CARSON, Calif. – The LA Galaxy’s Dave Romney huddled with Jeff Larentowicz in the post-game locker room as they looked at the screen of a cell phone. And what they saw was difficult to watch.
What they were studying were replays of two stunning goals by FC Dallas that gave the visitors a shocking 2-1 victory over the Galaxy in overtime in the semifinals of the U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday at StubHub Center in front of a crowd of 6,120.
Matt Hedges, assisted by Mauro Diaz on a corner kick, headed in the first goal in the 116th minute to forge a 1-1 tie after the Galaxy’s Mike Magee had given L.A. a one-goal lead on a penalty kick in the 101st minute. Referee Ted Unkel had ruled FC Dallas goalkeeper Chris Seitz tripped the Galaxy’s Giovani Dos Santos, a second-half substitution for Emmanuel Boateng, in the penalty area and Magee calmly scored moments later.
Victor Ulloa then scored the winner on another header – also assisted by Diaz on another corner – just over four minutes later to deny the Galaxy their first berth in the U.S. Open Cup Final since winning the title in 2006.
“When you work that hard for 115 minutes and lose a game on two set pieces, it’s never a good taste in your mouth,” said center back David Romney, who was part of a reconfigured back line that featured Ashley Cole at left back, Romney and Leonardo in the middle and Rafael Garcia at right back and often played brilliantly until FC Dallas’ final push.
“Those plays are so preventable. Everything leading up to the corner kicks, everything with the corner kicks … it’s just not good enough.”
Head coach Bruce Arena understandably was livid at the outcome.
“It’s certainly frustrating,” he said. “We did a terrible job obviously in the last five minutes of the game. And we lost the game after working our asses off for 115 minutes.
“Really a naïve performance at the end of the game.”
Romney said he was to blame for the first goal after allowing Hedges to find space between himself and Leonardo.
“That’s on me,” he said.
Garcia said he and his teammates knew FC Dallas was dangerous on set pieces, and their worst fears came to fruition.
“Maybe fatigue was a factor in the goals, but at the end of the day we have to do better,” he said. “Nothing Bruce says or anybody else is news to us.
“We have to reflect and look at each other in the mirror and know we weren’t good enough tonight.”
Romney said he was proud of the defense’s collective effort – “Everyone put miles on their legs and I thought we covered for each other,” he said – until the final five fateful minutes.
Now, he said, the Galaxy have no choice but to move on and get ready for Saturday’s regular-season game with Colorado.
“You learn from it and make sure that never happens again,” he said. “You go over the film and see what you did wrong and put yourself in a better spot.
“Just man up.”
