So tonight was the 2011 MLS Cup Final. The LA Galaxy squared off against the underdog Houston Dynamo at the Home Depot Center. Unfortunately for Houston, they were without their MLS MVP candidate and MLS leading assist man Brad Davis. It showed on the pitch.
The Dynamo never really got anything going all night. The 1st half in particular belonged to the Galaxy. They got a few really good looks in the first half, most of which falling to the feet of Cristman. Unfortunately, he couldn't net even one and the first half ended as a snooze fest, 0-0.
Things did pick up a little in the second half, and Houston got some time in possession, but really couldn't fashion any solid tests for Josh Saunders. Fairly early on in the proceedings, Robbie Keane put the ball in the back of the net, but was ruled offside. The ESPN announcers, very pro-Galaxy (and pro-Beckham) in my opinion, really bemoaned this, but it looked like a good call in a tight circumstance to me.
It ended up not mattering though. In the 72nd minute Landon Donovan poked a shot past Tally Hall into the far post netting to give the Galaxy the 1-0 lead. A Houston defender nearly got there to clear the ball off the line but it was to no avail. The Dynamo never seriously threatened in the last 18 minutes and the Galaxy held on to win 1-0.
Now I'm not going to say the Galaxy didn't deserve the win. They were the better team tonight for sure and the best team in MLS over the course of the season. I'm also not sure having Davis would have made that much of a difference, the Dynamo just weren't in the same class.
So ends to the 2011 MLS campaign, in rather anticlimactic fashion. However, I'm sure the league will be happy with the end result.
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