GIOVANI DOS SANTOS’ second-half header was enough to give the Los Angeles Galaxy a 1-0 victory over the Colorado Rapids on Sunday and the edge in their MLS Cup playoff tie.
The Mexican striker made good use of a strong individual effort from Jelle Van Damme with a header that deflected off Rapids defender Axel Sjoberg and looped over Colorado keeper Tim Howard.
The Galaxy grabbed a slim lead in their Western Conference semi-final tie, which will conclude on 6 November with a return leg in Colorado.
Robbie Keane came off the bench for a brief cameo after replacing Dos Santos after 82 minutes while Kevin Doyle started and played 70 minutes for the Rapids.
Los Angeles scored despite Colorado’s disciplined defence.
“It was very difficult,” dos Santos said. “They press every single ball, and they’re very compact. Not for nothing are they the best defensive team in MLS.”
And Rapids coach Pablo Mastroeni was confident his team could overcome a one-goal deficit when they host the Galaxy at altitude in suburban Denver.
“We’re in a really good spot,” Mastroeni said. “I like our chances of getting a goal and going into the waning minutes or overtime at altitude, where teams struggle.”
The Eastern Conference semi-finals got underway with two Canadian teams getting the jump on two from New York.
In Montreal, the Impact seizing a 1-0 victory over the New York Red Bulls thanks to Matteo Mancosu’s stunning half-volley.
The Italian import out-raced two Red Bulls defenders and one-timed a blistering shot just inside the box to the left of keeper Luis Robles in the 61st minute.
Marco Donadel fed Mancosu with a well-timed long ball over the top of the Red Bulls midfield.
Mancosu has six goals in 16 appearances since arriving in July on loan from Serie A outfit Bologna, and has filled the void left by Ivorian star Didier Drogba who hasn’t played in a month as he battles a sore back.
“Scoring the goal was an incredible feeling,” Mancosu said. “We needed to find the breakthrough and there were a couple opportunities in the first half, but we didn’t take them.
“We started the second half well, and then came this beautiful pass from Marco and I was able to hit it well toward goal. When you hit it well, there’s nothing the goalie can do.”
The Impact successfully stifled the Red Bulls’ potent attack.
The visitors’ best chance came in second-half stoppage time when Evan Bush parried a close-range shot by Omer Damari into the path of Bradley Wright-Phillips, who fired wide.
Damari was shown a red card seconds later for a late challenge on Calum Mallace, and won’t be available for the return leg.
In Toronto, goals from Jozy Altidore in the 84th and Tosaint Ricketts in injury time lifted the hosts to a 2-0 victory over New York City FC.
City, who were without Italian star Andrea Pirlo who is nursing a calf injury, created little offense and had to rely on newcomer Eirik Johansen in goal to thwart several strong Toronto opportunities in the first hour.
In the late game, the Seattle Sounders blanked first place FC Dallas 3-0 in the first leg of their Western Conference semi-final.
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If a lot of club game referees weren’t small fat middle aged men who haven’t performed well as a ref since the early 1980′s… then respect would come naturally.
Who would become a referee so?
I remember playin a game where the ref just walked between the 2 65s. He was a sight to see with his paddy cap an all
If referees were highly trained martial artists allowed to punch any player who abused or questioned his decisions, there would be a radical change in behaviour towards refs.
Its imbeciles like you Darragh, is why we have the problem!
The key is consistency really. If referees said “no backchat at all”, we would accept it. That’s as long as all referees took the same line with players in ALL games, no exceptions.
In general, I think that would be a great idea. What is the point in remonstrating with an official after he has made his decision?
As an ex soccer referee, players liked me. Becuse most referees would yellow card players for simply questioning them. I always explained my decisions to players..totally diffused situations
I think it might be better if there was a player in the forwards and backs allowed to ask the ref to explain his decision(they’d have to be level headed and respected players). Players need to know why they’re been blown up
Cormac. Its why I did it. I was a player and very few showed common sense.
If i hear the whistle on the pitch, straight away i’m thinking of the next ball, the last thing i want to do,is get an explanation of the referee, or abuse him .
Players need to be educated to respect the referees, We need zero tolerance, Just take one look at our rugby counterparts to realise we have a fundamental problem.
