With star midfielder Amado Guevara watching from the stands, Jean Philippe Peguero scored a hat trick and Seth Stammler added a pair of goals to lift the New York Red Bulls to their first victory, 5-4 over Chivas USA at Giants Stadium Saturday night.
After an MLS-record five draws in their opening six games in which they scored a total of five goals, the Red Bulls put five past Chivas goalkeeper Brad Guzan to become the last team in the league to earn three points. Despite a pair of goals from both Ante Razov and Juan Francisco Palencia, Chivas lost for the fourth time in their first six games.
On Bob Bradley's first game back at Giants Stadium since being fired by then-MetroStars president and general manager Alexi Lalas, Chivas had the game's first quality scoring chance in the ninth minute, but Jon Conway dived to his right to stop former Seton Hall University star Sacha Kljestan from 20 yards out.
On a Chris Henderson corner kick, the Red Bulls took the lead in the 20th minute when Peguero jumped over Carlos Llamosa and flicked the ball into the corner of the net. It was the first New York goal off a corner kick since July 27, 2005, when Mike Magee scored against Dallas.
Peguero scored his second of the night, and third of his three-game Red Bulls career, in the 38th minute when he ran onto a long ball by Carlos Mendes, got behind the Chivas back four and took a touch past Chivas 'keeper Brad Guzan before tapping the ball into the open net. It was the Haitian's first multi-goal game of his career.
Peguero was acquired in a trade with the Colorado Rapids on April 21 in exchange for Thiago Martins, a 2007 first-round draft pick and a 2007 third-round pick.
Former MetroStars defender Tim Regan joined the attack well and almost contributed to a pair of goals but he flicked Juan Pablo Garcia's free kick over the far post. Five minutes later he found space down the right side but his pass intended for Palencia was cleared away by a sliding Mendes.
After scoring his team's first two goals, Peguero set up the Red Bulls' third in the 54th minute, switching the ball over to Stammler. With a ton of space in front of him, Stammler took a touch and had a go, beating Guzan inside the far post with a low, hard shot from 36 yards out. Even Guevara, sitting next to his wife in her now infamous season tickets, cheered.
Chivas got a goal back in the 59th minute when Razov took Jesse Marsch's pass, turned and beat Jon Conway low inside the far post. Five minutes later Palencia tapped in Francisco Mendoza's cross for his first goal of the year.
Both teams made their first substitutions in the 67th minute with Peter Canero replacing Henderson for the Red Bulls and Lawson Vaughn coming on for Llamosa for Chivas. Two minutes later Stammler scored his second, nodding Youri Djorkaeff's free kick in from the penalty spot.
Razov scored his second goal of the game and fifth goal of the year with a free kick in the 77th minute. It was his 89th of his MLS career, placing him third all-time in goals scored.
Peguero completed the hat trick in the 89th minute when he took a pass from Mark Lisi and beat Guzan with a low shot that banked in off the far post. It is the first New York hat trick since Guevara scored one against Chivas Aug. 21, 2005.
Chivas got a cosmetic fourth goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time when Palencia converted a penalty kick after a foul was called on Canero in the box.
It was yet another wild game for the New York club, which has been involved in four of the nine highest-scoring games in MLS history. The nine total goals were two short of the MLS record set in 1998 in a Los Angeles 7-4 win against Colorado, and one shy of the club record, set twice, first in 2000 when the MetroStars defeated Dallas, then in 2004 when the Metros and San Jose played to a 5-5 tie, that game at Giants Stadium.
Dylan Butler is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
