With one step remaining to reach the postseason, Chivas USA stumbled against their biggest foes Saturday night at The Home Depot Center.
The Los Angeles Galaxy thumped Chivas USA 3-0 to keep the Red-and-White from qualifying for the postseason. Still, Chivas can get in to the postseason with a win against Kansas City next Saturday.
"We've got to maintain a good mentality and put this behind us, get some guys healthy and have a good week of training and be able to put two more good games under our belt until the playoffs start," Chivas midfielder Jesse Marsch.
Chivas USA dropped the season series against the Galaxy for the second year running. Unlike last year, when the Galaxy swept Chivas, the Red-and-White had an opportunity to take the series as it was even on 1-1-1 entering Saturday's match.
But without Francisco Palencia, Juan Pablo Garcia and Ante Razov, Chivas had problems formulating an attack.
"There was no rhythm of play and we didn't do enough to make it hard on them," Marsch said. "It felt foreign. It felt like a different team."
Palencia has not played in any of the last three games after spraining his knee on Sept. 13. Garcia and Razov each missed the game due to groin injuries.
Chivas USA coach Bob Bradley went with Jesus Morales and Jonathan Bornstein up top but without Garcia in the midfield to play the ball through, Chivas was left with sending long balls over the top of the Galaxy's defense.
Still, those on the field should have compensated for those who were not, Bradley said.
"I don't that should be the whole story," Bradley said of his absent trio. "It's our job to have everybody ready, to have energy, to have a good plan, the kind of aggressiveness that pays off and I don't think we had those things. We got beat to too many balls, our passing wasn't sharp."
The negative tone was set from the start, Bradley said.
"I thought in the first half when they put us under pressure in too many cases the confidence to play out of tight spots with the ball and find people and make plays wasn't there," Bradley said. "Those are things we've done throughout the year but in an important game we weren't good enough in those areas."
Chivas USA goalkeeper Brad Guzan was on his heels throughout the match. Guzan came up with several outstanding saves but he was helpless on the three Galaxy goals. Peter Vagenas opened the scoring with a play Chivas defender Carlos Llamosa called lucky. Vagenas knocked in a ball off a pass from Alan Gordon in the 29th minute.
Landon Donovan scored in the 67th minute to double the Galaxy's lead after Cobi Jones drew a pair of Chivas defenders with the ball slipping away behind the play. Gordon put the seal on the game with a point-blank header.
The Galaxy finished with 11 shots and six on goal.
"It hurts now because obviously it's a big game," Guzan said. "As a team, we just didn't come to play. It's disappointing because in such a big game like this you hope everyone comes but we were just never on the same page for 90 minutes."
Losing to the Galaxy added salt to Chivas' wounds.
"This year we've been looking at those guys knowing that they beat us last year and now we've got to do it again," Marsch said.
But in the end, Chivas' priorities are making the playoffs and competing for the MLS Cup, players said.
"We've just got to move on because we've got bigger fish to fry," Marsch said.
Luis Bueno is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
