WANTED: Central defender under 32 years old for emergency backline upgrade. Perks include sunshine, superstar groupie leftovers and a free copy of Alexi Lala’s new CD. Crazy hairstyle preferred but not mandatory.
For the second home game in a row the LA Galaxy saw their hard earned goal differential slip away due to sloppy defense and mental lapses. Normally you won’t see me call out Chris Klein in my breakdowns here at ASR. No one out works this guy. His endless overlaps and two way play really fuels the Galaxy’s dangerous right flank. But he needs to be called out for what can only be defined as a senseless penalty Saturday night. Now it is true that Robbie Rogers was probably not going to get to the ball, and to some that makes the call controversial, yet if we all knew he wasn’t going to get there, Klein should have as well which makes his foul that much worse.
While we are riding the blame wagon a few more people need to be piled on. Steve Cronin’s “save”, the rebound from which resulted in Columbus’ third goal, was not what is expected of a starting keeper in MLS. Cronin has two options, hold the ball or punch it WIDE. Simply parrying the ball down into the middle of the six yard box is never an option and the Galaxy was justly punished.
But let’s give credit where credit is due. Edson Buddle’s goal on the night was absolutely clinical. It was the type of goal that shows a striker oozing with confidence. For the second home game in a row Buddle has finished side netting from acute angles. This bodes well for a Galaxy attack that is already the most dangerous in the league. His continuing hot streak furthers my suggestion that the Galaxy should unload Carlos Ruiz in the upcoming transfer window in order to bolster their defense.
One Liners:
-How bad is Landon wishing he had chosen to hit that sitter with his left foot now?
-The call and response chants back and forth between LARS and ACB is now one of my favorite parts about home games.
-Maybe Beckham should not be expected to convert that last shot Saturday night, but he should definitely be expected to put the ball on frame.
-I am convinced the guy that sits in front of my season seats is the exact look-a-like of the captain of the Wizard from the Deadliest Catch.
-There is a 50/50 chance my fiance would leave me by my wedding day if Ante Jazic asked her out.
Coming up this weekend is cracker of a game. Galaxy vs DC United. It is the first MLS rivalry. Every Galaxy fan remembers the feeling as Eddie Pope’s rain soaked head put the winning goal past our 96 team. It is the Man U vs Arsenal of our little league. The best part about this years matchup from a fans point of view? NEITHER team can play a lick of defense and both are capable of dropping 5 goals on you. It is the perfect game for a nationally televised network broadcast.
Like the Galaxy, I am on the road this weekend so check back in later this week for Julian Valentin’s blog to get your Galactico fix.
