Gordon Hitting His Stride for Galaxy
In his first 18 Major League Soccer games, Alan Gordon failed to score a goal.
Bleak does not begin to describe the streak.
For a forward, such a run usually results in either a permanent spot on the bench or, even more likely, a trade.
But Gordon, at long last, finally appears to have found his feet.
On Saturday night, the 6-foot-3 striker from Long Beach scored twice in a span of about nine minutes as the Galaxy defeated the Kansas City Wizards, 2-1, at the Home Depot Center.
The two goals came only a week after Gordon, drafted by the Galaxy in 2004, had scored the opening goal in a surprising 5-2 rout of D.C. United in Washington.
“Words can’t describe how satisfying this is,” he said. “I’m just happy that we got the win. It doesn’t really matter who scores.
“The last few games I feel like I’ve been getting back into form, you know. The saying seems to be right: You get one in, the floodgates are open. I’m just glad to back that one goal up with some other goals, which we needed.”
After an uneventful first half, the game livened up in the second 45 minutes.
The Galaxy took the lead in the 47th minute when Cobi Jones took off down the right wing and sent an early cross into the penalty area intended for Chris Albright.
Albright failed to make contact, but Gordon was closing in at the far post and stuck out a foot at the precise minute it was needed.
“Cobi put the ball right in there, and I was just fortunate enough to get it,” Gordon said. “It was just kind of a reaction. I just got my foot on it and it went in.”
The Wizards, fighting to stay alive in the Eastern Conference playoff race, tied the score five minutes later.
Jose Burciaga Jr. floated a corner kick in from the left and Shavar Thomas got a head to the ball and watched it carom off the underside of the crossbar and into the net behind Galaxy goalkeeper Kevin Hartman.
The Galaxy was awarded a free kick four minutes later when referee Michael Kennedy ruled that Kansas City forward Josh Wolff had fouled Galaxy defender Ante Jazic on the left sideline.
Landon Donovan sent the resulting free kick into the penalty area and Gordon did the rest.
“Landon put the ball right on my head, and I was just lucky enough to finish it,” said Gordon, who only recently stood a good chance of being sent back to his former team, the Portland Timbers of the A-League, had he not started producing.
“A lot of things worried me,” he said. “I wasn’t scoring goals. I’m supposed to score goals. But more important than me scoring goals is me and Landon working well up top together. Whether he’s scoring or I’m scoring, we’re helping each other out.
“It looks like it’s going good right now.”
On Wednesday, it will have to “go good” again. The Galaxy plays the Houston Dynamo in the semifinals of the U.S. Open Cup, which the team won last season en route to its MLS Cup title.
History has a chance to repeat itself.
The victory improved the Galaxy’s record to 9-12-5. Kansas City dropped to 8-13-6.
