Galaxy Victory Marred by Injury
The Galaxy advanced to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Cup by shutting out the San Diego Flash, 2-0, Tuesday night on goals by Sasha Victorine and Ivan Polic.
But the victory over the A-League team in front of 6,118 at Douglas Stadium on the San Diego Mesa College campus might have come at a steep price.
Only seven weeks from the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, midfielder Peter Vagenas, a likely starter for the U.S. team, limped off the field because of a left ankle injury, possibly to his Achilles’ tendon.
“We don’t know [how bad it is], we’ve got to see tomorrow,” Galaxy Coach Sigi Schmid said. “He took a knock [on the ankle], so it’s really tender around there, but he also felt it could be the Achilles.
“As he got hit, he said he heard something [pop], so we’ll just have to see. We don’t want to speculate [but] it could be a serious injury.”
Earlier in the day, U.S. Olympic Coach Clive Charles had named Vagenas, Victorine and Galaxy defender Danny Califf to the U.S. team that will play England’s Bolton Wanderers in Indianapolis on Sunday.
It will be the final game before Charles names his 18-player Olympic roster.
“They’re not saying much right now,” a disconsolate Vagenas said. “I see a doctor tomorrow and I guess we’ll go from there.
“The ball was not even near us and we were just jogging toward the middle and [the Flash’s Geoff Huber] just whacked me. He got me right in the Achilles and it just popped.”
The injury took the luster off an otherwise successful night for the Galaxy.
With the victory, Los Angeles advanced to play the San Jose Earthquakes in the Open Cup quarterfinals Aug. 9. The Earthquakes shut out the Richmond Kickers of the A-League, 2-0, Tuesday in San Jose.
It took the Galaxy 50 minutes to break down a stubborn and talented Flash team.
The opening goal came when Victorine darted in at the near post to head in a corner kick from Cobi Jones at the near post. Polic scored the second in the 67th minute, taking a pass from Mauricio Cienfuegos and beating San Diego goalkeeper Tom Tate with a hard shot that deflected into the net off Tate’s hands.
Matt Reis got the shutout for the Galaxy, playing in place of regular starter Kevin Hartman, who will be sidelined from three to six weeks after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Tuesday. Hartman injured the knee during practice last week.
MLS teams have clinched seven of the eight quarterfinal spots in the United States’ oldest soccer competition. The final round-of-16 game takes place today when defending MLS champion Washington D.C. United plays the defending Open Cup champion Rochester Rhinos of the A-League.
