LA Galaxy on road for playoffs after losing finale to Houston
Christian Ramirez recorded a brace, with his second tally as the game winner, as the Houston Dynamo outlasted the visiting LA Galaxy 4-2 on Sunday on the final day of the MLS regular season.
Ramirez's deciding goal came in the 83rd minute after a centering pass from Alberth Elis through the wilting Galaxy defense and allowed the Dynamo (12-18-4, 40 points) to end their tumultuous season on a winning note.
The loss and a victory by Real Salt Lake over Vancouver dropped LA (16-15-3, 51 points) into fifth place in the Western Conference standings and will force the Galaxy to open the MLS Cup playoffs on the road at Minnesota, which lost to Seattle on Decision Day.
LA's Zlatan Ibrahimovic began the scoring with an effortless goal in the ninth minute. He stood just at the edge of the box after a pass from Sebastian Lletget, and, flatfooted, lifted a right-footed shot between two defenders and over Houston goalkeeper Tyler Deric into the right corner of the goal.
It was Ibrahimovic's 30th goal of the season; he finished second in the race for the Golden Boot to LAFC's Carlos Vela, who set a new MLS single-season scoring record of 34 with three goals on Sunday.
Ramirez tied the game two minutes into first-half stoppage time, booting home the rebound of an Elis shot that clanged off the right post.
Cristian Pavon put the Galaxy up 2-1 nine minutes into the second half as he ripped a right-footer to Deric's left after a cross-box pass from Uriel Antuna and following a steadying assist off the back heel from Favio Alvarez.
Elis evened the match in the 62nd minute, waiting on the back post unmarked just inside the six-yard box for a pass from Aljaz Struna before strafing a shot past David Bingham. Memo Rodriguez finished the scoring for Houston with a goal off Elis's second assist four minutes into second-half stoppage time.
Bingham stopped three shots for the Galaxy and ended up atop the list for saves for the year with 141.
Sunday's match was the final in the 20-year professional career of Houston defender DaMarcus Beasley, who is retiring at the age of 37 and with 126 caps for the U.S. national team on his resume.
