Real Salt Lake down Galaxy for MLS Cup crown

November 23, 2009

Real Salt Lake stunned David Beckham and the Los Angeles Galaxy, winning the Major League Soccer title 5-4 on penalties after the championship match ended 1-1 after extra time.

The defeat foiled Beckham’s bid to earn a title in a third national league, after his English Premiership triumphs with Manchester United and a Spanish League title with Real Madrid.

Robbie Russell scored in the seventh round of penalty kicks to seal the win after Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Nick Rimando made two saves in the shootout and MLS Most Valuable Player Donovan missed over the crossbar.

After Rimando smothered Edson Buddle’s shot, Russell beat the Galaxy’s substitute goalkeeper Josh Saunders into the lower left corner.

Mike Magee gave Galaxy the lead in the 40th minute, firing home a cross from Donovan who had been fed by Beckham. Robbie Findley equalized in the 63rd.

It was the second straight shootout victory for Salt Lake, who beat Chicago 5-4 on penalties last week in the Eastern Conference title match to reach the final.

Beckham’s successful effort opened the shootout as the first four shots were on target.

Jovan Kirovski’s shot was saved by Rimando, but Saunders followed by stopping the effort of Salt Lake captain Kyle Beckerman.

Donovan, the usually sure-footed penalty taker for both the Galaxy and the United States, sailed his attempt over the crossbar.

It was a disappointing finish for the Galaxy, who came in as the overwhelming favorites despite the fact that Beckham was playing with a bone bruise in his right ankle.

The Galaxy’s stars meshed seamlessly to create the opening goal as Beckham found himself with space at midfield and brought the ball forward and passed to a sprinting Donovan, whose cross found Magee unmarked.

Findley, who was rattled in a collision with Los Angeles goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts early in the second half, benefitted from a lucky bounce to get the equalizer as a deflected ball landed at his feet and he slid a left-footed shot past Ricketts.

Several minutes later, Ricketts departed with a right hand injury and Saunders came on in his place.

By the end of the scoreless extra time, both teams looked exhausted, but Rimando was able to continue his strong form in shootouts.

He had made three saves in the penalty shootout against Chicago in the Eastern Conference final, and his performance Sunday was good enough to earn Most Valuable Player honors for the match.

SEATTLE, Washington (AFP)

Tags: bone bruise, David Beckham, edson buddle, jovan kirovski, kyle beckerman, los angeles galaxy, lucky bounce, Major League Soccer, Mike Magee, nick rimando, overwhelming favorites, real salt lake, robbie russell, shootout victory, spanish league, target

Beckham´s Galaxy battle to reach MLS title match

November 12, 2009

The Los Angeles Galaxy, with David Beckham on board and Landon Donovan on song, battle for a berth in Major League Soccer’s championship match on Friday when they take on Houston in the Western Conference final.

It seemed an unlikely scenario 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.

Thanks in part to the intervention of coach Bruce Arena – named the league’s coach of the year on Wednesday – the two mended fences.

With a shored-up defence and newfound confidence, the Galaxy had seven clean sheets in their last nine matches of the regular season and earned the top seed in the Western Conference playoffs.

“Even in the beginning part of this year, we went a bunch of games without winning and it became frustrating,” said Donovan, a candidate for MLS Most Valuable Player honours. “Once we got that taste of victory and realised what it took, everybody grabbed a hold of that and we’ve maintained that the rest of the year. Now, I think we’re playing as well as we have all year.”

One of Beckham’s trademark crosses to Donovan helped create the winning goal in Sunday’s 1-0 victory over Chivas USA that sent the Galaxy into the Western Conference final.

Donovan fed Mike Magee, who was fouled in the penalty area. Donovan then converted the penalty and the Galaxy return to the Western final for the first time since winning the MLS title in 2005.

The Dynamo, meanwhile, are in a familiar spot. The 2006 and 2007 MLS champions, Houston ousted Seattle on Sunday thanks to a goal from Brian Ching in extra time.

The Galaxy beat the Dynamo 1-0 in June before the teams played to a scoreless draw on October 18 in a contest that Ching called “feisty”.

Beckham earned a yellow card and Ching was also cautioned after a heated exchange with the English midfielder.

“We’re expecting the same kind of a matchup, the same kind of intensity,” Ching said.

The Western Conference winners will play the winners of Saturday’s Eastern Conference final between Chicago Fire and Real Salt Lake in the MLS Cup championship match on November 22.

LOS ANGELES (AFP)