Galaxy Is Derailed by Gaven
Bend it like Gaven?
A trio of stunning first-half goals by the MetroStars, including two by 17-year-old Eddie Gaven, forced the helpless Galaxy to swallow a bitter 3-0 loss in front of 18,342 in a Major League Soccer game Wednesday night at the Home Depot Center in Carson.
“This was one of those games,” Galaxy Coach Sigi Schmid said. “You hope you have one of these games once every season and no more than that.”
Gaven’s second goal, a left-footed shot that he looped from the left side across the goalmouth and around lunging Galaxy goalkeeper Kevin Hartman in the 43rd minute, had the New York/New Jersey forward looking skyward with his arms stretched in celebration.
The Galaxy could hardly believe it.
Gaven, who was scoreless but had four assists in 11 previous games, played beyond his years on this night.
He scored his first goal of the season in the 39th minute when he kicked through Jovan Kirovski’s tackle in the goal box and converted a six-yard diagonal shot into the lower right corner for a 2-0 lead as both players slid to the ground.
Midfielder Amado Guevara opened the scoring in the 16th minute with a hard, clear shot from 20 yards after he had been set up by Ricardo Clark and carried the ball upfield, leaving two defenders in his wake and blasting it into the upper right corner. Guevara assisted on both of Gaven’s goals.
“The chances they had were good,” Schmid said of the MetroStars (5-3-4), who were outshot by the Galaxy, 13-10. “That’s the name of the game. You’ve got to finish your chances. We tried to get to them, but by then, they were bunkered in there.”
A victory would have moved the Galaxy (6-5-3) into sole possession of first place in the Western Conference, ahead of idle Kansas City (6-4-3).
Instead, the Galaxy suffered its second consecutive loss, including a 2-1 defeat to the MetroStars at East Rutherford, N.J., last week, and has dropped three of its last four games.
The defeat came despite the return of top scorer Carlos Ruiz (six goals), who had sat out five games because of a severely sprained right ankle. This time, the Galaxy missed defender Chris Albright, who sat out because of a strained right hamstring.
Midfielder Sasha Victorine had been out because of a sprained right hip, but he came on as a second-half substitute.
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MLS Cup 2004 will be played at the Home Depot Center for the second consecutive season, MLS officials said.
The game is scheduled for Nov. 14.
The San Jose Earthquakes won their second championship in three seasons with a 4-2 victory over the Chicago Fire at the Home Depot Center last season.
Single-game tickets to the game will go on sale July 10.
