after a rare Houston defensive misplay. Chris Lancos sent the ball forward, and as Wade Barrett tried to play it, a poor touch allowed Findley to latch onto it and race in at goal. With a shot from the right side of the area, Findley found the inside of the left netting past Onstad's dive and gave Real the eventual game-winner.
• Then Houston hung on for a 4-3 win at home a little more than a month ago, as RSL nearly came back from a three-goal deficit. It didn't take long for Nate Jaqua and Dynamo to provide a preview of coming events.
• Corey Ashe picked up a loose ball on the left side of the area and drove in a low cross that Jaqua turned home after just six minutes. But Real pulled level in the 18th minute when Fabian Espindola claimed the ball after a challenge and, from almost on the byeline on the left, ripped a low drive off the inside of the far post.
• Yet just 10 minutes later Dynamo again took the lead. Richard Mulrooney served in a free kick from out on the left, and Eddie Robinson outleaped the RSL defense to nod home. Then three minutes after the second-half restart, Jaqua hit for his second in almost a carbon copy of his first, touching a rolling Ashe cross from the left past RSL 'keeper Nick Rimando.
• Jaqua completed his hat trick and put Dynamo up 4-1 in the 57th minute -- again assisted by Ashe. This time it was the aerial route, the rookie sending a high cross to the back post that Jaqua headed down.
• But Real weren't done. Javier Morales drove in a corner and Carey Talley nosed in front of Dynamo goalkeeper Pat Onstad to head home in the 69th minute. Then RSL cut the lead to one in the 82nd minute when Kyle Brown latched onto a deflected shot in the Houston box and banged it home, but they could get no closer.
• Here's Kinnear's team (4-3-1-2): Pat Onstad - Richard Mulrooney, Ryan Cochrane, Eddie Robinson, Wade Barrett - Brian Mullan, Ricardo Clark, Corey Ashe - Dwayne De Rosario - Nate Jaqua, Joseph Ngwenya. Substitutes Not Used: Mike Chabala, Eric Ebert, John Michael Hayden, Patrick Ianni, Craig Waibel, Zach Wells, Chris Wondolowski
• Here's Kreis's team (4-2-3-1): Nick Rimando - Jean-Martial Kipre, Matias Mantilla, Eddie Pope (Chris Wingert 53), Ritchie Kotschau - Kyle Beckerman, Carey Talley - Robbie Findley, Javier Morales, Fabian Espindola (Andy Williams 55) - Alecko Eskandarian (Kyle Brown 60),. Substitutes Not Used: Chris Lancos, Kyle Reynish, Jack Stewart, Jamie Watson
REAL SALT LAKE
Real Salt Lake lost for the first time in five games, calling 3-2 to Chivas USA last Saturday evening at Rice-Eccles Stadium. RSL, eliminated from postseason consideration the weekend before, has 24 points with two games remaining, tied for 12th place overall with Toronto FC.
LAST MATCH
• Real Salt Lake were the only team mathematically eliminated from the MLS Cup Playoffs, despite a four-game unbeaten run, while Chivas USA hadn't lost in nine games.
• Assured of a playoff berth, Chivas USA head coach Preki decided to give strike pair Ante Razov and Maykel Galindo the weekend off; between them, they have 23 goals. But the replacement strike pair combined to open the scoring in the 24th minute. Laurent Merlin broke down a defender and got in a cross from the right, and John Cunliffe bundled it home from close range.
• After the break on a rainy night on the Wasatch Front, the game burst into life. Real pulled level in the 52nd minute when a long ball was headed on from the flank by Fabian Espindola, and Chris Brown burst between defenders to slot home a shot under Chivas 'keeper Brad Guzan.
• But Cunliffe, making his first start since July 4, put Chivas back into the lead just two minutes later. Sacha Kljestan led the Englishman with a perfectly weighted through ball, and Cunliffe lashed it home inside the left-hand post. Paulo Nagamura then doubled the Chivas lead with a wonder goal, hitting a shot from all of 35 yards that sailed over RSL 'keeper Chris Seitz and dipped just under the crossbar.
