LA Galaxy defeat New York Red Bulls in starstudded match

It was the most starstudded match in MLS history outside of the allstar game.  The Red Bulls ran out Rafa Marquez, Juan Pablo Angel and Thierry Henry while the Galaxy countered with American stars Landon Donovan and Edson Buddle.  Both sides had been chirping in the media all week with Los Angeles taking exception to the newfound New York love.

It was the Galaxy that would make noise first after a Rafa Marquez turnover in the midfield sent them on the attack.  Juninho picked up the ball and passed to Edson Buddle. With Ream and Carlos Mendes chasing unsucessfully, Buddle slotted a right-footed shot from 10 yards past goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul.

Juan Pablo Angel could have tied it late in the opening half, but his shot was turned away by the crossbar.  It was a physical first half as Los Angeles repeated knocked down Marquez and collapsed around Henry, while the Red Bulls' attempts almost all came from the right through Dane Richards.

Edson Buddle could have doubled the lead in the 49th after Landon Donovan rounded Coundoul, but with an open net the forward shot wide and Donovan raised his hands to cover his face in shock.  Henry nearly pounced on a bad backpass by Gonzalez in the 54th, but goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts ran out and poked the ball away before the French forward could run onto it. Referee Mark Geiger then allowed a pair of Galaxy defenders to wrestle Henry to the ground in the penalty area without a call.

Freed by Joel Lindpere in the 68th, Henry put a 13-yard shot over the crossbar on a shot that appeared to be deflected. Four minutes later, Ricketts dived to his right to bat away Angel's header off Lindpere's corner kick, then blocked Ream's short-range rebound attempt.  Henry's 22-yard free kick in the 81st rebounded off the defensive wall. Coundell then dived to deflect Buddle's angled shot in stoppage time.