CCL Postgame Notes & Quotes: LDA vs LA

LA Galaxy 0, LD Alajuelense 1
CONCACAF Champions League – Group A – Week 4
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Estadio Morera Soto – Alajuela, Costa Rica

Scoring Summary:

LDA – Pablo Antonio Gabas 1 (Unassisted) 28’

Misconduct Summary:

LDA – Marcelo Sarvas (Yellow Card) 37’

LA – Omar Gonzalez (Yellow Card) 46+

LA – David Beckham (Yellow Card) 52’

LDA – Patrick Pemberton (Yellow Card) 58’

LDA – Porfirio Lopez (Yellow Card) 66’

LA – Bryan Jordan (Yellow Card) 69’

Lineups:

LA Galaxy: Josh Saunders; Bryan Jordan, Omar Gonzalez, A.J. DeLaGarza, Todd Dunivant; Landon Donovan©, David Beckham, Juninho (Paolo Cardozo 68’), Mike Magee; Chad Barrett (Adam Cristman 62’), Robbie Keane.

Subs Not Used:Brian Perk, Frankie Hejduk, Chris Birchall, Jovan Kirovski, Michael Stephens.

LD Alajuelense:  Patrick Pemberton; Jose Salvatierra, Giancarlo Gonzalez, Jhonny Acosta, Porfirio Lopez; Luis Sequeira (Allen Guevara 64’), Kevin Sancho (Cristopher Meneses 80’), Pablo Gabas© (Juan Guzman 86’), Luis Miguel Valle, Marcelo Sarvas, Jonathan McDonald.

Subs Not Used: Ivan Garcia, Cristian Oviedo, Alejandro Alpizar, Cristian Lagos.

Referee: Courtney Campbell (JAM)

Referee’s Assistants Keble Williams (JAM) and Lloyd Reader (JAM)

4^th Official: Valdin Legister (JAM)

Notes:

• With the loss, the Galaxy are now 2-2-0 in Group A for six points. That leaves them tied with Morelia for second place in the group, though Morelia have a game in hand. They will face Motagua, who are 0-3-0 so far in Group A in Honduras on Thursday night.
• Alajuelense are now in first place in Group A with a 3-1-0 record for nine points.
• After winning their first two games in the group, the Galaxy have now lost each of their last two, losing by one goal in each game.
• Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena made four changes to the team that lost 2-1 in Mexico to Morelia on September 13, with Bryan Jordan starting at right back in place of Frankie Hejduk, David Beckham and Juninho replacing Chris Birchall and Michael Stephens in central midfield and Chad Barrett starting in place of Adam Cristman. Birchall, Cristman, Hejduk and Stephens all started the game on the bench.
• Beckham and Juninho were each making their first appearance away from home in the CONCACAF Champions League.
• The Galaxy were without Sean Alvarado, Gregg Berhalter, Sean Franklin, Leonardo and Donovan Ricketts who all missed the game through injury.
• Nine of the players that started tonight’s game also started the first meeting between these two teams on August 25 at The Home Depot Center. Only Chad Barrett and Bryan Jordan started tonight after not starting in that first game, which the Galaxy won 2-0.
• The Galaxy had the game’s first chance in the 4^th minute with Mike Magee forcing a save from Patrick Pemberton with Landon Donovan putting the rebound just wide. That would be the Galaxy’s only shot on goal of the game.
• Alajuelense went in front 1-0 in the 28^th minute through a freekick from captain Pablo Gabas. The goal was his first of the competition.
• That goal was the first that the Galaxy had allowed in the first half of a Champions League game since the second leg of their Preliminary Round game against Puerto Rico on August 4, 2010.
• LA’s 1-0 halftime deficit was their first halftime deficit in the competition since the first leg of their Preliminary Round series against the Islanders last year.
• Paolo Cardozo made his Champions League debut in the second half, coming on for Juninho in the 68^th minute.
• Three Galaxy players were booked in the game with Omar Gonzalez collecting a yellow card in first half stoppage time while David Beckham and Bryan Jordan were each shown yellow cards in the second half.
• With his yellow card, David Beckham is now suspended for LA’s next Champions League game, which is against Morelia on Wednesday, September 28 at The Home Depot Center.
• Gonzalez and Jordan were each booked for the first time in the Champions League. They join Gregg Berhalter, Landon Donovan and Mike Magee as being one booking away from a one-game suspension.
• Alajuelense outshot the Galaxy 21-6 and had four shots on goal compared to one for the Galaxy.
• Josh Saunders made two saves in the game. He now has 21 saves in four Champions League games, with a 0.75 goals against average.
• This was the first time that the Galaxy had ever been shutout in the CONCACAF Champions League and the first time that they had been shutout in CONCACAF play since the first leg of their Champions Cup Quarterfinal against Saprissa in 2006, a 0-0 draw at The Home Depot Center in February 2006.
• The Galaxy return to action in the CONCACAF Champions League next Wednesday, September 28 when they host Morelia at The Home Depot Center. That game will kick off at 7 p.m. (PT) and will be shown live on FOX Soccer. The Galaxy are 2-0-0 at home in the competition while they are 0-2-0 away from home.
• The Galaxy faced Alajuelense in Week 2 of the Group Stage, winning at The Home Depot Center 2-0 on goals from Omar Gonzalez and Chad Barrett.
• The Galaxy return to MLS action on Saturday, September 24 when they face the Eastern Conference leading Columbus Crew at Crew Stadium. That game kicks off at 4:30 p.m. and can be seen live on FOX Sports West, and will be followed by a special postgame edition of Galaxy Live.