Lee Young-Pyo #12 of the Vancouver Whitecaps volleys a pass over Mike Magee #18 of the Los Angeles Galaxy in the first half during the MLS playoff match at The Home Depot Center on November 1, 2012 in Carson, California.
(October 31, 2012 – Source: Victor Decolongon/Getty Images North America)
CARSON, Calif. (AP) — Mike Magee scored the tying goal in the 69th minute and Landon Donovan converted a penalty kick four minutes later, leading the Los Angeles Galaxy to a 2-1 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps in a knockout playoff game Thursday night.
The defending MLS champion Galaxy endured a tense hour of play after Darren Mattocks scored in the fourth minute for fifth-seeded Vancouver, which had won just three of its last 17 matches.
Los Angeles’ stars finally came through. David Beckham’s corner kick helped set up Magee’s goal, and Donovan drew a penalty with a strong run to earn the go-ahead goal, the record 21st of his MLS playoff career.
The Galaxy advanced to a two-game Western Conference semifinal series against San Jose, which won the Supporters’ Shield as MLS’ best regular-season team.
