New York Red Bulls vs Los Angeles Galaxy: Thierry and Landon Score in 1-1 Draw

Happy Birthday to Hope of the Viking Army! Thank you for inviting me to the Red Bulls-Galaxy match and having a wicked sense of humor as you granted me permission to wear my retro New York Cosmos jersey!

The entire South Ward was fantastic and pleasant. I hope more Red Bulls fans join your crew because you're a fantastic bunch. I look forward to hearing all your chants for the remainder of the season at Red Bull Arena!

Covering the match up between the best teams in their respective conferences from one of New York City's best sports bars Legends with the New York Red Bulls South Ward Supporters Clubs of the Viking Army, the Garden State Supporters, and the Empire Supporters Club, everyone present witnessed the New York Red Bulls (4-1-3) tie the Los Angeles Galaxy (4-2-4) 1-1 as their superstars rose to the occasion and delivered.

While the game was played live in front of a sellout crowd of 27,000 fans at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., here in New York, all three Supporters Clubs congregated to watch the game while celebrating the birthday of Viking Army member, Hope.

On the night of the Manny Pacquiao-Shane Mosley boxing match along with Mother's Day approaching us in hours, Red Bulls fans were treated to an entertaining match.

Winners of three straight matches, the Red Bulls have outscored their opponents 8-0. Striking first, the Red Bulls took the lead when Thierry Henry scored his fourth goal of the season in the opening minutes of the game.

Silencing his critics for another game, Henry collected Dane Richard's pass as he evaded LA goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts so he can chip in his shot into the back of the net from a tight angle.

Despite a superb first half performance from Bouna Coundoul, the Los Angeles Galaxy managed to equalize the score in the 41st minute. Unmarked by Red Bull defenders, Landon Donovan scored his fourth goal of the season as he headed a pinpointed David Beckham corner kick for the tie.

Minutes later, Landon Donovan almost scored his second goal of the game as he burned Red Bulls defenders as he accepted a pass from Beckham and passed Red Bulls GK Bouna Coundoul so he could attack the empty net.

Donovan would have scored had it not been for Tim Ream's game awareness as he hustled to kick the ball out of harm's way.

Following the first half, neither team was able to gain the uppe rhand in the second half. While Los Angeles controlled the ball better, the Red Bulls Bouna Coundoul prevented them from taking the lead and possible win.

This was a game where Los Angeles had gained momentum after their tying the game but were unable to capitalize on their opportunities in the second half.

While this game may not be considered a classic, no one can complain that the superstars from both teams didn't play to win. With the tie, both teams remain on top of their conferences. The next time they meet will be on Saturday, Aug. 28, 2011 at Red Bull Arena.

While this game may be over, I wanted to take a moment to commend the South Ward for the marvelous job they've done all season at Red Bull Arena. The time and dedication you've put forth is appreciated and well worth it because the atmosphere you create is helping bring in new fans.

Supporters clubs such as yourself will continue to play a role in the evolution of American Soccer.

Thank you.

Other MLS Results

Avoiding a potential tie, Western Conference second-place Real Salt Lake (5-1-0) defeated Chivas USA (2-3-3) 1-0 in front of their home crowd at the Rio Tinto Stadium when Will Johnson scored the game-winner in the 87th minute of the match. Despite the win, RSL lost playmaker Javier Morales to a broken ankle following an awkward tackle by Chivas’ Marcos Mondaini in the 38th minute.

Playing in front of 20,259 fans at BMO Field on Saturday, Toronto FC (2-3-4) defeated the Houston Dynamo (3-3-3) by a score of 2-1. Goals by Joao Plata (50th minute) and Maicon Santos (81st minute) provided Toronto a 2-0 lead before Houston's Lovel Palmer scored in the 87th minute to reduce the deficit to one.

Meanwhile, over at the RFK Stadium, D.C. United (3-4-2) ended FC Dallas' (3-3-2) three-game winning streak as the physical match resulted in a scoreless draw.

Over in New England, the New England Revolution (2-3-4) didn't disappoint their fans of 11,755 at the Gillette Stadium as they battled MLS Cup champions the Colorado Rapids (4-3-2) to a scoreless draw.

Running their unbeaten streak to seven, the Columbus Crew (3-1-4) rallied to tie the Seattle Sounders (3-3-4) by a score of 1-1. Needing to tie the score, Emilio Renteria equalized Columbus when his penalty kick goal in the 67th minute negated Seattle's Fredy Montero's goal that he scored in the seventh minute of the game.

Despite being the dominant team, the Chicago Fire (1-3-4) disappointed their fans at the Toyota Park as they tied the Vancouver Whitecaps (1-4-4) in a match where they squandered their numerous opportunities to score.

On Friday night, the Portland Timbers (4-3-1) remained unbeaten at the JELD-WEN Field as they squeaked by the Philadelphia Union (4-2-1) 1-0 thanks to Mamadou “Futty” Danso's fantastic header in the 72nd minute.

Cesar Diaz covers Soccer for LatinoSports.com. He's also a Columnist for 5 Points Press & USSoccerPlayers.com; your source for American Soccer news brought to you by members of the U.S. National Team. Easily accessible, you may reach Cesar at [e-mail] and at Twitter at @CoveringSoccer.