Despite playing a man up for nearly the entire second half, Chivas USA lost at home for the first time this season.
Omar Cummings scored in the 90th minute as the Colorado Rapids dealt Chivas a 2-1 loss Sunday afternoon at The Home Depot Center. Orlando Perez scored the lone goal for the hosts, who lost a home game for the first time since September 2006.
The loss also left Chivas USA precariously balanced atop the Western Conference. With 52 points, they are four ahead of Houston Dynamo, who play Monday against Real Salt Lake in their next-to-last game of the season. The teams conclude the regular season against each other next Saturday in Carson.
Chivas USA started the match without a pair of regulars. Before the match, the club announced that Ante Razov would miss up to six weeks with a sprained ligament in his left knee, an injury he picked up against FC Dallas on Thursday. Also, midfielder Francisco Mendoza did not dress due to a mild groin strain.
To compensate for those absences, Chivas USA coach Preki sent out rookie forward John Cunliffe in Razov's place. Also, Jonathan Bornstein began the game at left midfield and veteran Orlando Perez filled in at left back.
Chivas striker Maykel Galindo broke in on goal in the first minute, but Rapids goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul turned him away.
Colorado's Terry Cooke matched Galindo's effort with a long-range attempt of his own but his blistering 27-yard shot went just wide of the right post.
Chivas USA controlled possession in the early portion of the match but did not put any real pressure on Coundoul until the 25th minute. Jesse Marsch fed Galindo who had made a run into the penalty area. Galindo slipped the ball to the left side of the box to an open Bornstein, but last season's Rookie of the Year slammed a shot off a Rapids defender.
Defender Claudio Suarez picked up a yellow card on a rough challenge on Colorado's Kosuke Kimura, who had darted past a trio of defenders and was on his way into the penalty area when Suarez knocked him to the ground. Jose Cancela sent the ensuing free kick off the wall and the ball went just high of the crossbar.
Cunliffe had a scoring opportunity in the 37th minute when he found himself with the ball after a scramble in the area. From 10 yards out, though, Cunliffe could not get the ball past a sprawling Coundoul.
Chivas USA had a pair of shots from distance that went wide of the mark in the closing minutes of the first half. First, Sacha Kljestan ripped a 20-yard shot wide of the goal in the 41st minute. Then, Bornstein had an opportunity from the top of the penalty area but pushed his shot well wide of the goal.
Moments into the second half, Cunliffe and Galindo combined on a game-changing play. After the restart, Cunliffe held the ball near the middle of the field. Cunliffe sent a well-placed through ball past the Rapids' defense. Galindo raced onto the ball got past Rapids defender Brandon Prideaux, who tackled Galindo from behind. Prideaux was sent off by referee Alex Prus and Colorado had to adjust.
In the 54th minute, Suarez had a ball snatched off the line by Coundoul as the Chivas USA skipper pounced on a loose ball inside the penalty area on a corner kick.
Laurent Merlin replaced Cunliffe in the 58th minute and on his first run he nearly had a scoring chance. Galindo broke free down the right flank and tried to slip a pass to Merlin down the left side of the area. Rapids defender Mike Petke slid and knocked the ball over the goal.
As the Rapids set up for a free kick in the 63rd minute, Preki sent in Lawson Vaughn for Marsch. When the veteran midfielder saw his number called, he motioned to Preki in a questioning manner and seemed reluctant to come off before jogging off the field.
Despite playing a man down, the Rapids finally broke through. On the ensuing free kick, Cancela sent the ball into the penalty area. It bounced around before Ugo Ihemelu latched onto it in the six-yard box and easily beat Guzan.
Bornstein and Kljestan nearly combined for an equalizer minutes later when Bornstein slipped the ball to an open Kljestan inside the box but Kljestan hit side-netting with his shot.
Chivas continued pressuring Coundoul. Bornstein had a soft header that nearly beat Coundoul but the 'keeper did well to parry it away. Then, Paulo Nagamura and Merlin each had shots from the edge of the penalty area but were turned away, the first by a Rapids defender and the second by Coundoul.
Rodrigo Lopez replaced Alex Zotinca in the 72nd minute and gave Chivas USA a speedy option on the right side of the midfield.
It was the veteran Perez, though, who leveled the match in the 78th minute. Kljestan held the ball some 10 yards out of the penalty area and placed the ball over the flat-footed defenders. Perez ran onto the ball and buried the shot.
Despite his lethal touch, the goal was a bit of a rarity for Perez. The lanky defender now has three career goals in his eight-year career. He scored two goals for Chicago during the 2003 season.
Conor Casey and Cummings combined for the match winner in the final minute of regulation time. Casey went down the left side of the field and slipped a ball to Cummings on the far post, who easily buried the ball in the back of the net.
The loss snapped Chivas' 16-game regular-season unbeaten streak at home, and their 11-game unbeaten streak this season. Chivas could still clinch the Western Conference title before Saturday's game with Houston if Real Salt Lake beats Houston on Monday.
Luis Buenois a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
