Cheap Shot Wins – MLS Powerhouse Beats 5th Division UPSL La Maquina in U.S. Open Cup
Incredible surprise as fifth division UPSL League’s La Maquina took on MLS LA Galaxy in a fourth round Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup match-up last night. What is happening to good sportsmanship? Or was the UPSL team that green?
The LA Galaxy hosted UPSL La Maquina in the fourth round of the U.S. Open Cup at StubHub Center last night and brought crowds to their feet — with a decisive goal being scored in a most unsportsmanlike manner.
The final score might look like a LA Galaxy 4-1 easy victory but it was earned in extra time — and the tie breaker has made headlines.
Just in case you missed the details of the game – the 5th division La Maquina was tied with the MLS powerhouse 1-1 and a foul was called.
The usual on field set up — where players prepare a wall and the referee blows the whistle and then the action starts up again — never happened. Instead, the LA Galaxy drops the ball and fires it off immediatly – and as the ball finds the back of the net, few onlookers thought it was game changer. Why take a shot before the whistle? Obviously the goal didn’t count.
But the LA Galaxy never asked for ten yeards and for a wall … The ball was dropped and played right away. The referee never blew his whistle and La Maquina was obviously not prepared. Is this an apprporiate goal? With headlines around the internet like L.A. Galaxy Require Cheap, Fake Goal To Beat Fifth-Division Beer League Team, few devout soccer fans approve.
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is a chance for amateur teams to compete against the professionals in the world’s most beautiful game — perhaps winning is all that matters, especially as a MLS team losing to a UPSL team would be more than embarassing.
Although the LA Galaxy opened the match with a goal scored by Jose Villarreal with the assist from Raul Mendiola in the first half — two minutes later, at the 17 minute mark, Rafael Garcia earned a Red Card and was ejected, leaving the team to play the rest of the match with only 10 men on the field.
Then, at the 28 minute mark, Edwin Borboa scored for La Maquina. Now the air in the stadium was still – was it possible for an upstart soccer team from Santa Ana to tie against the 2014 MLS Championship team? Who would have thought that the famed and star studded LA Galaxy would face a near loss to La Maquina?
The LA Galaxy recap of the match refers to the UPSL squad as “The hard-working and talented amateur side …. The Galaxy dominated possession but couldn’t generate many chances against an organized UPSL squad.” Perhaps an understatement.
So, when the LA Galaxy earned a free kick in the beginning of extra time in the fourth round Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup — apparently the only thing that mattered was scoring.
“I think all soccer fans would have preferred to see a earned goal in OT instead of a goal that represented extremely poor judgment by the head referee and a lack of sportsmanship by Galaxy, who had their own player still down in the box.” said Yan K. Skwara, UPSL Commissioner. “La Maquina was toe to toe against the MLS LA Galaxy until the surprise goal was scored. This tie-breaker obviously shook them — to have a goal of this nature handed to the Galaxy in a Round Four U.S Open Cup match in OT.”
“I think any opposing team in this scenario would be livid — and, that’s an understatement,” said Skwara. “A man is on ground — A decoy created a scoring opportunity? We will see what U.S. Soccer has to say as they make final decisions on these matters, but its not a good example of sportsmanship and certainly beyond poor officiating.”
While it might be legal in the ten commandments of soccer, fans seem to disagree and hold their MLS champions to a better standard. Win clean seems to be the message. Don’t lose to a 5th division team, but be better than having to earn the advance with a cheap shot.
UPSL La Maquina FC took on the LA Galaxy in the 2016 Lamar Hunt U.S Open Cup after defeating LA Wolves FC in the Third Round of play in the oldest soccer tournament in North American history.
