Well, Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy prove me wrong for yet another week. This time, it was all for the right reasons.

The other Brazilian on the Galaxy's roster, Leonardo, broke through for his first-ever goal on a set piece from David Beckham in the 33rd minute to give Los Angeles a 1-0 victory over the Philadelphia Union.

But the person on the pitch who really stole the show on Saturday night at the Home Depot Center was the match referee, Mr. Paul Ward.

Ward issued 10 cards, all drawn out during the second half. This had to be his way of saying, "I don't care if you are a designated player or a deadbeat off the street playing the game for the first time. I will card you and I can't be reprimanded because players and coaches get fined for criticizing my abusal of my leet card-issuing abilities. Boo-yah!"

Well, that's a casual way of putting it, but this was a tad too excessive.

I found it hilarious that the "Chicken Thief" from last year's game at the Home Depot Center, Jack McInerney, got sent off by Ward late in stoppage time, as if it was a last-ditch face-saving attempt to placate the home fans, who had already lost faith in him when he sent off Chris Birchall earlier.

Look at how many cards he dealt. Ward issued four yellows and one red to each side. If Major League Soccer does not look at this and give him some form of reprimand, a piece of the league's credibility is lost; this was an utter abomination.

But what wasn't an abomination was the play of the Galaxy's defense, specifically the work of goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts.

Welcome back, oh Big Cat from Montego Bay. He made key stop after key stop in goal, and seems to be on the rebound after his preseason injury.

And how about the return of Omar Gonzalez? The back line missed his tall presence in their last two matches, and Gonzalez made it hard for the likes of Sebastien Le Toux, former Galaxy frontman Carlos Ruiz and Danny Mwanga tonight.

Even while playing with 10 men, the Galaxy continued to dispossess and play their brand of football, containing the sequences by Philadephia, disrupting the pace and going on the counter at will, culminating in a lottery of set piece chances for Beckham.

There's a word for that: continuity. And they will need to display this as the season goes on.

Offensively, the finishing is still a work in progress. Most of the set pieces from Beckham were cleared easily, or they were not finished by those on the receiving end.

For someone in his rookie season, Miguel Lopez is looking like the real deal when it comes to his ability. It's going to take some time before he finally arrives, but the looks he had could serve as warning for bigger and better things. Who knows? This young Argentinean could be opening his account, too.

I'm not sold on Juan Pablo Angel yet. Sure, he got his first goal as a member of the G's last week, but he was not a factor tonight. Actually, he was just as effective as the one-dimensional Bryan Jordan. He'll get his touches on the ball, but he can't finish.

Then again, Jordan was just thrown to the lions late in the second half and was holding on to dear life. As for Landon Donovan, he had another mediocre performance. I am waiting for him to break out and contribute to a set piece, whether it's a goal or an assist.

I will say that the Union's Stefano Miglioranzi didn't perform up to snuff and failed to take advantage of Peter Nowak's side being a man up. A shame, but that's football.

Anyway, 1-0 isn't much, but it's a win nonetheless. At the same time, the win proved costly, and someone is going to need to fill in for Birchall, who will not be available due to suspension against D.C. United.

And we all should know how challenging it is to get a result at RFK, especially with a certain Charlie Davies now in the line-up.

Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday, Apr. 9 at 4:30 p.m. PT/7:30 p.m. ET and will be televised locally by Fox Sports West.

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