Galaxy Accomplishes Goals Against Rapids
Now comes the difficult part.
The Galaxy, needing to defeat the Colorado Rapids by at least two goals Saturday night to advance to Major League Soccer’s Western Conference final, did just that, winning, 2-0, in front of 20,026 at the Home Depot Center.
The victory -- on first-half goals by Carlos Ruiz and Tyrone Marshall -- earned the team a match against the Kansas City Wizards, a prospect that is anything but pleasant for a couple of reasons.
First, Friday’s conference final will be at Kansas City, and the Galaxy is 3-29 on the road over the last two seasons.
Coach Bob Gansler’s Wizards showed Saturday night what they can do at home, reversing a 2-0 first-game loss at San Jose by winning the second game, 3-0, at Arrowhead Stadium and ousting the defending league champions.
Had San Jose advanced, the Galaxy would have staged the conference final.
In addition, the Galaxy is 0-2-2 against the Wizards this season. And it was 1-3 against Kansas City last season.
In other words, the hurdle between the Galaxy and MLS Cup 2004, the league’s Nov. 14 championship game at the Home Depot Center, is a formidable one.
But it doesn’t daunt Chris Albright, Danny Califf or Cobi Jones.
“I think we’re due against Kansas City, to be honest with you,” Albright said. “The last few times we’ve played them it’s always been a great game. You’d think that one of these times the odds have to swing in our favor.
“We’re going to have to go on the road and get a result. We did it in 2002, and that’s what kind of set us on the way to the final. So it would be a heck of a statement to go there and get a win.”
The Wizards won more games than any MLS team this season and had the best defense in the league.
“They play in the image of their coach,” Albright said. “You know, all the cliches. They never quit. They have good personnel. They play really well together. And they have a couple of players who really know what they’re doing -- Kerry Zavagnin, Josh Wolff, Jimmy Conrad, and everybody else just kind of works off them. They’re really successful at what they do.”
But Califf believes the Galaxy has the edge.
“We owe Kansas City,” he said. “We were pretty close [to defeating the Wizards] last time. We’re coming off some good momentum with this game.
“We haven’t had that much luck on the road this year, but we owe Kansas City. This year it’s been one of our biggest rivals.”
Jones, who still is bothered by a heel injury and played only 50 minutes Saturday, said the Wizards can be beaten. Even on the road.
“I think so,” he said. “This team is pretty determined. We know what we have to do now. We’ve been playing a lot different than we have in the past. Now we’re starting to get in our rhythm.
“The way we played tonight, everyone could see it was a different style of play.”
Midfielder Marcelo Saragosa set the tone in the ninth minute, slamming a shot against the crossbar.
Fourteen minutes later, the Galaxy was again denied as Jovan Kirovski saw his header skip off the top of the crossbar. Soon thereafter, Kirovski’s shot from 22 yards forced goalkeeper Joe Cannon to stretch full length to his right to snare the ball.
A goal seemed inevitable and it wasn’t long in coming.
At 29:38, Kirovski sent in a corner kick from the left, Albright flicked it on at the near post and Ruiz side-footed the ball into the net from about two yards. It was the striker’s 11th playoff goal in nine games over the last three seasons.
Marshall sewed up the match in injury time at the end of the half when he poked home the ball from close range after a free kick sent in by Kirovski following a foul on Albright.
