LOS ANGELES GALAXY vs. CHIVAS USA
THE HOME DEPOT CENTER, Carson, Calif.
April 26, 2008 | 7:30 p.m. PT (FSC/FSE)
WEEK # 5 | GAME # 34
It's the first Honda SuperClasico of the year as the Los Angeles Galaxy entertain Chivas USA - and both teams are desperately looking for wins. Both teams come into the match with a win and a draw in their four matches on the campaign, and neither were able to come away with the full three points in home matches last weekend - the Galaxy twice coming back before settling for a draw with the Houston Dynamo, while Chivas USA were hit early and late in a loss to FC Dallas.
REFEREE:
Jair Marrufo. SAR (bench): Kermit Quisenberry; JAR (opposite): Greg Barkey; 4th: Richard Heron
MLS Career: 70 games; FC/gm: 28.3; Y/gm: 3.5; R: 15; pens: 25
INJURY REPORT:
LOS ANGELES GALAXY - OUT: GK Charles Alamo (R knee surgery); DF Ante Jazic (R ankle surgery); FW Carlos Ruiz (R knee); DOUBTFUL: MF Alvaro Pires (L knee); QUESTIONABLE: MF Ely Allen (R hamstring) ... CHIVAS USA - OUT: FW Alecko Eskandarian (L groin strain), DF Alex Zotinca (R knee ACL surgery); QUESTIONABLE: MF Raphaël Wicky (back spasms); PROBABLE: FW Ante Razov (L calf strain), DF Lawson Vaughn (L hamstring strain)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES:
none
SUSPENDED:
none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: none
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: LA: Greg Vanney
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (12 meetings): Galaxy 7 wins, 18 goals ... Chivas USA 3 wins, 12 goals ... Ties 2
AS GALAXY HOME GAME: (6 meetings): Galaxy 4 wins, 12 goals ... Chivas USA 2 wins, 7 goals ... Ties 0
• This is the first of three meetings between the Home Depot Center co-tenants this season. The next meeting, on July 10, is also a Galaxy home game; their meeting on Aug. 14 is the only one scheduled as a Chivas USA home game.
LAST YEAR (MLS):
4/28: LA 3, CHV 1 (Donovan 8; Harmse 17; Jones 78 - Suarez 63)
5/20: CHV 1, LA 1 (Galindo 35 - Donovan 50)
8/23: LA 0, CHV 3 (Galindo 58, 69; Mendoza 88)
9/13: CHV 3, LA 0 (Razov 23; Mendoza 88; Merlin 90)
• A year ago, Chivas USA won the season series for the first time in the three-year history of the SuperClasico. The Galaxy won the first, then after a draw, Chivas rolled to back-to-back 3-0 victories.
• After winning just one of the first nine meetings between the teams, Chivas have won the last two. The 3-0 victory on Sept. 13 was the first for Chivas as the home team in the SuperClasico, after losing the first three then drawing the next two.
• The teams have met outside of The Home Depot Center once, on Aug. 10, 2005 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum before 88,816 as part of a Club América-CD Guadalajara doubleheader - the second-largest crowd ever to see an MLS regular season game.
• Coaches record: Ruud Gullit vs. CHV: first game ... Preki v LA: P4 W2 L1 D1
LOS ANGELES GALAXY
The Los Angeles Galaxy twice fought back from one-goal deficits before settling for a 2-2 draw with the Houston Dynamo on Saturday evening at The Home Depot Center. The Galaxy have four points from four matches, tied for third place in the Western Conference with Chivas USA and Real Salt Lake, four points behind division leaders FC Dallas.
LAST MATCH
• The LA Galaxy were looking to get back to their winning ways in the third game of a four-game homestand, while the defending MLS Cup champion Dynamo were looking simply for their first victory of the season after a loss and two ties.
• The Dynamo went ahead after 37 minutes. Brian Mullan swung in a deep cross from the right, and after Franco Caraccio knocked it back goalward, Brian Ching missed in an attempt to turn it on target. But Brad Davis came swooping in to prod it home from close range for the opener.
• At the three-quarter mark, the Galaxy pulled level through a spectacular goal. David Beckham took a pass from Landon Donovan on the right flank and whipped in a bending cross to the near post. Donovan shook off the attention of Patrick Ianni and dove to head the ball inside the post to pull the Galaxy into a 67th-minute tie.
• But the Dynamo went back in front on 79 minutes. Brian Ching ended up with the ball on the corner of the six-yard box and hit a shot off the turn that clattered off the face of the crossbar. But Franco Caraccio followed up on the backside to turn the rebound into the goal for his second goal in MLS.
