The crowd at the Home Depot Center may have been a bit concerned at half time, but it's clear the LA Galaxy weren't. LA, down one goal after Fabian Espindola put one in the back of the net just before half time, roared back in the second half with two goals to secure three points. With the win, the Galaxy join the 2005 San Jose Earthquakes as the only teams in MLS to reach 64 points since MLS allowed draws in 2002.
Yet, the Galaxy don't seem to be regarded as one of MLS' all time best teams. The nature of the MLS season means that regular season accomplishments are often downplayed unless they are followed up with a cup win. That year San Jose got 64 regular season points, the Galaxy won the MLS cup.
The goals for the Galaxy will go down in the scorebook, but they certainly weren't pretty. On the first goal, Chad Barrett chased down a David Beckham quick restart, and up against the near post flicked the ball over Nick Rimando's head. On the second goal, another set piece, Landon Donovan popped the ball up with his head, Todd Dunivant saved it along the line, and then it was the leg of RSL's Nat Borchers that put the ball in the back of the net.
It was also a highly physical game, with both teams going at it a bit. It began with a bit of handbagging in the 38' after an obvious Real handball. Fabian Espindola was given the yellow for his unsporting behavior, which he later made up for with his towering header. The next two yellows were given to the Galaxy, both for reckless tackles. Omar Gonzalez tripped up Will Johnson who looked to be on a breakaway, and then Paolo Cardozo followed suit. Before the half ended Ned Grabavoy had also picked up a yellow card.
Things calmed down in the second half, with just Javier Morales picking up a yellow delaying a restart and showing dissnt, and Yordany Alvarez picking up a yellow for a tactical foul. Morales looked good in his first game back after his long stint on the disabled list. He is credited with an assist on his corner kick, and took a shot on goal - which was right at Josh Saunders.
Both teams squandered a lot of their early chances, with good possession but poor finishing. No shots hit the wood word tonight, and there was only one diving save by Josh Saunders, on a ball floating over his head. The game was much slower than the scoreline may indicate, but in the end, it's a good win for a team winding down a long MLS season.