Donovan Lifts the Galaxy, 5-2

Landon Donovan scored two goals and was a factor in another, and the Galaxy defeated D.C. United, 5-2, Saturday night.

Donovan’s penalty kick gave the Galaxy a 3-1 lead in the 66th minute.

His second score came in the 92nd, when he took a pass from Herculez Gomez on a breakaway, juked goalkeeper Troy Perkins into falling down and put the ball into the open net for the game’s final goal.

Donovan was driving for a shot in the 71st minute when defender Facundo Erpen got in his way. However, Erpen turned it into an own-goal that gave the Galaxy (8-11-5) a 4-2 lead.

Eastern Conference leader D.C. United (13-3-8) is winless in its last five games.

Galaxy defender Chris Albright scored a goal for his current and former teams. His goal in the 47th minute gave the Galaxy a 2-1 lead it never relinquished. Peter Vagenas assisted on the play.

Albright, who played three seasons with D.C. United before being traded to the Galaxy in 2002, also had an own-goal in the ninth minute.

Erpen scored to cut D.C. United’s deficit to 3-2 in the 69th minute.

Alan Gordon gave the Galaxy a 1-0 lead in the fourth minute with a goal off a rebound of a shot by Cobi Jones.