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T-180 minutes to kickoff: In my 25-plus years of doing productive and non-productive activity, I have never tasted a genuine Philadelphia cheesesteak. I know that it must require a set of ingredients to make it authentic. The list is shown below.
*Rib-eye or Top round for the steak
*Cheeze Whiz
*Grilled onions
*Amoroso or Vilotti-Pisanelli rolls
*Bell peppers
*Mushrooms
Optional: A "This Is America. When Ordering, Speak English." sign.
T-170: This is just another shifty way to segue into this week's play-by-play and other miscellany between the Los Angeles Galaxy and the Philadelphia Union. The Union's noses are put to the grindstone early with a 1-3 record, good for next-to-dead-last in the MLS Eastern Conference Standings.
Despite the scoreless draw at CommunityAmerica Ballpark against the Kansas City Wizards, the Galaxy are 4-0-1, good enough for tops overall in the MLS Western Conference and the overall league table.
T-160: Other matches going on today include D.C. United vs. New York Red Bulls, New England Revolution vs. FC Dallas, Chicago Fire vs. Chivas USA, Houston Dynamo vs. Kansas City, Real Salt Lake vs. Toronto FC and San Jose Earthquakes vs. Colorado Rapids.
T-155: Earlier this week, Toronto dispatched the Montreal Impact 2-0 in the Nutrilite Canadian Championship. Outside of the league, Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan will face Louis van Gaal's Bayern Munich in the 2009-10 UEFA Champions League final at Madrid's Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on May 22, 2010.
Also, D.C. United...can you believe it...actually WON a match. They defeated FC Dallas 4-2 in the US Open Cup. Cue the, gulp, Red Bulls...
T-150: When you think of the Philadelphia Union, you have to mention the Sons of Ben. Established in 2007, the supporters group was instrumental in getting an MLS team to Philadelphia and the neighboring Chester area. In 2008, the major announcement came that the teams beginning play this year are the Union and the WPS's Philadelphia Independence.
T-145: It takes dedication to start up an organization before the team even starts. It's what we call "grassroots support." Congratulations to the Sons of Ben. Interesting how the moniker was chosen. It's a tongue-in-cheek reference to the initials SoB, which are seen as an insult, as well as Benjamin Franklin, one of the city's famous Revolutionary War-era residents.
T-140: More on the Union: The motto is "Jungite aut Perite." Join or Die. A double meaning. For those of you who have taken American History back in high school, you know that this is a reference to a cartoon made by Ben Franklin. The other meaning is a no-brainer: support the club or else it goes away, plain and simple.
T-135: Even more: The official nickname of this team is the "Zolos." Zolo looks like the numbers 2010, the year of the Union's first season. The Union's colors are navy blue and gold, representing the primary colors of the Continental Army's uniforms during the American Revolutionary War. The team's primary logo is circular, symbolizing unity. Its thirteen gold stars represent the original Thirteen Colonies, while the shield's contour derives from the Philadelphia coat of arms.
T-130: Finally, the rattlesnake pays homage to a political cartoon by Benjamin Franklin that was featured in the 1754 Pennsylvania Gazette. The rattlesnake eventually became a national symbol during the American Revolution, representing the danger of disunity, and was featured on the Gadsden flag. The light blue in the middle of the badge is a tribute to the Sons of Ben, and is further derived from the civic flag of Philadelphia. The song "Union of the Snake" by Duran Duran comes to mind.
Whew, what a mouthful.
T-120: Two hours to go to kickoff. Let's go to the lineups.
