Landon Donovan

Pro Soccer News: LA GALAXY vs WHITECAPS

In the MLS top versus bottom clash, league leader LA Galaxy made their first visit to Vancouver, looking to avoid any potential banana skins, the same cannot be said for the Whitecaps...

LA Galaxy traveled without the one man marketing tool David Beckham due to suspension. In the former England captain's absence LA Galaxy remained on paper the stronger side with the likes of Landon Donovan, Omar Gonzalez, Juan Pablo Angel plus Sean Franklin and Juninho who featured in the 4 - 0 MLS AllStar defeat at the hands of Manchester United.

With a ten day break for the Whitecaps Tommy Soehn made two changes from the team which faced The San Jose Earthquakes.

Play maker David Chiumiento returned to the starting 11 in favour of Peter Vagenas and Alain Rochat who missed the previous game due the birth of his third child replaced Greg Janicki. Jay Demerit (who fans many know from his movie; Rise and Shine) still is suffering on the bench with an abductor strain.

Up top Eric Hassli was the target man trying to set up Mustopha Jarju - Camilo pushed up when The Whitecaps were in possession making a three man attack. David Chiumiento was the more forward thinking midfielder attempting the create space in front of him.

Soehn's lineup was questionable from the start against a team in such form as The Galaxy. But to be fair The Whitecaps they held their own for the first 60 minutes; however after that it was like watching a house of cards on a windy day.

With Omar Saladgo on international duty many found it odd Soehn started Jarju knowing he would only last an hour and have no other natural striker on the bench to replace him with.

On a classic day for some soccer Empire Field was a sell out to the tune of 27,500. The crowd nearly saw the home side take the lead within the first 3 minutes. New boy Jarju who is still looking to net his first MLS goal had a number of good chance but failed to hit the target.

Pulling the strings from midfield either beating defenders for skill/pace or setting up his team mates was Chiumiento. Within the opening minutes the Swiss/Italian found Hassli's run, the Frenchman dragged the ball back to Jarju who was a step behind the play and hit his attempt over the bar.

LA Galaxy were beginning to dominate the game and looked the more dangerous in front of goal. In the first half Galaxy goalie Josh Saunders did not have a save to make whereas Joe Cannon in the Whitecaps net stopped five attempts on goal.

37 minutes gone a whipped in ball from Sean Franklin was cleared by Johnny Leathers into the path of Juninho, the Brazilian stabbed the ball away from Gershon Koffie forcing Cannon to tip his effort over the bar for a corner. From the resulting set piece Donovan cross found Gregg Berhalter's head in the six yard box, an instinctive punch from Cannon was one of many saves that kept the home side with a clean sheet going into the second half.

In a passage of play which opened the Whitecaps defence, Donovan's ball across the face of goal found an unmarked Franklin 7 yards from goal, lucky for the Whitecaps Franklin dragged his shot wide to the relief of the home supporters.

The second half picked up in the same manner as the first 45, LA Galaxy slowly gaining their dominance and The Vancouver Whitecaps coming close to snatching a goal on the counter.

47 minutes played Juninho sent a message to Cannon that again it wasn't going to be an easy half for him as the MLS AllStar midfielders long range effort forced the Caps keeper down to his left which was pushed into the feet of Whitecaps defenders.

In the next 5 minutes to come Hassli hit the side netting twice, Camilo could not header the ball towards goal and Jarju would again smash a shot over the bar.

More goal scoring opportunities appeared in within the first ten minutes of the restart. For The Galaxy Rochat's sloppy pass out of defence was read perfectly by A.J DelaGarza who made the interception and easily dribbled to the edge of the Whitecaps box, where he laid off a pass for Donovan who cut inside and shot into the body of Joe Cannon.

Moments later Shea Salinas had Whitecaps fans on the edge of their seats, as he out muscled Juninho and Mike Magee striding towards The Galaxy box unchallenged. As the American entered the area Salinas was all right footed on the left hand side, players where skipping over the ball as he tried to position himself for the shot, I had screams of my old soccer coach shouting 'what's wrong with your left peg'! Salinas' side-footed shot rebounded off the post and out of danger. The missed goal scoring opportunity of the second half would start the fall of the house of cards.

The sun went in and so did the goals...

In similar fashion to how San Jose scored their first goal last week a Micheal Boxall slip would cost Vancouver there first goal on 60 minutes. Is Boxall an Underworld fan or just Born Slippy...

Sean Franklin's ball over top was missed by Boxall as he slipped on the turf leaving US international Donovan to break into the Caps area and give LA Galaxy the lead with a smashing outside of the boot finish.

Looking to get back on equal terms Rochat headed a freekick wide from Camilo on 72 minutes. However a minute later Jordan Harvey deemed to handle the ball in the area by referee Baldomero Toledo. Donovan converted his second goal of the game seeing him join Eric Hassli at the top of the MLS multi-goal chart for players who have scored more than one goal a game, both have netted more than once in three games.

Not for the first time his season Vancouver found themselves looking to come back from being a number of goals against the good. But unfortunately the Whitecaps collapsed under the Galaxy pressure in the last twenty minutes of the game. Also as expected Mustopha Jarju only lasted 60 minutes meaning being a goal down Whitecaps had to bring off a striker for midfielder Nizar Khalfan.

10 minutes remaining matters got worse for the Whitecaps as Landon Donovan became provider setting up Franklin with a square ball across the 6 yard box which the twenty-six year old slid into the goal for 3 - 0. Also Chiumiento left the field of play after suffering an injury after hitting a shot over the frame of the goal from a Salinas cross.

Ensuring all three points were going home to California and to give the Whitecaps their heaviest MLS defeat so far, Vancouver failed to clear their lines leaving Adam Cristman to beat Cannon with a looping header for 4 -0.

Although LA Galaxy where worthy winner the game could have been a different affair if The Whitecaps took their chances early on in the match. Hopefully Vancouver will brush the defeat against a team now unbeaten in 14 aside and focus for next Sunday in Chicago. Whitecaps winless run continues to six games.

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