• Real pulled a goal back five minutes later when Andy Williams drove a bounding cross from the right side to the far post where Robbie Findley turned it home, but RSL couldn't find the equalizer.
• RSL head coach Jason Kreis made five changes to the team that played to a 2-2 draw with the New York Red Bulls the previous Saturday at Giants Stadium. Chris Seitz came into goal in place of Nick Rimando, Chris Lancos and Ritchie Kotschau into the back four for Chris Wingert and Eddie Pope, and Fabian Espindola and Robbie Findley into attacking roles in place of Yura Movsisyan and Alecko Eskandarian.
• Here's Kreis's team (4-2-3-1): Chris Seitz - Chris Lancos, Ritchie Kotschau, Matias Mantilla, Willis Forko (Chris Wingert 68) - Kyle Beckerman, Carey Talley - Fabian Espindola (Yura Movsisyan 61), Andy Williams, Chris Brown (Atiba Harris 77) - Robbie Findley. Substitutes Not Used: Kyle Brown, Eddie Pope, Nick Rimando, Nathan Sturgis
• "I remember [Chivas] having three chances, and they scored all three of them," Kreis said. "We created a lot of chances; I'm quite certain ... we outshot them, we created better chances, more chances, but again we walk away with zero points. That has happened to us too many times this year."
TEAM NEWS
• After scoring multiple goals in a game just four times in the first 19 games of the season, RSL has hit for two or more goals in six of their last nine games. Three wins and three ties have come in that run.
• "I'm satisfied with the attacking movements and the number of chances we're creating. You can't ever be satisfied, though, that those chances aren't converted into goals," Kreis said. "There's really only one way to change that and to fix that, and that's to keep doing it and, at one point or another, more of your chances will go in."
• The big changes in the RSL team were in the back, where Chris Lancos and Willis Forko were starts as fullback and Chris Seitz in goal - three young players given a chance to show what they can do heading into the offseason.
• "The result didn't go our way today, and if we score two goals at home, we should expect to win," Seitz said. "Defensively, as a team, we need to look at that; it can't be that way, we have to be better."
• Findley and Chris Brown now are tied for the team lead in goals scored this year, each with five. Kreis likes the situation. "I prefer that the goals get spread out amongst players. We've got multiple players out there that can strike, that way defenses are having to look this way and that to figure out who they are going to mark and who they are going to key off of," he said.
• Seitz and Findley will not be with Real this weekend, as they were called in by U.S. national team coach Bob Bradley for Wednesday's friendly against Switzerland in Basel. Seitz was in the U.S. squad for the friendly in July against Brazil, while Findley has not been capped at any level by the USA, though he is also eligible through his parents to play for Trinidad & Tobago and has participated in under-23 camps with that country.
• "It's definitely an honor to represent the United States in this training camp. It's a dream come true, really," Findley said. "Growing up I was always wanted to represent the U.S. on the field and now I'm going into this camp and looking to make a statement and earn more opportunities. It was a tough decision because my family grew up and was raised in Trinidad & Tobago, but I was raised here in the U.S. and that played a big part in it, and that's why I went with this decision."
HOUSTON DYNAMO
Houston Dynamo fell back into second place in the Western Conference after their 2-1 loss at home to the Los Angeles Galaxy last Sunday afternoon. Dynamo have 48 points with two matches left to play, four points behind Chivas USA in the Western Conference race, and six behind D.C. United for the league's best record, both entering the weekend.
LAST MATCH
• The LA Galaxy had pulled themselves back into playoff consideration with three consecutive wins -- the last two on the road -- while Houston Dynamo were also winners of three in a row.
• Brian Ching was scratched from the lineup just minutes before kickoff with back spasms, and that put Nate Jaqua into a forward role. He made that pay off in the 21st minute when he put Dynamo into the lead. Craig Waibel sent Joseph Ngwenya free down the right flank, who hooked in a low cross. It fell to Jaqua's feet, and he turned home a first-time shot for his seventh goal.