• Yet five minutes later the Galaxy again drew level, and again it was through the combination of Donovan and Beckham. Put through on the right by Chris Klein, Beckham rounded the corner and drove a low cross through the goal area to the back post where Donovan came sliding in to turn it into the goal for his fifth goal in the last three games.
• Galaxy boss Ruud Gullit made two changes to the team that lost 3-2 to Toronto FC at home the previous weekend. With Alvaro Pires and Ely Allen suffering knocks, Josh Tudela came into the midfield and Alan Gordon moved back to the engine room as Edson Buddle partnered Landon Donovan in attack.
• Here's Gullit's team (4-4-2): Steve Cronin - Chris Klein, Sean Franklin, Greg Vanney, Mike Randolph - David Beckham, Brandon McDonald, Josh Tudela (Abel Xavier 46), Alan Gordon (Joe Franchino 46) - Edson Buddle, Landon Donovan. Substitutes Not Used: Bryan Jordan, Troy Roberts, Israel Sesay, Peter Vagenas, Josh Wicks
• "t was a matter of working hard and not giving up. The second half was an excellent game for the LA Galaxy. Every time we tried to press them, we couldn't get into a rhythm. That was a little bit disturbing for our team," Gullit said. "I'm very proud of my team. I've very proud, especially, of the leaders of this team, Landon and David. They really showed the leaders they are."
TEAM NEWS
• Gullit was forced into difficult decisions with his lineup after two starting midfielders - Ely Allen and Alvaro Pires - went down during the week. In addition, Steve Cronin was a gameday decision.
• "The preparation for the game was very tough. With Ely (Allen) injured on Tuesday and then on Friday with Alvaro (Pires) injured, and we had Steve Cronin also injured. Steve was just tested before the match. We had to improvise. It was difficult with the personnel that we had," Gullit said.
• After the opening 45 minutes, another change came. Abel Xavier, who had not seen the field since being sent off in the season-opening loss to Colorado, came back into central defense and Joe Franchino made his return the Galaxy, coming into the center of midfield. Mike Randolph moved to a wide left role in midfield and Greg Vanney to left back.
• "I had to improvise with Joey (Franchino) because I've only seen Joey on video. Of course, I knew with the help of my staff what his talents are. I had to have a little more power in the midfield so I put him in the middle with Brandon (MacDonald). I also needed someone with a left foot on the outside so I took my chances with Mike (Randolph) on the left," said Gullit.
• Franchino had been acquired from the New England Revolution just the day before. He played two-plus seasons for the Galaxy before going the Revs midway through the 2000 campaign. He played no fewer than 20 games for the Revolution from 2000-2006, until injuries limited him to just three appearances a year ago.
• "We were looking for someone in the midfield with a left foot who could play inside role or outside. We came with this solution. We saw matches from 2006, also things from the MLS website. Just to find out what kind of player he is. I think he could be excellent for us. Not only for the team, but the look of the team," Gullit said. "They told me the situation that they could come tomorrow, Sunday. I said no, no, let him come in today and sit on the bench because I think in the end I'm going to need him, especially in this game. I was right. When he came into the midfield, it was right. It was tighter, they couldn't find space."
• Once again, David Beckham and Landon Donovan showed they are developing a lethal partnership. Beckham has assisted on three of Donovan's goals. Beckham also provided the troublesome pass that led to Toronto FC conceding a penalty, which Donovan converted. On the lone Galaxy goal that Donovan didn't score this year, the assist came from Donovan, and on Donovan's strike in the run of play last week against Toronto, only Chris Klein registered an official assist, though Beckham did start the sequence.
• "I've always said that when you play with players that are intelligent, they know where to run and where the ball is coming," said Beckham. "That was the case tonight and the case in some of the other games. I've had a couple of assists in a few games now. It's just about the understanding of the game and tonight we had that."
• While the Galaxy have allowed nine goals in their four games to open the season, Gullit does not put much blame at the feet of goalkeeper Steve Cronin.
• "(Cronin) played excellent. He's a young guy, and I'm really proud of him," said Gullit. "[Saturday] he was excellent, especially with the free kick. He did well with crosses. He gets more confident every game." Said Cronin: "I felt confident, I felt good, especially making a couple of good saves in the first half. The goal, I feel I could have done a little bit better on. At the same time, you look at it and there are two unmarked guys in the box."
