CARSON, Calif. – LA Galaxy Insider Adam Serrano’s Three Points from Saturday’s 2-1 Real Salt Lake victory over the LA Galaxy.
ESPINDOLA HELPS RSL FIGHT BACK AGAINST EARLY LA PRESSURE
Down a goal inside the first 25 minutes, Real Salt Lake had not registered shot goal, but four minutes and two Fabian Espíndola shots later, Salt Lake was up 2-1 on the Galaxy.
With RSL reeling due to substantial pressure from the Galaxy early, Espindola responded with a pair of moments of brilliance. The Argentine forward gave RSL the tying goal in the 25th in a give-and-go with Alvaro Saborío that allowed him to coolly beat Galaxy goalkeeper Josh Saunders. Three minutes later, Espindola would capitalize on some sloppy defending by the Galaxy and head in the eventual game-winning-goal.
The brace gives the crafty Argentine a total of nine goals on the year and five against the Galaxy throughout his MLS career.
PHYSICAL PLAY REIGNS SUPEREME
Feisty play has become a normal occurrence in matches between the LA Galaxy and Real Salt Lake and Saturday night’s contest was no different.
The match featured plenty of hard challenges as the game accounted for 22 fouls and a pair of yellow cards—one for each side. With their victory over LA, Real Salt Lake become the first away team to beat the LA Galaxy twice in one season at The Home Depot Center since the club moved into the building in 2003.
Real Salt Lake is now five points clear of the LA Galaxy for second place in the Western Conference while the Galaxy remain ahead of the Seattle Sounders for the third spot.
DONOVAN INJURED LATE IN THE MATCH
The night went from bad to worse for the LA Galaxy in the 81st minute when Landon Donovan picked up an apparent knee injury.
While attempting to create a chance down the left side of the field, Donovan appeared to be stepped on by RSL’s Jamison Olave. Following the injury, Donovan was down on the ground for two minutes, ultimately walking out on his own power, but was forced to leave the game in the. After the match, Donovan told reporters that he would undergo a scan immediately to determine the extent of the injury.
The injury calls into question Donovan’s status for the upcoming United States National Team World Cup Qualifiers—Donovan himself said his status was still to be determined—against Antigua and Barbuda and Guatemala, but could have larger consequences for the Galaxy ahead of the final two matches of the season.
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog at LAGalaxy.com/Insider and reach him at LAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com