• But just before the break the Galaxy pulled level. From a quick throw-in, Carlos Pavon touched the ball back to Landon Donovan, then raced forward to collect the return pass played over the top. Pavon lashed a dipping first-time shot inside the right-hand post from the left side of the area.
• The Galaxy scored the game-winner in the 77th minute, again prompted by Donovan. He swung a high free kick into the area, which was headed into the air by Cobi Jones. Gavin Glinton raced to the left-hand post and nodded it home from close range for his third goal in the last five games.
• Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear made two changes to the team that defeated FC Dallas 3-0 on Sunday afternoon. Craig Waibel and Brian Mullan came back into the team as Kinnear rejuggled his lines with Ricardo Clark suspended and Brian Ching a late injury replacement.
• Here's Kinnear's team (4-3-1-2): Pat Onstad - Craig Waibel (Brad Davis 79), Ryan Cochrane, Eddie Robinson, Wade Barrett - Brian Mullan, Richard Mulrooney, Corey Ashe (Stuart Holden 61) - Dwayne De Rosario - Nate Jaqua, Joseph Ngwenya (Chris Wondolowski 87). Substitutes Not Used: Paul Dalglish, Patrick Ianni, Zach Wells
• "I thought the first 20 or 25 minutes was excellent. We kind of let our foot off the pedal after we scored. We let them have some territory. We weren't sharp defensively. They had some long stuff, and they were kind of creeping in a bit. They scored a nice goal. It was decent by them, bad by us. A little too much ball watching," Kinnear said. "Then the second half starts and we really should've been up 2-1. You think with the lead going into the second half maybe wins the game for us today."
TEAM NEWS
• Despite the loss, it was a chance for some returning players to get some valuable minutes. Brad Davis played for the first time since June 30 after recovering from his knee injury, Stuart Holden made a second consecutive substitute appearance after missing six games, and Brian Mullan hadn't played since Sept. 16.
• "I think when guys are out for a while they come back and want to do everything at once. You saw Brad [Davis] on some set pieces. It's difficult to come in and make an impact when the other team is sitting back with 10 men," Kinnear said. "You just have to hope the ball falls your way. Brian [Mullan] hadn't played in three weeks. He played 90 minutes. Stuart [Holden] got 30 minutes, and Brad [Davis] got 15. We'll get them a little bit more time, and take it from there. I thought they did OK."
• It was Houston's first loss this season when scoring the first goal. They had been 12-0 entering the game.
• "We are always looking for the early goal in games, and knowing what our record is when we score first, maybe that subconsciously came in, and we took the foot off the pedal a bit," said Dynamo midfielder Richard Mulrooney. "We played in this weather before. Can't say it's the weather. It's more of us not being able to stay focused for the full 90 instead of just the first 20 and the last 45."
• The result was also a vital one in the chase for the Supporters' Shield.
• "I don't want to say it eliminates us because anything can happen in this game, but we have to win our last two, and we certainly need them to lose a game," said Dynamo goalkeeper Pat Onstad. "(Chivas) are at a stage where they have like 10 wins without a loss, so they are looking pretty good. It will be pretty hard."
• The game was played in front of the first sellout crowd in club history as 30,558 showed up for the final regular season home game of the year.
• "Great crowd, great environment," Mulrooney said. "We had a 12th man out there, and we didn't take advantage of it. Hopefully, the fans will come back out here for our first playoff game. Seeing them out here helps us a run a little more, and I pat them on the back for being out here."
• Dynamo's last loss had been Aug. 11, a 1-0 reversal to the Colorado Rapids, which was the second 1-0 loss in a row on the road (also falling 1-0 to Real Salt Lake on Aug. 4).
• "It frustrates you tremendously because we do everything we usually do," said Houston defender Eddie Robinson. "We dominated the game, we moved the ball around, we got it wide. We're dangerous on our crosses, and that's our game. So now, you don't come out on top. You can't do much more. ... We're frustrated and disappointed, but we still have two games left, and we want to win the Western Conference. We have to get our heads straight and get ready for Salt Lake next week."
