Galaxy Surges at Right Moment
Was it the pleasures of Guayaquil or Quito or was it visa red tape?
New England Revolution Coach Fernando Clavijo was still searching for the answer Saturday night when he sent his team out to play the Galaxy minus its marquee attraction.
Eduardo “El Tanque” Hurtado was missing in action, lost in the wilds of Ecuador, to where he had traveled for a Wednesday night World Cup 2002 qualifying game against Venezuela.
He has yet to return. In fact, he has yet to contact Clavijo, who was no less angry after the Hurtado-less Revolution squandered a two-goal lead and tied the Galaxy, 2-2, after overtime in front of 19,878 at the Rose Bowl.
“These are things I shouldn’t have to worry about,” Clavijo told the Boston Herald before the game.
“There are sacrifices that have to be made on both sides when you go to the national team and I’m willing to make some. But there are obligations to the [club] team that allows you to go.
“This is an issue that has to be addressed. I will address it from now on.”
Chances are, Hurtado will find himself the subject of that address. He didn’t play in Ecuador’s 2-0 victory over Venezuela and it might be some time before he starts again for the Revolution (0-1-2).
Without the dangerous but sometimes ponderous Hurtado to slow the team down, New England looked more lively on the counterattack than it had in its 1-1 tie with Miami and 1-0 loss to Tampa Bay.
Clavijo started Fabio Zuniga in Hurtado’s place, pairing him with Wolde Harris in a two-man attack. Zuniga didn’t last more than 30 minutes. He was carried off the field after a collision with Galaxy defender Ezra Hendrickson.
Five minutes later, the Revolution took the lead.
Referee Brian Hall awarded New England a free kick to the right of the Galaxy net. Mauricio Ramos curled the ball into a crowd of players in the penalty area and Los Angeles goalkeeper Kevin Hartman got to it first.
He punched it away, but not out of danger. The ball fell to Leonel Alvarez, and the Colombian midfielder smacked it back through the crowd and into the net.
It took the Revolution only eight minutes to double its advantage.
This time, Ramos sent the ball down the left flank to Harris and the former Colorado Rapid striker hammered a rising shot past Hartman from about 15 yards.
The Galaxy players, looking more than a little lethargic, went into the locker room at the half knowing they would have to produce three goals in the second 45 minutes, plus a 10-minute overtime, to salvage a victory.
Instead, they almost fell further behind two minutes into the second half when Ted Chronopoulos launched a shot toward the Los Angeles net that flew over Hartman and deflected off the crossbar.
After that reprieve, the Galaxy (2-0-1) got serious.
Simon Elliott’s fierce volley from a Cobi Jones cross was barely tipped around the right post by Revolution goalkeeper Jeff Causey in the 57th minute.
Two minutes later, Roy Myers, who regained his starting spot at the expense of Sasha Victorine, produced some fancy footwork on the right and passed to Jones in the penalty area.
Causey blocked Jones’ initial shot from five yards, but the Galaxy winger pounced on the rebound to score his fourth goal of the season and cut the deficit to 2-1 with 30 minutes remaining.
There were still 22 minutes left when Mauricio Cienfuegos scored a a spectacular goal off a deflected Myers cross. The Salvadoran midfielder launched himself into the air and powered a bicycle kick just under the crossbar as Causey tried in vain to bat it away.
That made it 2-2 and set the stage for an eventful final 15 minutes, during which Victorine, a former UCLA player, came on in place of Danny Pena to make his home debut and New England defender Ivan Mckinley was tossed out of the game when he earned a second yellow card.
Overtime produced two Galaxy chances, a Victorine shot that sailed wide right and a Zak Ibsen rocket that flew barely wide left.
Clavijo was left with the long flight back to Boston during which to savor the point earned but more likely to ponder the still unexplained absence of the missing Hurtado.
