Game Report

FIRST HALF

Impact player: Galaxy forward Luis Hernandez torments his teammates with his Isaiah Rider-like ability to infuriate them one minute with off-the-field distractions before delighting them the next with aggressive and successful on-field play. He had a complete half for the Galaxy, hounding the Earthquakes with strong defense and giving the Galaxy a 1-0 lead in the 21st minute. Hernandez, Mexico’s all-time leading goal scorer, got behind San Jose’s Jeff Agoos, the MLS defender of the year, on a long pass from Greg Vanney and easily converted a 16-yard over-the-top boot past Earthquake goalkeeper Joe Cannon.

Missed opportunity: Galaxy forward Cobi Jones nearly gave the Galaxy what would have been a commanding 2-0 lead in the 35th minute. After beating Earthquake defender Jimmy Conrad at the top of the box, Jones unleashed a 56-mph shot, but a diving Cannon was able to cover the ball.

Missing in action: Although San Jose forced the action in the game’s first 10 minutes, it was clear the Earthquakes were missing left midfielder Manny Lagos, who was out with a strained right hamstring. With 24 regular-season points, Lagos (eight goals, eight assists) and rookie sensation Landon Donovan were San Jose’s second-leading scorers. Donovan did pick up the slack with a game-tying goal in the 43rd minute.

Rough stuff: Not much early on as the Galaxy dominated a finesse half, unless you count Conrad getting a yellow card from referee Kevin Stott after he took Jones down with a nasty-looking leg-sweep tackle near midfield at the 28th minute.

Between the posts: The Galaxy nearly fell into a 1-0 hole in the fifth minute when goalkeeper Kevin Hartman was caught at the top of box with Donovan closing in. A quick-thinking Hartman, though, headed the ball out of harm’s way.

SECOND HALF / OVERTIME

Impact player: San Jose forward Dwayne DeRosario came in as a substitute for Ronald Cerritos in the game’s 85th minute and, in the sixth minute of sudden-death overtime, he used his fresh legs to beat Galaxy defender Danny Califf one-on-one in the box for a golden goal. DeRosario’s right-footed shot was tipped by Hartman but the ball found the far post and ricocheted into the net.

Missed opportunity: How can the Galaxy have missed opportunities when there were really no opportunities to be had? San Jose outshot the Galaxy, 12-3, in the second half.

Missing in action: A tie between Galaxy defenders Paul Caligiuri and Califf. The retiring Caligiuri, 37, whose name was misspelled on his jersey, was beaten badly three minutes into the second half by Ian Russell and was forced to grab the Earthquake forward and toss him to the grass, earning a yellow card. Caligiuri’s MLS career came to an inglorious close as Adam Frye immediately replaced him. Later, Califf would be twisted around and beaten by DeRosario.

Rough stuff: Four yellow cards were issued in a more contentious half, three to the Galaxy (Caligiuri in the 48th minute and Califf in the 76th minute) and two to the Earthquakes (midfielder Ronnie Ekelund in the 78th minute and midfielder Zak Ibsen in the 83rd minute, one minute after coming into the match as a substitute).

Between the posts: The 6-foot-1 Hartman can only wish he were an inch taller. The Galaxy goalkeeper dove to his left and got the tip of his left hand on DeRosario’s 96th-minute shot, but it wasn’t enough to alter the flight of ball.

The Quote I: “At that moment, my mind was blank. I saw an opportunity and took it. Some of my greatest goals were half chances.” --Earthquake forward Dwayne DeRosario, a Canadian national who joined MLS this season after playing the previous two years in the second-division A-League.

The Quote II: “This one really hurts. Some tears are being shed right now in our locker room, and I can tell you it’s a very empty feeling.” --Galaxy Coach Sigi Schmid