Landon Donovan scored two goals and Cobi
Jones had a goal and three assists to lead the Los Angeles Galaxy to
a 5-2 victory over FC Dallas on Saturday night.
Herculez Gomez added a goal and two assists for Los Angeles
(11-15-6), which extended its home winning streak against FC Dallas
(16-12-4) to 11 games over five years.
Abe Thompson gave Dallas a 1-0 lead in the 14th minute with an
11-yard shot off Ronnie O'Brien's pass from the right side of the
penalty area. But the Galaxy scored three goals in a 13-minute span
of the first half to take control in the final regular-season game
for both teams.
Dallas, which had already clinched first place in the Western
Conference, enters the playoffs having lost four of its past six
games. Los Angeles, which didn't qualify for the post-season one
year after winning the league championship, also got a goal from
Arturo Alvarez.
Fullback Ante Jazic, a Halifax native, was in the starting lineup
for Los Angeles.
Donovan tied the score 1-1 in the 25th minute by redirecting
Gomez's pass from six yards. Gomez then put Los Angeles ahead in the
35th minute.
Gomez received Jones' pass, dribbled past Dallas defender Chris
Gbandi toward the right side of the end line and took an eight-yard
shot that ricocheted off the left post.
Donovan extended the Galaxy's lead to 3-1 in the 38th minute with
a three-yard volley of Gomez's right-wing crossing pass.
Jones scored in the 52nd minute by redirecting Paulo Nagamura's
right-wing crossing pass from three yards, then provided the assist
for Santino Quaranta's nine-yard scoring shot in the 79th minute.
Alvarez ended the scoring in the 80th minute with a 24-yard shot
that bounced inside the right post.
