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THE HOME DEPOT CENTER
CARSON, Calif.
7 pm PT (FSN-W2; Altitude)
The Colorado Rapids head to The Home Depot Center knowing a single point - either a tie or victory - will secure their place in the MLS Cup Playoffs. If they lose they can still clinch a berth if Real Salt Lake fail to win in their home match against the Columbus Crew. But the Rapids are looking to maintain their recent form and continue their winning streak against Chivas, having won both previous meetings, while Chivas have already started the building toward the 2006 MLS campaign.
REFEREE: Marcel Yonan. SAR (bench): David Bragg; JAR (opposite): Fabio Tovar; 4th: Ramon Hernandez
MLS Career: 52 games; FC/gm: 29.1; Y/gm: 3.2; R: 8; pens: 17
Games involving Chivas USA: P1 W0 L1 T0; FC/gm: 25.0; Y/gm: 2.0; R: 0; pens: 0
Games involving Rapids: P10 W5 L5 T0; FC/gm: 31.9; Y/gm: 2.5; R: 2; pens: 4
INJURY REPORT: CHIVAS USA - OUT: FW Thiago Martins (R knee MCL sprain); MF Francisco Gomez (L quadriceps strain); MF Hector Castro (L knee ACL surgery); PROBABLE: DF Victor Arbelaez (L adductor strain); FW Isaac Romo (L knee meniscus sprain) ... COLORADO RAPIDS - OUT: MF Matt Crawford (R hip strain); GK Joe Cannon (L abdominal strain); QUESTIONABLE: MF Leo Cullen (L knee sprain); PROBABLE: DF Dan Gargan (R hamstring strain); DF Mike Petke (R ankle sprain)
SUSPENDED: CHV: Francisco Mendoza (21 CP; through Sept. 25) ... COL: Mike Petke (21 CP; through Sept. 25)
WARNINGS: CHV: Hector Cuadros (19 CP); Ezra Hendrickson (17 CP); Antonio Martinez (17 CP); Douglas Sequeira (19 CP) ... COL: Kyle Beckerman (19 CP), Eric Denton (16 CP); Hunter Freeman (19 CP); Alain Nkong (8 CP in 2 gms)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (2 meetings): Chivas USA 0 wins, 2 goal ... Rapids 2 wins, 5 goals ... 0 draws
AT CARSON (1 meeting): Chivas USA 0 wins, 1 goal ... Rapids 1 win, 3 goals ... 0 draws
This is the third meeting between the teams, the Rapids winning the first two meetings, one at each ground. They'll meet twice in 10 days over the final weeks of the season, the final encounter Oct. 5 in Denver.
Coaches record: Hans Westerhof vs. COL: P1 W0 L1 T0 ... Fernando Clavijo v CHV: P2 W2 L0 T0
THIS SEASON
The Rapids have won the first two meetings between the clubs this season, coming a bit more than a month apart, each team hosting one.
The Rapids hit for the winning goal after being put a man down in a 2-1 victory at home against Chivas USA on May 14.
Super-sub Jeff Cunningham again came to the rescue of the Rapids after the home side was reduced to 10 men. Chris Henderson gave the Rapids the lead in the 31st minute when he converted from the penalty spot after defender Alfonso Loera was adjudged to have handled the ball in the area.
But another Chivas center back, Ryan Suarez, pulled the expansion club level with a truly stunning strike, stepping forward to collect a square pass before hitting a swerving shot from all of 25 yards that sailed past Joe Cannon into the upper left-hand corner (66).
Rapids right back Hunter Freeman was sent off in the 73rd minute for a harsh tackle on Francisco Mendoza, but just five minutes later Cunningham hit for his fourth goal of the campaign - all after coming on as a sub - when he neatly finished off a Jean-Philippe Peguero that left him alone in the area.
Chivas then apparently equalized in the dying moments in a bizarre sequence. The Rapids had kicked the ball out to allow a Chivas injury to be attended to, and then after Chivas threw the ball back to Cannon, Chivas forward Isaac Romo slipped in to intercept and fired the ball into the empty net. But referee Ricardo Valenzuela disallowed the goal for ungentlemanly conduct.
LAST MEETING
Jeff Cunningham hit for his first professional hat trick as the Rapids prised open the Chivas defense time and again on their way to a 3-1 victory at The Home Depot Center on June 18, winning back-to-back games for the first time this season after just two wins in their first 12 games.
Cunningham opened his and the Rapids account on the half-hour, a quick turnover leading to a counter before he lashed home a drive from just outside the area. He then doubled the score just after the hour mark, Jean-Philippe Peguero dancing through on the right before finding Cunningham completely unmarked and he turned the ball home with a first-time shot that had a hint of offside.
