Stakes Raised for Final SuperClásico

Chivas USA seemed energized by the atmosphere and took control of the game early on. Sacha Kljestan, Justin Braun and Maicon Santos pressed the Galaxy defense and at the 4th minute, Kljestan sent a through ball for Santos down the left side which the Brazilian then converted into a 1 - 0 lead for the red-and-whites via an impeccable finish to the lower right corner of the Galaxy goal. The trio continued to move the ball into the Galaxy defensive third with Michael Lahoud providing some great support, but they were unable to extend their lead.

On the other side of the ball, the Galaxy were no slouches. Landon Donovan established himself as a central figure for the blue-and-gold attack, helping generate some early opportunities and in general, keeping the Chivas USA defense busy. A mistake by Chivas USA newcomer Yamith Cuesta when trying to clear a Donovan header into the box would lead to the tying goal by Mike Magee at the 14th minute. "He tried to get cute," stated Chivas USA Head Coach Preki Radosavljevic when discussing the play.

Along with tying the game, the play also signaled momentum shift in favor of the Galaxy. The Chivas USA midfield gradually became ineffective following the goal and the red-and-whites resorted more and more to long balls from the defensive four as a means to generate offense. Donovan and company would in turn press on and earn their side a couple of corner kicks in the process. Chivas USA 'keeper Zach Thornton seemed less than sharp when challenging, leading to a couple of scrambles in front of his goal. At the 41st minute, one of those scrambles led to a go ahead goal by Donovan while in what appeared to be an offside position. Further review of the play revealed that Chivas USA forward Maicon Santos had -- in an inexplicable way -- been the one that played the ball back towards his own goal when the rest of his teammates were trying to clear it, thus, eliminating the offside.

Chivas USA shrugged off the late first half goal and came out full force at the restart. Maykel Galindo came in for Lahoud and the game quickly opened up. The red-and-whites pinned the Galaxy in their own half for long stretches and created some great opportunities for Galindo and Santos. The tying goal would eventually come by way of a defensive error down the flank.

Omar Gonzalez, the defensive stalwart for the blue-and-gold battled Santos along the east sideline. He would eventually win possession, but made a mistake in his follow through, rolling the ball towards 'keeper Donovan Ricketts at a pace that allowed Galindo to pounce on it before Ricketts could claim it. Galindo did the rest, gaining possession and beating Ricketts with one motion, then found himself in front of an empty Galaxy goal.

The red-and-whites continued to press after Galindo's goal, but Ricketts and the Galaxy back four withstood the barrage, including a 20 yard blast from Paulo Nagamuara that appeared destined for the back of the net until Ricketts literally flew in out of nowhere and deflected it out.

Momentum would begin to shift in favor of the Galaxy once again in the closing 20, but despite two clear chances at goal by Alan Gordon, the blue-and-gold were also unable to break the tie and the game ended with the 2 - 2 scoreline.

Sunday's result sets the stage for one of the most important professional soccer games the L.A. area has ever seen. The only way either team can advance is by means of a victory, whether it be in regulation, extra time or penalties. Having witnessed yesterday's match, a penalty shootout seems like a real possibility.