Galaxy Is at Its Worst in Loss to MetroStars
Producing its worst performance since last year’s playoff debacle at San Jose, the Galaxy was beaten, 2-1, at East Rutherford, N.J., on Saturday afternoon by the New York New Jersey MetroStars, who fielded the youngest lineup in Major League Soccer history.
In a game with plenty of low points for the Galaxy players, these were the lowest of the low:
* They produced only one shot on target, midfielder Andres Herzog’s 46th-minute goal on a penalty kick that should never have been called.
* They gave up the winning goal in the 90th minute on yet another defensive lapse in a season that has been replete with similar miscues.
* They failed yet again to record consecutive victories, a feat they have yet to achieve this season.
* They were beaten by a team that was missing nine players to injuries and international call-ups and whose average age was a mere 22 years 138 days.
* They lost to a team whose play was orchestrated, to a large degree, by midfielder Eddie Gaven, who is all of 17 years old, less than half the age of Galaxy playmaker Herzog.
About the only positive for the Galaxy players in the foul-marred match in front of 14,371 was that Coach Sigi Schmid was not there to let them know how he felt about their feeble effort. Schmid was in Los Angeles to attend his son’s graduation from UCLA.
They will no doubt hear Schmid’s opinion early this week because the Galaxy (6-4-3) has only three days to sort itself out before playing the MetroStars again, on Wednesday night at the Home Depot Center.
The game was played on the unnatural grass of Giants Stadium, a surface unsuited to soccer of any sort, but the artificial field had nothing to do with the Galaxy’s lack of creativity. The team appeared bereft of leadership and bereft of ideas.
After a first 40 minutes that showed just how dismal MLS soccer at its worst can be, the MetroStars (4-3-4) took the lead three minutes before halftime when Kenny Arena, the son of U.S. national team Coach Bruce Arena, ran into a mix of players in front of the Galaxy net and somehow deflected a corner kick by Mike Magee past goalkeeper Kevin Hartman, who was injured on the play.
“I just ran into a dangerous spot and the ball slammed into the side of my body,” Arena said. “I’ll take that any day.”
It was his first professional goal.
The Galaxy tied the score two minutes into the second half when referee Ricardo Salazar incorrectly ruled that MetroStar defender Jeff Parke had handled Cobi Jones’ cross from the right.
Replays clearly showed Clarke turning away from the ball, which struck him on the upper arm and shoulder. He made no attempt to handle it. Just the opposite.
MetroStar Coach Bob Bradley was livid. He called it “unbelievable.” He called it “embarrassing.” He called it “ridiculous.” He was correct.
Justice was done, however, when Magee ran on to a cross from Gilberto Flores in the last minute and headed the ball past backup goalkeeper Dan Popik, who had replaced Hartman.
*
Jones reported from Los Angeles.
