Galaxy snaps Seattle’s winning streak with 1-1 tie
The Galaxy snapped the Seattle Sounders’ streak of five consecutive wins Saturday night.
But the Galaxy wasn’t celebrating a victory.
The teams played to a 1-1 tie at StubHub Center to maintain the close playoff race in Major League Soccer’s Western Conference.
The draw left the Galaxy tied with Colorado for fourth place with five games left in the regular season. But the Galaxy and the Rapids were only five points behind first-place Seattle.
The top five teams in the conference at the end of the regular season qualify for the MLS playoffs.
Saturday’s game was expected to be a marquee matchup between star forwards Landon Donovan of the Galaxy and Clint Dempsey of Seattle.
But the matchup didn’t materialize because both players were sidelined with injuries, and neither was available even as a late substitute.
Donovan was nursing a sore right ankle and Dempsey, acquired by Seattle last month, suffered a hamstring injury during a midweek workout and didn’t make the trip.
Seattle scored in the 25th minute when Sounders forward Eddie Johnson jumped 5 feet into the air and headed a corner kick into the net to the right of Galaxy goalkeeper Jaime Penedo.
But as the first half ended with one minute of stoppage time, the Galaxy got a free kick when Seattle’s Zach Scott knocked down Jose Villarreal.
The Galaxy’s Juninho converted the kick from 24 yards, sending a curling line drive from right to left past Seattle goalkeeper Michael Gspurning and tying the game 1-1.
It was all defense in the second half, although the Galaxy had a chance with a free kick just as regulation time ended.
Galaxy midfielder Laurent Courtois took the kick with his left foot from 22 yards, but the ball sailed high and wide.
Gyasi Zardes, another Galaxy midfielder, also fired a shot moments later, but the ball hit the side of theSounders’ net.
The Western Conference is so tight that only 10 points separate Seattle from eighth-place FC Dallas. So the Galaxy must play well in the last five games or risk missing the playoffs.
DeLaGarza’s hopes
Galaxy defender A.J. DeLaGarza hopes he doesn’t have to miss the MLS playoffs for a second consecutive year.
DeLaGarza, who had started all 28 of the Galaxy’s MLS games before Saturday, suffered a dislocated left elbow a week ago in a game against D.C. United.
He’s now wearing a cast and “it will be about three weeks until it gets really healed,” but “we have five weeks left in the [regular] season,” he said.
DeLaGarza missed the playoffs last year with a knee injury, but this year “my goal is to be back” in time for the postseason, he said. “I don’t want to miss the playoffs twice.”