LOS ANGELES GALAXY
Manager: Bruce Arena
Formation: 4-3-3
Colors: White tops with blue and gold accents, white shorts, white socks
1 Donovan Ricketts
20 A.J. De La Garza ---- 4 Omar Gonzalez ---- 16 Greg Berhalter ---- 2 Todd Dunivant
26 Michael Stephens ---- 11 Chris Birchall ---- 19 Juninho
14 Edson Buddle ---- 21 Alan Gordon ---- 10 Landon Donovan (C)
Substitutes:
12 Josh Saunders GK
88 Alex Cazumba DEF
7 Chris Klein MID
27 Bryan Jordan FWD
9 Jovan Kirovski FWD
PHILADELPHIA UNION
Manager: Piotr Nowak
Formation: 4-4-2 Diamond
Colors: Khaki tops with midnight blue stripe and light blue accent, midnight blue shorts, khaki socks
1 Chris Seitz
30 Cristian Arrieta ---- 4 Danny Califf (C) ---- 16 Michael Orozco ---- 2 Jordan Harvey
8 Andrew Jacobson
11 Shea Salinas ---- 6 Stefani Miglioranzi
20 Roger Torres
7 Fred ---- 15 Alejandro Moreno
Substitutes:
18 Brad Knighton GK
23 Nick Zimmerman MID
14 Amobi Okugo MID
12 Toni Stahl MID
19 Jack McInerney FWD
10 Danny Mwanga FWD
T-115: A little soul music. Philadelphia, of course, is known for their soul music. Speaking of music, another of the Sons of Ben's themes is ironically written and composed by a band from out here. "What's Left Of The Flag" is a Flogging Molly classic.
T-110: This is the first of three matches in eight days for the Galaxy. After this, they will hit the road on Wednesday, May 5 to face the Colorado Rapids at Dick's Sporting Goods Park before facing off against the Seattle Sounders FC at Qwest Field next Saturday, May 8. The G's will then return to the Home Depot Center to face Toronto FC on May 15.
T-105: Philadelphia's next three games include a May 8 trip to Sandy, Utah to face Real Salt Lake; a May 15 home contest with FC Dallas and the first of three straight road matches, starting with the Houston Dynamo on May 29.
T-100: Run down on some WPS scores for you, all teams are in action today: FC Gold Pride defeated Sky Blue FC 1-0, the Washington Freedom pounded St. Louis Athletica, the Philadelphia Independence kept the Atlanta Beat winless 1-0 and the Chicago Red Stars picked up a 2-0 victory over the Boston Breakers.
As always, keep it here on the View and on Bleacher Report for next week's WPS Power Rankings.
T-95: Some MLS scores to run down for you here: Toronto FC defeated Seattle yesterday 2-0 while the New York Red Bulls shut out D.C. United 2-0 as payback for eliminating them from the US Open Cup; New England is leading FC Dallas 1-0 in the second half; Chicago and Chivas USA are scoreless and Houston is leading Kansas City 1-0. Real Salt Lake and Toronto FC are just getting underway.
T-90: Our game will go on at the same time as the match between the Sounders and Columbus Crew. Match between the San Jose Earthquakes and the Colorado Rapids will take place 30 minutes prior.
T-85: Chris, one of the elevator people at the press box (a certified Real Man of Genius), is calling for an attendance of 12,000 tonight. A ballpark figure, literally. Let's see if he is on the money.
He's quite a ace when it comes to deadpan humor. "I've given out thousands of the [MLS Free Kick] and I have never opened one of those. I don't know what it contains."
I opened it.
He read it. "Your Opportunities."
It's probably a good thing. Maybe I shouldn't have opened that after all.
T-70: Shook the hand of Fox Soccer Channel's very own Mark Rogandino. He and Jenn Hildreth have been a winning combination, providing top-notch banter on WPS. And Rogandino can more than hold his own covering MLS on FSC.
On behalf of everyone at Bleacher Report, we salute and thank you for your hard work covering the beautiful game on Fox Soccer Channel.
T-65: Chivas USA and Chicago are scoreless.
T-53: Less than an hour to kickoff, and the keepers are warming up. Real Salt Lake is leading Toronto FC 1-0, while Houston has a 1-0 lead on Kansas City.
T-45: The crowd is now filing in. I've been feeling a bit under a weather the past few days with the flu. It must be the football that is keeping me alive to write this for you. Would you believe that.
T-24: Update on some MLS scores...Chicago now leads Chivas USA 1-0, Houston Dynamo lead the Kansas City Wizard 2-0 and Real Salt Lake now leads Toronto FC 2-0.
T-19: Chivas USA's Maicon Santos makes it 1-1. Kansas City also playing a man down.
T-18: Yader Reyes is our match official today, Chris Strickland and Eric Boria are the linesmen, and Jair Marrufo is our fourth official today.
