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Shrinking Galaxy Third game next Friday in K.C. necessary after draw
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The Kansas City Wizards and Los Angeles Galaxy played 100 minutes Friday night without settling a thing. The teams played to a scoreless tie in the first game of their MLS semifinal playoff series. "We came out and did what we wanted to do, offensively," Kansas City goalkeeper Tony Meola said. "Defensively, we closed them down the majority of the game. They had two or three dangerous scoring opportunities, but L.A. is always going to get those. "But if we continue to play like that, we'll be OK." Luis Hernandez, who got the lone shot on goal for Los Angeles, was anything but down about his team's play. "You can look at the statistics and say that they dominated, but we had clear opportunities to score. I feel like we let the two extra points [with a win instead of a tie] get away. We easily could have won this game." The tie gives each team one point in the series, and assures a third game in Kansas City next Friday. The first team to gain five points wins the series. Game 2 is scheduled for Tuesday night at the Rose Bowl. Kansas City dominated statistically. The Wizards outshot Los Angeles 20-6. Hernandez' shot on goal didn't come until the 76th minute. "Obviously the games with them are hard-fought games and they're defensive struggles," Los Angeles coach Sigi Schmid said. "We feel good from the standpoint that we can go home and get a win and put the pressure on them to win when we come back here. "I didn't think we got outplayed. I felt we had three or four good opportunities and just couldn't capitalize. They had a statistical advantage, but overall I wasn't displeased with the way we played." The teams combined for six yellow cards, two for Kansas City and four for Los Angeles. "That just means it was a hard-fought game," Hernandez said. "It was a strong game up top. I don't think the yellow cards meant we hit anybody." Kansas City dominated play on the offensive end, outshooting Los Angeles 9-2 in the first half. Kansas City had the best scoring chance when it had three shots on goal in a span of a minute. Chris Henderson tried to backfoot a shot past Galaxy goalkeeper Kevin Hartman, but Hartman deflected it wide. Kansas City had two more chances off corner kicks, but Hartman stopped the threats. In the other semifinal series, Chicago beat New York-New Jersey 3-0 in Game 1 on Tuesday night.
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