Everything Turns Out All Right for Galaxy
If Bob Marley is making on-field appearances for the Galaxy, then it’s fair to assume that every little thing’s gonna be all right for the perennial Major League Soccer power. At least on the nights he shows up.
The late reggae crooner materialized in the 69th minute of the Galaxy’s 3-1 victory at Colorado on Saturday night, after Ezra Hendrickson scored the game winner. The defender from St. Vincent & the Grenadines celebrated his first goal of the year by lifting his game jersey to reveal his multihued T-shirt with Marley’s mug on the front, a practice he began last year.
How good was every little thing for the Galaxy in front of 11,168 at Denver’s Invesco Field? In winning its first road game since May 11, the Galaxy ended a 348-minute scoreless drought on the road dating to June 1.
The Galaxy (8-7-2, 26 points) averted falling into last place in the Western Conference with the victory over the Rapids (8-9-1, 25 points) and moved into third.
It was all made possible by the Galaxy playing perhaps its most complete game of the year on a night when familiar, albeit recently banished faces, played big roles.
Playmaking midfielder Mauricio Cienfuegos, making his first start since June 15, had two assists and defender Danny Califf, starting his second consecutive match after being benched for three games, scored his first goal.
Midfielder Cobi Jones had three assists for his first points since returning to the Galaxy from the World Cup and forward Carlos Ruiz scored his 13th goal.
The Galaxy’s goals came after midfielder Chris Henderson gave the Rapids a 1-0 lead in the 29th minute.
Six minutes later, Califf tied the score, 1-1.
After Cienfuegos passed to Jones on the left sideline, Jones unleashed a cross pass to the top of the goalkeeper’s box. Califf out-jumped defender Ritchie Kotschau and headed the ball into the right side of the net.
Hendrickson’s score came off a Jones pass from the right side into the middle of the field at the top of the penalty area.
Hendrickson, who received the ball on the run, blew by Kotschau before firing a high shot past goalkeeper Scott Garlick and into the top of the net.
“It felt good to finally score one,” Hendrickson told ESPN radio. “I had a chance to score today and from that same angle, I’ve scored that goal so many different times now. I saw some guys open in the box, but at the position I was, maybe six yards out, I just felt to go top corner.”
Ruiz, who is tied for the league lead in goals (13) with New England’s Taylor Twellman and for second in points (26) with Dallas’ Jason Kreis, finished off the Rapids in the 71st minute.
Ruiz stepped in front of former Galaxy defender Robin Fraser to head in a pass from Cienfuegos.
“Scoring three goals on the road, that’s big time,” Hendrickson said. “We be jammin’, man. We be jammin’.”