T-15: Both teams heading off to the change rooms for their finals instructions. San Jose and Colorado underway.
T-10: Here is the Parade of Champions. To youth! Final: New England Revolution finish the match two men down, but salvage a 1-1 draw with the FC Dallas. Sons of Ben, somehow, are nowhere in sight. Also, this is a short parade of champions. Surprising.
T-0 National Anthem by Choir of Queri Catatores, San Gabriel Valley (what kind of a name is that?). Riot Squad is ready, Angel City Brigade is ready, Galaxians are ready, the Sons of Ben making the trip are ready (are there even any), and yours truly is ready for this inaugural meeting between the Los Angeles Galaxy and Philadelphia Union.
FIRST HALF START: 7:37 P.M.
1' - And we are off. JP Della Camera and Kyle Martino are also doing commentary for the Philadelphia broadcast. Le Toux will not be playing tonight. Hmmm...A goal kick to start things off from Montego Bay's Big Cat, Donovan Ricketts.
1' - GOAL! Los Angeles Galaxy 20 A.J. de La Garza Assist: 14 Edson Buddle
Tonight, Buddle shows that he can also facilitate. De La Garza opens up his account 53 seconds into the contest.
2' - All right, so the G's can diversify their scoring portfolio. Orozco had to mark Buddle ASAP, or that was going to be 2-0.
4' - Not a good pass in the back by de La Garza.
5' - The Union resets. Here they come. A nice shot by Andrew Jacobson, but that was snatched up by Ricketts. He's fearless, the #8 for Philly.
6' - Entry ball for Alan Gordon swept by Danny Califf.
7' - All right, now the Riot Squad is out in force. Offsides, Edson Buddle. Offsides on Alejandro Moreno receiving the entry pass from the young gun Roger Torres.
8' - Too far for Alan Gordon. Goal kick for Chris Seitz. The Angel City Brigade paying tribute to the Mexican national team. Too bad for Nery Castillo. I was hoping he would help his countrymen's cause. Oh well.
9' - Here is Todd Dunivant.
10' - Good tackle by Torres on Juninho. Cross for Moreno cleared away, and Ricketts is there to sweep. Michael Orozco fouls Gordon, but Philadelphia regains possession.
11' - Here is where the Galaxy defense will want to take advantage of the wide pitch. No dice for Shea Salinas.
12' - Finals as Ricketts clears this one: Houston Dynamo shuts out the Kansas City Wizards 3-0, while Chivas USA and Chicago Fire draw 1-1.
13' - Here's Roger Torres. The defense marks him. Easy offsides call on Buddle.
14' - Bruce Arena asking for more clamping. Seitz is there to intercept a chance for Alan Gordon via Landon Donovan. Unwise decision.
15' - Ricketts grabs that one. Good sportsmanlike gesture to Fred. Class act, the Big Cat. The Brigade and Squad rouse the masses while the G's look to add to their lead.
16' - The Galaxy reset. Some background is in order. Juninho is fouled. Reyes chooses not to break out the card.
17' - Set piece time for Donovan. First of the night. Too high.
18' - Seems he may be losing his form right now, the Galaxy's #10.
19' - The Union regroup. So do the Galaxy. About 20 minutes into the contest, it's 1-0 Galaxy after a goal by A.J. De La Garza 53 seconds into the ordeal.
20' - Another offsides. Dunivant is fouled again. The home supporters are clamoring for a card. None given.
21' - Set piece doesn't amount to much, and after the throw-in, the Union are back in "quest-for-that-elusive-equalizer" mode.
22' - Good old Piotr Nowak. After the loss to the Red Bull in the US Open Cup, he made them run sprints afterwards.
24' - Goal kick for Donovan Ricketts. 2nd fastest in club history for Galaxy. 33 second in a 1999 match against the Kansas City Wizards, Clint Mathis scored the fastest.
25' - "L.A. Rejects!", chant the Riot Squad as the Galaxy go on the offensive.
26' - Corner for Los Angeles. Donovan to take.
27' - GOAL! Los Angeles Galaxy 14 Edson Buddle
That's Buddle's eighth of the season off the corner scramble. He tried to be a bit cute with the back-heel. Maybe next time.
28' - Foul on Los Angeles. The Union do not do well on the set piece, and the G's hold.
