Toluca on penalty kicks in last season’s Apertura finals, but already has qualified for next season’s Champions League by reaching the Mexican title series in December.

Cruz Azul was the lone Mexican team to not win its group in the Champions League, finishing three points behind Honduras’ Marathon in Group A and reaching the knockout stage by edging Costa Rica’s Saprissa on goal difference in their head-to-head meetings.

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Tags: Christian Riveros, concacaf champions league, CONCACAF Champions' Cup, consecutive victories, Costa Rica, cruz azul, ferretti, golazos, Gregory Richardson, group stage, guat, Guatemala, Honduras, jaime lozano, joe public, knockout stage, Luis Angel Landin, Maquina, Mexican, mexican clausura, mexico city, Morelia, Necaxa, Paco Palencia, Panama, pando ramirez, pumas unam, Ricardo, riveros, rsquo, s joe, Santos, stage winners, Trinidad, tuca, UNAM, winless streak

Bolstered by Landin, Cruz Azul looks for more CONCACAF glory

February 13, 2009

Cruz Azul just missed a ninth Mexican title in December. A sixth CONCACAF title would be a nice replacement.

La Maquina finished third in the Mexican Primera Division before losing to Toluca on penalty kicks in the Apertura title series, its second consecutive final. It now returns to the CONCACAF Champions League with a quarterfinal against cross-town rival Pumas.

Cruz Azul was in 10th place in the Clausura campaign heading into the fifth round, fourth in Group 2, three points behind leader Chivas. The two played to a wild 3-3 draw on January 17 at Estadio Jalisco in Guadalajara to open the season.

A week later, Cruz Azul thrashed Atlas, 4-0, at Estadio Azul with Edgar Lugo scoring a three and Luis Angel Landin adding the final goal. Its lone loss of the new season came January 30, 1-0 at Tecos and but it recovered a week later to with an early goal by Christian Riveros for a 1-1 draw against Tigres.

Cruz Azul’s big off-season signing was Landin, a striker from Morelia. The 23-year-old began his career with Pachuca, scoring 19 goals in 81 appearances. He had seven goals in 48 games with Morelia.

The club was almost dealt a devastating blow when star Gerardo Torrado reportedly was considering signing with Espanyol of the Primera Liga last month. But Cruz Azul convinced the 29-year-old captain to stay on for the remainder of his contract.

“It is convenient for both parties as it means that in six months he would be able to make his dream of playing in Spain come true,” Cruz Azul president Guillermo Alvarez said last month. “Torrado’s wish is understandable and the club will try to back him so in six months he could play in a better team. He will have to think that at the end of June he will be able to sign for any club he wants.”

Cruz Azul was the lone Mexican team to not win its group in the Champions League, finishing three points behind Honduras’ Marathon in Group A and reaching the knockout stage by edging out Costa Rica’s Saprissa on goal difference in their head-to-head meetings.

Javier Orozco, who played only four games for Cruz Azul in the Apertura season and none so far this season, leads all scorers in the Champions League with six goals. The 21-year-old forward has been unable to find time behind Landin and Pablo Zeballos, who has three goals in the Champions League. Cruz Azul has already qualified for the 2009 Champions League by advancing to last season’s Apertura final against Toluca.

By Dylan Butler

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