Forgive Lawson Vaughn if he didn't know what to do after his goal on Thursday.
In the 60th minute, Vaughn bagged the equalizer in Chivas USA's 2-2 draw with D.C. United. On the leveler, Vaughn ripped a shot on goal that deflected off United's Clyde Simms and into the back of the net.
Never having scored as a pro and having scored seldom in college, Vaughn was at a loss for ideas.
"When I scored, I was just like 'Wow! I scored!'" Vaughn said. "I ran back and I ran in the middle of the field and I didn't know where to go. I looked at Sacha [Kljestan] and he was like 'come here, come here' so I went to the sideline. It was cool after that."
The goal was memorable for several reasons. Besides Vaughn's first career goal, it was also the goal that sealed Chivas USA's comeback from a two-goal deficit. Chivas USA had never battled back from two goals down to tie a match regardless of the final score.
To do it against a club like D.C. United made it even more significant -- the first time in six matches all-time Chivas has not been on the losing end against them.
"I give my guys a lot of credit," Chivas USA coach Preki said. "We showed a lot of character tonight to come back from 2-0 down against the best team in the league, with the most points in the league, I think shows how much we've come as a group. Obviously we've never beaten D.C. or taken a point from D.C. so this is good for our confidence as well."
Chivas USA fell behind after 26 minutes on a pair of goals from Luciano Emilio. The league's leading scorer hit the back of the net in the third and 26th minutes as the club dug an early hole.
The goals, especially the first one, went against what Chivas USA had prepped for during the week.
"We talked about how this is one team that you really don't want to give the ball away in your own half and we've got to be aware of where Gomez and Moreno and Emilio are at all times," Preki said. "Next thing you know, after three minutes we go down."
But what happened in the first and second minutes, though, went according to plan.
"I actually think we had a really good start because we press them, we got a free kick, their goalie kicks it out of bounds, we're after them a little bit," Jesse Marsch said. "And then all of the sudden one play and we're down 1-0."
Ante Razov took some blame for the goal.
"We kind of gave them those two goals," he said. "I lost the ball the first play. I played a short ball to Sacha and we kind of couldn't work it out and they hit us on a quick one, caught us off guard."
But Razov's quick thinking helped Chivas USA get back into the game. In the 31st minute, D.C. goalkeeper Troy Perkins tried to clear a ball from just outside his own penalty area but apparently did not account for Razov.
"Those are kind of ones that always as a forward you always cruise along and you say to yourself 'He's going to hit it off me' and he never does. For whatever reason he did this time," Razov said. "I don't even know if he saw me because (Greg) Vanney was in front of me and I just kind of stepped in front of him and then it was slow motion after that, watching the ball roll slowly toward the goal line."
The goal was Razov's seventh of the season but he didn't seem to mind how it came.
"They all count," he said.
Despite the fluky nature of the goal, it was enough to get Chivas USA back into the game.
"At that point you felt the momentum change," Marsch said. "For the rest of the game I felt that we did our best to push and try to be dangerous and prevent their counters."
The equalizer finally came when Jonathan Bornstein found Kljestan on the right side of the penalty area. Kljestan took a few steps as Vaughn dashed inside the area.
"Sacha pushed forward as he always does and he drew a couple of defenders and I just saw the right opportunity to get forward," Vaughn said. "I called for the ball. He laid it off and I was just trying to get the ball on target. My dad always says 'You can't score if you don't shoot' and he's been pressuring me to score a goal."
Chivas USA mounted the pressure over the final half-hour but could not find the back of the net. Laurent Merlin fed Francisco Mendoza with a well-timed through ball but Mendoza was whistled for an offside call.
"I think we could have gotten a third goal," Preki said. "We get an offside call that is not an offside call. We dominated the whole second half and it was just a matter of time before we got a second and hopefully we got a third."
And while the beginning of the game was all United, by the end Chivas USA had done enough to turn the momentum in their favor.
"In the end, that game was there for the taking and it's a little frustrating that we didn't get the three points out of it," Marsch said, "but I still look at this as a positive result."
Luis Bueno is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
