Saturday night, the Los Angeles Galaxy had more than just the sellout home crowd to motivate them at the Home Depot Center. They laced up their boots before their game against the Colorado Rapids with the understanding that three points would lock them into first place and clinch the Supporters’ Shield trophy as the best MLS team over the course of the entire season. Despite handing in some mixed performances recently, the Galaxy had won four of their previous five games and were poised to put their stamp of success on the season against a Rapids team who had just clinched a playoff birth via a Kansas City loss just hours earlier.

The midfield, under its new look with David Beckham, was starting to finally gel as Arena appeared to had finally found the correct arrangement of the puzzle pieces; keeping the same players in midfield for the past three games and looking to build off their continuing improvement. The clash in Carson also saw the return of the long-injured Gregg Berhalter, an imposing veteran central defender whose pairing with Omar Gonzalez was critical in the team’s early success.

Though the team was starting to feel as complete as it has been since early summer, the Galaxy once again mimicked other high profile efforts where they underperformed during marquee match-ups (the game against the Thierry Henry-less Red Bulls comes to mind) and laid a disappointing 3-1 egg against the Rapids, thanks to three defensive lapses.

It is because of these mistakes in the back that we examine the performance of central defender, Omar Gonzalez, in this week’s edition of The Whiteboard.

Gonzalez’s stats are as follows:

25 passes completed, 0 incomplete for a percentage of 100%
1 completed crosses, 4 incomplete for a percentage of 20%
3 headers won
2 clearances
1 interception
1 missed interception, leading to a Rapids goal
1 passes intercepted
0 fouls committed
0 successful tackles

Gonzalez’s passing stats are what you would expect from most central defenders: a high passing percentage (as any poor pass in the back of the field would result in a sure chance on goal by the other team), a few headers won, a pass interception, and some clearances. These aspects of the game are the bread and butter for any central defender. The young Galaxy defender, in this regard, filled the job requirements for the position (his lack of tackles were due to the lack of one on one opportunities by the Rapids). He renewed his partnership in the center of the park with veteran Berhalter, who has long been considered Gonzalez’s calming influence in the back. Gonzalez played on the right, while also given the role as sweeper. He was responsible for being the furthest field-player back and was given command of the center of the defense as well. His passes, minus a few crosses, were simple taps to open wing-backs or wingers, rarely moving the ball up into the crowded center of the pitch. He made sure not to force any challenging passes or attempt to beat a defender with an extra touch or two. This was the good.

There was bad, however.

One cannot simply look at a central defender’s passing statistics and decide if an effective game was played or not. In fact, passing is such a limited portion of an anchor-man’s role, that grading his performance can only come through the analysis of his effectiveness against attacking players in a dangerous area. There is no statistic that can accurately outline this facet of the game. It is in this area, on Saturday night, that Gonzalez would love to have a second (or fifth, as it were) chance.

Aside from the first fluke goal, which was an errant deflection from a Franklin clearance off of fellow Galaxy striker Edson Buddle for an own goal, Gonzalez had his hands deeply delved into Colorado’s win.

Thirty minutes into the game and with Omar Cummings with the ball on the end line, a streaking Conor Casey was left alone by Gonzalez and Franklin, who drifted unmarked into the area for the easy tap in of the Jamaican’s pin-perfect cross. Gonzalez got caught in no-man’s land, as he decided that Franklin (who was tracking from a ways back) would be covering Casey. The truth was, however, that Franklin was a step or two behind the large striker, leaving Casey with the simple finish of the ball which slid right by the out-stretched foot of Gonzalez. Leaving Casey alone, though, was not the central defender’s biggest error of the play. For some reason, Gonzalez did not lay out for Cumming’s cross, which was definitely within his reach if he had slid to the ground. Regardless of where the player thinks his support is behind him, allowing the ball to get across the face of the goal is a cardinal sin for a central defender. That ball should never have reached Conor Casey.

Gonzalez would have the opportunity to atone for his fault, however would make similar mistakes throughout the game.

Later in the first half, Gonzalez’s reluctance to press the attacking player almost sealed the rout early. This time on a break started by Brian Mullan around half field, Berhalter appeared to communicate via hand signs to Gonzalez to take the man with the ball while he covered a Rapids support player on the wing. Whether the younger defender failed to note the hand signal or not, Gonzalez was slow to close down Mullan, who ripped a cracker from outside the box that rattled the upper ninety crossbar. Had this impressive shot found the net, the game certainly would have been over before half. Sadly, Gonzalez continued to be a step slow with his decision making.

On a second half counter attack break by Casey, Gonzalez saw midfielder Michael Stevens sprinting back in support and decided to contain the bulky forward instead of pressing him into a decision. Stevens was unable to reach Casey in time, who utilized the space given to him by Gonzalez to place a tidy pass and return the favor to Cummings for another simple Rapids finish. In this instance, the defender’s mistake was to not force the clunky forward into making a move with the ball early. Casey isn’t known for his ability on the ball, instead having the reputation for being a savvy poacher. In classic poacher fashion, Casey abused Gonzalez’s generosity with the nail in the coffin assist. Visibly upset with Gonzalez’s inability to close the attacker, keeper Donovan Ricketts had a few heated words for his defender as the ball was scooped out of the net.

Gonzalez was almost punished a fourth time, when he once again gave too much space to the attacker, this time #20 Jamie Smith on the far side of the box near the end line. He stuttered for a moment, allowing Smith with the time and space to whip a cross into the box, again finding a wide open Casey who would have scored had it not been for an impressive effort by Ricketts to keep the ball out.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me three times, I do extra laps at practice next week. Fool me four times, I get introduced to the bench.

No matter how good the defender plays for 95% of the game, all it takes is one mistake to ruin a performance. In a game where the opponents create only a few quality chances in attacking third, such as on Saturday night, it is the defender’s performance during those chances which define the quality of his game, as well as a win or a loss for the team. Surely Gonzalez is not solely responsible for the breakdowns in defense, but he obviously made his fair share of errors in two of Colorado’s goals.

Gonzalez has been quoted saying that he loses focus as the game drags on, so it is obviously a problem that he is aware of and working to address. However, despite all of the ability and potential that Omar Gonzalez possesses, repeated mistakes like this will cost his team an early exit from the playoffs.

He must learn quickly.