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L.A. Tips Chicago, 1-0

June 8, 2002 - Major League Soccer (MLS) News Release


PASADENA, Calif. - Playing in front of a home crowd for the first time since April 27th, the Los Angeles Galaxy defeated the Chicago Fire 1-0 Saturday afternoon at the Rose Bowl. Defender Alexi Lalas provided the second half goal, nodding a Simon Elliott corner kick into the back of the net in the 57th minute. Goalkeeper Kevin Hartman made his return to the Galaxy net count, registering the 33rd shutout of his career.

The Galaxy had the advantage in possession in the first half, employing a calm and disciplined build up to the attack. However, Los Angeles' chances on goal were severely limited by a well-organized Chicago defense. With C.J. Brown and Carlos Bocanegra sliding to support gaps in the Fire defense, Los Angeles repeatedly found carried the ball downfield only to find all passing and shooting lanes sealed tight.

Los Angeles began to get more frequent and more dangerous looks at goal in the latter stages of the half as the offense began to loosen up. Beginning in the 26th minute with a spinning strike by Mauricio Cienfuegos through traffic, the Galaxy move forward in numbers, looking to create a scoring opportunity. With the help of Ezra Hendrickson and Craig Waibel on the flanks, L.A.'s three-forward set of Gavin Glinton, Brian Mullan, and Sasha Victorine applied more pressure on the Fire defense and goalkeeper Zach Thornton.

Los Angeles broke the deadlock in the 57th minute with an Alexi Lalas header coming off of a Simon Elliott corner kick. Defender Danny Califf created space for Lalas by making a diagonal run to the near post, drawing a pair of red shirts with him to cover. With no Fire player covering the back post, Lalas drifted into space inside the box, nodding the ball down and past Thornton for the 1-0 lead.

Tempers flared in the 68th minute of play when Ante Razov retaliated to Peter Vagenas' aggressive defensive attentions with a swat in the face at midfield. Lalas immediately rushed into the scrum, exchanging words with the Chicago forward. Razov received a yellow card for the retaliation, while Vagenas was issued his second yellow of the night for his shirt pulling and holding in the battle leading up to the incident.

Second half substitute Chris Albright had a golden opportunity to add to L.A.'s lead in the 80th minute when he was spring by a long ball out of the back from Lalas. Albright was completely uncontested on his well-timed run into space, but was stopped cold by Thornton, who moved out to drastically reduce Albright's shooting angle.

Despite playing the last 22 minutes of the game down a man after Vagenas' ejection, the Galaxy (5-4-2, 17 points) held on to the 1-0 lead until the final whistle. The win brings the Galaxy's three-game losing streak to a halt, and signals the first time in five games that Los Angeles has played in front of a Rose Bowl crowd. L.A. is back on ESPN2's Soccer Saturday showcase on Saturday, June 15th when the Galaxy takes on Mamadou Diallo and the MetroStars.

Chicago (5-4-2, 17 points) opens the 2002 Brimstone Cup series on Saturday the 15th as the Fire play host to the Dallas Burn at Cardinal Stadium in Naperville. One of the hottest rivalries in the league in the past seasons, the Fire-Burn series is eagerly anticipated by fans and players alike.

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