Mike Magee came into the game as a second half substitute and turned the affair on its head. He played a key role in each of the four second half goals, scoring twice, assisting once and drawing a penalty. As a result of his dominance, the Los Angeles Galaxy defeated DC United 4-1 at the StubHub Center.
D.C. United strike first
Not much time had come off the clock when the opening goal found the back of the net. In fact, neither side had found their groove with both playing some sloppy soccer.
But in the fifth minute, the visitors found a way through thanks to a couple of lapses in concentration. Steven Gerrard gave away possession and the ball fell to Nigel De Jong. The newcomer tried to clear the danger but it went straight to Lamar Neagle. Neagle proceeded to dance his way into the area before slotting one past a diving Dan Kennedy.
From that moment on though, the Galaxy took over. They started pumping crosses into the box every chance possible. In the 13th minute, a delivery almost fell to the feet of Robbie Keane but Andrew Dykstra nabbed it out of the air. Four minutes later, Los Angeles tried to go the same route, but the DC keeper was on his toes again.
As the first half came to a close, neither team were creating chances. Passes became weak and the two sides looked as if they had ran out of ideas in the final third of the pitch.
Mike Magee steals the show
The second half was a whole other story. Los Angeles stormed out of the gates and looked like a completely different side. Pressure mounted early and often as scoring chances became more frequent.
It started in the 52nd minute when the Galaxy almost found the back of the net. A ball got sent into the eighteen yard box and found the head of Robbie Keane. His header, though, slammed off the crossbar. The rebound reached Gyasi Zardes who's ensuing shot fell into the gloves of a jumping Dykstra.
The equalizer came three minutes later. After replacing Giovanni Dos Santos at the start of the second half, Mike Magee sent in a ball towards the box. It worked its way towards the top of the six where Daniel Steres had a free header find the top left corner.
In the 65th minute, Magee gave the Galaxy the lead. Sebastian Lletget found the 31-year-old free and in the left side of the box. The forward, who is in his second stint with LA, took his time before looping the ball over a helpless Dykstra.
With eight minutes to go, Mike found space in behind DC United's defense again. He had poked the ball past Dykstra, but the opposing goalkeeper still took Magee down. The captain Robbie Keane stepped up and slotted his effort into the bottom right corner.
Los Angeles scored their fourth and final goal of the night in the 87th minute. Off of a Steven Gerrard free kick, Magee found space in the box and redirected the cross to secure the victory.
The Galaxy improved by miles in the second half. They weaved into spaces and got good looks on target. Bruce Arena will be happy with the way his side listened to his adjustments. This is a good victory to build on but there are still things that could be better for sure. But this a good way to kick off the new campaign.
What's next?
Bruce Arena's men now take to the road as they play the Colorado Rapids this Saturday. DC United continue their road trip as they fly back east to take on the New England Revolution.