If i was a Gealic or soccer referee, Id be like Pierluigi Collina, If you so much as cursed at me you’d be booked, if it happens again you’re off! If you want to get really abusive with me , id grab you by the scruff of the neck and challenge you to a fight after the game, where i’d batter you in front of your team!
The problem with respect is it must go both ways. A good referee will in general get respect and not be questioned by players. But in gaa especially in club games many of the refs are of very poor quality. They are unfit, make poor decisions consistently and often have linesmen and umpires who don’t do their jobs with regard to off the ball incidents etc.
Striking with the fist is supposed to be a red card offence but in reality more often than not is not consistently enforced which leads to players seeking to get revenge knowing it will likely only be a yellow.
Unfortunately you have lots of former players who would make great refs but won’t do it because of the abuse they get.
For the crap refrees put up with it is a wonder there is actually anyone willing to do it.
Refreeing is a thankless job
I admire his candidness in a way, but everyone would like to tell someone to “F off”
“Not everyone” I meant the opposite.
Why does the referee have to explain his decisions? Everyone knows the old addage of “he’s not going to change his mind”, yet players persist in wanting a referee to explain everything to “gain respect”.Get on with it, and if you still have a grievance, give it 15mins after the match when everyone is calmer and if it’s still life and death important to find out why he gave a free, maybe then is the right time to ask.
Players try to make refs think they were wrong in the decision against them in the hope of maybe influencing the refs next decision in their favour. Sometimes it works.
If a ref told a player to f**k off or told a player he was a useless so & so their would be outrcry yet refs regularly get such abuse in club games for very little reward . Someone has to ref a game & the ref is the soft target .if players & mentors analyise their own performance they might find the real reason their team loses .
Id like to tell Eugene to fcuk off..and I will. ..fcuk off Eugene
It might also be noted that before rugby referees make an important decision such as a yellow card, most of the time they revert to the TMO. Added to this a lot of a rugby match is played at not much faster than walking pace, where the referee is nearly always right up with the play and spends his time in the players ears practically coaching them on what not to do or he will penalise them!
Respect earns respect. If a player told a ref to F off he would get a straight red however if a ref heard one player telling another player to F off there would be no punishment. So how is a player to respect a ref?. also refs in gaa are answerable to no-one. If a player makes a mistake he looses his place, if a manager makes a mistake he is answerable to the county board.
James. You haven’t a clue what you’re talking about.
Yea good argument Derek. You seem to be too afraid to express your own opinion yet you have no problem putting other ppl opinions down. I have played with a lot of different refs in lots of different sports and officiated myself I have a pretty good grasp of what makes a good and bad ref.
What is wrong with telling another player to f off. What is wrong with giving him a good hard shoulder in a tackle to put some manners on him or a box if need be.
Gaelic is a tough sport, no one wants to change that. You can play hard but still have respect and give respect.
If you tell a Ref. to F. off, it has to be a Red card, if a player makes a habit of it then they shouldn’t be playing for the team. No one wants to see that kind of rubbish at a game.
Box an opponent to put manners on him? Sure why don’t you knife him just to make sure killian. Do you want to know the sporting way to do it,rather than the cowardly way? Win every ball in a fair way be it hit him with a fair shoulder or beat him in a sprint. I’m guessing you a slow unintelligent coward if you have to hit you opponent a box to gain an advantage
James.
Are you drunk?
GAA is a tough sport, plenty of knocks but the whole point it that people play hard and have respect for each other.
That is something that is missing in Soccer where diving and back chatting the Ref. are very serious problems and indications of the type of people that play it, it should not be tolerated in other disciplines.
“Indications of the type of people that play it”, the most popular sport in the world? A wee bit of a generalisation there
What an absolutely ridiculous statement in his last paragraph! The problem will never disappear…
It should be limited as much as possible.
When you look at the attitude that Soccer players give Refs in the Premiership it is bound to set a bad example.
Other disciplines need to show that acting the diva is not tolerated.
McGee’s comments sum up the entire problem. When the man appointed to try and change things has such a ridiculous attitude then it doesn’t augur well for the prospect of change. He seems to think that while it’s only natural to abuse refs, it doesn’t look good so we should try and tone it down.
Funnily Eugene we wouldn’t all like to tell the ref to f**k off. Most sensible people realise that they are giving their time like everyone else and that there would be no games without them.
Don’t call the ref a muppet at least not in Munster.Could cost you a serious suspension!