Cunningham then missed a glorious chance to finish off his hat trick in the 66th minute when Brad Guzan saved his penalty kick, but he made no mistake 12 minutes later, racing onto a long throw-in to go in alone on the Chivas rookie 'keeper and neatly curl his shot inside the right-hand post.
Chivas USA pulled a goal back just before the end, Ricky Lewis adjudged to have handled the ball in the area and Thiago Martins converting from the penalty spot, sending Rapids 'keeper Joe Cannon the wrong way.
Here's Hans Westerhof's team (3-2-3-2): Brad Guzan - Ezra Hendrickson, Douglas Sequeira, Armando Begines - Jesus Ochoa (Ryan Suarez 60), Ramon Ramirez - Hector Cuadros, Antonio Martinez (Arturo Torres 46), Francisco Mendoza - Thiago Martins, Isaac Romo.
Here's Fernando Clavijo's team (4-4-2): Joe Cannon - Ricky Lewis (Amir Lowery 89), Nat Borchers, Mike Petke, Eric Denton - Alain Nkong, Kyle Beckerman, Leo Cullen, Luchi Gonzalez (Dan Gargan 78) - Jeff Cunningham (Wolde Harris 82), Jean-Philippe Peguero
CHIVAS USA
Chivas USA saw their winless streak hit eight games, this time in heartbreaking fashion, a 2-1 loss to the San Jose Earthquakes at home last Saturday night. Chivas USA are still in last place in the Western Conference with 14 points from 28 matches.
The Earthquakes finished off their home-and-home sweep of Chivas USA - but only under the cruelest of circumstances for the expansion team.
After a scrappy first half, Ramon Ramirez put Chivas into the lead seven minutes after the break when he bent home a free kick from well outside the area.
But the Earthquakes showed the kind of resolve that has characterized them all season, and pulled level eight minutes from the end when a corner kick was headed back across the face of goal to Danny Califf, who popped a header from almost on the goal line into an empty net just before getting a boot to the face for his effort.
Then three minutes into stoppage time, Alejandro Moreno rose up to hit for the match-winner with a diving header after Brian Mullan wriggled free on the right and sent in a cross to unmarked striker in the heart of the area.
Chivas coach Hans Westerhof made two changes to the team that lost 3-0 to the Earthquakes the previous Saturday in San Jose. Brad Guzan came in for goalkeeper Sergio Garcia - after replacing him for the final nine minutes in the first meeting - and Arturo Torres came in for the injured Thiago Martins.
Here's Westerhof's team (3-3-1-3): Brad Guzan - Ezra Hendrickson, Douglas Sequeira, Orlando Perez - Esteban Arias, Ramon Ramirez (Jesus Ochoa 73), Francisco Mendoza - Juan Pablo Garcia - Arturo Torres, Juan Francisco Palencia, Antonio Martinez (Matt Taylor 89)
"We had our possibilities especially in the second half. We played better but it was not good enough," Westerhof said. "The first half, it was more or less even also in chances. ... We had the possibilities to win the game."
TEAM NEWS
Ahead by a goal entering the final 10 minutes, Westerhof chose not to bring on an extra defender to help preserve the Chivas edge, however. In the 73rd minute, Westerhof made a straight midfielder-for-midfielder swap when he brought in Jesus Ochoa for Ramirez. With the game even in the 89th minute, Westerhof brought in Matt Taylor for Martinez. Meanwhile, defender Armando Begines, who has 18 starts at defender this season, finished the game on the bench.
"I was satisfied with Orlando, Ezra ... they did their job well," Westerhof said. "You can play with one defender more but you will lose in the midfield. ... We didn't need one more defender."
On the offensive side, Chivas failed for the third consecutive match to score a goal in the run of play. The club's finishing was off although San Jose 'keeper Pat Onstad made a fine save late in the match, stopping an 18-yard shot by Juan Pablo Garcia that would have given Chivas a 2-1 lead.
""We are just not finishing," midfielder Antonio Martinez said. "I don't know exactly what to say; we are just not in tune with the last pass and last shot. It is heartbreaking for us. We came here and played well. It is not just one or two guys, it is everybody that is making critical mistakes and that is killing us."
The loss marked the third time in the past five games in which Chivas USA held a second-half lead and failed to protect it. Overall, the Red-and-White have come-from-ahead in the second half to either lose or tie six times (three ties, three losses).
"We need to be able to learn to keep a lead. When we learn to do that, then we'll be able to win 1-0, 2-1, whatever," Guzan said. "Until we learn how to keep a lead, it's going to be the same stuff."
