Playoff Bound, in Spite of Loss
Leave it to the Galaxy to cure Kansas City’s ills and add another chink to its own quickly tarnishing MLS Cup.
A 2-1 loss to a reeling club tends to do such things.
Before Saturday’s match, the visiting Wizards had not won in more than two months, going a combined 0-8-2 in their previous 10 games, including the U.S. Open Cup, while getting outscored by an aggregate 17-6.
Enter the streak-busting and defending Major League Soccer champion Galaxy, which handed the Wizards the victory -- courtesy of two opportunistic Chris Klein goals -- and was rewarded by the Home Depot Center crowd of 23,637 with a hearty boo at the conclusion of the match.
But even as the Galaxy was falling into a third-place tie with the Wizards at 8-10-8 and moving closer to becoming the first in club history to finish the regular season with a losing record -- the 1997 team was 16-16 -- it clinched a playoff berth, thanks to Dallas’ 5-2 loss at San Jose.
Not that the Galaxy was grinning about becoming the first club in MLS history to qualify for the postseason in each of its eight seasons.
Rather, Galaxy team members were lamenting an opportunity lost, since they had scored the game’s first goal in the game’s fifth minute.
Early on, it didn’t seem as though the Galaxy would miss the league’s leading goal scorer, Carlos Ruiz, who had to sit out due to caution point accumulation.
A give-and-go between front-line mates Alejandro Moreno, starting in place of Ruiz, and Diego Serna resulted in the Galaxy’s earliest score of the season.
Approaching the middle of the box, Moreno went wide right to Serna, who one-timed a cross back to Moreno. His header caught Kansas City goalkeeper Tony Meola leaning the wrong way and the softly tapped ball cross the line for Moreno’s third goal of the year.
“You would hope that ... if anything, it’s a definite advantage, that you can catch them sleeping and really jump on them,” Moreno said. “It’s tough to take.
“My goal goes for nothing if we don’t get three points [that come with a win]. I would trade the goals for victories.”
The Galaxy gave it back in the 40th minute.
Wizard midfielder Stephen Armstrong sent a long cross into the middle of the box from the left side, the ball ricocheting off Galaxy midfielder Chris Albright and dying at Klein’s feet.
Klein blew his shot by a helpless Kevin Hartman, the Galaxy goalkeeper having collided with defender Tyrone Marshall.
“I got a head on it,” Albright said. “It was a freak play. I just couldn’t get the right angle on it.”
Klein sealed things in the 81st minute.
Taking a through ball from Preki, Klein split late-arriving Galaxy defenders Alexi Lalas and rookie Ricky Lewis and again beat Hartman.
It was Klein’s fourth goal of the season.
The Wizards would seem to have the inside track on the MLS Western Conference’s No. 3 seed as the Galaxy, which plays three of its final four games on the road, is 0-7-5 away from Carson.
“The whole season has been tough, so why should the end be any different,” said an upset Galaxy Coach Sigi Schmid. “Adversity is what defines character.
“It’s great that we’re in the playoffs, but we’ve got to solve some things.”
And time is running out.
