Galaxy Pours It On at Dallas
First came the rain, a thunderstorm rumbling across the Texas prairie on Thursday night.
Then came the goals, a deluge every bit as fierce and startling.
When it was finished, the Galaxy had drubbed the Dallas Burn, 8-1, in a victory of such magnitude that the usually loquacious Coach Octavio Zambrano could only mumble: “It was an unusual game.”
A game that set a Major League Soccer record for largest margin of victory.
A game that got out of hand in the waning moments when Galaxy reserve Harut Karapetyan, scoreless this season, set another MLS record by recording a hat trick in the span of only five minutes.
A game that ultimately served as redemption for a Los Angeles squad that had looked frustrated, if not a little flustered, while losing a defensive battle to the Chicago Fire only five days earlier.
“We went out there to prove ourselves,” Karapetyan said. “After that Chicago game, we wanted to play more aggressive soccer.”
This time the Galaxy (11-2) was not facing a team that circled the wagons in front of its goal. Dallas (7-5) employed a more balanced attack on this stormy night before 10,047 at the Cotton Bowl, pushing forward when the opportunity arose, taking a few risks.
Still, Coach Dave Dir had cautioned his players not to become over-anxious.
That was precisely what happened in the 13th minute when Galaxy midfielder Mauricio Cienfuegos served a through ball to Welton. Goalkeeper Mark Dodd sprinted an astounding 27 yards out of the goal, hoping to smother the pass, but Welton got there first and scored easily for a 1-0 lead.
“Just what we told our guys not to let happen,” Dir said.
Things only got worse for the home team.
Dallas captain Leonel Alvarez caught an elbow from Galaxy midfielder Wellington Sanchez and retaliated with not one, but two hard tackles. Both resulted in yellow cards and he was ejected, leaving his squad to play a man down from the 18th minute on.
Los Angeles took advantage seconds later as Cienfuegos nudged a free kick to Greg Vanney. The Dallas defenders were frozen, leaving Vanney ample time and space to rip a 25-yard shot inside the near post.
“[Alvarez’s ejection] was a big issue,” Dir said. “But the bigger issue was that we quit.”
In truth, the Burn had one more gasp. A daring run by Dante Washington resulted in a corner kick, which resulted in a masterful goal in the 44th minute by Damian.
The Mexican forward scored directly from the corner, another league first, curving a shot that sailed just over goalkeeper Kevin Hartman’s fingertips.
But that only prompted Dallas to take more risks.
The Galaxy counterattacked time and again, sneaking behind the Burn’s gambling and undermanned back line, thundering shots at the solitary Dodd.
Clint Mathis beat him to the far post on a nifty pass from Welton in the 45th minute. Ezra Hendrickson followed with a goal in the opening minutes of the second half.
“Everything was clicking,” Welton said. “We actually could have scored more.”
As if on cue, the sweltering evening dissolved into a downpour, chasing away most of the crowd. Dir was left to steam on the sidelines as Hendrickson added a score in the 81st minute and Karapetyan began his string of goals.
“That was a slap in the face,” the Dallas coach said. “We have to look forward to playing them again and responding.”
Zambrano insisted he had not meant to run up the score. Los Angeles substituted freely, but with three defenders nursing injuries could only draw from offensive-minded reserves.
Besides, the Galaxy players had come into this game determined to put Dallas in its place--namely, second place in the Western Conference--where the Burn now resides a hefty 14 points back.
Their statement was as loud as thunder.
“This makes us feel better,” Karapetyan said. “It makes us feel more confident.”