Chivas are on track for some dubious records. They have allowed 61 goals. The single-season record for most goals allowed is 69 by Colorado in 1998. With three wins and five draws, Chivas has 14 points, the same record-low number scored by now-defunct Tampa Bay in 2001. Also, Chivas has a goal-differential of minus-33; Tampa Bay's was a record minus-36.
COLORADO RAPIDS
The Colorado Rapids snapped a two-game losing streak to all but clinch their place in the MLS Cup Playoffs, getting a pair of second-half goals to defeat Real Salt Lake 2-0 in Denver on Wednesday. The Rapids now have 34 points from 27 matches - 15 ahead of RSL with five matches to play (and 15 possible points). They trail third-place Los Angeles Galaxy by five points - with two matches in hand.
for the Rocky Mountain Cup- meaning the best Real can hope for is to tie Colorado in the Western Conference though they would still have to overcome a minus-29 goal difference.
Jean-Philippe Peguero opened the scoring just after the start of the second half. His speculative shot hit a defender and bounced straight up in the air - but Rapids defender Eric Denton was first to it in the RSL area. He poked it back to Peguero, and he made no mistake driving it past D.J. Countess (49).
The Rapids put the game away in the 87th minute under bizarre circumstances. The ball was played back to RSL midfielder Andy Williams at midfield, but he made no move toward it and instead appeared to have suffered a leg cramp. Terry Cooke quickly intercepted and streaked down the wing before sending in a cross that found a wide-open Dedi Ben-Dayan, who settled the ball before curling it into the far corner of the net for his first career MLS goal.
Rapids head coach Fernando Clavijo made two changes to the team that lost 2-0 to D.C. United at RFK Stadium at the weekend. Byron Foss made his first career MLS start, coming in for the injured Joe Cannon, while Nat Borchers returned from suspension, coming in for Ricky Lewis on the back line.
Here's Clavijo's team (3-4-1-2): Byron Foss - Nat Borchers, Mike Petke (Dan Gargan 75), Ritchie Kotschau - Terry Cooke, Kyle Beckerman, Pablo Mastroeni, Eric Denton - Jovan Kirovski - Jeff Cunningham (Dedi Ben-Dayan 53), Jean-Philippe Peguero (Fabrice Noel 86)
"The game plan was very clear. We just could not find any momentum. We need to set a pace. In the second half, they are going to try to slow it down as much as possible and we need to do something about this," Clavijo said. "We need a little more intensity. You know, I mean, we were just two steps behind on everything else."
TEAM NEWS
Goalkeeper Byron Foss, filling in for the injured Joe Cannon, earned his first career MLS win and first career shutout in his first career start.
"Outstanding. I mean, outstanding. I said it all along," Clavijo said. "... You know, Joe [Cannon] is one of the great goalkeepers in the league. But we have a roster full of players and they need to stay on top of their job. I though Byron was very good. The other day (against D.C. United), unfortunately, they didn't give him much time to warm up. But today was outstanding. I'm truly happy for him. I think that he is young and has enormous shoes to fill whenever Joe Cannon is out."
Dedi Ben-Dayan, who had previously played only 79 minutes after joining the Rapids a month ago, provided the insurance with the first goal of his MLS career. The Israeli midfielder was a surprising 53rd-minute substitute for Jeff Cunningham. Cunningham left the bench after being replaced, which Clavijo said was not an authorized absence.
"We knew all along [Ben-Dayan] was a good player," said Clavijo. "When he first came, we were winning and it was difficult to fit him in the lineup. But we think we can work him in over the next five games and he can help us make a strong push in the playoffs."
The win was particularly sweet for the Rapids, as it both lowers to one their magic number for clinching a playoff spot and draws them even with RSL in the competition for the inaugural Rocky Mountain Cup, awarded to the winner of the Rapids-Real season series.
"(I)n the long run, we could just tell that they were worn out, said defender Mike Petke. "You could tell that they were desperate, they need this win. It was good that we got it, took it away from them."
Now all but certain of a place in the MLS Cup Playoffs, the Rapids are trying to focus on the task ahead of them. "I need to rest my bones. But I'm going to be honest here. Half of me thinks that the team will just keep going and punching along, working hard. Seriously, we've got not even a team that doesn't want to listen. And they want to be above the team. And that's not healthy," Petke said.
"It's [the team] not one guy, it's not two guys. And we need to come together. We've got to quit the whining and quit everything else and realize that we have an opportunity here. Remember when Colorado made it to the championships ... Look back at that. I mean, we have an opportunity here and I think guys really need to wake up and realize it."
