Galaxy, Sounders show resolve without its stars

By Ivan Yeo

Missing your best player heading to a rivalry match just a week after a subpar performance can always be tough for any team.

That is what the Los Angeles Galaxy and Seattle Sounders faced as the two teams prepared to face each other at the StubHub Center in a nationally televised match. The Galaxy went into the day missing Robbie Keane while Seattle went into the match playing without its top scoring threat, Clint Dempsey.

In the end, it was the Galaxy who proved they could still play at a high level without its top player. Keane’s replacement, Alan Gordon, stepped in and scored the game’s only goal, and Galaxy keeper Jaime Penedo made sure the goal stood up in LA’s 1-0 win over the Sounders.

“Guys needed to step up,” Galaxy midfielder Baggio Husidic said. “The guys did their job, took the opportunity and we had a well fought game.”

The goal occurred in the 23rd minute. Juninho sent in a free kick into the penalty area, Omar Gonzalez leaped over Chad Marshall to head the ball into the six-yard box and Gordon snuck in past the Sounders defense, which left him with a point-blank chance and he headed the ball past keeper Stefan Frei near post.

“I though Alan Gordon was a real man today,” Arena said of Gordon’s performance. “He obviously got the game-winning goal, but he played strong throughout the whole 90 minutes.”

“I liked to be called a man,” Gordon said jokingly perhaps in a self-deprecating reference to his overlong hair.

The Galaxy made an number of changes prior to the match with Keane out. Juninho assumed Keane’s place wearing the captain’s armband. Gordon took Keane’s spot as the starting forward. Gordon however was the only stirker up top, as the Galaxy started the match with a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Zardes moved to left midfielder and Baggio Husidic playing as the midfielder behind Gordon. That formation did not last long, as Zardes was eventually moved back up to striker alongside Gordon.

Nevertheless, the moves worked out for the Galaxy. Garcia turned in a strong performance alongside Juninho in the central midfield, Robbie Rogers moved back into the left back position and had a solid day, and of course, there was Penedo and Gordon.

“He is quite capable of switching the point of attacks,” Arena said of Garcia’s performance. “His passing distance was good, gets around the ball. He is experienced. He has been with us for a number of years now. So he is quite capable of stepping up.”

The Sounders turned to Lamar Neagle to fill the void left by Dempsey’s absence alongside Obafemi Martins, and Neagle acquitted himself well on the evening.

Tactical Analysis: Lamar Neagle – Everything but the Goal

Neagle had a scoring chance in the 9th minute, as he headed a cross from Osvaldo Alonso towards goal, but Penedo parried the ball over the crossbar. Neagle then played the role of possible goal-maker in the 53rd minute, as Cristian Roldan played a ball high over the LA defense and Neagle kept himself onside, sprinted towards the penalty area from the right side, got inside the 18 and sent a short cross into the six for Andy Rose. Rose had a point-blank shot and chances are would’ve scored for sure if Penedo wasn’t having one of those games. Rose touched a ball at goal, but Penedo stood still and calmly parried the ball away.

“He brought a lot of energy,” Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid said. “He played up top which he is sometimes more comfortable at but I just thought his energy was better and obviously I think he had like 5 shots so he had some good looks and I thought he played well.”

Still, it was the Galaxy that proved they could still win even without its star player, though they would probably prefer to not keep playing with that fire, especially with another important match looming against Sporting Kansas City on Saturday.