Galaxy gets helping arm from Red Bulls
Juan Pablo Angel just might want to consider sending an e-mail David Beckham’s way and asking how he coped with being a talented player on a struggling and dysfunctional team.
Angel, the New York Red Bulls’ Colombian international striker and the third-highest paid player in Major League Soccer at $1.8 million a year, was a lost soul Saturday night, left stranded by his teammates.
Beckham, who turned 34 Saturday but does not return to the Galaxy until July, would have understood.
Although Angel, 33, is supposed to be the spearhead of the New York attack and last year powered the team to the MLS Cup final with 16 goals in 27 games, he seldom saw the ball Saturday and did not take a single shot.
The result was almost predictable -- another New York loss, one that dropped the floundering Red Bulls to 1-5-2.
The Galaxy’s attack isn’t much better, but the team conjured the one goal that counted and earned a 1-0 victory, its first of the year, on a penalty kick by Landon Donovan. The Galaxy is 1-1-4.
The game’s decisive -- and most controversial -- play occurred in the 39th minute when Donovan found himself with the ball just outside the New York penalty area.
Donovan, attempting a cross, fired the ball off the arm of defender Seth Stammler, who was leaning back and making no attempt to play the ball with his hand or arm.
Nonetheless, assistant referee Frank Anderson raised his flag. Referee Abiodun Okulaja allowed play to go on for a moment, then saw the flag and made the call. The protest by Red Bulls players was nowhere near as vociferous as it might have been, but New York Coach Juan Carlos Osorio barely managed to restrain himself.
“It was a tough result to digest,” Osorio said. “As much as we had possession and the half-chances that we had, I believe that we deserved at least a point.”
Given the gift by the officials, the Galaxy took full advantage. Donovan took the penalty kick and placed the ball into the bottom right corner, beyond the reach of diving goalkeeper Jon Conway. It was his team-leading fourth goal of the season.
Asked about the call, Osorio had to measure his words.
“I have been advised not to talk too much about the officials,” he said. “I will resist my temptation. I can only go on the reaction of my player. I think Seth is an honest, genuine player and he looked shocked.
“We felt very hard done by on the decision.”
Stammler denied having purposely tried to handle the ball.
“No way,” he said. “I thought I did pretty well to keep my hand within my body. I haven’t seen it on tape, but I’d be interested to see it and see if it was the right call.
“I was just going to the ball and then once he hit it I think I just brought my hand up a little bit and it made contact, but I thought it was within my body.”
Angel, meanwhile, deflected questions about the lack of service he had received.
“I’m frustrated because I didn’t have any chances today,” he said. “We should have created a little bit more going forward. Today, there wasn’t much between the two sides and the penalty call was the difference.
“It was a tough call, but sometimes, you know, referees miss things. You have to give them the benefit of the doubt, but I think it was a very close call.”
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