PHILADELPHIA – Robbie Rogers and Mike Magee both scored as the LA Galaxy survived a slugfest in Philadelphia, earning a tough point in their 2-2 draw with the Union on Wednesday at the Talen Energy Stadium.
Just like the sun shines and the moon glows, the Galaxy conceded an early goal, falling behind to Philadelphia 1-0 in less than four minutes.
Los Angeles allowed too much space inside the box and midfielder Vincent Nogueira was able to get a shot off amidst a scramble that found the back of the net.
Ten minutes later, the Galaxy scored a tremendous team goal as Robbie Keane and Giovani dos Santos led the counter attack for LA. Dos Santos found right back Robbie Rogers racing down the right side of the box who had a fantastic left-footed finish for the equalizer.
Mike Magee gave the Galaxy the lead in the second half after he ran an impressive two-on-one with Steven Gerrard for the goal.
After going down a goal, the Union went on the attack, pushing men forward as they finally found the equalizer in the 63rd minute after a set piece.
Tranquillo Barnetta sent the corner into the box and Chris Pontius' header was saved, but the rebound went to Sebastien Le Toux whose shot was also saved by Galaxy goalkeeper Dan Kennedy, but he bobbled the catch and the ball fell in front of Keegan Rosenberry who battled with Kennedy and tapped in the game-tying goal.
Sports
Get today's sports news out of Los Angeles. Here's the latest on the Dodgers, Lakers, Angels, Kings, Galaxy, LAFC, USC, UCLA and more LA teams.
Both teams slugged it out for the next thirty minutes with the Union looking to break through for three points. It seemed LA was happy to sit back and hold for the deserving road point, which they finally secured when the referee blew the whistle four minutes into stoppage time.
Players of the Game:
Robbie Rogers: Goal.
Mike Magee: Goal.
Keegan Rosenberry: Game-tying goal.
Three Takeaways:
1. Get to the Point: The Galaxy have nothing to hang their heads about and should be happy that they earned a point on Wednesday. Firstly, winning a road game in the MLS is one of the hardest things to do. Secondly, the Galaxy were playing on two days rest, whereas Philadelphia was fresh and healthy after 10 days off.
well that was quite a game...always good to get a point on the road @LAGalaxy #PHIvLA #shortweek — Kate LeNoir (@ktblu) May 12, 2016
2. Roger That: Robbie Rogers had his best game of the season, scoring a goal and playing stellar defense at right back for the LA Galaxy. Rogers proved that when healthy, he's one of the better defenders in the league, and hasn't needed time to get familiar with the move from left to right in the backline.
That's some beautiful teamwork, @LAGalaxy. #PHIvLA https://t.co/ObmIVOwaOo — Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 11, 2016
The Mystery of Nigel de Jong: Midfielder, Nigel de Jong, has missed the last five games for the LA Galaxy. Three due to a suspension, and reportedly the last two because of a knee injury suffered in training. Oddly, Bruce Arena told the media last Friday that De Jong would be ready to go against the Revolution. One day later, he was absent from training and did not play. He did not make the trip to Philly either. It will be interesting to see if he suits up against San Jose amidst rumors he could be headed back to the EPL this summer.
Robbie Keane said after #LAGalaxy win that Nigel de Jong "will be back in a couple of weeks" DeJong missed 3 games before Sun to suspension — Kevin Baxter (@kbaxter11) May 9, 2016
Up Next:
Philadelphia Union (4-3-2, 14 points): It will be the Union's turn to play on short rest as they take the pitch on Saturday, May 14, in Canada against the Montreal Impact.
LA Galaxy (5-1-4, 19 points): After playing on two days rest, the Galaxy will now get 11 days off to prepare for the Cali Clasico when they host the San Jose Earthquakes on Sunday, May 22 at 4:00PM at StubHub Center.
