3:0 MetroStars Los Angeles Guevara Gaven Wolyniec 08.08.04 · League

Amado Guevara scored on another penalty kick and Eddie Gaven and John Wolyniec added second-half goals as the Metros swept LA, beating them for the third time this year, and for the second time with a 3:0 scoreline. The game was marked by horrible refereeing, a despicable missed call, and horrendous hack jobs from almost every member of LA's piss-poor team.

The Metros started the same lineup that was successful in the last two games. The Galaxy started to foul early and often, but referee Alex Prus failed to control the game by only giving out one yellow card in the first half. Maybe if he called it more tightly, it would not have evolved into a hack fest -- on LA's side. Time after time the Metros were hacked down and got up, only to get hacked down again. In the 36th minute, no yellow was given on Tyrone Marshall's elbow on John Wolyniec in the penalty area, but at least Prus pointed to the spot. Guevara, who went to his left on every one of his penalty kicks this year, this time went to his right, as overmatched Kevin Hartman had no clue or chance. Amado scored in a fifth straight game, to tie Clint Mathis' team record.

At the end of the first half, a despicable mistake by Prus kept the scoreline at 1:0. On a Cornell Glen header that was going into the net, Cobi Jones jumped up, and used his hand to get the ball out danger -- a red card offense and a goal that should have counted -- except somehow the play was whistled dead before the incident.

The hacking got even worse in the second half, and once again Prus was blind. Only one yellow came out, but in the 61st minute justice was served. Mike Magee was tripped in midfield, regained possession, and, looking the other way, sent a terrific ball through traffic to Eddie Gaven, who found himself one-on-one with Hartman, deftly putting the ball into the Galaxy net.

After another foul by Los Angeles just three minutes later, a quick Metro restart led to a Cornell Glen flick-on that was one-timed by John Wolyniec for a terrific goal. But the Galaxy jackasses didn't stop there. Prus finally showed red in the 68th, as Chris Albright was kicked out after going studs up at Chris Leitch and starting a fight afterwards. Somehow, the multitude of other times LA's players shoved the Metros were not called. Thankfully, the Metros never stood down to the Galaxy's level and should hold their heads up high after withstanding a barrage of cheap shots in such a gentlemanly matter. LA couldn't create anything the rest of the way, as Metro defense stifled their pathetic attempts.

A terrific win against a supposed-best team in the West... A horrific performance by the referee and the said team notwithstanding.

Lineup: Walker, Leitch, Pope, Parke, Bonseu, Vaca, Gaven, Magee, Guevara, Glen, Wolyniec. Subs: Clark, Lisi, Galvan Rey.