For the first seventy minutes of yesterday’s First Kick match-up between the Galaxy and RSL, the predictions about the amazing 2012 Galaxy season looked like they were more than just hype.&nbsp; Only the crossbar and some timely RSL defending denied the Galaxy a multi-goal lead and the defense looked&nbsp;shaky&nbsp;but solid.&nbsp; When Edson Buddle converted a David Beckham pass into a goal in the 71st minute, fans could be forgiven for switching off the game and assuming it would spiral out of control from there.
But a funny thing happened at The Home Depot Center last night, and it was an intangible that we sometimes forget affects soccer games.&nbsp; The Galaxy had played in Toronto on Wednesday night and with an older team, the travel visibly began to affect the team in the second half.&nbsp; In addition, they needed a two goal comeback to get a draw from their CCL match.&nbsp; Those watching closely could see how the Galaxy defense began to sag in the middle of the field and, when losing a step on an RSL player, committed more fouls (fourteen for the game).
Two minutes after the Buddle goal, new RSL midfielder Sebastian Velazquez created some space down the right and put in a cross towards goal.&nbsp; Brian Dunseth on the&nbsp;MLS Live&nbsp;feed noted earlier that the pitch at Home Depot Center gets a little damp as the temperature drops, and Sean Franklin possibly fell victim to this.&nbsp; He threw his leg out to deflect the bouncing cross but ended up stabbing it into his own net.&nbsp; At that point the game changed as Real Salt Lake had the momentum and the home side looked deflated.&nbsp; Adding to this momentum was key substitutions by Jason Kreis who brought on banged up Javier Morales and Alvaro Saborio midway through the second half, substitutions that gave RSL a more confident and attacking line-up. &nbsp;In the 80th minute, Morales scored his first goal since his injury last season when he poked a loose ball in the LA box into the net. &nbsp;Fabian Espindola, who had a big second half, put the exclamation point on the win with a nice drive down the left that saw him juke a few defenders before finishing with a goal.
Even though this was the first MLS game for both teams, the impact cannot be understated. &nbsp;For the visitors, scoring the first away win against the Galaxy since 2010, especially when down a goal, is a major momentum boost for this side. &nbsp;Nick Rimando had an excellent game and while LA put RSL under a lot of pressure throughout the game, the Reds held the high-flying Galaxy to only one goal. &nbsp;The negative this game revealed is the team’s depth. &nbsp;With Morales and Saborio sitting, players like Paulo Jr., Louis Gil, and Sebastian Velasquez got the start. &nbsp;Despite Velasquez setting up the first goal, these players were&nbsp;shaky&nbsp;in the midfield and Espindola lacked any consistent quality passes from the midfield. &nbsp;LA gave the visitors some good chances at counters, but they failed to take advantage of them for the first part of the game.
As for the Galaxy, this game was a bit of a wake-up. &nbsp;Coming back to force a draw with Toronto is a confidence booster; this result should show them that they can’t play the entire season by wasting chances. &nbsp;Looking up at Real Salt Lake should help show this team that they won’t cake walk to another title and this is a good lesson to see early. &nbsp;That said, they could have easily gone home last night with a multi-goal win. &nbsp;Their offensive pressure was as advertised and the big names (especially Donovan and Beckham) were dynamic. &nbsp;Fatigue was a factor but that will be a factor all season. &nbsp;How they handle that will be a key to how far they advance this season. &nbsp;But this result should in no way lesson the impression that they are the most dangerous team in MLS.
A few other observations for you from the game:
<ul>
<li>The broadcast crew for RSL were pretty good, especially Brian Dunseth in the booth. &nbsp;That said, the unintentional comedy moment of the night was them hosting Don Garber in the booth. &nbsp;After introducing the Commish, there was about three minutes of play-by-play, with Garber finally interjecting that he felt like he was butting in.</li>
<li>I watched this game on the new MLS Live on my computer but about 10 minutes in hooked it to my HD TV. &nbsp;The picture was incredible and when MLS Live says it has an HD feed, it isn’t lying. &nbsp;I haven’t tried the phone or iPad feed but look forward to it.</li>
<li>I loved the LA Galaxy faux-Real Madrid shirts. &nbsp;They look great on TV with the&nbsp;sash.</li>
<li>The return match on June 20 will be fun to watch. &nbsp;This game got chippy midway through and it is obvious the players on these two teams don’t care much for each other.</li>
</ul>

