The San Jose Earthquakes managed to find late in the match dramatics once again, scoring after the 80' for the third straight match to come back from two-nil down to win 2-3 against the LA Galaxy; who can't seem to get the luck flowing their way this season. The Galaxy did have the play through some adversity, going down to ten men early in the second half after a Hector Jimenez straight red card. This after Jimenez scored his first MLS goal in his first start of the 2012 MLS season.
It was former Galaxy player Alan Gordon who scored the game winner in stoppage time. Gordon headed a high bouncing cross over Brian Perk's head to steal three points for San Jose when there was little time left for the Galaxy to do anything about it. This was the third straight match Gordon has found a last minute goal to find points for San Jose. The Galaxy back line gave up on the slow bouncing cross, but Perk couldn't get to it in time.
For LA, they started Brian Gaul tonight with A.J DeLaGarza, the fifth different center back pairing the Galaxy have trotted out this season. That inconsistency in the back may have something to do with how the Galaxy defense has played this year, though as DeLaGarza said after the match they play all those combinations in practice. It was Gaul that was marking Steven Lenhart as he scored the goal that got San Jose back into the match.
To be fair to Gaul, it took a great effort from Lenhart to get that goal. From a Marvin Chavez corner kick, Lenhart beats Gaul and then dives at the ball to head it in part Brian Perk. When David Beckham got called for a handball in the box in the 82', the momentum was fully in San Jose's corner.
It wasn't like that the whole match. The Galaxy came out of the box flying, when Jimenez' 3' goal. Juninho found Chad Barrett in the box, who was able to hold on the ball under challenge, and then find Jimenez just outside the six yard box. Jimenez struck it past Jon Busch to put the Galaxy on the board early.
The Galaxy kept that momentum rolling through the first half, and into the second until Jimenez was sent off in the 59'. Jimenez went studs up on a fifty fifty challenge, which is strictly forbidden in modern soccer. This put the Galaxy down 10 men with half an hour still to play.
Still, they didn't play down and got their second goal in the 73' when David Beckham found Mike Magee with a long cross. Magee dribbled around his marker, and then dribbled around the goalkeeper; smashing in a right footed shot from the left side of the box.
Things looked to be breaking the Galaxy's way, but the Lenhart goal put San Jose back in the match. Khari Stephenson took the penalty that resulted from Beckham's handball, the equalizer coming in the 82'. Alan Gordon's game winner was almost expected, as the Quakes have been red hot late in matches this year.