CARSON, Calif. - Landon Donovan and Kevin Harmse scored in the first 17 minutes and a second-half comeback attempt fell short as Chivas USA fell to the Los Angeles Galaxy 3-1 in the first Super Clasico of the season.
Cobi Jones scored a late goal to give the Galaxy the final margin, after Claudio Suarez had pulled Chivas back within one midway through the second half.
Chivas USA is now 1-8-1 against the Galaxy in three seasons of the Super Clasico. The final score was the same as the first-ever rivalry match, a 3-1 Galaxy win on April 23, 2005.
Chivas USA were without Sacha Kljestan, who sat out the first of his two-match ban. To counter his absence, Chivas USA coach Preki started Jason Hernandez at right back, moved Alex Zotinca to right midfield and had Amado Guevara in the center of the field.
With a strange right side of the field, the Galaxy took advantage as the first two goals were scored on the that side.
Suarez and Brad Guzan gave away the first goal on a mix-up between the Mexican World Cup veteran and the third-year goalkeeper. Suarez tried to clear a ball sent in from Kyle Martino but collided with Guzan instead. Donovan raced to the ball and easily slotted it into an empty net.
Chivas nearly leveled the score minutes later but Galaxy goalkeeper Joe Cannon stood tall in the Galaxy net. After Ante Jazic cleared a ball moments before Alex Zotinca would have had an empty net to shoot at from inside the six-yard box, Chivas USA won a corner kick.
Amado Guevara and Francisco Mendoza kept the ball on the right side from the set-piece and Guevara unloaded a 20-yard rocket. Cannon made a diving save and sent it over the end line. On the ensuing corner kick, Zotinca ran onto the cross and slammed it on goal but Cannon again made a save.
The Galaxy doubled their advantage on a nifty give-and-go between Harmse and Donovan. Harmse held the ball some 25 yards out on the left side and slid a pass to Donovan. When Jesse Marsch turned to mark Donovan, Harmse slipped past him and took a feed from Donovan and ran unmarked into the area. From eight yards out, Harmse tucked the ball past Guzan and the Galaxy held a 2-0 advantage.
Perhaps shellshocked, Chivas did little the rest of the half to threaten the Galaxy goal.
Lawson Vaughn was booked in the 41st minute for a foul on Robbie Findley on the left side of the penalty area. Donovan whipped the free kick into the area but Razov cleared it over the touchline.
For the start of the second half, Preki took out Hernandez and replaced him with Laurent Merlin, who made his way to Major League Soccer via a Galaxy open tryout. Merlin, a forward, played alongside Galindo and Razov as Chivas USA went to a three-pronged attack and a three-man backline.
Merlin nearly had a breakaway in the 48th minute but he was ruled offside moments after Razov sent a through ball to Merlin over the Galaxy's defense.
In the 56th minute, Preki took out Guevara and replaced him with rookie John Cunliffe. Guevara had scored three goals and added four assists against the Galaxy in his career with the MetroStars/Red Bulls but he provided little punch to the Chivas attack in his limited time on Saturday.
Chivas USA finally reversed the one-sidedness of the match when Suarez knocked in his first goal of the season. Francisco Mendoza found the ball inside the penalty area and lofted it to the far post. Razov slammed a header off the post but the ball made its way back to the left side. Mendoza settled the ball, Marsch fired it into a crowd and Suarez re-directed it into the back of the net.
It was Suarez's seventh goal in a Chivas USA jersey.
Moments later, Preki made his final substitution of the night when he took out Galindo in favor of Matt Taylor.
Still, it was the Galaxy who scored the game's next goal. Cobi Jones finished off a Galaxy counterattack in the 78th minute to put the game away. Donovan raced down the right flank after the Galaxy won a ball with Chivas USA pushed deep in the Galaxy's third of the field.
Luis Bueno is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
