Nothing doing for Galaxy
They face Whitecaps without some key players and can’t muster an offense.
VANCOUVER, Canada — Over the last three seasons, no Major League Soccer team has had a better record at home than the Galaxy. But it has been a different story on the road, where the team has won only 11 times since 2012.
The Galaxy split the difference Saturday when they visited Vancouver and played the Whitecaps to a scoreless tie. But it was a result that should probably be considered a victory for Vancouver and a loss for the Galaxy since the visitors played the f inal 62 minutes with a man advantage and the Whitecaps went most of the game without Pedro Morales, the league’s leading scorer, who left early in the f irst half because of an injury.
“I think the draw is fair,” Galaxy Coach Bruce Arena said. “A point on the road is still important.”
Especially for the Galaxy, who haven’t won in Vancouver since 2013. But they could have had more Saturday.
A sellout crowd of 27,038, the largest for a regular- season game at BC Place, turned out to see a Galaxy team featuring Steven Gerrard and Robbie Keane. But Gerrard, sidelined because of a calf injury, and Keane, who had arthroscopic knee surgery Thursday, didn’t make the trip. Nor did Mexican midfielder Giovani dos Santos and first- choice goalkeeper Dan Kennedy, who have been out because of injuries since the season opener.
In their absence, Ariel Lassiter and Emmanuel Boateng made the f irst starts of their MLS careers, and Baggio Husidic made his first start of the season.
Remember February, when a spate of international signings made the Galaxy the best team money could buy? The lineup Arena started Saturday will combine to be paid less this season than Gerrard will receive in the next three months.
That did little to change the team’s fortunes. The Galaxy, who haven’t scored a f irst- half goal this season, were shut out in the opening 45 minutes despite the fact the Whitecaps had starters Morales and Kekuta Manneh go out before the break because of injuries and Matias Laba was ejected for a dangerous tackle on Mike Magee in the 28th minute.
The Galaxy outshot Vancouver, 15- 5, and put twice as many shots on goal. But they got nothing for that, relying instead on goalkeeper Brian Rowe to keep the game even.
Rowe, who inherited the starting job when Kennedy went down in the first half of the f irst game, was decisive and athletic against the Whitecaps, twice charging off his line to break up rushes. And in f irst- half stoppage time, he leapt to his right to make a splendid one- handed save on a blistering shot from Andrew Jacobson that was headed for the far corner.
In four games this season Rowe has given up two goals, one coming deep in stoppage time in the only game the Galaxy has lost.
Vancouver’s David Ousted was also good, with his best stop coming in the 70th minute after a Lletget cross bounced off Gyasi Zardes’ thigh and dropped to his right foot.
But the resulting volley from point- blank range struck Ousted in the face and ricocheted harmlessly over the net.
“We were just unlucky,” Zardes said. “After the red card in the f irst half we should have capitalized.”