Galaxy Can’t Shake Off Earthquakes
OK, so it wasn’t quite home sweet Home Depot Center after all.
But it wasn’t a loss either.
And for a team finally catching its breath from its league-record eight-game trip to start the season, that will do ... for now.
Still, a 1-1 draw with the San Jose Earthquakes in front of 13,867 on Wednesday night to close out the Galaxy’s three-game homestand at its state-of-the-art stadium wasn’t exactly the result the team was hoping to achieve.
Especially not after scoring the first goal and dominating play throughout.
“You always want to win and you’re always disappointed when you don’t win,” Coach Sigi Schmid said. “But you have to remember that we’re playing without five starters.”
The Galaxy was playing without midfielders Mauricio Cienfuegos (two yellow cards last week), Simon Elliott (New Zealand national team duty) and Peter Vagenas (abdominal strain), and defenders Hong Myung-Bo (left knee contusion) and Danny Califf (U.S. national team duty).
The Earthquakes were without forwards Brian Ching (right hamstring) and Landon Donovan (U.S. national team duty).
The defending Major League Soccer champion Galaxy (2-4-5) was looking to win its third consecutive game against a team that had beaten it earlier this season. The Earthquakes defeated the Galaxy, 1-0, at Spartan Stadium on April 26.
Instead, the Galaxy merely beat San Jose (5-2-3) on the stat sheet, outshooting the Earthquakes, 21-13 overall, and 11-4 in shots on goal.
Midfielder Sasha Victorine gave the Galaxy a 1-0 lead in the 21st minute with a twisting header off a Cobi Jones corner kick.
Taking the kick from the left corner, the right-footed Jones curled the ball into the middle of the box, where the 6-feet-2 Victorine out-jumped 6-1 San Jose midfielder Chris Roner and spun the ball past goalkeeper Pat Onstad and into the right corner of the net.
It was Victorine’s first goal this year and only his second in league play since June 22. Jones picked up his fifth point this season with the assist.
“I was fortunate to get up there,” said Victorine, who was playing with a stiff back. “Cobi gave a good ball and I was fortunate to keep it low and get it on frame.”
The Earthquakes tied the score in the 63rd minute on a Galaxy defensive breakdown.
Having taken a pass from forward Brian Mullan on the run and near the top of the box, midfielder Ian Russell charged the right side of the goal and left a nifty ball for forward Jamil Walker on the left side.
Walker, a rookie playing in only his fourth game and who had entered two minutes earlier, was wide open after defender Tyrone Marshall bit on Mullan’s pass on the play and deposited the ball into the net past a prone Kevin Hartman.
It was Walker’s first goal.
*
It may have been the last game for a while for Galaxy forward Carlos Ruiz, who is not traveling with the team for Saturday’s game at New York/New Jersey because he will be playing with his native Guatemala against Honduras on Sunday at Carson.
The Kansas City Wizards have requested that MLS slap Ruiz, the team’s leading scorer with six goals, with a lengthy suspension after he fractured the orbital bone under Carey Talley’s left eye with an elbow as both players went up for a header Saturday.
No foul was called on the play, but Talley immediately came out of the game, an eventual 2-1 Galaxy victory.
A decision is expected today.
