The LA Galaxy defeated the Colorado Rapids 2-1 tonight at Dick's Sporting Goods Park, holding on to three points despite a last minute penalty kick awarded to Colorado. Landon Donovan ends up with the game winner, with an assist from Robbie Keane. However, Josh Saunders saving an Omar Cummings penalty kick with the match on the line certainly earns him Man of the Match.
Colorado earned a free kick just before stoppage time, when Andre Akpan went down in the box jostling with David Junior Lopes and Todd Dunivant. Lopes, who had the least amount of contact, was given the yellow card by referee Ramon Hernandez from thirty yards behind the play. Omar Cummings telegraphed the resulting penalty kick, and Josh Saunders guessed right to knock it away.
Landon Donovan's game winner came in the 29' when Robbie Keane made great run into the middle of the defense. They converged on Keane, allowing him to find Donovan trailing to his left. Donovan took the ball cleanly in the box and rolled it past Matt Pickens.
Going back twelve MLS matches, including playoffs, before tonight the LA Galaxy had scored more than one goal only four times; an offense Opta Sport described as mediocre. However, the Galaxy were able to do better than mediocre for the third time this MLS season and coincidentally all three of those matches were victories.
However, one trend that didn't hold up is Colorado being held without a goal for two straight matches. This was the third time in their last sixteen matches that this had happened. However, the Galaxy couldn't make it three in a row and are still without a clean sheet on the season.
One thing the Galaxy were able to make up for is Sean Franklin's own goal in their match against Real Salt Lake (Galaxy lost 1-3). That was the only recorded own goal in MLS coming into this week, until Martin Bonjour flubbed on Wednesday. In the 21' when Mike Magee's header on a brilliant free kick from David Beckham was deflected in by Marvell Wynne, the score was finally evened for the Galaxy.