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Late Galaxy Comeback Earns LA a Point

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Playing hosts, the Los Angeles Galaxy  the New York Red Bulls  in an interconference match-up between two of the best teams in MLS.

For the second straight game, the Galaxy lined up without Gyasi Zardes, who sustained a muscle strain in training prior to the last game at Seattle. Even though the star American forward was absent, LA still brought another strong line up to the StubHub Center.

Sebastian Lletget returned to the lineup and started on the left side with captain Robbie Keane up top while Giovani Dos Santos started on the right flank. LA started one of the strongest backline combinations with Jelle van Damme alongside Daniel Steres at center-back with AJ DeLaGarza and Ashley Cole in the full-back slots.

The Galaxy needed to keep an eye on Sasha Kljestan and Bradley Wright-Phillips, who posed the biggest threat. LA did not have to worry about Dax McCarty, who suffered a tibia fracture that will keep the midfielder out for 4-6 weeks.

In the fourth minute, Steven Gerrard slipped in between the defense and was brought down on the edge of New York’s box, but the referee wrongfully waved off the clear foul. In the ninth minute, Keane collided heavily with Red Bulls goalkeeper Luis Robles and the Irishman had to receive treatment for his bloodied head on the field.

Keane went off to the sideline to receive further treatment for the injury but by the 14th minute, the captain returned to the action.

The Galaxy came close in the 25th minute after a poor header backwards from New York where Dos Santos struck a volley towards the close post but Robles came up big with a save.

The first yellow card was issued to Jeff Larentowicz for a foul in the 27th minute. The match was getting chippy as time passed. LA continued to press and show a lot of dominance but seemed unable to get the ball passed Robles.

Just before the first half stoppage time, Keane broke through and had 40 yards before the goal but Felipe stood up the No. 7 to deny LA a goal. Seven minutes were added to the end of the first half because of the Keane head injury earlier on in the half.

In stoppage time Dos Santos came agonizingly close from five yards out but his shot was blocked. Following that play, Van Damme appeared to have scored the game’s opener but the Belgian was offside.

At the half, after many chances for both sides, the game remained scoreless in Carson.

Right at the start of the second half, Bradley Wright-Phillips went down with an apparent injury forcing the Red Bulls to use their third substitution of the night due to another injury. This gave the Galaxy a chance to tire out their opponents and attempt to break the deadlock.

In the 63rd minute the Red Bulls came close to opening the scoring but Van Damme made an important intervention to keep the ball out of the Galaxy’s goal.

The Red Bulls did break through as Kljestan sent in Veron who chipped the ball over Brian Rowe with his left foot to give the away side the lead in the 70th minute. Though it seemed the Galaxy were the stronger team throughout the game, the lack of clinicalness in front of goal came back to haunt them.

It went from bad to worse for LA as New York doubled their lead after a wonderful curling effort from Sean Davis to curl the ball around Rowe. It was Davis’ first goal of the season and it forced the Galaxy to sub Lletget for Mike Magee and bring on Emmanuel Boateng for Nigel De Jong in an attempt to rescue anything from this game that seemed like a certain three points.

Magee did just that. The substitute tapped home his sixth goal of the season in the 80th minute to cut New York’s lead in half. On the other end Rowe kept the Galaxy alive with a double save to force a corner kick which led to nothing for the visitors.

It was an unlikely hero as Steven Gerrard swung a cross towards the back post from the right side finding Ashley Cole who smashed home the equalizer.

In stoppage time, the Red Bulls had a penalty claim following a risky challenge by Rowe, but the referee waved it away. New York’s head coach Jesse Marsch was ejected from the match for excessive protest.

The spoils were shared in the end as LA and New York drew 2-2 at StubHub Center. The Galaxy play FC Dallas in the US Open Cup semifinal on Wednesday at StubHub Center.

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