CARSON, Calif. – LA Galaxy Insider Adam Serrano’s Three Points to the club’s 2-2 draw with the San Jose Earthquakes.
ONE POINT RATHER THAN THREE HAS LA FEELING THE SAN JOSE BLUES
The LA Galaxy deserved three points against the San Jose Earthquakes, but in the end, they had to settle for just one on Friday evening.
From start to finish, LA dominated the run of play, creating an overwhelming number of opportunities but whether it was poor finishing or a stout San Jose defense, LA could not grab a winner. After pulling level thanks to an Omar Gonzalez header, the Galaxy bossed possession in the final 40 minutes of the match, but could not find the back of the net.
The Galaxy dictated the rhythm of the game, generating 14 scoring attempts in the second half and 24 in the entire match. With San Jose able to earn a point due to their compact defending, expect future Galaxy opponents to pack numbers in the box in hopes of stealing points.
TRANSITION DEFENSE AN ISSUE IN DRAW
In the first half, the Galaxy controlled possession by an overwhelming 72.5 to 27.5 margin, but found themselves trailing at the break due to two defensive miscues from against the run of play.
Despite dominating the tempo of the game, the Galaxy found themselves down after 18 minutes when Chris Wondolowski split two Galaxy defenders and caught goalkeeper Jaime Penedo out of position to put San Jose ahead. After Gyasi Zardes equalized in the 29th minute, San Jose needed just two minutes to pull ahead again when Wondolowski played distributor for Earthquakes newcomer Matias Perez Garcia, who again exploited a Penedo miscue.
For a club with aspirations of winning the Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup, they’ll need to tighten up on these mental lapses or risk dropping further points.
AFTER RETIREMENT ANNOUNCEMENT, LANDON DONOVAN QUIET IN DRAW
With Landon Donovan’s announcement of his retirement at the end of the 2014 MLS regular season, each remaining game by the 32-year-old will be under the microscope.
During the Galaxy’s 2-2 Draw with San Jose, Donovan looked a touch slow from the start as he had two attempts early in the first half, but failed to register a shot on frame. In the second half, Donovan had a bit more spring in his step as he launched a shot in the 53rd minute that was saved by a diving Jon Busch. Donovan had one last chance in stoppage time to give the Galaxy the victory, but he saw his attempt inside the penalty area deflected.
Immediately after the game, Donovan exchanged kits with his Earthquakes counterpart Chris Wondolowski who is certain to be the first of many players to ask for Donovan’s jersey after a match with the Galaxy.
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog at LAGalaxy.com/Insider and contact him at LAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com.
