Drawback of Sorts for Galaxy
It was on the early morning bus ride from Pasadena to LAX Thursday that a weary Luis Hernandez sat back in his seat and expressed the desires of just about everyone associated with the Galaxy as it prepared to open its playoff series against the Kansas City Wizards.
“Compadres,” Hernandez whispered to Mauricio Cienfuegos and Luis Garcia, the team’s media relations director, “let’s get this over with in two games.”
Not quite.
Unfortunately for Hernandez and the Galaxy, Friday night’s 0-0 semifinal-opening draw with the Wizards in front of 11,815 at Arrowhead Stadium ensured that there would be a Game 3 on Friday at Kansas City. Major League Soccer, in its seemingly ever-evolving and erasable ink rule book, decreed this season that each series would be won by the first team to reach five points, with teams earning three points for a victory and one point for a tie.
“We weren’t playing for one point; we were playing to win,” Galaxy Coach Sigi Schmid said. “Hopefully, now as we go back to our place, we can put something together and score a goal because this might be a series where one goal might decide things . . . put the pressure on them as they come back home [for Game 3] so that’s our goal now.”
Game 2 is Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at the Rose Bowl.
The Galaxy had major issues with referee Brian Hall, who flagged the Galaxy for 22 fouls, compared to the 10 he hit the Wizards with, and slapped the Galaxy with four yellow cards, including three in overtime. The Wizards had two yellow cards, both within the match’s first 15 minutes.
The Galaxy was most disturbed with what unfolded after Cienfuegos tripped Kansas City forward Preki in the 98th minute, earning a deserved yellow card for Cienfuegos. But after Preki jumped into Cienfuegos’ face and nudged him, Galaxy forward Cobi Jones was slapped with a yellow card in the ensuing fracas for dissent while Preki was not carded.
Hernandez got a yellow card for dissent two minutes later.
Hall, who did not add any extra time at the end of the first half, added three minutes at the end of the second half, did not add any time at the end of the first five-minute overtime period yet added two minutes of extra time to the second five-minute overtime period, which exasperated the Galaxy bench.
“I’m never happy with Brian Hall as a referee,” Schmid said. “But that’s all I’ll say.”
The Galaxy also took issue with the game’s statisticians, who had the Wizards outshooting the Galaxy, 20-6, including 8-1 in shots on goal, yet had the possession even at 50 minutes apiece.
“For us it was frustrating that we didn’t win this game,” said Jones, who was credited with one shot. “We should have won this game. I think we had the better of the play no matter what the statistics, what the Kansas City crew was putting up there for them.”
Galaxy goalkeeper Kevin Hartman was credited with eight saves while Wizard goalkeeper Tony Meola had one.
On Tuesday, the Galaxy will regain the services of three Olympian starters--defender Danny Califf and midfielders Peter Vagenas and Sasha Victorine.
Hernandez, enjoying his first club playoff run since 1996 with Necaxa of the Mexican first division, wasn’t being cocky with his preflight wishes. He simply wanted to rest and quell a potential distraction. There is talk that Hernandez might be called up for the Mexican national team’s World Cup qualifier Oct. 8 against Trinidad and Tobago, two days after Game 3 against the Wizards.
Hernandez’s dribbling left-footer from just inside the penalty box in the game’s 76th minute was the Galaxy’s lone shot on goal and was scooped up easily by Meola.
“I think we should have earned those two extra points [with a win],” Hernandez said. “We could have easily won this game.”
