Late Goals Help Beat Fulham, 4-1
After the Galaxy, the Chicago Fire and D.C. United had been beaten, respectively, by Real Madrid, AC Milan and Chelsea earlier this month, Major League Soccer’s All-Star team salvaged some pride Saturday for the 10-year-old league.
The MLS All-Stars handily defeated Fulham of the English Premier League, 4-1, in front of a capacity crowd in Crew Stadium at Columbus, Ohio.
Two late goals by striker Jeff Cunningham of the Colorado Rapids made the final score more lopsided than it might have been, but the MLS squad was clearly the more creative team and also was able to handle the heat better than Fulham, which visibly wilted in the second half.
The MLS starting lineup, featuring four players from the New England Revolution and three from FC Dallas, took the game to the visitors from the start and gained the lead in the 23rd minute.
A through pass by the Galaxy’s Landon Donovan split two defenders and found the Revolution’s Taylor Twellman, who stuck out a leg and steered the ball wide of goalkeeper Mark Crossley.
Crossley was replaced by Jaroslav Drobny a few minutes later after re-injuring an already bruised left knee.
The English team, in training for the Premier League season that begins in two weeks, tied the score in the 36th minute after the Galaxy’s Chris Albright bundled Portuguese forward Luis Boa Morte off the ball and referee Ricardo Valenzuela awarded Fulham a penalty kick.
Denmark’s Claus Jensen fired the ball to goalkeeper Matt Reis’ left as Reis dived right, tying the score, 1-1.
The match was not a typically laid-back All-Star affair. It had an edge to it and both teams took it seriously, as evidenced by the tackles being made and the effort being expended.
Under the inspiration of Donovan, who pulled the strings from his attacking midfield position, the MLS squad regained the lead in the 56th minute.
Donovan began the move by swinging the ball out wide to the Fire’s Ivan Guerrero, who had replaced Albright 39 seconds into the second half. Guerrero crossed the ball deep into the penalty area where an attempted clearance header fell to the Revolution’s Clint Dempsey.
Dempsey fired a low line drive from about 20 yards that clipped the shin of FC Dallas’ Ronnie O’Brien, with the ball taking the slightest of deflections and ending up in the net just inside the left post. O’Brien was credited with the goal and Dempsey with an assist.
MLS outshot Fulham, 15-10, including 6-4 in shots on target.
Cunningham, who went into the game in the 68th minute, scored in the 85th minute off a pass from Christian Gomez of D.C. United and in the 89th on a breakaway when taking a pass from Shalrie Joseph of the Revolution going in alone against Drobny and slotting the ball inside the far post.
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Jones reported from Los Angeles.
