CARSON, Calif. - Early, often and historic. Chivas USA hit all three marks with their 4-0 rout of Real Salt Lake on Saturday.
Maykel Galindo scored in the 28th second and completed his brace in the ninth minute to give Chivas USA a quick 2-0 lead. Ante Razov put an exclamation mark on the first half when he scored his 100th career goal to give Chivas USA a 3-0 lead.
Matt Taylor's 89th-minute goal sealed the victory as Chivas USA was never really threatened by the visitors.
"It's obviously great to get this kind of win. In the second half it could have been even more," Chivas USA coach Preki said. "I still think we can play better but I'm happy with the result."
Razov's goal put him in elite company. Only Jason Kreis (108) and Jaime Moreno (105) have hit the century mark as well. After the match, he was presented with a jersey that bore the number 100 across the back.
But Razov tried to take the spotlight off himself and put it on his teammates after the match.
"I don't like to take away from the team. It's a team effort," Razov said. "I don't take goal kicks, pass it to myself and then score. It's always my teammates and I give thanks to all my teammates throughout my career and coaches."
Francisco Mendoza set up the historic goal when he sprinted down the left flank. Mendoza carried the ball inside the penalty area and had space to shoot. Instead, he floated the ball across the penalty area.
"Panchito picked me out. I went to the back post and he put a great ball in," Razov said. "He saw me the whole way. It's stuff we've been working on training."
After he powered a header past RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando, Razov ran to the team bench and jumped in goalkeeper coach Zak Abdel's arms. It was Razov's way of bringing the team together.
"That's the best way to incorporate the whole team," Razov said. "It's a team celebration and I probably won't do that again because I was kind of tired after that. I just wanted to bring it to the bench and kind of bring the whole team."
But the goal was not the only historic one of the night. Cuban defector Maykel Galindo scored goal numbers one and two in his own MLS career. Galindo, who left the Cuban national team after a Gold Cup match in Seattle in July 2005, scored 28 seconds in. The goal was the sixth fastest in league history and the fastest in Chivas USA history.
On the play, Galindo took a pass from Alex Zotinca and carried the ball down the edge of the penalty area. He said he wasn't exactly expecting to see Rimando there.
"When I turned, I saw the goalkeeper there and I thought 'What's he doing there?'" Galindo said. "I turned and cut back and then shot the ball."
In the ninth minute, Galindo raced past Jack Stewart on the right flank, sprinted unmarked inside the penalty area and ripped a shot into the back of the net.
Afterward, Galindo dedicated the match to his grandmother Isabel, who lives in Villa Clara, Cuba. He said he would try and call his family on Sunday to inform them about the goal.
"There is no opportunity (to watch the game)," Galindo said. "I'll have to send them the video or something. I don't know when it will arrive but they'll be waiting for it."
Still, the talk after the match centered on the team's performance. Preki said the club had worked hard to overcome last week's 1-0 setback in Houston, a match where the club generated an abundance of scoring chances but could not find the back of the net.
"The whole week we just emphasized that we made sure we came into the game with the right mentality. We came into this game ready," Preki said. "When you score two goals that early, it's difficult to play. Salt Lake pushed forward and we sustained that pressure for a good 20 minutes. It was just bad luck that we didn't score some more."
Asked about Razov's talents and achievement, Preki said the goal was a typical Razov strike.
"You give Ante one chance or two chances and he scores a goal," said Preki, who scored 79 goals during his 10-year MLS career. "That's how the best forwards in the world are. They don't need 15 chances to score one goal. Ante's been pretty clinical and hopefully he can score many more for us."
Luis Bueno is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
