CARSON, Calif. – Robbie Rogers said it was “going to take a few days” to get past his gaffe that cost the LA Galaxy an early lead and, ultimately, a couple of points in Saturday's 1-1 draw with the visiting Houston Dynamo.
LA looked like they might be headed toward a one-sided victory after Robbie Keane's third-minute goal was followed by nearly 10 minutes of the crispest soccer the Galaxy have played this year. But Rogers was caught ball-watching on an 11th-minute Houston corner kick, the Dynamo pulled even, and the Galaxy, outhustled for the most part, couldn't break the deadlock despite most of the possession and far more chances.
“Didn't like a whole lot,” Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena said after the game. “On the night we weren't very good, to be honest with you. We lost too many battles on the night. I think they played harder over 90 minutes than we did, and I think it made a difference in the game.
“It's a game we had a chance to win, possibly, going away if we're sharper. We had a mental breakdown on the corner kick, Robbie Rogers loses his man and it's a goal, and in a game like this, where your opponent is sitting back and defending with numbers – looking to get out on a break, perhaps on a restart – we've got to be better at that. To concede a goal shortly after we scored, eight minutes later, that's not good on our part.”
Rogers was marking Nathan Sturgis as Boniek Garcia delivered the corner kick from the left flank, and when the ball sailed to the far post, where Houston's David Horst beat Omar Gonzalez to the header, Rogers turned his back to Sturgis and watched the aerial duel. Sturgis broke for open space in the goalmouth to knock Horst's delivery into the net.
“Just got caught watching Omar going up for a header and kind of lost track of Nathan Sturgis, and he made a great guess where the ball's going to go,” Rogers said. “It's a bummer, especially because I thought we started the game so well, and after that, I thought we kind of lost momentum. Just something I've got to work on.”
He was asked if it's the kind of play that you kick yourself and then try to forget.
“Yeah, I mean, you try to do that, of course,” Rogers said. “It's going to take a few days. But definitely a learning experience.”
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Gonzalez wasn't happy that Horst, who stands an inch shorter than him at 6-foot-4, beat him to the first ball.
“The guy I was marking, he's a big guy as well, so it's a good matchup,” Gonzalez said. “We've been working a lot on set pieces – defensive set pieces in particular – and feel like you work on it so much, it's in your head, and then once again you end up getting scored on again.
“I'm pretty sure we'll end up doing more set pieces this week [in training]. Pretty sure Bruce will be in our ear a lot this week. So that will be a lot of fun.”
The Galaxy, as in their first two games, defended well – the corner kick aside.
“That's what makes it more frustrating,” Rogers said. “They score off a free kick like that, something we've worked on so much. It's a bummer.”
