Although the final score showed a 1-1 tie, there was a clear winner in the Chivas USA and Chicago Fire contest Saturday night the Home Depot Center.
The fans.
Thanks to a visit by Fire standout and Mexican soccer legend Cuauhtemoc Blanco, fans flocked to the match to give Chivas their first ever home sellout in a match not featuring the LA Galaxy.
And Blanco did not disappoint.
Displaying an array of skills -- and antics -- that has placed him at the forefront of the Mexican soccer world for more than a decade, Blanco's performance was highlighted by a trademark 30-yard free kick goal that drew a roaring applause from the largely pro-Fire crowd.
The Fire, however, were again undone after conceding a goal in the final 10 minutes and settling for their fourth consecutive draw.
"We let this one go," said Blanco. "I was very happy with the crowd support we received ... but I'm not happy because we let this match get away from us."
Blanco put his mark on the match in the 24th minute. After being fouled outside the Chivas penalty area -- and drawing angry protests by Chivas players at the call -- Blanco lined up a 30-yard free kick, then took a 12-yard running start before firing a shot past Brad Guzan into the upper right corner of the goal after which the crowd erupted.
"It was a beautiful atmosphere and they got what they came to see, a good game and a spectacle including a beauty of a goal by Cuauhtemoc," said Diego Gutierrez.
With the crowd energized, subsequent possessions by the Fire -- particularly those involving Blanco -- drew chants of "ole."
"I don't think anyone's ever 'ole'd' for a team that I've been on before," said Chris Rolfe. "It was pretty cool getting that. The support for Cuauhtemoc was great and he feeds off of that and we feed off of it, too."
After taking the first half lead, it looked like the Fire were on the verge of snapping their winless streak, until the last 10 minutes.
Chivas forward Maykel Galindo was brought down in the penalty area by Fire defender C.J. Brown to give Chivas a penalty kick. Chivas' own Mexican icon, Claudio Suarez, converted the penalty to pull the hosts even.
The final minutes of the match were tense for Chivas as the Fire had several scoring chances, capped by a controversial no-call in stoppage time.
It was Blanco again in the center of the action as he dribbled deep into the Chivas penalty area with defender Alex Zotinca at his heels. With Zotinca bearing down on him, Blanco hit the field but referee Tim Weyland did not give him the call, prompting an outburst by the fiery midfielder and Fire coach Juan Carlos Osorio. Osorio was ejected from the match and refused to speak to reporters afterward.
From his vantage point, Gutierrez had little doubt that Zotinca fouled Blanco.
"It was clear that Zotinca made an attempt on the ball and he didn't get any of it at all," he said. "Those calls are hard to accept and that was the difference between us getting one point and three points."
"We set the tone and we played well enough to win," said assistant coach Daryl Shore. "The call at the end went against us, but that's soccer."
When asked about the play, Blanco spoke volumes with his muted reply.
"You can judge the referee. I'm not going to say anything."
Danny Bueno is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
