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Beckham, L.A. overturn deficit to down FC Dallas

Aug 7, 2011 - 4:58 AM Carson, CA (Sports Network) - David Beckham played a role in all three goals, making sure Los Angeles did not surrender its lead atop the Western Conference of Major League Soccer on Saturday night.

Omar Gonzalez, Juninho and Mike Magee scored as the Galaxy overturned an early deficit for a 3-1 win over FC Dallas in a battle of the league's best teams at The Home Depot Center.

Beckham started all three goals off set pieces, and recorded his ninth assist on Magee's clinching goal with nine minutes remaining.

Los Angeles (13-3-9) opened a six-point lead in the West over Dallas (12-6-6), which could have moved level on points with a victory.

Dallas silenced the 21,546 fans less than 10 minutes into the game when Maicon Santos passed to Marvin Chavez, who drilled a rocket from well outside the box to the upper-left corner for his fifth goal of the season.

But L.A. was on level terms just after the half-hour mark when Beckham drove a free kick into the area that Dallas goalie Kevin Hartman failed to catch when he raced off his line, and Gonzalez nodded the ball into an empty net.

The Galaxy moved in front in the 62nd, when Beckham drove a free kick in from the right and Gregg Berhalter won a header and played the ball back out to the top of the area. Juninho drove a shot to the lower left from outside the area for his fourth goal of the season.

L.A. sealed the win off a corner kick from the right as Beckham swung the ball into the area and Magee found space between two defenders and powered a header past Hartman from eight yards for his second goal of the season.

The Galaxy have played one more match than Dallas and Seattle Sounders FC, so their win helped establish a cushion over their nearest West challengers. The top five teams in MLS are all in the West.

Dallas is just one point above Seattle for second, and Real Salt Lake is only six points back in fifth with three games in hand.