LA Galaxy top Vancouver Whitecaps at home with 1-0 win

Carson, Calif. -- Following a road win versus Chivas USA last weekend, the Galaxy maintained the seventh spot in the Western Conference and hosted the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday night.  LA has played fewer games than the top seeds, and was presented with an opportunity to slow down fifth place Vancouver.

In the 8th minute, Robbie Keane had a chance to put LA up early with clever passing between him and Baggio Husidic in the box, but his shot ultimately was saved by David Ousted.

Over the next 20 minutes both teams failed to control possession of the ball for any significant period, as scoring chances were at a minimum.   However, that began to change in the 31st minute when a Vancouver shot inside the box was saved by Jaime Penedo.

Landon Donovan hasn’t scored in the 2014 MLS campaign, but not for lack of effort. In the 40th minute, he positioned himself in front of goal and headed a cross that went wide.  Later, in the 43rd minute, he had an open shot from 20 yards away as a result of some quality Galaxy passing, but his shot was high.

The second half started scoreless, but that quickly changed when Stefan Ishizaki received a pass over the top of the Vancouver defense.  Ishizaki was able to control the ball perfectly and settle it as he kept his defender on his toes. He then looked up and found Keane running through the box unguarded. Ishizaki crossed the ball and hit Keane in stride, and Keane then volleyed the shot into goal with his left foot for a 1-0 Galaxy lead.

For the remainder of the second half, the Galaxy dominated possession and the Whitecaps had difficulty generating offense. Still, in the 76th minute, Vancouver earned a corner-kick and made a threatening shot on goal with a header that Penedo was able to punch out.

The matchup ended in a 1-0 Galaxy win, and was their last home game until late May, as they hit the road for the their next four games. LA faces off with Vancouver next Saturday.

By Brian Kowalski
Staff Reporter for TheDailySportsHerald.com