Pablo Gabas scored in the 28th minute and Alajuelense earned a 1-0 win over the Los Angeles Galaxy in a Group A CONCACAF Champions League match Wednesday night.
Gabas beat a diving Galaxy goalkeeper Josh Saunders on a free kick from 28 yards. The goal sent the sold-out crowd into a frenzy with home fans climbing the cages that surrounded the field.
The Galaxy fell despite having their full complement of stars with Landon Donovan, David Beckham and Robbie Keane each starting for the Galaxy.
The Galaxy's best chance of the night came in the fourth minute when Beckham sent in a ball into the penalty box that Mike Magee fired into the Costa Rican goalkeeper.
On the rebound, the ball fell to Landon Donovan, who rocketed it into the post.
''We had a good chance at the start,'' Beckham said. ''That would have quieted these fans down I think. I don't think we created too much after that. It was a difficult night and we're disappointed to come away losing.''
From the start, the crowd played a large role, making it nearly impossible for players to hear each another during the match.
In addition to the crowd, the Galaxy also battled the unforgiving turf surface that consistently caused the Galaxy to lose possession due to the bouncing balls.
Unlike turf fields in the United States, the Galaxy clearly struggled with the difficult surface.
Los Angeles appeared more composed in the second half, but were unable to generate any legitimate chances on goal and were unable to overcome the early deficit.
''The crowd was great, we like it, but the field is tough, these fields are always tough,'' Donovan said. We have to give them credit because they know how to play on this field. We were a little naive with the way that we played tonight.''
The Galaxy are in third place in Group A and take on Monarcas Morelia at the Home Depot Center on Sept. 28th while Alajuelense, who lead the group will play Club Motogua on Sept. 29th.
The Galaxy will be without Beckham in the next match after picking up a yellow card in the 52nd minute. Although Beckham will be unavailable, his message for his teammates is clear: Win.
''We've got to win,'' Beckham said. ''I think we'll be all right.''
