After surrendering five goals to the LA Galaxy last weekend, Chivas USA gave a solid defensive effort to hold Houston Dynamo scoreless en route to a 0-0 tie at Robertson Stadium on Saturday night.
Chivas USA head coach Preki said that defensive organization and discipline was the focus of his team's practice this week.
"We knew it was going to be a tight game, a hard-fought game," Preki said. "I'm proud of my group for the way they played, the way they came out, the way we defended."
Going into the match, Chivas USA had allowed a league-high 13 goals in the first five games of the season. Despite losing defender Lawson Vaughn in the 12th minute after with a broken nose and a gouge on his cheek from the cleat of Houston's Dwayne De Rosario, the back line of Vaughn, Claudio Suarez, Shavar Thomas and Jonathan Bornstein held the Dynamo attack in check. Guzan contributed five saves, including two in the closing minutes to preserve the tie.
"We cleaned up a lot of things on defense, and all the credit goes to the back four," goalkeeper Brad Guzan said. "You saw Lawson get smacked in the face, goes out with a broken nose. That's what it's about. Claudio was the man tonight. He played very, very well, Shavar played very well and Johnny played very well, as well."
The team was proud of the defensive improvement.
"This year, we haven't been fully committed to our game," midfielder Sacha Kljestan said. "Tonight we really showed that we're fully committed to each other. ... I think we were successful tonight in establishing what we wanted to on the field defensively."
Forwards Maykel Galindo and Ante Razov started the game together for the first time since September of last season. The time apart might have created a little bit of rust in their working relationship, as the Chivas USA offense created only a few chances on goal.
"I thought we had some decent chances," Kljestan said. "The shot that Ante ripped from the outside, Boswell makes a good block. They made some good plays defensively as well, but we really have to get better on the goal if we want to get three points."
The game featured a total of nine cards: eight yellow and one red, shown to Suarez in the 82nd minute after he pulled down Brian Mullan from behind when the Dynamo midfielder was almost through alone on goal. It matches the highest total in MLS so far this year, when nine cards were also issued in the Chivas USA-Columbus Crew match on April 12.
"It's always a physical game," Guzan said. "That's the style that they play. They always bring a hard, physical game, and we know that. It's no surprise. To compete with them, you have to be able to battle. You have to be able to get in on tackles and get in on tackles and get in on headballs and all that. You have to know that it's not always going to be pretty."
The tie breaks Chivas USA's three-game losing streak, during which the team was outscored 11-5 by opponents.
"We're a good team," Guzan said, "and I think the last two games are the first times that we've had our starting lineup from last year, which is good. We just have to keep plugging along. The game here is actually a good result for us."
The team was glad to be done with the streak, but they won't be happy until they notch a win.
"Both teams created very little," Preki said. "We had a few chances, they had a few chances. At the end, I thought it was a fair result."
"I think it's a good result, especially after three straight losses," Kljestan said. "Hopefully this point just starts moving us forward. It's good getting a point in Houston."
Lucas Ogden-Davis is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