29' - Goal kick for the Galaxy's Ricketts. It's 2-0, and the mayhem continues.
30' - Gordon is fouled. Philadelphia knows he is injured. Frustration mounts as the Galaxy go through this corner by Donovan. Seitz grabs that one.
31' - Good anticipation by the Union's keeper. Throw-in for Mr. Todd Dunivant.
32' - The confetti is still raining. Mercy, Miss Percy.
33' - Buddle rests the Galaxy offense. Danny Califf is there to take it away for Philly.
34' - This is trouble. Seitz is there to make a stop. No penalty on the incidental contact, says Yader Reyes. The boo birds are out in full force.
35' - That volley by Juninho goes into the seats.
36' - Here comes Philadelphia, can they get one back? The Union's first corner of the match beckons. Too high by Orozco. Goal kick for Ricketts.
38' - The Philadelphia Union are looking for answers at this point in the first half, down 2-0 to the Los Angeles Galaxy. Magnificent marking on Torres.
39' - I'm not sure the suicides are paying off for the Union.
40' - Another goal kick by Ricketts. Jacobson is getting hounded.
41' - And the Angel City Brigade sways from side to side. Fun stuff from the northern goal end.
42' - Too high a throw-in by Dunivant. Omar Gonzales and Donovan Ricketts are there to stop. Ricketts...with a big arm.
43' - I think Ricketts can be a three-sport athlete: soccer, American football and baseball. Goalkeeper, quarterback and center field. Okay, maybe replace that with bowler in cricket.
44' - Here comes Los Angeles. Seitz is there after Donovan gets shortchanged.
45' - GOAL! Los Angeles Galaxy 14 Edson Buddle Assist 10 Landon Donovan
That was all Landon Donovan on Buddle's ninth of the season. Welcome back, the Buddlevan Connection! Off the transition.
45' + 1' - One minute of stoppage time. And here is the pushing and shoving. And what was Miglioranzi thinking!?
Red card: 6 Stefano Miglioranzi
Philadelphia Union
And thus, the Union will play a man down into the second half.
HALFTIME
Los Angeles Galaxy 3
A. J. De La Garza 1'
Edson Buddle 27', 45'
Philadelphia Union 0
Halftime Stats:
Shots
Philadelphia 3
Los Angeles 6
Shots on Goal
Philadelphia 1
Los Angeles 4
Saves
Philadelphia 1
Los Angeles 1
Fouls
Philadelphia 7
Los Angeles 2
Corner Kicks
Philadelphia 1
Los Angeles 2
Offsides
Philadelphia 3
Los Angeles 3
SECOND HALF START: 8:41 P.M.
46' - San Jose leads Colorado 1-0, and Seattle and Columbus are drawn even 1-1 to start the second half. Early chance is safely in the hands of Chris Seitz.
47' - Handball by De La Garza. Free kick for Roger Torres.
48' - That's low, and that is cleared for a corner.
49' - Cleared away, and here comes L.A. Good clearance by Greg Berhalter. And now it's Buddle. Solid dispossession in the Galaxy's attacking third.
50' - For Piotr Nowak, it seems that the suicides have indeed backfire, but they do have some time to get at least one back. Ricketts will be wise to stop any chicken thiefs. Wide shot by Alejandro Moreno. He was close to being CHicken Thief Number Two.
51' - That chance by Alan Gordon is scooped up by Seitz.
52' - Here comes Landon and Chris Birchall. Throw-in for Dunivant.
53' - Too wide of a shot. Goal kick. Dwayne De Rosario is second on the goal-scoring table with six. His club? The Toronto Football Club, who the Galaxy will next face at home in two weeks' time.
54' - Here is Buddle, who now uses his top with long sleeves during the second half.
55' - Diving save by Seitz off the Juninho volley. Best so far from Chris Seitz.
56' - Substitution Philadelphia Union
IN 19 Jack McInerney
OUT 20 Roger Torres
57' - And it looks like one of the players is down for Philadelphia. THat's Michael Orozco. He gets up, though.
58' - Corner for the Union. Fred with a chance, marked by Omar Gonzalez.
59' - Didn't look good from up here. Here comes Los Angeles.
