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Landon Donovan had every reason to want to celebrate.
His Los Angeles Galaxy had just opened their 2011 MLS playoffs with a victory, on the road no less, and the U.S. national team star quietly pumped his fists and smiled shortly after the final whistle of LA's 1-0 playoff win against the New York Red Bulls.
That familiar sight must have burned Rafael Marquez up because all he could think to do when he saw Donovan was throw the soccer ball he was holding right at his old rival, like his own personal game of dodge ball.
Unfortunately for Marquez, his successfully-aimed throw at Donovan did little to change the fact that the Los Angeles Galaxy are in control of their Western Conference semifinal series after Sunday's victory, a game that saw New York create chances but fail to put a single shot past an inspired Josh Saunders.
The Galaxy didn't exactly wow the Red Bulls, or dominate like you might expect the No. 1 team in MLS to against the 10th-seeded team in the playoffs. No, Los Angeles followed a familiar script of being organized and disciplined defensively, and effective in turning David Beckham's service into goals.
That was enough record a victory for the Galaxy on Sunday that leaves LA in good shape after the first leg of the series, but the match was definitely too close for comfort for the Supporters Shield winners, who probably didn't care that Sunday's match was the most competitive MLS playoff game of the weekend's conference semifinal round.
"It was great to get three points but I don't think we were too happy with the way we played," said Mike Magee, who scored the Galaxy game winner. "I don't think we played the way we've been playing all year. We took our foot off the gas and we stopped passing.
"We didn't put away that second one which would have been huge," Magee said. "Even though we won, it's a weird feeling because we didn't play the way we're used to."
As for the Red Bulls, head coach Hans Backe couldn't praise his team enough for its performance, and he sounded like a coach that was either in complete denial, or one who was very confident in his team's chances of winning in a stadium no visiting MLS team has won at all year.
"It was a great performance one of our absolutely better games, by far, for a couple of months," Backe said. "We totally controlled the game, dictated the game. We had four huge chances to tie the game.
"To me, this is totally wide open," Backe said. "If we can perform like this on Thursday, we have won in LA before and we can do it again."
As much as Backe's words seemed a bit overboard (the win in LA he referred to came 13 months ago), he wasn't far off in his assessment that New York created more chances and better chances, and if not for Saunders' heroics, the Red Bulls could easily be in control of the series heading back to California.
That is what made Marquez's tantrum all the more of a head-scratcher. His ball toss, subsequent failed attempts at a head butt, and an arrant punch aimed at Galaxy forward Adam Cristman, earned him a red card and suspension from the return leg. As if that sequence wasn't bad enough, Marquez capped it all with a theatrical
The episode was stupid and selfish and was the type of incident that has become all too familiar when it comes to Marquez, who was suspended earlier in the year for criticizing teammates, and who is well known for his meltdowns for Mexico against the United States.
New York bully: Rafael Marquez's dirty tactics cost him a chance to play in the return leg at The Home Depot Center. (Photo by Christopher Pasatieri/Getty Images)
The funny thing is New York might wind up being better off because of Marquez's moment of madness. Galaxy midfielder Juninho also received a red card for the post-game melee that followed Marquez's post-game antics, and it can be argued that he is more important and as tougher to replace for LA than Marquez is for New York.
Actually, the Red Bulls showed late in the year that they can win without Marquez, and with Dax McCarty ready to slide in the lineup, New York shouldn't really miss a beat because of the Marquez suspension. In fact, with starting right back Jan Gunnar Solli ready to return from suspension, the Red Bulls should be a stronger side on Thursday than the one that pushed the Galaxy to the brink on Sunday.
That, along with the increased tension brought on by Sunday's post-match scuffle, should hike up the intensity on Thursday to new levels, and Marquez's absence won't alleviate that. If anything, Landon Donovan's comments after Sunday's match, where he trashed New York as a dirty team, should provide some extra spice to the series.
"In all my years in this league, I've not played against a cheaper team, and they've been doing it all year," Donovan said of the Red Bulls. "We saw it a few weeks ago with (Thierry) Henry kneeing someone in the back. You've seen that stuff all year, and you just deal with it.
"It's part of it, but at the end of it, the cream rose to the top and the better team won."
The Galaxy have yet to win the series though. They simply won the first battle, but if Sunday's tightly-contested match is any indication, Thursday's rematch is going to be even more intense, as the Red Bulls fight for survival and the Galaxy try to move a step closer to the championship they are expected to win.
Source: http://network.yardbarker.com/soccer/article_external/donovan_red_bulls_are_a_dirty_team/7774237
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