A first-half goal from Todd Dunivant helped give the Galaxy 18 points, 10 behind Houston, which leads the conference with one point more than Chivas USA. "I'm happy to say we're up in there with a bunch of teams," Galaxy coach Bruce Arena said about his team standing in the middle of the pack in the Western Conference. "That's OK. We're not in the worst position. We're not in the best position."

Despite the win, Arena thinks his team has a lot of room for improvement, particularly in the back. A.J. De La Garza, Gregg Berhalter, Omar Gonzalez and Dunivant, with the support of goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts, helped keep Houston without a goal only for the fourth time this season. "I think we've improved on the defensive end," Arena said. "We're building. I think we can only get better." The Galaxy will also get an offensive boost when Landon Donovan returns from international duties to join the team early next week. He should be ready to play in the club's home match against New England July 4.