MLS all-time leading scorer Landon Donovan has come out of retirement to rejoin his former team, the LA Galaxy, for the remainder of the 2016 season.
Reminiscent of the last time these two teams met in the US Open Cup, FC Dallas was able to put away the LA Galaxy on a corner kick in the 38th minute and hold on to that lead for the remainder of the match.
Both teams would be rattling the side netting in the first five minutes of the match. First, Kellyn Acosta shot just wide when Michael Barrios played him the ball just inside the 18 yard box in the second minute. Only two minutes later, Chris Seitz saved a Robbie Keane shot into the path of Raul Mendiola, but he could only find the wrong side of the post with his shot in the 4th minute.
FC Dallas dodged a bullet as Steven Gerrard shoots just wide in the 18th minute. The fast break started on the opposite end and was made more dangerous by the reckless challenge from Gruezo that left only two defenders against three attackers.
Michael Barrios had a good shot in the 38th minute. Rowe saved well at his near post to push it out for a corner, but that is when the Mauro Diaz to Walker Zimmerman free kick connection worked it’s magic one more time.
For the fourth time this season from the foot of Diaz, the big brain of Zimmerman, for some inexplicable reason completely unmarked, rose high and headed the ball down hard to bounce it into the upper 90 on the left side of goal. You cannot execute a header on a corner any better to be honest.
The second half gave an indication of where the LA Galaxy’s lack of fitness started coming into play. Tesho Akindele won the ball on the defensive half of the field and muscled past Steven Gerrard. Unfortunately after running about 50 yards with the ball, Akindele only managed to fire straight at Rowe.
Landon Donovan was introduced in the 56th minute and his first touch led to an FC Dallas fast break. Steven Gerrard looked even more fatigued as the half wore on and was mercifully substituted in the 69th minute. The Galaxy, with the exception of Jelle van Damme who was by far their best player on the night, only continued to fade from the match and FC Dallas put in the defensive support to hold on for the win.
Pareja was very happy with what he considered a “playoff performance,” especially “in the second half it was a very mature [performance], and just find a way to hold that 1-0 which is, for me, the result that I love the most.”
While some players are reporting for National Team camps this week, the rest of the FC Dallas roster has some time off to prepare for the final home game of the season on October 16th at 4 p.m. against the Seattle Sounders. Of course by the time that game kicks off, the Colorado Rapids will already have played their two games in hand so both teams will know where they stand in the Supporter’s Shield race.
Lineups
FC Dallas (4-2-3-1, left to right): Chris Seitz – Maynor Figueroa, Matt Hedges, Walker Zimmerman, Atiba Harris – Kellyn Acosta, Carlos Gruezo – Tesho Akindele (Victor Ulloa 83′), Mauro Diaz(C) (Mauro Rosales 86′), Michael Barrios (Ryan Hollingshead 66′) – Maximiliano Urruti
LA Galaxy (4-4-2, left to right): Brian Rowe – Ashley Cole, Jelle van Damme, AJ Delagarza (Alan Gordon 78′), Robbie Rogers – Raul Mendiola (Landon Donovan 56′), Steven Gerrard (Emmanuel Boateng 68′), Jeff Larentowicz, Sebastian Lletget – Giovanni dos Santos, Robbie Keane(C)
