LA show fight but defensive frailty and offensive stutters can't give them the needed victory, Donovan is superb and Angel isn't in a 1:1 draw. 

Huge support out in Carson, many hoping to get a glimpse of LA's superstar Designated player. The evening was temperate and the atmosphere; in the purpose built stadium; was bouncing. Five wins on the trot had seen LA raise themselves up from also rans to potential contenders. Lose this game and they have to wait till next year and Yallop is likely sacked; win and they control their fate, draw and their play off hopes are dependent on other results. New York was determined not to just roll over although a repeat of the nine goal; defensively awful; game in New York was unlikely.

Yallop would again pack his bench with talent; the starting eleven play in a 4 4 2 formation with Pavon and Donovan up front; the number 10 will be the deeper player; width in midfield is provided by Jones and Martino, Tudela and Vagenas provide some meat in the middle; Roberts and Jazic provide solidity at centre back with Klein is the right back with a license to attack mirrored by Randolph on the left; Cannon keeps goal.

Ex USMNT manager Arena started with Conway in goal; van den Burgh provides width and crosses from the left with Mendes and Parke inside him and Freeman on the right; Richards provides pace and crosses from the right with Altidore moving out wide to cover for injury and suspensions; Stammler and Vide are tough tackler in the middle with Angel; MLS's second highest goal scorer this season and Wolyniec up front.

Klein shows LA's intentions with a bold right sides run, his cross let run by a team mate and falls to the surprised Martino whose finish is poor.

Altidore cuts through the LA left and lays a beautiful ball into the are for Angel; the Colombian is timid as Cannon bravely smothers the tame shot which then goes for a corner, Stammler gets forward to take and gets it back from Vide after a weak LA clearance, his back post ball is almost perfect but Angel; rising unchallenged amidst the poor LA defence; heads wide of the far post.

Richards and Randolph start the battle that will last all night; the Jamaican skins the American and whips a ball in which only ends up as a corner kick; Wolyniec's attitude wins another corner; Richards cuts once too many to bamboozle Randolph and Jazic is able to step in and clear; van den Burgh plays a ball up to a wide Angel, he cuts inside, rides a challenge from Richards and sets up Wolyniec, Klein is excellent in covering the shot; the ball is being kept well by New York and their attacking intent is causing all sorts of problems for LA, they just haven't got the class to be in front.

Richards and Freeman combine to send in a ball for Angel but Cannon is quicker to the ball than the Colombian; quick distribution from Cannon sees Pavon at the other end win a corner kick, Altidore's clearing header falls to Martino who lays it wide to Donovan, a quick run and a great cross sees Conway in no mans land and an unmarked Richards at the back post have an easy header for an LA lead.

The lead wouldn't last long; van den Bergh makes a run on the left, crosses from deep and a shoddy LA defence is pulled apart by Wolyniec's near post run, Altidore is in his favoured spot and makes no mistakes, heading past Cannon from six yards out. The softest of equalizers may have cost LA their play off place.

LA have some fight in them; Donovan sees a chance flash just wide; his run is good but the cross isn't; he forces a corner kick and LA keep New York pinned back; a poor clearance from Conway; who was used almost like a sweeper for much of the first half; kicks a poor clearance which comes back to Donovan off van den Burgh, the number ten's effort is deflected narrowly over; Pavon falls into the New York offside trap (again and again and again and again and again until he eventually gets subbed); on the half hour a van den Bergh free kick comes into the LA area, the defenders don't but Angel hasn't got his shooting boots on and Cannon saves easily.

Conway comes up with a good save after a great overlapping Klein run and cross, the clearance comes back but Conway just beats Donovan to the long ball.

Wolyniec gets a fabulous ball into Angel but one too many touches by the Colombian allow him to be closes down and his shot is off balance and wild; a good clearance from Cannon sets Jones free, the veteran skins van den Bergh and whips in a great cross which is wasted with non existent LA movement. Plenty of chances in a first half littered with slack attacking and poor defending.

Leitch comes on for the inured van den Bergh at the start of the second half.

Yallop was ambivalent about his side allowing such a rapid equalizer; a reason we probably won't see him at LA next year; "that's football" was his quote, he wants his side to "keep on keeping on" and suggested he'll have Beckham on in the second half.

