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Drab Galaxy held in Kansas City | All good things come to an end. Los Angeles Galaxy’s perfect winning record in the current MLS season proved to be no exception. However, unlike some other seemingly immortal winning streaks, this one was waiting for its inevitable end. When a team relies on a single individual to do literally all of its scoring, bad things are bound to happen. Therefore, as soon as Edson Buddle was shut down by the Wizards defense, the Galaxy were forced to settle for a goalless draw away from home.
In hindsight, it is tempting to think that there is no concrete sign of bad things happening to the Galaxy just yet. After all, Bruce Arena’s men remain unbeaten and still hold the best record in the league. Besides, not every game will be as tough as a face-off with the second-place team in the Eastern Conference. Then again, hindsight can be quite deceiving. Only an in-depth analysis into their performances reveals that trouble could be brewing in LA.
For starters, as mentioned before, Buddle has scored all of the Galaxy’s seven goals. Without his presence up front, it is difficult to imagine his teammates scoring regularly. In fact, the performance at Community America Ballpark suggested that they can’t score at all without desperately searching for him up front. The playmaking abilities of Landon Donovan have certainly been instrumental in assisting Buddle but unless the former Bayern Munich and Everton player starts netting goals himself, all the pressure would be redirected unjustly towards Buddle.
The only other Galaxy player who holds significant statistical contribution is goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts, who has conceded only one goal in five games, earning four clean sheets in the process. However, the evening could have been worse for Ricketts too as the Wizards’ Kei Kamara slipped right before he could tap the ball into an open goal early into the game. Somehow, Kamara still managed to get it into the back of the net as his arm hit the ball on his way down to the turf.
The effort was disallowed for handball but the hosts maintained control of the game by threatening to score on several occasions. The Galaxy held on to secure a draw but a lot of work lies ahead for last season’s beaten finalists. Next Saturday, they will return to The Home Depot Center to take on the newly established Philadelphia Union. It goes without saying, anything less than a win against the lowly Union would be an embarrassment for Arena and his men.
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