Steven Gerrard celebrated his first goal in a Galaxy shirt since July.
By Ivan Yeo
It wasn’t necessarily a sense of urgency for the Los Angeles Galaxy, but sooner or later, things had to get back on track for LA.
Mired in a three-match winless streak, with goals at a premium and facing an FC Dallas side that went into the match tied with the Galaxy for second place in the Western Conference, LA knew it had to right the ship, starting with Sunday evening’s important match against the Hoops.
Right the ship they did. LA got two goals inside the three-minute span early in the first half, and though Dallas proved themselves to be a worthy adversary in the match, LA eventually hung on and made headway in the West with a 3-2 win over FC Dallas.
“I think the performance in the first half was very good,” Dos Santos said. “We created a lot of chances, we scored two goals and defensively we were very strong. We are happy because we got three points against a very difficult team.”
Perhaps just as important as the win, the three Galaxy goals came from its most important players. Giovani Dos Santos and Robbie Keane and Steven Gerrard tallied the goals for Los Angeles (14-9-8, 50 points), who find themselves alone in first place in the Western Conference.
LA struck first in the 11th minute. Robbie Rogers head a ball to Dos Santos, he played a quick pass to Keane, when passed out wide to Zardes as he charged into the penalty area. Zardes played the cross towards the six-yard box and Dos Santos’ touch beat both defender Zach Loyd and Keeper Jesse Gonzalez into the back net for the Galaxy’s first goal in three games.
LA wasn’t done yet. Just three minutes after Dos Santos’ goal, the Galaxy tallied another, with Dos Santos playing the role of facilitator. Dos Santos received a ball from Sebastian Lletget, and while the initial touch was heavy, he raced to beat Ezequiel Cirigliano to the ball, then flickeda quick pass to Keane, who took a touch before firing to the right corner and the shot beat Gonzalez far post to double the Galaxy lead.
“We started off sharp. We had good movements from myself and Gio. It was a good start, and it was nice to get the early goal,” Keane said. “Then we got the second, and we certainly looked comfortable.”
FC Dallas pulled a goal back late in the half, but it was LA’s third star that restored the two-goal cushion in the 56th minute. Dos Santos’s corner went into the six-yard box, Omar Gonzalez’s shot at point-blank range was saved by Gonzalez, but the ball fell to Gerrard, and he slotted the ball into the back net at the near post for his first goal in two months. Gerrard’s goal turned out to be an important one for the Galaxy, as Atiba Harris brought FC Dallas again to within a goal late in the half, but LA was still able to seal the three points in the end.
“I think the goal was good for the team,” Gerrard said. “We’re at the business end of the season and it’s all about three points and not about individuals, tallies and who gets what, but it’s about the team getting three points. It’s a big result for us tonight.”
While the three-match winless streak had to be of even a little concern to the Galaxy, they certainly weren’t sweating its recent slump. Part of that reason (and its a big part) is LA’s current standing in both the conference and the Supporters’ Shield race. One thing that LA was finally able to do on Sunday was capitalize on favorable results around the league, as the now-second place Vancouver Whitecaps are mired in back-to-back losses.
“Who knows, with everything in this league right now,” Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena said. “There’s one team with 50 points and that’s us. We got 50 in the bank; somebody else has to get that. That’s the most important thing.”
So now some semblance of order has been restored at the StubHub Center. LA is back atop the league and its three designated players are the reason why. Still, there is no rest for the weary, as LA has just three matches left in the regular season, two of those on the road. Still a win like this could be just the tonic the Galaxy need to come out on top the league when all is said and done.
