Galaxy Is Back at Break-Even
In his last 12 Major League Soccer games as coach of the Galaxy, Sigi Schmid compiled a 4-4-4 record. Tuesday marks the first anniversary of his firing.
In his most recent 12 MLS games as coach of the Galaxy, Steve Sampson has compiled a 2-7-3 record. Thursday marks the first anniversary of his hiring.
Just what Tim Leiweke, AEG’s president, and Doug Hamilton, the Galaxy’s president, will make of those numbers in the days ahead is unknown, but Saturday night their team failed yet again.
A 2-1 loss to the host Chicago Fire at Soldier Field dropped the Galaxy (9-9-5) to .500 and left it in third place in the Western Conference. The Galaxy is three points behind second-place FC Dallas, which has played two fewer games, and six points behind the first-place San Jose Earthquakes with nine games remaining.
The Fire, a much better passing team Saturday night despite the absence of several starters and with Brazilian rookie playmaker Thiago particularly impressive, improved to 12-9-3.
Sampson again opted to leave a supposedly weary Landon Donovan on the bench, and by the time the league’s highest-paid player entered the game in the second half, the Galaxy trailed by two goals.
The first goal came in the 20th minute after midfielder Justin Mapp surged past winger Guillermo “Pando” Ramirez into the penalty area and was brought down by defender Michael Umana.
Referee Alex Prus pointed to the spot, and Jesse Marsch stepped up to score his third penalty-kick goal in four tries this season, slotting the ball into the lower left corner just beyond the reach of a diving Kevin Hartman.
It was Mapp, a 20--year-old former U.S. youth national team player from Brandon, Miss., who also created the second goal.
Mapp’s cross from the left wing found an unmarked John Thorrington running in at the far post, and Thorrington, a former Manchester United reserve from Palos Verdes, headed the ball home for his first MLS goal at 37:17.
Sampson sent Donovan in after halftime and, as happened in two previous games in which Donovan played only 45 minutes, the substitution paid immediate dividends.
First, Donovan’s rising shot from the edge of the area forced goalkeeper Matt Pickens to tip the ball over the crossbar. On the resulting corner kick, Donovan found Pete Vagenas, whose glancing header beat Pickens and Mapp, who also was guarding the line.
Vagenas’ goal cut Chicago’s lead to 2-1 eight minutes into the second half.
Defender Chris Albright appeared to tie the score three minutes later but was judged to have fouled Pickens when lunging for a loose ball and the goal was disallowed.
Jones reported from Los Angeles.
