Galaxy Finishes Off Clash in Shootout
Three solid saves by Galaxy goalkeeper Kevin Hartmann and a dreadful miss by San Jose defender John Doyle combined to give the Galaxy a 1-0 shootout victory over the Clash in front of a Major League Soccer crowd of 15,893 at Spartan Stadium in San Jose on Wednesday night.
Hartmann twice denied El Salvador national team winger Ronald Cerritos with diving saves during regulation play, first in the 57th minute and again in the 89th.
Then, after 90 minutes and with the game still scoreless, the former UCLA keeper threw himself at the feet of San Jose’s Victor Mella to thwart the Chilean’s shootout attempt and set the Galaxy (23-7) on course for its victory.
Cobi Jones, Paul Caligiuri, Welton and Mauricio Cienfuegos each scored shootout goals for the Galaxy.
After Mella’s miscue, Eddie Lewis, Francisco Uribe and former Galaxy winger Harut Karapetyan scored for San Jose (11-19), but Cerritos’ shot flew wide right and with it went the Clash’s hopes for an MLS playoff berth.
In a sloppy, error-filled game played on a wet and chopped-up field, neither team was able to control play.
Welton missed an open net early in the first half. Carlos Hermosillo was his usual slow self and only Jones and Cienfuegos threatened.
The worst miss of the game, however, was Doyle’s. A header by teammate Richard Gough in the 76th minute found Doyle just in front of the Galaxy net, but Doyle failed to get up high enough to head the ball downward and instead his header slammed into the crossbar.
