The Galaxy defeated RSL in a rematch of last year’s MLS Cup final. w
The power behind the Galaxy’s attack was Edson Buddle who scored both of L.A.’s goals in a 2-1 Galaxy victory. Besides the fact that he is coming into his own this shows that perhaps we need more homegrown talent–not talents that got fostered in Europe only to come over on a loan just for fun and then go right back to Europe for some “real” competition.
This win proves a couple things for the Galaxy. They can live without Beckham AND they can rise above past failures. The loss for RSL proves that they are not surprising anybody this season and they will have to keep themselves very focused throughout the remainder of a very long season so that they don’t land in the trash heap with other failed teams who once had glory and now cannot find their way out of a paper bag.
The Galaxy had a 311-minute shut out streak that was halted by RSL’s only goal and now the question remains–can L.A. stay on top? I think they can. They are clearly playing great defense and they can use that defense to hold off their opponents. However, that defense goes right out the window come playoff time. Edson Buddle needs to stay hot pretty much all year so he can be the threat that other teams work around and the Galaxy can just stop their opponents and hope for the odd goal here and there.
This could lead to a bumpy ride, but the Galaxy are healthier than they were last season and that bodes well for the fans in L.A.
photo credit: Juddejah