Gerrard, Galaxy end scoring drought

FC Dallas pulled a goal back after Robbie Rogers failed to deal with a long ball that dropped over his shoulder.

Head Coach Bruce Arena made some defensive substitutions in the final few moments, allowing the Galaxy to hang on to the lead and earning three crucial points giving them 50 on the season, the first team in the MLS to reach that milestone. We’re at the business end of the season, and it’s all about three points.

The Galaxy had not scored in three MLS games going into the match but they took just 11 minutes to break their drought when Giovani dos Santos finished off a well-worked team move. “Our team has been scoring goals”. FC Dallas returned to its customary 4-2-3-1 alignment, with Mauro Diaz returning to the lineup after almost two months on the sidelines with a quadriceps injury and Fabian Castillo and Tesho Akindele back in the XI after coming off the bench in last weekend’s loss to Sporting Kansas City.

“There’s been nothing wrong with us”, Arena said. “We got 50 in the bank; somebody else has to get that”.

Captain Robbie Keane followed up with the second goal in the 14th minute. The Angeleno club team will face a tough Seattle Sounders on Sunday October 18 in Seattle and will the game will be a huge challenge for the LA Galaxy to stay on top of the league. After Zardes got the ball, he cut into the box and crossed it into Giovani Dos Santos who was there for the tap in. “But we defended well in that situation, and we managed to get the three points, which is the most important thing”.

Elsewhere, Matias Perez Garcia scored in the 87th minute to lift San Jose past Real Salt Lake 1-0 and close within a point of Portland for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Keane then scored from the top of the penalty area with ample room to shoot after an exceptional touch by Dos Santos. The goal was a result of poor positioning from Donovan Ricketts, who attempted to collect the ball but misjudged the distance between himself and Barrios, which led to an easy goal for Barrios.

Harris scored rather easily in the 86th minute, but the Galaxy hung on in front of their sixth straight MLS sellout crowd at StubHub Center. However, Keane hit the post and the ball went out for a corner kick.