There were no excuses in the Chivas USA locker room after a disappointing 4-0 loss to Houston Dynamo that ended the Red-and-White's five-game unbeaten streak and three-game win streak.
"I think, obviously, the better team won tonight," Chivas USA head coach Preki. "From the first minute of the game, you could tell that they were the team that wanted it more than us, and they came at us for 90 minutes."
Chivas goalkeeper Brad Guzan agreed, saying: "We didn't win tonight, and we didn't deserve to win. I don't think we played particularly well as a team, from top to bottom. It was just one of those nights where we didn't come ready to play, and right from the get-go they were ready."
While Chivas USA was missing defender Jonathan Bornstein, Dynamo were missing four starters to the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Preki said that might have actually been an advantage for Houston.
"Sometimes it's more dangerous to play the guys who sit on the bench than the guys who are always on the field," Preki said. "Those guys on the bench want to come into the game prove that they can be the starters."
Chivas forward Ante Razov said that his team failed to "match Houston's intensity and aggressiveness."
"Coming into this place, we didn't really have the right mentality," Razov said. "We played really poorly, and we probably got what we deserved."
Preki agreed with Razov's assessment, adding that "overall, I thought they played with more urgency than us. They really wanted it more than us, and that was reflected in the score."
Guzan said that his team's lack of intensity showed on the defensive end of the field.
"We got a little bit lazy," Guzan said. "We were all over the place and we couldn't recover, and they made us pay. When you play a good team like that, that's what happens."
Two of Houston's four goals came after Chivas USA defender Shavar Thomas was sent off for tripping Dynamo forward Joseph Ngwenya from behind on a breakaway. Preki thought the ejection might have been unwarranted.
"At the end, I don't know if the red card was the right call at that point," Preki said. "I talked to [Thomas], and he said that [Ngwenya] fell on his own. I tried to talk to the referee, but he didn't want to hear it."
It was suggested that Chivas' poor performance might have been due in part to the Houston heat and humidity, but players dismissed the idea.
"It's hot for both teams," Razov said. "It's not like they're playing in air conditioning and we're playing in the heat. Maybe they're a bit more used to the humidity, but that's not the issue. ... We just played poorly tonight and really didn't give ourselves a chance."
Guzan agreed. "It's humid, it's hot, but they're a good team, and if you want to win a trophy, you're going to have to come through Houston at some point in time. Right now, we need to figure out how to get some results down here," he said.
Chivas USA is 0-2-1 in games played in Houston. Razov says that his team will have to learn to beat Dynamo at home if it wants to get to the playoffs.
"This was a big game and we didn't rise to the occasion," Razov said. "We know that Houston's the one place you're going to have to win if you're going to get your team into the playoffs."
Lucas Ogden-Davis is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
