Galaxy Can’t Find Way Out of the Woods

SAN JOSE — The woodwork is what they call it in soccer, those few sticks that make up the goalposts and crossbars.

Often, they can mean the difference between victory and defeat, and that was certainly the case at Spartan Stadium on Saturday night.

Galaxy winger Cobi Jones fired a header off the San Jose Earthquakes’ crossbar in the 20th minute. The ball rebounded to Alejandro Moreno, bouncing off him and straight to goalkeeper Pat Onstad.

No goal. And no surprise. It’s three weeks shy of one year since Jones last scored, his job now being more provider than scorer.

Still, had his header found the net, the outcome might have been different. Instead, the Galaxy was beaten, 4-2, in a Major League Soccer game in front of a chilled 12,207, the San Jose fans warming readily to the idea of ending Los Angeles’ three-game unbeaten streak.

“If Cobi’s header goes in, I think maybe that changes the complexion of the game,” Galaxy Coach Sigi Schmid said.

The woodwork played a part at the other end too. In the 34th minute, Galaxy goalkeeper Kevin Hartman managed to block a close-range shot by Ian Russell. The loose ball pinged briefly around the penalty area before a shot that flew in from the left skipped off defender Chris Albright’s head and bounced off the left post.

Almost an own goal, but not quite.

Still, the Galaxy defenders could not clear their area. Another shot came in, this time from Canadian international Dwayne DeRosario, and this one clipped the crossbar.

That was it for the woodwork. After that, the ball hit nothing but net.

Former Galaxy player Brian Ching scored in the last seconds of the first half. He scored again just over two minutes into the second half. Another Galaxy castoff, Brian Mullan, made it 3-0 in the 54th minute with a 16-yard rocket.

Three goals in a 10-minute span left the Galaxy (4-2-3) reeling.

They also produced a statistic that will stick in the craw of the Galaxy players and coaches: San Jose (3-2-3) had scored eight consecutive goals against Los Angeles, factoring in the five consecutive goals the Earthquakes scored in last season’s epic playoff victory.

The streak didn’t last much longer. Six minutes after Mullan’s goal, Galaxy midfielder Andreas Herzog put an end to it by directing a cross from Thomas Ngwenya past Onstad in the Earthquakes’ net to make it 3-1.

The comeback was on. Briefly.

Herzog was fouled and was replaced by Ned Grabavoy. Ngwenya was fouled and Grabavoy’s free kick into the area was headed in by Ngwenya, the rookie from Zimbabwe scoring his second goal in as many games. The assist earned fellow rookie Grabavoy his first MLS point.

Trailing, 3-2, with 15 minutes to play, the Galaxy still had a chance.

“We should have been more patient because we had plenty of time,” Schmid said. “But we weren’t.”

DeRosario put an end to it five minutes later, dancing though the Galaxy defense and firing a low shot just inside Hartman’s left post. Overall, the Earthquakes outshot the Galaxy, 29-10.

Carlos Ruiz might be sidelined, but Los Angeles misses defenders Danny Califf and Tyrone Marshall far more than it misses the leading goal scorer in the league.

“After a game like this, it’s easy to point fingers,” said Hartman, arguing the point. “We’re always going to miss them, but do I think we have a good enough team in the guys we have here? Yes, I do.

“Anytime you come in here it’s not really so much a soccer game as it is a battle. Unfortunately, they were a little bit fresher and able to battle a little bit harder. All respect to San Jose, I thought they played well tonight.”

It was the Galaxy’s third game in eight days, with two cross-country flights sandwiched in between.