Galaxy let win slip away at end, fall into last
If any team ever needed a vacation, it’s probably the Galaxy.
After outplaying a 10-man Real Salt Lake team for much of Saturday at StubHub Center, they had to settle for a 1-1 tie when Kyle Beckerman scored on the final shot more than five minutes into stoppage time.
The draw extended the Galaxy’s winless streak to five games, dropped them into last place in the Western Conference, left them with the worst record in MLS and marked the second time in four days they watched a late lead slip away in a draw.
But now they get the next two weeks off, with much of the league pausing for the FIFA international break.
Playing before an announced crowd of 20,324, the Galaxy (7-17-8) were dangerous most of the night, taking 20 shots, eight on goal. But many of those bounced off the woodwork, missed wide or were gobbled up by RSL keeper Nick Rimando, who had six saves.
“We should have had eight goals,” Galaxy coach Sigi Schmid said. “But we have to finish out chances.”
Many of those chances came after referee Rubiel Vazquez showed RSL defender Marcelo Silva a straight red card in the 14th minute for slowing Gio dos Santos by tugging at the Galaxy forward’s jersey.
Bradford Jamieson finally capitalized for the Galaxy in the 41st minute, taking a bouncing feed from Jermaine Jones and pushing a right-footed shot just inside the far post for his second goal in as many games.
The Galaxy protected that lead until the final seconds, when Beckerman pounced on a rebound in front of the goal and put it over keeper Clement Diop.
The sequence started with a questionable foul call on the Galaxy’s Romain Alessandrini, which gave Joao Plata a free kick from about 25 yards. Diop made a splendid save on that shot, but gave up a rebound that Beckerman pounced on.
“That was a horrendous call,” Schmid said.
Follow Kevin Baxter on Twitter @kbaxter11
