Galaxy Drop Red Bulls In Extra Time

The Los Angeles Galaxy defeated the New York Red Bulls 3-1 after extra time in a U.S. Open Cup qualifying game on Tuesday night. Galaxy goalkeeper Steve Cronin had a masterful performance, stopping nearly everything the Red Bulls could come up with.

RBNY coach Bruce Arena went with most of his starters to begin the game, while the Galaxy went with a few younger guys - Robbie Findley, Steve Cronin, Mike Randolph. In the first half, Cronin stopped several tough shots - including a Jozy Altidore penalty kick - and kept his team in the game.

In the second half, Cobi Jones received a straight red card in the 54th minute for kicking Dave van den Bergh while he was on the ground. The Red Bulls were also reduced to 10 men when Dema Kovalenko received his second yellow card for pulling Landon Donovan down from behind in the 73rd minute.

The teams played to a 0-0 tie after regulation, and then it was all Galaxy in the overtime sessions. Landon Donovan made it 1-0 with a penalty kick. Later in the first overtime, Santino Quaranta connected with Kyle Martino, who headed the ball home to make it 2-0.

In the second overtime, Juan Pablo Angel - who made his debut a little after an hour into the game - curled home a brilliant free kick to pull one back for RBNY. But the Galaxy added an insurance goal near the end of the second overtime, courtesy Santino Quaranta getting on the end of a Landon Donovan pass, making the final score 3-1 Galaxy.

Sidenote: Over 10,000 fans showed up for the game, a great number for a U.S. Open Cup game, especially on a Tuesday night. It outdrew the average attendance for a Kansas City or a New England home game. That either says a lot about Galaxy fans or speaks to the trouble that KC & NE are in when it comes to attendance.