CARSON, Calif. – The LA Galaxy claimed a win in their first game of the 2012 preseason on Friday afternoon, beating the L.A. Blues of the USL Pro League, 7-2, at The Home Depot Center. Adam Cristman scored twice while Paolo Cardozo, Todd Dunivant, Jack McBean, Kyle Nakazawa and Marcelo Sarvas each added tallies for the Galaxy, who used a total of 24 players in the game.
Seeing his first game action in a Galaxy uniform, Sarvas gave his team a 1-0 lead with a 12th minute penalty kick. A Hector Jimenez cross into the box for Pat Noonan struck the arm of a Blues’ defender, leading referee Daniel Radford to call a penalty. The Brazilian midfielder stepped up to take the penalty and placed his shot just inside the post to give LA the lead.
WATCH: Full Match Highlights
The Galaxy continued to control the game and were able to double their lead just before the half hour mark when Todd Dunivant was played in behind the defense by Sarvas and struck a left-footed shot past the Blues’ goalkeeper, making the score 2-0.
The visitors cut the deficit in half two minutes later with a goal from Cho, but the Galaxy would score three more times in the final 10 minutes of the opening half, to take a commanding lead.
In the 36th minute, Paolo Cardozo provided the final ball for Adam Cristman to score his first of the game. Six minutes later, Cristman turned provider, getting on the end of a Michael Stephens through ball and playing it out wide to Cardozo, who raced into the box and scored with a left-footed shot, making the score 4-1.
Cristman would get his second of the game on the stroke of halftime, sliding onto a Sean Franklin cross and redirecting his shot into the roof of the net for a 5-1 Galaxy advantage. Sarvas was the architect of the goal, clipping a pass behind the Blues’ defense for Franklin, who was able to get his cross off just before the ball went over the endline.
Bruce Arena made wholesale changes at halftime and his second half unit was able to add to the Galaxy lead just after the hour mark. A long ball from the back by Kenney Walker put Jack McBean in one-on-one with a defender, who he was able to shield off the ball before creating the slimmest of shooting angles. His right-footed shot, across the face of goal, settled into the top corner of the net, giving the Blues’ goalkeeper no chance to make the save.
Following McBean’s goal, Supplemental Draft pick Stephen Posa came on in place of Hector Jimenez and despite seeing the Blues’ cut the lead to 6-2 following a goal by Matt Fondi off a corner kick, the former San Diego star created a number of problems for the visitors.
With six minutes remaining in the game, Posa was played in alone behind the Blues’ defense for a second time. After having his touch let him down on the first attempt, the 21-year-old had no such trouble this time, rounding the goalkeeper, who was forced to pull him down, giving the Galaxy their second penalty of the day.
Kyle Nakazawa, who first joined the Galaxy in training on Thursday, stepped up and sent the spot kick past the goalkeeper to seal the win for LA and give the game a final score of 7-2.
The Galaxy will now have the weekend off before returning for the start of their third week of preseason training on Monday.
MATCH GALLERY
LA Galaxy 7, L.A. Blues 2
Friday, February 3, 2012
The Home Depot Center – Carson, Calif.
Scoring Summary:
LA – Marcelo Sarvas (Penalty Kick) 12’
LA – Todd Dunivant (Marcelo Sarvas) 28’
L.A. Blues – Cho (Mike Lopez) 30’
LA – Adam Cristman (Paolo Cardozo) 36’
LA – Paolo Cardozo (Adam Cristman, Michael Stephens) 42’
LA – Adam Cristman (Sean Franklin, Marcelo Sarvas) 45’
LA – Jack McBean (Kenney Walker) 63’
L.A. Blues – Matt Fondi (Mike Lopez) 67’
LA – Kyle Nakazawa (Penalty Kick) 84’
Misconduct Summary:
L.A. Blues – Alan Russell (Yellow Card) 17’
Lineup:
LA Galaxy: Josh Saunders (Bill Gaudette 46’); Sean Franklin (Bryan Jordan 46;), A.J. DeLaGarza (Andrew Boyens 46’), Tommy Meyer (Bryan Gaul 46’), Todd Dunivant (J.T. Murray 46’); Paolo Cardozo (Ryan Thomas 46’), Michael Stephens (Kenney Walker 46’), Marcelo Sarvas (Dan Keat 46’), Mike Magee (Hector Jimenez 11’, Stephen Posa 63’); Pat Noonan (Kyle Nakazawa 46’), Adam Cristman (Jack McBean 46’, Justin Davies 69’).
Subs Not Used: Nick Noble.
Referee: Daniel Radford