Real Salt Lake Shocks Host Galaxy 3-1

Real Salt Lake Shocks Host Galaxy 3-1 - World Soccer Talk

<div style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a title="Rio Tinto Stadiom by onkelshark, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/onkelshark/5619170184/"><div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5029/5619170184_f64337e01a.jpg" alt="Rio Tinto Stadiom" width="500" height="297"></figure></div></a>Photo by Onkelshark</div>

Fabian Espindola knocked in a loose rebound late in stoppage time to give Real Salt Lake a 1-0 victory over the Colorado Rapids and a leg-up in the 2011 Rocky Mountain Cup. &nbsp;Espindola also gave MLS fans the only goal of the evening, as the other match between the Los Angeles Galaxy and Toronto FC ended 0-0.
Colorado was again without Conor Casey and Pablo Mastroeni, and while the midfield was able to play well against the home team, missing both of these players is obviously a problem for the Rapids. &nbsp;Colorado created few chances this match, mainly relaying on hitting RSL on the counter using the speed of Omar Cummings and Caleb Forlan. &nbsp;But with Cummings coming off in the 64th minute for Quincy Amarikwa, and Amarikwa coming off five minutes later with an injury, the Colorado attack was hampered throughout. &nbsp;Their best chance of the match may have been Nate Borchers early in the first half who was unmarked on a header but his angle put the shot wide of the goal. &nbsp;Jamie Smith had a good chance the minute prior, as his looping shot outside the box befuddled the RSL defense but was easily handled by Nick Rimando.
Espindola had seemingly put Real Salt Lake ahead in the first half scoring on a free kick but he was ruled offsides. &nbsp;RSL dominated possession in the first and had numerous scoring chances. &nbsp;Credit to Matt Pickens and the Colorado fullbacks for keeping RSL off the scoresheet; Colorado played a high line that led to eight offsides’ calls on Real and when they got behind the line Pickens made some great saves. &nbsp; In stoppage time, Javier Morales lined up a great free kick that was initially saved by Pickens but he was unable to punch it clear. &nbsp;It landed in front of a mostly empty net and after a brief scramble Espindola kicked it home.

The win keeps RSL’s perfect start to the season just that – still perfect. &nbsp;Hats off to the teams for finding a way to win against a good opponent in bad weather. &nbsp;Hats off as well to the Rapids, who despite missing two starters had a pretty good game plan and almost escaped Rio Tinto with a point. &nbsp;However, without Conor Casey to compliments Omar Cummings and Caleb Forlan, and with Pablo Mastroeni to provide some defense in the midfield, this team needs to find ways to win.
MLS was minutes away from having possibly their three best teams play on the same night and score zero goals, as the earlier match in the double-header ended in a scoreless draw. &nbsp;For the second time in a week, higher-than-normal home crowds came out to see David Beckham and the Galaxy, and what they saw was Beckham pick up his fifth yellow card on the year, meaning he will sit the next Galaxy game. &nbsp;They also saw the Galaxy hit the post three times this game and have more scoring chances than the home team. &nbsp;But the best chance to break the scoreless draw may have been Danleigh Borman’s free kick that found an unmarked Joao Plata in front of Donovan Ricketts. &nbsp;Plata, however, could only weakly head the ball into the keeper’s arms. &nbsp;Overall both teams had excellent chances to win this match but saw their opportunities missed or denied by the pole.
For Toronto, this is a good result and fans should have been thrilled to see Julian De Guzman back in the starting lineup. &nbsp;The more and more I see of the Reds, the more and more I think they could make a late run at a playoff spot once they get everything together. &nbsp;As for the Galaxy, the team really needs to find a finisher. &nbsp;Mike Magee had another chance to score off a Beckham corner but unlike in DC, he missed the shot. &nbsp;Maybe it is missing Landon Donovan, but LA needs someone to either step up (Angel, Magee, Barrett) or find a forward who can finish in front of the net.

Espindola Gives Real only MLS Goal of the Night

Espindola Gives Real only MLS Goal of the Night - World Soccer Talk

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Real Salt Lake Shocks Host Galaxy 3-1

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Espindola Gives Real only MLS Goal of the Night