Thursday Morning Game Changers: Star treatment

Vincent Nogueira never gave up. This was the result of great ball movement by the Philadelphia Union. They were able to continually keep the ball moving and didn't allow the LA Galaxy to reset.

Jelle Van Damme was able to keep the ball off of the foot of CJ Sapong, it wasn't cleared and made its way to Vincent Nogueira. While his initial shot was blocked by Robbie Rogers, Nogueira had great presence of mind to continue after the shot as it pretty much stopped on the grass and poke it home past Dan Kennedy. The early goal allowed the Union some breathing room against a star-studded Galaxy lineup.

LA gave the Union a taste of their own medicine. After stifling a Union attack, LA made a couple of different Union players miss and played the ball downfield to Robbie Keane. Keane drew Richie Marquez up to try to make a challenge, and as he got close Keane played a beautiful ball up to Giovani dos Santos, who then got it to Robbie Rogers. Rogers hit a beautiful shot that caught Andre Blake flat-footed, and just like that the Galaxy were tied.

Poor Fabinho was left out to try to cover both dos Santos and Rogers, and did about as good as can be expected. Good goal by Rogers, who always seems to bring his A-game against the Union.

LA gamesmanship. Whether it was Robbie Keane drawing a phantom foul on Brian Carroll, or Steven Gerrard being allowed to run off and get a shin guard when the Union were set to take a corner kick, or Dan Kennedy taking eleventy-eight seconds to take a goal kick, or Gio dos Santos refusing to leave the field to get his foot taped - the Galaxy reminded us at every opportunity why we hate them.

Magic Mike As good a game as Keegan Rosenberry had - and he had a great one - he will want this one back. Watch as Gerrard springs Mike Magee out on the LA left wing - Rosenberry's caught turning his body and hips too slowly to adjust and make a move out toward Magee, who doesn't miss, firing a rocket that beats Andre Blake for the Galaxy's second goal.

Again, I don't put this one solely on Rosenberry - that's a great strike from Magee - but knowing what kind of competitor Rosenberry is, I'm sure he'll wish he had another chance at challenging the shot.

Set piece gold for the Union. If anything will make Rosenberry forget the Magee goal, it's him scoring his first MLS goal and salvaging a point for the Union. Watch as this unfolds.

Tranquillo Barnetta is worth every penny the Union are paying him and then some. While he won't appear on the scoresheet for this corner kick, he couldn't have struck that any better as it went right to the head of Chris Pontius. Pontius put the ball right to Dan Kennedy, but Kennedy never controls the ball, and Sebastien Le Toux did well to bank the ball off of the prone goalkeeper without stomping on him, and Rosenberry was there to mop up the rebound.

Kennedy was irate, saying the Union had knocked the ball out or interfered with him, however the replay clearly shows that he neither had possession of the ball nor was touched by a Union player. Good goal, and one that prevented the Union from losing their first match of the season at home.