60' - Substitution Philadelphia Union
IN 13 Kyle Nakazawa
OUT 8 Andrew Jacobson
Nakazawa is a US Youth International, from UCLA. He makes his MLS debut.
Offsides by Buddle.
61' - Substitution Los Angeles Galaxy
IN 88 Alex Cazumba
OUT 19 Juninho
A Brazilian quick change.
62' - Good marking on Big Jack McInerney. They had to triple-mark his volley, the Los Angeles Galaxy defensive back line.
63' - Here is Alex Cazumba. Got tripped up, and here comes the Union.
64' - Good defense. Here comes L.A. That was an unimpressive effort by Buddle, but it's a corner.
65' - Cleared away, but the Galaxy maintain possession. Here is A.J. De La Garza, responsible for opening the scoring proceeding tonight.
66' - Ugh. That Dunivant pass was behind Donovan. Egadniks.
67' - Some of the possession by Los Angeles is suspect. McInerney almost became the Chicken Theif tonight.
68' - Nice clearance by Dunivant, and here comes L.A. The passing is fair, but the finishing could use a little bit of work. I don't know, I just seem to point out something they could work on. I'm a technical kind of guy.
69' - Substitution Los Angeles Galaxy
IN 64 Clint Mathis
OUT 21 Alan Gordon
Welcome back, Clint. Hmph.
70' - Corner for Los Angeles.
Too high. 250th regular season appearance for Mr. Mathis. Happy birthday to-wait, that's not it...
72' - A free kick for the Union. Punched away, and here's the transition.
73' - Yellow Card 13 Kyle Nakazawa
Philadelphia Union
Welcome to the MLS, Kyle.
Attendance: 15,453. Exceeded Chris's expectations. Nice try.
74' - Substitution Los Angeles Galaxy
IN 17 Tristan Bowen
OUT 14 Edson Buddle
And thus, the wait for the hat trick continues.
75' - Garbage time now for the Galaxy. Good attempt on the cross by Bowen to Donovan. Timing was off.
76' - Substitution Philadelphia Union
IN 14 Amobi Okugo
OUT 2 Jordan Harvey
77' - Yellow card 4 Omar Gonzalez
Los Angeles Galaxy
And now the chippiness continues, to go with another save by Ricketts.
78' - These Union guys are frustrated as heck right now. Can't believe the Galaxy couldn't finish that one. No card, either.
79' - Here is a corner for the Galaxy. Not a good one after taking it short. Into the seats that volley goes.
80' - Alex Cazumba on the transition. Good work by Danny Califf defending.
81' - Philadelphia's noses are put to the grindstone by the Galaxy. It's as if the white shirts are in Rikki-Tikki-Tavi mode, smashing Nagaina to pieces. In this case, the Union is Nagaina.
83' - They can just melt this clock, the Galaxy can. Philly on the transition.
84' - GOAL! Philadelphia Union 19 Jack McInerney
It's Big Jack's first of the season, and he becomes Chicken Thief Number Two.
85' - Well, both teams are each a goal away from fulfilling my prediction, but I won't mind the margin being proper. But Bruce Arena can't be pleased on bit about the blown goal off the transition. And he has every right to be.
86' - Some fans are choosing to head for the exits, having seen enough. We'll keep it here for last few moments of this match.
87' - In spite of what amounts to be a consolation goal for the Union, Nowak's men will be looking to gain the winning touch.
88' - Perhaps starting Le Toux would have been a smart idea, Piotr Nowak.
89' - Michael Stephens getting some last-minute instructions.
90' - Offsides Galaxy. Three minutes of stoppage time. The banners are out now on the ACB end.
90' + 1' - And Alex Cazumba's timing on the Landon Donovan delivery. left much to be desired.
90' + 2' - Off the woodwork! Unlucky for Donovan. The wait may continue.
90' + 3' - Wide shot for Alex Cazumba. They will need to work on that heading into the road trip. And that is a wrap.
FINAL
LOS ANGELES GALAXY 3
A. J. De La Garza 1'
Edson Buddle 27', 45'
PHILADELPHIA UNION 1
Jack McInerney 84'
Stay tuned for my take on this match on the View and on Bleacher Report.
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