Chivas USA Notes
(1-0 win over Santos Laguna, SuperLiga 2008 Group B, Matchday 2, The Home Depot Center, 7/20/2008):
•On Matchday 2 of SuperLiga 2008 Group B action, Chivas USA kept its semifinal hopes alive with a 1-0 win tonight over Mexican champion Santos Laguna at The Home Depot Center.
•Once again, Ante Razov was the hero for Chivas USA, scoring a 73rd-minute header off a Sacha Kljestan cross as a second-half sub to give Chivas the win. With the goal, the 34-year-old Los Angeles native (and MLS Original) now has five straight goals in five straight games for Chivas USA, between MLS (3) and SuperLiga (2).
•The win sets up a decisive match against the New England Revolution this Sunday, July 20 at 5:00 p.m. PT at Cal State Fullerton's Titan Stadium, Chivas' first official match in Orange County.
•A million-dollar winner's prize is on the line as the Red-and-White look to advance from Group B and potentially set up a second-round contest against parent club Chivas de Guadalajara.
•Chivas USA Head Coach Preki, on tonight's match: "I didn't feel like we got a grip of the game in the first 10-15 minutes. I thought they were the better team, I thought they were moving the ball a bit better than us, I thought we were nervous, but I was expecting that given the fact that we've changed quite a few players from the other night to tonight. I thought it was going to take us a little time until we settled. Then we settled and we had some moments but obviously the most important moment came when they missed a great opportunity. ... Going into halftime we changed a thing or two, we adjusted a little bit, put a couple guys on the field and I thought we were way better in the second half. We were moving the ball better, everybody got involved, everybody's confidence got a little higher and we were pushing the tempo." (For a full quote sheet, please click here.
•The Red-and-White were missing six players tonight due to injury: FW Alecko Eskandarian (sports hernia surgery); FW Maykel Galindo (sports hernia surgery); DF Lawson Vaughn (L ankle tendonitis); DF Alex Zotinca (R knee ACL surgery); FW Justin Braun (L knee contusion) and MF Raphael Wicky, who today successfully underwent reconstructive surgery on his right ankle and will be out 3-4 months.
•Midfielder Paulo Nagamura, who suffered a mild concussion during the match, will be suspended for Sunday's game based on yellow-card accumulation (2), as well as defender Jonathan Bornstein (2).
PRACTICES SATURDAY: Ahead of Sunday's game, Chivas USA and New England will train in Fullerton on Saturday, with Chivas practice scheduled for 12:00 noon and New England's at 3:00 p.m.
