CARSON, Calif. - Houston Dynamo and Chivas USA finished the regular season in near-identical fashion. In four season meetings, the clubs each took a win and tied twice, with Dynamo finishing three points ahead of Chivas in the league table.
It was Chivas, however, who took the first step in distancing themselves from Dynamo in their first leg of their Western Conference Semifinal Series with a 2-1 victory at The Home Depot Center on Sunday afternoon.
Ante Razov scored moments before halftime and Francisco Palencia added a goal in the 68th minute before Brian Ching got on the board for Dynamo in the 75th minute in a fast-paced match that saw several missed opportunities and some heated moments.
However, the story of the match was Chivas 'keeper Brad Guzan's spectacular save on a Dwayne De Rosario penalty kick five minutes from full time after Ching was brought down in the penalty area.
Now the playoff series will shift to Houston with Dynamo at a goal disadvantage and the weight of frustration from failing to seize the opportunity to gain a valuable road tie.
Chivas came storming out of the gate. In the sixth minute, Jonathan Bornstein ripped a 20-yard shot just wide left of goal.
Then, minutes later, Jesse Marsch tried his chances with a 30-yard free kick attempt that sailed inches over the head of Dynamo goalkeeper Pat Onstad and over the crossbar.
Marsch was in the starting lineup despite suffering a concussion in Chivas' regular season finale a week ago.
Chivas continued mounting their attack against a strong Dynamo defense and were nearly rewarded in the 18th minute if not for a muffed goal-scoring opportunity from striker Ante Razov.
Juan Pablo Garcia jumpstarted the play with a through ball that squirted past Dynamo defender Eddie Robinson. Razov streaked onto the loose ball and dribbled towards the goal unmarked. When he got inside the penalty area, he feinted left and dribbled right, causing Onstad to fall backwards.
Razov, however, knocked the ball a step too far, allowing Wade Barrett to kick it out of bounds before the Chivas striker could tap it into the empty net.
Then Dynamo went on the offensive. In the 25th minute, Dwayne De Rosario centered a ball inside the Chivas penalty area to Brian Ching, who skied his header over the crossbar.
Two minutes later, De Rosario was in the middle of the action again. This time, the Canadian international took a well-struck 35-yard shot at goal that skipped a few feet in front of Chivas 'keeper Brad Guzan who was forced to make a diving save.
It appeared as thought the match would enter the intermission at a scoreless deadlock until Adrian Serioux was whistled for a foul on Palencia a yard outside of the penalty area to set up a Chivas free kick.
The left-footed Razov took the shot, delicately curling it over the Dynamo wall and past Onstad, who did not make a move on the ball as it went inside his left-hand post, giving the hosts the goal advantage. It was the veteran striker's 11th career playoff goal.
Ching had another golden opportunity in the 57th minute when he got a head on a centered ball deep inside the Chivas penalty area. Ching sent his attempt straight into the arms of Guzan, though.
Eight minutes later, Dynamo nearly equalized. De Rosario raced 40 yards up the center of the field with the ball before feeding a through pass into the path of a sprinting Ching. As the ball crossed the top of the penalty area, Ching made a lunge for it and Guzan dove towards it, knocking Ching to the ground as the ball bounced out of play.
Chivas then took a 2-0 lead in the 68th minute. Sacha Kljestan, who had entered the match in place of Garcia just moments earlier, took a free kick for Chivas from beyond the right corner of the penalty area. He sent the restart toward the near post to Palencia, who beat two Dynamo defenders to the ball and powered a flicked header past Onstad.
Ching pulled a goal back for Dynamo in the 75th minute. After Craig Waibel sent a perfectly-weighted pass inside the Chivas defender, Brian Mullan hit a low centering ball inside the Chivas penalty area that Ching one-timed past Guzan.
Then five minutes from fulltime, Dynamo were awarded a penalty kick after Ching was brought down by Chivas defender Jason Hernandez from behind after chasing him down inside the penalty area.
De Rosario took the ensuing penalty kick, but it was Guzan who stepped up, guessing right and making a huge save on De Rosario's shot aimed at the right side of the goal.
Danny Bueno is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
