CARSON, Calif. -- Landon Donovan's penalty kick in the 79th minute gave the Los Angeles Galaxy a 2-2 draw with FC Dallas on Sunday afternoon at The Home Depot Center in the 2008 season finale for both teams.
Donovan's goal, his 20th of the season, gave the U.S. international the Budweiser Golden Boot as the league's top scorer, the first time he's won the honor. Donovan finished two goals ahead of FC Dallas striker Kenny Cooper, who was kept off the scoresheet.
Edson Buddle put the Galaxy into the lead in the 21st minute, but FC Dallas scored twice within five minutes through Drew Moor and Victor Sikora. Both sides finished the game a man down as red cards were shown on either side of halftime.
The game got off to a quick start. In the opening minute of the game, Dallas worked a great combination through the midfield with a series of one-touch passes that eventually sprung Jeff Cunningham. While Cunningham's shot was blocked out for a corner kick, it showed a signal of intent that neither team was going to just go through the motions.
Despite the fast start for the visitors, it was the Galaxy that started to take control of the match. In just the fifth minute, LA forced a turnover. On the play, Buddle slipped Donovan through. Donovan's first touch got a little to far out ahead of him, and by the time he caught up to the ball, goalkeeper Dario Sala had cut down the angle, giving Donovan nowhere to shoot.
The Galaxy continued to control the run of play, including a header by Alan Gordon from a David Beckham corner kick that sailed just over the bar. It wasn't until the 21st minute, though, that LA got the breakthrough.
Eddie Lewis started the break with a long switch of fields to Beckham. Beckham collected the ball and sent it into the mixer where Buddle rose up and knocked a header into the side netting past Sala. It was the 15th goal of the season for Buddle, a career-high, and moved him into sole possession of third place in the MLS goalscoring table.
Six minutes later, Buddle nearly doubled his tally. Mike Randolph had ventured forward from his left back position and hit a looping ball over the top of the Dallas defense. Buddle did a good job of controlling the pass then held off two defenders before rattling the upright with a well-struck shot.
The Galaxy seemed to be in complete control, tracking back well on defense and doing well to keep possession. Then, just past the half-hour mark, everything fell apart in a blink of an eye.
Dallas found their equalizer in the 34th minute. A good buildup had the Galaxy scrambling in their penalty area. Eventually the ball made its way to Bobby Rhine, whose shot was deflected out by Sean Franklin. On the ensuing corner kick, Galaxy 'keeper Josh Wicks completely misplayed the cross, and when the ball made its way to Moor, the Dallas right back simply had to tuck the ball into an empty net.
Five minutes later, Dallas took the lead. Duilio Davino picked out Sikora running down the center channel. Wicks initially charged off his line, then backtracked two steps before advancing again. The indecision allowed Sikora to tuck the ball past him and into the back of the net.
A minute later, as the Galaxy were pushing forward to try and respond, Dallas launched a counterattack. Alvaro Pires fouled Sikora in an attempt to break up the play and was immediately shown a straight red card by referee Tim Weyland, reducing the Galaxy to 10 men.
The half would end with the Galaxy down a man, but it wouldn't take long for things to even themselves out. Four minutes into the second half, Donovan drew a foul on Aaron Pitchkolan. The foul earned Pitchkolan a yellow card, his second of the match, leveling the playing field.
With both teams forced to rethink their formations and tactics, the coaches went to their bench. As a result the game slowed down and there were few chances created by either team for a long stretch. It wasn't until the 63rd minute that Dallas was finally able to carve out a chance.
The Hoops worked the ball up the right side of the field, feeding Cooper in the box. Chris Klein was tracking back and managed to keep Cooper in a wide position, and the Dallas striker shot wide of the mark from a sharp angle.
The Galaxy got a good look of their own in the 74th. Donovan controlled a long ball with his chest, dropping it off for Brandon McDonald. The rookie tried to replicate his goal from two weeks ago, getting great contact on the ball from long range, but his aim was a bit off, as McDonald hit his shot right at Sala.
The game began to open up again and in the 78th minute, Cooper worked himself free for a good scoring opportunity. Cooper drifted wide on the play to receive a pass, cut inside a defender, but missed wide of the target.
LA quickly got the ball back in play to Beckham, who picked out Lewis making a run in behind the Dallas defense. Lewis got the ball, and attempted to round Sala. The Dallas 'keeper bowled over Lewis, drawing a penalty kick. Donovan stepped up to the spot and buried his shot, notching his 20th goal on the campaign and evening up the score at 2-2.
LA wasn't content with a draw and continued to press for a winner. In the 82nd minute, Beckham played an inch-perfect cross to Buddle, whose glancing header skipped just wide of the back post.
With the Galaxy pushing forward, it was Dallas that nearly got the winner. Cooper fed Cunningham a nice ball that sprung him loose. Cunningham sprinted in on Wicks, but his attempt to chip the 'keeper sailed well over the crossbar.
That was the last good chance of the game, as the match ended in a 2-2 draw. The point put the Galaxy into a tie with San Jose for the league's worst record, but LA will avoid the dubious distinction of finishing dead last in MLS by virtue of their head-to-head record with their northern California rivals.
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