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LA Galaxy draw Seattle Sounders 1-1

By Mike Gray
Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports

The LA Galaxy just couldn't hold on, falling late to a Chad Barrett tap-in during injury time to draw the Seattle Sounders 1-1 on a Sunday evening before 56,097 at CenturyLink Field.

With the tie, the Galaxy's Supporters' Shield hopes are dead as LA briefly jump to the top of the Western Conference standings, however both FC Dallas and the Vancouver Whitecaps have games in hand.

The first half was an ugly affair, specifically for the Sounders. Whether it was Lamar Neagle replacing Nelson Valdez on the right wing or the football lines on the pitch, Seattle looked flat, unable to get anything going in attack. Early on Obafemi Martins located Clint Dempsey behind the Galaxy back four, but his shot was tame and Donovan Ricketts was able to make the stop.

Late in the half, LA took the lead on the road. In the 36th minute, Sounders center back Zach Scott played a errant back pass behind Gonzalo Pineda in a dangerous spot on the field, and Keane managed to intercept the ball and easily beat Stefan Frei with a low simple finish.

Minutes later, a sublime long ball from Steven Gerrard found Dos Santos behind the Sounders back line, but his first touch was long.

Seattle came out with purpose in the second half. Minutes in, Andreas Ivanschitz fired a blast at Donovan Ricketts, but the big man wan was able to make the stop before eventually collapsing to the turf with a shoulder injury, though he was able to continue.

However, the Galaxy defense were able to successfully absorb the pressure from the Sounders, specifically In the 59th minute when Leonardo had a crucial interception to prevent Obafemi Martins from shooting from point-blank range.

On the other side of the pitch, a Steven Gerrard header off a corner kick hit Pinedo before crashing off the right crossbar. Then in the 68th minute, substitute Erik Friberg got on the end of a Seattle cross inside the six-yard box, but with the ball bouncing right in front of the attacker, the shot was tricky and Friberg pulled the shot wide.

In the 86th minute, LA escaped by the smallest of margins. Martins located Dempsey behind the Galaxy defense once again, and with Ricketts rushing to meet Dempsey, the U.S. international squared a ball that was heading for the net, only for AJ DeLaGarza to improbably clear the ball off Omar Gonzalez's back and over the bar.

However, the Galaxy's luck ran out during stoppage time. With the Sounders taking  a corner kick, Chad Barrett got on the end of a flick to tap-in from the goal line to rescue a point for Seattle.

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