Landon Donovan did it last night, responding to criticism from the press and fans to lead the L.A. Galaxy past the Houston Dynamo and into the U.S. Open Cup final for the second consecutive year. Donovan scored one and assisted one as the Galaxy swept aside Dwayne De Rosario and the Dynamo, 3-1, at the Home Depot Center. His game-winning free kick came at that crucial time just before halftime to cap the end to a very watchable first half. “The first half, from a spectator’s point of view, was great,” said an unimpressed Frank Yallop, the Galaxy’s coach. “It had everything, really good goals, a penalty save. Both teams struggled in the second half. In the end, it’s obviously great to get a good win, but we can play a lot better than we did tonight.” The Galaxy play the Chicago Fire in the Sept. 27 final at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Ill. Chicago thumped league-leader D.C. United, 3-0, in Wednesday’s other semifinal.