Parke lofts the ball forward to Donovan who shows world class (yes really! stunning skills by the LA #10) with his cushioning of the ball whilst on the move, his excellence in seeing the wide run of Martino and his quickness of thought in playing the ball perfectly into the path of the winger, Martino cuts deeper into the area and unleashes a shot across Conway but the keeper is alert and holds onto the ball with Donovan sprinting in to mop up any Robinsonesque error.

WOW! This clip should be on every MLS season highlight reel! Awesome skill on display from Donovan, great movement off the ball and a fine shot from Martino and a great save under pressure from Conway. WOW!

It was nice to hear Wynalda suitably awestruck!

Roberts heads over from a well delivered back post corner; Donovan sees a fine cross well cut out; LA are surging forward; almost desperate for the win.

Richards has a fine run; in which he skins Randolph (again); and cross wasted by Angel, the Colombian takes too many touches and the shot is blocked; Angel and Richards combine again with some neat interplay but the move breaks down; when the ball comes out to Stammler he has a wild shot from distance.

LA try to keep the tempo high but their attacks lack a cutting edge, their play in midfield is good, harrying New York and not allowing them time to settle; but the away side still look to break; Richards finds himself in space, has a good run and shot which is well saved by Cannon; Glinton replaces Martino; Angel sees a free kick kiss the outside of the post; Donovan; easily LA best player; runs at New York, cutting through their defence, he lays the ball across the six yard box but Pavon is too slow to reach the gift wrapped goal scoring opportunity; he's then taken off for Buddle; Richards beats Randolph (yes he did it again) with pace and strength and dinks the ball past Cannon who dives and trips the winger; then you get a close up of the bewildered Jamaican when the referee waves play on.

Jones sets up Klein whose ball in allows Vagenas to strike a wicked shot which brings a class save from Conway who turns it around the post for a corner kick; then the keeper beats Buddle to a high through ball.

Vagenas is brought off for Beckham leaving the young Tudela to partner the Englishman at the heart of midfield; the superstar has twenty-two minutes to make his mark.

Space is appearing for New York with LA focused almost 100% on scoring next; Altidore beats Tudela, cuts inside but see his shot blocked; and Vide gets the ball from a corner and has a shot which Cannon does well to keep track of.

The desperation of LA is becoming apparent as their play is becoming ragged; Beckham really isn't making a positive impact in fact it looks like he's unbalanced the team somewhat; Leitch gives away a soft corner and Beckham delivers a delightful ball to Tudela whose shot is well turned aside by Conway; a neat and well executed training ground move; for all the huff and puff of the Galaxy in the final few minutes the best chances come to New York with Altidore firing once high and once wide and Roberts needed a well timed tackle to strip the ball from an onrushing Colombian.

Yallop bowed to the pressure exerted by Beckham and wrongly played him; he unbalanced the team and they never looked quite as sharp and dominant without Vagenas. Lucky to escape this game with a win the LA defence allowed Angel a myriad of chances and were lucky to have a incompetent referee. Donovan was awesome, power, pace, touch, vision, work rate, passing, movement he had it all but was maybe a little too far beyond his team mates; particularly Pavon.

Yallop may still save his job if the gods of football are kind but he really fluffed this home chance to make the play offs more attainable.

Arena will wonder about the bodged penalty decision and the regularity with which Angel failed to find the net given his array of wonderful opportunities. His defence played well and Conway kept them in the game with some fine second half saves; whilst presses throughout they never looked as like capitulating although the goal was a soft one the equalizer was a display of simple, well executed football and a touch of skill to finish. He can look forward to the play offs.

The referee was a homer; way too many decisions incorrectly favoured the home side and he waved play on after a blatant penalty; which if he thought wasn't a penalty should have seen Richards get a yellow card. His two cards were merited but his use of advantage was poor. Not one of the better performances from Kevin.

LA Galaxy:-

Cannon

Klein

Jazic

Roberts

Randolph

Jones

Tudela

Vagenas (Beckham 68)

Martino (Glinton 57)

Donovan

Pavon (Buddle 64)

Bookings:-

Martino

Goals:-

Roberts 15

New York Red Bulls

Conway

Freeman

Parke

Mendes

van den Bergh (Leitch 46)

Richards

Vide

Stammler

Altidore

Angel

Wolyniec (Ubiparipovic 70)

Bookings:-

Richards

Goals:-

Altidore 16

Attendance:-

27000

Referee:-

Kevin Stott