Galaxy Is Helped by Whistle Blower
There are game officials whose work on the field goes virtually unnoticed. Referee Jair Marrufo apparently is not one of them.
In an ill-tempered and foul-marred Major League Soccer match Sunday night, Marrufo whistled for not one, not two, but an astonishing three penalty kicks in the game’s closing minutes.
As a result, the much-relieved Galaxy walked off the Home Depot Center field with a 3-2 victory over the Colorado Rapids.
It could easily have ended in a 1-1 tie but for a frantic five-minute stretch during which the Galaxy went ahead, was tied and went ahead again.
The victory, courtesy of Landon Donovan’s two well-taken penalty kicks, not only extended the Galaxy’s winning streak to four games but vaulted it above FC Dallas into first place in the Western Conference.
As far as endings go, this one would have been rejected in a Hollywood script. Implausible would have been the reason. As it is, the announced crowd of 20,104 found it difficult to believe.
So did Galaxy Coach Steve Sampson.
“It’s great for the fans, great for the league, but not so great for the coaches or even the players on the field,” he said.
The teams were locked in a tie after defender Tyrone Marshall had given the Galaxy (4-1) the lead in the 21st minute, sticking a leg out to steer a Donovan corner kick past goalkeeper Joe Cannon.
It was Marshall’s first goal this season, and the Jamaican international would also have a hand in the game-winning penalty kick 70 minutes later.
The Rapids (1-4-1), who tied the Galaxy in three of four games last season, tied the score six minutes later when forward Jean Philippe Peguero headed a Chris Henderson cross past goalkeeper Kevin Hartman.
That’s the way it stayed -- give or take a dozen or two of the 38 fouls called by Marrufo -- until the 86th minute.
That’s when defender Nat Borchers brought down Galaxy winger Guillermo “Pando” Ramirez with a hard challenge as Ramirez dribbled into the box.
Marrufo pointed to the penalty spot and Donovan drove the ball to Cannon’s right from 12 yards to give the Galaxy a 2-1 lead.
Two minutes later, Colorado tied it, 2-2, when Hartman upended Luchi Gonzalez after Gonzalez had gotten in one on one against him off a fine through pass from Jeff Cunningham.
Cunningham scored from the spot to make it 2-2, but the penalty parade was not yet over.
One minute into injury time, Cannon leaped to make a solid save right in front of his net and, apparently, preserve the tie. But Marrufo had spotted defender Guy Melamed holding Marshall as he attempted to beat Cannon to the ball and he called the foul.
“The third one is the one you say, ‘Wow, I can’t believe he called it,’ ” Galaxy defender Chris Albright said, “but looking at the replay, the guy [Melamed] has got him in a bear hug. You have to call it.”
Once again, Donovan stepped up and this time beat Cannon to his left for his fifth goal in four games with the Galaxy.
Coach Fernando Clavijo, whose evening already had included an unpleasant run-in with Home Depot Center security personnel who tried to keep him from crossing the field at halftime, was furious, but in a resigned sort of manner.
“I won’t talk about the officiating because unfortunately I’d get fined,” the 1994 U.S. World Cup player said. “I will tell you that after every game I call Joe Machnik, who is in charge of the disciplinary committee. I won’t call him again. I think he knows the way I feel. I just pray to God that we have better officiating in the future.
“I’m not going to blame the referee for anything. I’m going to allow them [MLS officials] to make their own decisions. But I’m disappointed. My team played extremely well today and I think we deserved better.”
