Wynalda Bends, but Galaxy Won’t Break

It was one of those days and one of those endings, just as it has been all season for the San Jose Clash and forward Eric Wynalda.

The final shot of Sunday’s 2-1 Galaxy victory at the Rose Bowl was a bending free kick by Wynalda, fired toward the Galaxy goal in the game’s final minute, and sadly emblematic of the season thus far for the Westlake native.

Wynalda thought the shot was good. And, as Galaxy Coach Lothar Osiander put it, “He kissed that ball at the end. . . . It almost gave me a heart attack.”

But it was merely another “almost” for Wynalda, as the shot hit the left post and fell wide, dropping the Clash to 1-3.

It has been a season of misses for Wynalda, who has not scored since the MLS inaugural game April 6, and has watched as the Clash lost twice in a shootout, and Sunday by a foot, wide left.

“You look around the locker room and you see people looking off in the distance,” Wynalda said. “Today we just didn’t do the things we wanted to do.”

Wynalda was watched closely all game by Galaxy defenders Manny Motajo and Robin Fraser in a defensive alignment that was particularly effective in the first half.

“I think Manny and Robin got the best of him today,” Osiander said.

Despite being hounded by two and sometimes three players, Wynalda was able to contribute on the Clash’s goal. Paul Bravo headed in Wynalda’s corner kick in the 77th minute.

Wynalda also narrowly missed a score in the game’s 23rd minute. He broke free on the right and caught Los Angeles goalie Jorge Campos off his line. Wynalda’s shot seemed destined to find the left corner of the net, but Campos, in typical fashion, gambled and did not retreat back to his line as Wynalda anticipated. Campos smothered the shot five feet from the goal mouth.

“Not many goalies are going to make that save,” Wynalda said. “Jorge goes on instinct. When he’s wrong it looks bad, but when he’s right it is a great play.”

This game held special meaning for Wynalda because he was playing near home, and also because he was playing against Galaxy forward Cobi Jones, his friend and former teammate at Westlake Village High and on the U.S. national team.

The pair bumped on the game’s first play, and Jones accidentally split Wynalda’s lip.

“It wasn’t odd [playing against him] because we played when I was at UCLA and he was at San Diego State,” Jones said. “It was pretty much just like the good ol’ days.”

Good for Jones because he assisted on Jose Vasquez’s opening goal and made the run that set up Mauricio Cienfuegos’ free kick. Wynalda, meanwhile, endured another tough loss.

“I don’t mean to sound condescending, but I have really enjoyed watching Cobi succeed,” Wynalda said. “He’s had a couple good weeks, while I’m having bad weeks. We’re on opposite ends of the spectrum right now.”

The bad has been more bad luck then bad play.

“Eric might not be scoring but he opens things up for everybody else,” San Jose Coach Laurie Calloway said. “We have just missed some chances.”

There was one positive for Wynalda. His sister Heather sang the national anthem to start the game, and as Wynalda put it:

“That was the best part of the day.”