David Beckham celebrates his goal vs. Vancouver. (Reuters)
For the Vancouver Whitecaps, this is the one that got away, big time. As LA manager Bruce Arena was quoted as saying "we stole a point," and that's the exact truth. The Whitecaps pretty much dominated the match for 70 some minutes, but in the end, a combination of bad finishing and lax defense let the Galaxy back in to secure a vital road point.
The Galaxy had the first two shots of the match. Landon Donovan had an effort blocked in the 8th minute, and David Beckham missed with a free kick in the 11th, but both of these efforts were pretty much against the run of play. For the most part the Whitecaps were able to control possession and move the ball around quite easily. It was unquestionably new DP Barry Robson's best game yet in a 'Caps uniform, and Camilo put forth his best effort of the year.
The Whitecaps patient play first paid off for them in the 18th minute. David Beckham uncharacteristically turned the ball over in his own half, and Camilo took it toward goal. He managed to find Gershon Koffie in the penalty area, and the midfielder then slammed the ball past Josh Saunders into the bottom corner of the goal to make it 1-0 to Vancouver.
The Caps weren't finished with their first half assault either. In the 27th minute Y.P. Lee found Robson streaking in toward the top of the area. He put the ball right on Robson's head, and the Scot easily headed into the net to make it 2-0 Vancouver. It was Robson's first MLS goal, and it would be the last solid offense before halftime.
The Galaxy didn't really look like they were game to get back into it early in the second half, save one half chance. In the 58th minute Jay DeMerit got torched by Landon Donovan, and just managed to drag the Galaxy captain down before he got into the area. DeMerit was issued a yellow card on the play, but LA couldn't make anything out of the tough angle free kick.
Business really picked up for both sides in the final ten minutes of the match. In the 80th minute Koffie took another crack at goal, but his effort bounded off the crossbar and out of danger, he had Saunders beaten too. Beckham would make the Whitecaps regret that miss just a minute later, as he had a shot deflect into the goal off of a Whitecaps defender to make it 2-1 on 81 minutes.
The Whitecaps would still got another chance to ice the three points, but again couldn't find the back of the net. In the 84th minute Robson set up for a rather deep free kick, and confidently drilled the shot toward the target. The Whitecaps didn't get the bounce this time either, as it slammed off the post and away from Josh Saunders.
The Champions then took advantage of their most recent reprieve. In the 87th minute, Galaxy home-grown product Jose Villarreal got his first taste of MLS glory. Beckham delivered a spot on ball to Juninho, who laid it off to the youngster. Villarreal then put a gorgeous left footed strike into the top corner of the Vancouver goal to equalize the match at 2-2.
That score would hold until full time, but Robson got one more good look. In the fourth and final minute of stoppage time he sent a blazing shot in toward the top of the goal. However, Josh Saunders was up to the task and tipped it away to preserve the 2-2 draw.
It's obvious that the Galaxy still have many defensive issues. They gave up two goals and a host of other quality chances to the Caps. However, it's just as obvious to see that they have the players to keep them in a match. If Beckham, Donovan, and Keane can stay healthy, (and not move to Europe) the chances of the Galaxy getting a playoff spot are pretty good. Will they get the defense right before then? If they don't will it hurt their chances at the cup? Only time will tell.
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