Chivas USA survived a first-half onslaught -- then got a the leveler from Juan Pablo Garcia early in the second half -- to earn a 1-1 draw with the Columbus Crew at Crew Stadium on Saturday night.
Since the Crew created so many chances -- including two that were cleared off the line by defender Jonathan Bornstein -- Chivas were lucky only to be trailing by one at the break, off a deflected Jose Retiz strike from long range.
"I thought we looked flat," said Chivas head coach Bob Bradley. "It was a game of two different halves. In the first half, Columbus did a very good job of coming out and pressing us. They pushed us into our end, locked us in, and made it hard to play."
Chivas came out stronger in the second half and spoiled the night for their Ohio hosts.
"In the second half, we were able to move a bit better. I thought our mobility in the second half was quite good," said Bradley. "So I guess a point is fair enough."
The last time Chivas came to Columbus, late last season, they claimed their first away victory in club history. It remains the only win for Chivas outside of The Home Depot Center. And just six days ago, Chivas dominated the Crew in a 2-0 victory at home.
Garcia knotted the match at with a superbly taken free kick in the 54th minute. Near the left elbow of the penalty box, Garcia sent a shot to the far post that dipped under the crossbar just after clearing the reach of Crew goalkeeper Noah Palmer.
"Pablo plays good set pieces. He has a feel for the goalkeepers and what causes trouble for the defenders," said Bradley. "It came at a good time for us."
Garcia, Chivas USA's second-leading scorer after Ante Razov, has now scored in three consecutive contests.
"He is a dangerous attacking player," said Bradley. "He has helped us a number of times during the season with good deliveries."
Despite the poor first-half performance, Chivas did enough to earn result on the road.
"We played pretty well in the second half. We didn't start too well," said Razov, who struggled against his former club before being substituted for in the 71st minute. "We got a point on the road, which is important for us now."
Chivas now have five points in their last four road matches and have lost only once in their last seven matches. In that time, Chivas have surged from last place into a tie for third with the Colorado Rapids. Razov attributes the improved results to changes in mentality and fortune.
"We actually played better in some of the games we ending up losing, but we had a couple of lapses in concentration," said Razov. "We turned it around where we had a couple of bounces and calls go our way.
"We put some chances away and that builds confidence. At that start of this run, we didn't play that well but were winning. Sometimes it helps to be lucky."
JOhn Kuhn is a contirbutor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
