Final Result: Chivas USA-Colorado Rapids

Friday Football Funnies

Beckham Wants to Quit Galaxy

Galaxy-Chivas USA Postgame
Galaxy 1 Chivas USA 0 Game story The Houston Dynamo are up next at 8 p.m. Friday in the Western Conference Championship. (live ESPN2). Notable: This will be the first ever postseason meeting between the Galaxy and Dynamo (the former Earthquakes, of course), which advanced to the Conference Championship today with a 1-0 aggregate goal series win over the Seattle Sounders. The Galaxy beat the Dynamo 1-0 June 28 at the HDC and played to a scoreless draw against them Oct. 18 in Houston. Quotable: "I don't screw them, y'know (smiles wryly)," said D

Final: Chivas USA at Galaxy
Galaxy 1 Chivas USA 0 Chivas ch-ch-chokes (again) Galaxy advance to play Houston at 8 p.m. Friday in Carson. Dema Kovalenko made a crude gesture as the final whistle blew toward the Chivas USA bench as if to say, "we screwed you again." Chivas USA Coach Preki blew his top and tried to get to Kovalenko. That's a league fine for unsportsmanlike conduct, methinks (for Dema, not Preki). Beckham received a huge ovation as he left the field, BTW. The difference a few months (and wins) make, huh? More later.

Update: Chivas USA-Galaxy
Galaxy 1 Chivas USA 0 David Beckham played a huge role in earning this goal for the Galaxy sending a long, gorgeous crossfield pass from the Galaxy's own half to Landon Donovan who crossed it to Mike Magee. Magee was brought down - speared really by Yamith Cuesta - as he attempted to control the ball and was rewarded with a penalty kick. Landon Donovan took it as usual and scored his 16th Galaxy playoff goal in 20 games to leave him tied with Carlos Ruiz for the lead in post-season goals for L.A. and the Galaxy ahead of Chivas USA in this playoff game with 17 minutes left. It was the Galaxy's first PK since May 6.

Halftime: Chivas USA at Galaxy
Galaxy 0 Chivas USA 0 The Galaxy have had the better of this game so far and by all rights should be leading. A 25-yard Chris Klein volley from a Landon Donovan cross in the 35th minute was perhaps the best Galaxy chance, requiring as it did an agile punch by Chivas USA goalkeeper Zach Thornton to send it over the bar. David Beckham should have at least got the ball on the frame a minute earlier, but sent his 19-yard shot wastefully over the bar when he was wide open and had plenty of time to set the shot up. Chivas USA's best scoring opportunity came in the 38th minute when a blistering Sacha Kljestan shot from long range grazed the top o

Western Conference Semifinal: Chivas USA at Galaxy
Well, my laptop just died so I'm depending on the kindness of coworkers here to blog (sporadically). Here's the scenario: if the Galaxy win they'll face the Houston Dynamo at home 8 o'clock Friday; if Chivas USA wins they'll travel to Houston for a Sunday game. There's just one change for the Galaxy today: Chris Birchall has fallen ill (nothing serious I'm told), so Chris Klein replaces him in midfield. Chivas USA have made two changes from the team that faced the Galaxy last weekend: Shavar Thomas replaces Ante Jazic in defense, while Jesus Padilla replaces Marcelo Saragosa. Galaxy XI: Ricketts, Franklin, Berhalter, Gonzalez, Dunivant, Kl