E. RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- They say some ties feel like wins while others are more like losses. But excuse Landon Donovan for not being sure what to feel after his injury time strike salvaged a point for the Los Angeles Galaxy in a 2-2 draw against the New York Red Bulls at Giants Stadium.
That's because, moments after his equalizer, Donovan came within inches of grabbing a spectacular winner when his right-footed blast rocketed off the inside of Red Bulls 'keeper Jon Conway's near post and out of danger.
"From where I was I saw that the ball was going in," said Galaxy coach Ruud Gullit afterward. "Then it swerved to the left a bit. If it goes the other way, it goes in."
"I hit it as well as I could hit it," Donovan said. "Given the circumstances -- being down in the 90th minute -- tying is good. I think it was probably the fair result."
Still, despite the dramatic late miss, Los Angeles might have stolen all three points anyway. The Galaxy controlled possession for long stretches of the game and limited the Red Bulls -- who got goals from Dave van den Bergh and Juan Pablo Angel -- to only a few quality chances.
Veteran striker Carlos Ruiz, staring his first game since the season opener after a lengthy injury layoff, scored once but had a few more chances that he often -- when fit and in form -- puts away with ease.
"Eventually, when he gets confidence, he's going to score every game if not a couple times," added Donovan. "Tonight he could have had four or five goals."
Nonetheless, Gullit was pleased with the Guatemalan international's effort, and also with the way Ruiz responded after being told recently that he might be traded if he can't contribute on a regular basis.
"I had a conversation with him and said 'You haven't done anything for us. It's difficult to get you into good shape. If you continue like this, I have to think about trading you.'
"The good thing is that (tonight) he showed that he wanted to stay with the LA Galaxy. His commitment was unbelievable. I think he proved tonight that he's the player everyone knows. He took my conversation very seriously and I'm very proud of him."
Galaxy midfielder David Beckham had a quiet night on the score sheet but was undoubtedly the man many of the 46,754 in attendance came to see. Flashbulbs sparkled every time the visitors had a set piece opportunity in New York's end, but they were also accompanied by a smattering of boos each time.
"It was the same as last year," said Beckham. "There were some boos last year as well."
Of course, the big difference between the captain's last visit here 11 months ago and Saturday's appearance was the result. Last time around, Angel stole all three points for New York when he scored with minutes left to play to cap a nine-goal thriller. This year, the visitors were the ones who struck late to earn a result.
"It didn't look like we were going to get the goal but we did in the end," said Beckham. "It shows a lot of character."
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