FC Dallas got goals from Ramon Nunez in the 41st minute and Dominic Oduro in the 86th to defeat Chivas USA 2-0 on Wednesday afternoon at Pizza Hut Park.
The Hoops got their first goal from a somewhat unlikely source in Nunez, who had not scored since a 3-1 win against Colorado in Frisco on April 22, a game in which he had a pair of scores for FCD.
That Nunez was even on the field was a bit of a surprise -- though perhaps not a good one for FC Dallas. He came on for Marcelo Saragosa in the 11th minute, who left the field after being on the receiving end of a hard tackle by Chivas forward Maykel Galindo in the fifth minute. The FCD training staff attended to his right knee for several minutes before he had to come off for good. Saragosa's injury will be evaluated by the team on Thursday.
Earlier this season, Saragosa missed a month of action after suffering a sprained MCL in his right knee which forced him out of the April 12 game against the Los Angeles Galaxy at the Home Depot Center.
The first time either goalkeeper was tested came in the 20th minute, when Chivas generated a golden opportunity as Laurent Merlin came in one-on-one with FCD goalkeeper Dario Sala. But in a save reminiscent of a point-blank stop he made on Houston's Dwayne De Rosario late in a scoreless draw on Saturday, Sala again did a great job of coming off his line and made a great stop on Merlin at close range.
Chivas midfielder Francisco Mendoza had been very busy for his club over the first 45 minutes, seeing a couple of shots miss the mark. He set off on another run on the right flank in the 41st minute, only to have the ball taken away by FCD left back David Wagenfuhr.
The ball quickly was sent to Nunez, who then found Arturo Alvarez on the right. After eluding a defender, he laid the ball back to Nunez at the top of the restraining arc. The Dallas native launched a blast from about 20 yards out and it landed in the upper corner of the netting just inside the far post and out of the reach of Chivas goalkeeper Preston Burpo.
Prior to Wednesday, Nunez had played a total of 45 minutes in FCD's last five matches. His only action of that stretch came in a 4-0 loss at Toronto FC on June 17. Nunez's last start came on June 3; he has since been replaced at the attacking midfield spot by Juan Toja, who has four goals so far this season.
FC Dallas were once again active after the break, with Carlos Ruiz and Nunez both having good looks at the goal, but only Ruiz forced a save out of Burpo, and that was of the easy variety.
In the 59th, Arturo Alvarez dashed up the left flank and was shadowed by Chivas players on either side. The FCD midfielder took a shot inside the box, but Burpo came off his line to make the stop.
Chivas didn't have their first opportunity of the second half until the 61st minute, but it was one that was nearly memorable. John Cunliffe got the ball from about 40 yards out and saw that Sala was a bit too far out of the goalmouth and off his line and launched one. But the midfielder's effort went high over the FCD goal.
Chivas USA coach Preki tried to pull out all the stops, bringing on Ante Razov in the 62nd minute and Anthony Hamilton -- who made his MLS debut -- in the 79th. FCD coach Steve Morrow countered by bringing on a fifth defender in Chris Gbandi.
FCD could have made it academic in the 84th when Ruiz had a one-on-one chance with Burpo. The Chivas 'keeper was there to break up the play, but the ball popped free. Ruiz dashed toward it but Burpo smothered the ball to end the chance.
Oduro's goal, his third of the season, came in the 86th after he got a great feed from Pablo Ricchetti. The Ghanaian striker and the Argentinean midfielder dashed up the field with just two Chivas players between them and the net.
Ricchetti found Oduro to the left of the goal and the FCD striker cut back toward the inside of the field. With Burpo heading in the opposite direction, all Oduro had to do was send it into the left side of the net and he did that for his third tally of 2007.
Chivas midfielder Jesse Marsch, who was quiet for the majority of the afternoon, was finally heard from in the 87th minute. That was when he got his first look at the Hoops net all day, but Sala was there for his second save of the match.
Ruiz proved to be dangerous yet again in the 90th. The Guatemalan international had yet another chance to end his lengthy scoring drought but Burpo was there to make his third save of the match and deny Ruiz's bid.
For FCD, it was their first win against Chivas since June 11, 2006 in Frisco. Since then, they had lost to them twice at the Home Depot Center, once in Frisco and also tied them at the HDC, while also playing to a pair of draws.
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
