Chivas USA Recap: Kennedy's House
It has been an exciting weekend of Major League Soccer action. Various teams throughout the league battled it out last night for a spot in the playoffs. Only one spot remains contested and the team that will fill it will be determined later today.
Of utmost importance to Chivas USA was the match between Colorado Rapids and Real Salt Lake, with the winner slated to become the red-and-white's first round opponent next week. Real Salt Lake had the upperhand over Colorado, needing only a tie to advance, while anything short of a victory eliminated Colorado. In the end, Real closed out their regular season in dramatic fashion, tieing the game at the 90th minute after Colorado had led since the 19th minute. Real thus advances into the playoffs for the first time in club history and will clash with Chivas USA in the first round.
Simultaneous to the action in Colorado, Chivas hosted the Houston Dynamo at the Home Depot Center in front of 18,165 of its fans. Both teams had already secured a playoff spot coming into last night's game and not much was at stake, but it would have been difficult to ascertain that from the action on the field. The game was fluid with opportunities for both teams quickly developing after the first 10 minutes.
Chivas had the first clear opportunity at the 19th minute mark when forward Ante Razov found fellow forward Alecko Eskandarian streaking towards the Dynamo goal. Dynamo 'keeper Pat Onstad came out to challenge Eskandarian's attack, making a save on his off balance shot to keep the score at zero.
Houston would not be outdone and pressured the Chivas defense. At the 41st minute, Dynamo midfielder Brad Davis found forward Brian Ching making a run straight through the middle towards the Chivas goal. Chivas 'keeper Dan Kennedy quickly responded to the threat and made an excellent save with his right foot, but the rebound resulted in a corner kick for the visitors.
Dynamo midfielder Ricardo Clark got his head on the subsequent corner kick for what appeared to be a certain goal. Kennedy would once again come up big and made an excellent save on Clark's header. Dynamo forward Nate Jaqua, a mere 2 - 3 feet in front of the goal, attempted to redirect the rebound into goal, but committed a foul in the process, effectively kiling the threat and both teams went into the lockers tied at zero.
Early in the second half, things took an unfortunate turn for the hosts. Nate Jaqua would take advantage of a defensive miscue on the part of the red-and-whites at the 50th minute, creating a one-on-one situation with Kennedy. Kennedy was forced to attack the play which drew a dubious penalty call from referee Terry Vaungh, and worse yet, a red card. Dynamo standout Dwayne De Rosario converted the penalty, giving the visitors the lead at the 52nd minute.
With the red card to Kennedy, Chivas were reduced to 10 men and cannot use Kennedy next Saturday at Salt Lake. Taking his place in goal for the final 38 minutes was Zach Thorton, while Alecko Eskandarian was taken off the field to serve Kennedy's sentence. The shorthanded Chivas struggled to control the midfield and soon found themselves scrambling to defend numerous Houston attacks. De Rosario shone for the Dynamo, creating numerous opportunities and overall, dictating the pace in the midfield. Misfortune on his part and a couple of great saves from Thorton were all that kept the score at 1 - 0.
As the 80th minute approached, Chivas began to regain control in the midfield and scoring chances began to present themselves. Momentum continued to build for the hosts in the dying minutes and at the 87th minute, Chivas forward Atiba Harris pounced on a loose ball near the penalty spot with Onstad caught completely out of position. It seemed as though Chivas would tie it at that moment, but Harris' shot was wide right.
Chivas pressed the issue and only seconds later, they were once again on the attack. After a nice sequence of passes, the ball found its way to Chivas midfielder Carey Talley who tried to send in a cross from the right flank. His cross would be poorly handled by Houston defender Eddie Robinson, who ended up deflecting it towards his own goal. Pat Onstad recovered well enough to punch the punch the ball and keep it out, but the rebound ended up only inches away from the goal line. Chivas defender Jim Curtin beat Houston defender Wade Barrett to the ball and put it into the back of the net at the 90th minute mark for a final score of 1 - 1.
There is a possibility that Chivas and Houston may meet once again this year, in the second round of the playoffs. If last night's game is any indication of what might be in store for that game, it will definitely be one to watch. Overall, Chivas appears to have all the pieces necessary to make a good playoff run. Assuming the injury bug doesn't keep hitting them, the Chivas faithful should not be surprised to find them playing for the MLS Cup on November 23rd at the Home Depot Center.
Photo by Jason Gulledge via Flickr