Galaxy unable to clinch playoff berth as they fall, 4-2, to Sounders
Over the last five years no MLS team has finished the schedule as strong as the Galaxy, who have lost less than a quarter of their games in the final two months of the season.
That didn’t do them much good last fall though, when they won just one of their final eight games to tumble from the top of the league standings to a first-round playoff exit.
So fast forward to Sunday when the Galaxy, needing a win to clinch another postseason berth, lost the lead and eventually the game to the Seattle Sounders, 4-2, before a crowd of 25,819 at a sweltering StubHub Center.
It was a sloppy defensive effort, one that ended in the Galaxy’s first loss at home this season, leaving them with just two victories since July. And it gave Seattle its first win in Carson since 2009.
But Coach Bruce Arena said it was hardly a case of déjà vu all over again.
“Athletes’ and coaches’ jobs are to have short memories,” he said. “Who even cares about last year? It has nothing to do with the result today.”
Maybe. But Landon Donovan, who watched last fall’s collapse from afar, found some similarities. Seattle’s four goals — including two second-half scores from Jordan Morris — were the most the Galaxy has allowed all season. And they’ve allowed 11 in their last four games, the same number they allowed in their final four games last season.
“There’s a lot to look at,” Donovan said. “When you give up goals, it’s not just the defending or the goalkeeper. It’s the team that needs to take responsibility.”
That didn’t happen Sunday, with the Galaxy giving up three goals in a 15-minute span midway through the second half, then clearing out of the dressing room to avoid having to explain it. When the doors opened to the media, only a half-dozen players — just one of whom played last fall — remained.
Steven Gerrard, who played Sunday for the first time in a month, and captain Robbie Keane were both gone. Defender Jelle Van Damme, whose own goal gave Seattle its first score, declined to talk. That left Ema Boateng, a rookie; Jeff Larentowicz, who spent last season in Chicago; and Donovan, who was retired last year, laboring to find some perspective.
“It’s a big opportunity missed,” Boateng said. “Getting close to the playoffs you want to be winning games like this and getting good results.”
The Galaxy, who had trouble finishing their scoring chances all day, managed to grab a 1-0 lead in the 20th minute, with Keane heading home a chipped pass from Sebastian Lletget. But Van Damme evened things 15 minutes later when Andreas Ivanschitz’s corner struck him and ricocheted into the net.
Morris then took control of the game in the second half, scoring two goals 10 minutes apart. The first came with Morris collecting a long pass near the midfield stripe, breaking away from Daniel Steres and racing into the penalty area alone before punching the ball past Galaxy keeper Brian Rowe.
The second, in the 73rd minute, came after Rowe made a smothering save that rebounded straight to Morris, who stepped around a defender and found the net again for his 12th goal of the season.
Seattle’s Osvaldo Alonso and Keane exchanged goals after that, with Keane scoring on a penalty kick before heading for the parking lot, leaving Donovan, the man with whom he once shared the captain’s armband, to again speak for the team.
“A lot of us need to look in the mirror and wake up,” Donovan said. “We need to really have a look at this game and analyze it and everyone needs to look at themselves honestly.
“If you think there’s nothing wrong, it’s not going to get better.”
Twitter: @kbaxter11
