One Goal Does Job for Galaxy
Nothing comes easily for the Galaxy these days.
Shots keep sailing wide. Or high. Or hitting the post. It’s enough to ruin an otherwise pleasant Sunday afternoon.
So the team expressed more relief than pleasure after a 1-0 victory over the Kansas City Wizards at the Rose Bowl. Another low-scoring affair for a club that has yet to score more than one goal in a game this season.
“What can I say?” Coach Sigi Schmid asked. “This was a game when I thought we could relax and have a good time. It wasn’t without reason, based on the chances we had, for us to score four or five goals.”
Not that the team wasn’t happy to climb back to a 6-6 record, especially because this win did not require a shootout and added a full three points in the standings. But when so many scoring opportunities go by the wayside, it can play with your mind.
“The goal seems so small,” Schmid said. “Or maybe it’s wrapped in cellophane.”
The winning goal--the shot that broke the plastic wrap--came in the 64th minute on a through ball from midfielder Mauricio Cienfuegos to forward Cobi Jones.
With the Kansas City defenders looking for an offside call, Jones maneuvered past goalkeeper Chris Snitko on the left side of the box, then passed to a wide-open Clint Mathis, who had only to tap the ball into the net.
Even that proved tricky.
It seems a new patch of sod, laid by workers this week, had the ball skipping and hopping across the goalmouth.
“It was actually harder than I thought it would be,” said Mathis, who leads the team with only three goals. “It’s always tough when you’re not winning and not scoring.”
Sandwiched around that play were handfuls of missed chances.
Early in the game, defender Steve Jolley and midfielder Joe Franchino had their shots stopped by Snitko. Cienfuegos had a chance in the 55th minute, sneaking behind the defense but lifting the ball high.
Jones was particularly snakebitten. Twice he fired shots that bounced off the far post and once, on a breakaway, he appeared to be tackled by a lunging Snitko, only to be given a yellow card for diving.
“Even the referee didn’t help us,” Schmid said.
Meanwhile, Kansas City (1-10) managed only three shots on goal and rarely threatened to score.
“In the second half, we didn’t take good enough care of the ball,” Kansas City Coach Bob Gansler said. “We had too many unforced errors.”
Credit should go to the Galaxy defense, which has kept the team afloat this season. Midfielder Simon Elliot did a good job of keeping Wizard midfielder Preki under control and goalkeeper Kevin Hartman recorded his league-leading sixth shutout.
But that wasn’t enough to stop the occasional boos and whistles drifting down from the stands. There wasn’t much of a crowd, only 6,871. Perhaps some fans stayed home to watch a thrilling Mexican championship game on television, perhaps others have tired of watching the team play defensive battles.
The Galaxy players know how they feel. Hartman could sense his teammates growing frustrated at not putting the ball into the back of the net. After all, it was a Sunday afternoon and everyone wanted to have fun.
“They want to score,” Hartman said. “They want to take it easy and not have to sprint up and down the field trying to preserve a 1-0 lead.”