CHIVAS USA
Chivas USA lost for the second consecutive weekend, FC Dallas scoring early and late on their way to a 2-0 victory Sunday afternoon at The Home Depot Center. Chivas have four points from four matches, tied for third place in the Western Conference with the LA Galaxy and Real Salt Lake, two points behind second-place Colorado.
LAST MATCH
• Chivas USA and FC Dallas were meeting for the second time already this season, after a late goal gave Chivas USA a share of the points in a 1-1 draw in the season opener at BMO Field.
• Against a makeshift Chivas team racked by injury and suspension, FC Dallas got off to a perfect start. Dax McCarty swung in a cross from the right flank, it was headed back across goal by Ricardinho, and Kenny Cooper came it to smash it into the top of the goal for the fifth-minute opener. It was Cooper's fourth goal on the campaign, all over the last three matches.
• The visitors closed out the victory 10 minutes from the end. A long ball out of the back by Arturo Alvarez was met by Abe Thompson running alone behind the Chivas defense. As he reached the penalty area, he cut inside to avoid two backtracking defenders and slid the ball inside the right-hand post for his first goal on the season.
• Chivas USA head coach Preki made five changes to the team that lost 4-3 to the Columbus Crew the week before. Two were forced, as Sacha Kljestan and Francisco Mendoza were suspended. Claudio Suarez, Lawson Vaughn and Maykel Galindo came back into the team as Kraig Chiles and Justin Braun made their first MLS starts. Jim Curtin, Atiba Harris and Keith Savage all returned to the substitutes' bench.
• Here's Preki's team (4-3-2-1): Brad Guzan - Chris Pozniak, Claudio Suarez, Shavar Thomas, Jonathan Bornstein - Lawson Vaughn (Atiba Harris 63), Jesse Marsch, Paulo Nagamura - Kraig Chiles (Ante Razov 59), Justin Braun - Maykel Galindo. Substitutes Not Used: Jim Curtin, Jorge Flores, Dan Kennedy, Daniel Paladini, Keith Savage
• "From the first moment of the game I think we lacked alertness, we weren't sharp, especially the first 20-25 minutes of the game, and obviously we conceded the early goal in the first five minutes of the game. But after 25 minutes I thought we created some good opportunities," Preki said. "I thought Galindo had three or four good chances where we could have pulled even, and then it would've been a different game. Second half, Dallas defended, they put 10 guys behind the halfway line and tried to catch us on a break. It was one of those days that, in a lot of ways, I felt that we didn't find enough energy and enough commitment to get a goal today."
TEAM NEWS
• Preki was forced into some personnel decisions heading into the match. Missing were Sacha Kljestan and Francisco Mendoza due to suspension as well as Raphael Wicky and Alecko Eskandarian to injury. Without the playmakers in the midfield, Preki was forced to use Lawson Vaughn in a central midfield role. Vaughn, though, was coming off injury as well and missed the last two games with hamstring issues.
• "I haven't played there for this team before. I'm a soccer player and I trust my abilities and my skill to be able to play in different positions," Vaughn said. "It changed my role a little bit because I had be out wide, I had to get up a little higher on their guys outside. Finding the ball is a little bit different."
• Kraig Chiles and Justin Braun earned the first starts of their MLS careers. It took time for the youngsters to settle in but once they did the club started to find a semblance of rhythm.
• "We haven't had our full group at all this season, preseason included. There have been guys in and out with injuries and we've had so many guys banged up that its tough. Clearly it shows on the field," striker Ante Razov said. "We don't really have the same rhythm we had a year ago. ... It might take a little bit but we've got to work on it pretty hard."
• The FC Dallas defeat marked the first time in nearly one year the team has dropped back-to-back games - since losses to LA (1-3) and D.C. United (1-2) on April 28 and May 6, 2007. The club has yet to post a shutout in four games this season compared to 14 shutouts a year ago.
• "I don't know what the reasons are but we need to figure it out quickly what needs to happen because we don't have a lot of time to feel sorry for ourselves," Jesse Marsch said. "It's still early in the season so it's not like we're in horrible shape but we need to get our act together quickly."
• With the challenge of preparing for the first SuperClasíco of the season, Chivas is now faced with the prospect of trying to avoid three consecutive losses since their inaugural campaign of 2005.
• "I don't know what to say. I'm embarrassed for the team right now," Marsch said. "I don't know what the story is for our group but we just can't get it going. I don't have any answers right now. ... I just feel like I'm to start with, that I'm not playing well enough for our group as one of our leaders. I feel like because of that and other reasons our group isn't playing well right now."
