CARSON, Calif. — The LA Galaxy bounced back from their midweek loss at Portland and held off their closest competitors on Saturday, rallying on FC Dallas for a 3-1 win at The Home Depot Center. The victory pushed the Galaxy out to 48 points, six better than second-place FCD.
WATCH: Adam Cristman Postgame Interview
Omar Gonzalez, Juninho and Mike Magee scored for LA, while Marvin Chávez accounted for Dallas’ only goal.
WATCH:
Full Match Highlights
The visitors raced out to a quick 1-0 lead in the ninth minute after a splendid quick sequence. Zach Loyd carried the ball down the right touchline and found Maicon Santos near the edge of the Galaxy penalty area. The newly acquired Brazilian held the ball and drew Galaxy defender Gregg Berhalter toward him and then laid the ball off to Chávez, who ripped a shot off the crossbar and over the goal line from 20 yards out.
The match then got a bit chippy with players from both sides arguing calls. Referee Michael Kennedy handed out two cards to each side as David Beckham and Gregg Berhalter were booked for the Galaxy while FC Dallas’ Ricardo Villar and Jair Benítez saw yellow.
David Beckham, though, was fortunate to escape a booking after launching a ball sky-high following a foul whistled on A.J. DeLaGarza.
The Galaxy notched the equalizer in the 32nd minute. Beckham swung a 40-yard free kick to the right post. FCD goalkeeper Kevin Hartman and defender George John couldn't get out of each other’s way and the two fell, allowing the ball to bounce in the box. With a wide-open goal staring right into his mask-covered face, Omar Gonzalez easily headed the ball into the back of the net.
WATCH: Galaxy vs FC Dallas match recap
It took a bit of a fluke play, but the Galaxy took the lead in the 62nd minute. After an LA free kick from the right flank, the ball bounced around in the box. Juninho latched onto the rebound and hit a slow-roller on goal that bounced off the left post, across the goal line and settled into the inside of the right post.
The hosts punctuated their victory with a late goal, again off a set piece. Beckham swung yet another corner kick in on goal and Magee smashed the ball into the back of the net, helping the Galaxy seal their victory.
With the win, the Galaxy improve to 13-3-9 on the season and now get a 10-day break before opening CONCACAF Champions League group-stage play on Aug. 16 against Motagua of Honduras.
Fellow CCL participants FC Dallas, meanwhile, fall to 12-6-6. They next travel to Philadelphia on Aug. 13.
Galaxy vs FC Dallas Gameday Photos
Scoring Summary:
DAL -- Marvin Chavez 5 (Maicon Santos 2, Zach Loyd 3) 9
LA -- Omar Gonzalez 2 (unassisted) 32
LA -- Juninho 4 (Gregg Berhalter 1, David Beckham 9) 62
LA -- Mike Magee 2 (David Beckham 10) 81
Misconduct Summary:
DAL -- Ricardo Villar (caution; Reckless Tackle) 18
LA -- David Beckham (caution; Dissent) 25
DAL -- Jair Benitez (caution; Unsporting Behavior) 27
LA -- Gregg Berhalter (caution; Reckless Tackle) 35
DAL -- Marvin Chavez (caution; Reckless Foul) 68
LA -- Michael Stephens (caution; Reckless Foul) 94+
Lineups:
FC Dallas -- Kevin Hartman, George John, Zach Loyd, Ugo Ihemelu (Bobby Warshaw 89), Jair Benitez, Marvin Chavez, Bruno Guarda (Daniel Cruz 72), Daniel Hernandez, Ricardo Villar, Brek Shea, Maicon Santos (Eric Alexander 79).
Substitutes Not Used: Andrew Jacobson, Ruben Luna, Andrew Wiedeman, Chris Seitz.
LA Galaxy -- Josh Saunders, A.J. DeLaGarza, Omar Gonzalez, Gregg Berhalter, Todd Dunivant, Sean Franklin, David Beckham, Juninho, Mike Magee (Michael Stephens 88), Adam Cristman (Juan Pablo Angel 78), Landon Donovan.
Substitutes Not Used: Chris Birchall, Paolo Cardozo, Bryan Jordan, Miguel Lopez, Brian Perk.
Referee: Michael Kennedy
Referee's Assistants: Adam Wienckowski; Jason Cullum
4th Official: Mark Declouet
Attendance: 21,546
Time of Game: 1:53
Weather: Partly Cloudy and 67 degrees
