Corpus Christi Caller Times Caller.com - Rookie Victorine debuts big for Los Angeles in 4-0 victory over D.C. United

Marketplace \| Services \| Contact Us \| Community \| Arts & Entertainment \| Local Guides

Sunday, March 26, 2000

Rookie Victorine debuts big for Los Angeles in 4-0 victory over D.C. United

Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Sasha Victorine, a first-round draft pick from UCLA, made a strong rookie debut with a goal and two assists Saturday as the Los Angeles Galaxy routed D.C. United 4-0 in a rematch of last year's MLS Cup.
   Victorine, starting for injured midfielder Roy Myers, set up Clint Mathis in the 11th minute and took the ball off the foot of Eddie Pope to start the play that led to Cobi Jones' first goal in the 59th.
   Jones got his second, his third of the season, in the 89th minute. Victorine, who hit the right post in the 47th, scored in second-half injury time off a nice feed from Mauricio Cienfuegos.
   Before the game, United's players were presented with their championship rings, the reward for their 2-0 victory over the Galaxy in the 1999 MLS Cup.
   But the game belonged to the Galaxy, who seized momentum with Mathis' goal and were undeterred when Marco Etcheverry, MLS' career assists leader, entered the game to a rousing ovation in the 57th minute.
   Etcheverry didn't start because of a calf injury, and he lasted only seven minutes before receiving a red card for a tackle from behind on Cienfuegos. During Etcheverry's short time on the field, Jones scored Los Angeles' second goal.
   The game was played under a mixture of sunshine and showers at RFK Stadium, but the slick field wasn't a factor when the Galaxy opened the scoring on a counterattack.
   Victorine, sprung open with a long pass on the left flank, raced down in open space, but was denied by a nice diving save by goalkeeper Tom Presthus. However, Presthus couldn't get up in time to stop Mathis from drilling home the rebound.
   Presthus had to work hard to keep it a 1-0 game through the first half. He made a fingertip save to Simon Elliot in the 36th minute, and watched helplessly as Mathis hit the right post from 20 yards in the 44th.
   The second goal came when Victorine plucked the ball away from U.S. national team defender Pope and fed Mathis. Presthus stopped Mathis' shot, but Jones was there to punch in the easy rebound.
   Jones' converted Zak Ibsen's cross for the third goal before Victorine finished the blowout.
   The game marked the debut of 16-year-old Bobby Convey, D.C. United's first-round draft pick and the youngest player in MLS history. Convey entered the game as a substitute in the 75th minute.
   The game drew 24,147, including a large vocal minority from the Washington's area Salvadoran community cheering for Cienfuegos.

| Talk about this story | Next Story | Home |

[ Printer-friendly version ]
[ Subscribe to newspaper ]

SEND THIS PAGE TO A FRIEND

[an error occurred while processing this directive]