REAL SALT LAKE v CHIVAS USA
RICE-ECCLES STADIUM, Salt Lake City, Utah
8 p.m. MT (Azteca America)
July 4, 2006 (WEEK 15) / MLS Game #93
Last year's expansion clubs meet for the second time this season, Chivas USA having claimed a dominant victory in the season opener for both teams. The visitors come into the game having not lost in five games, the 3-0 victory against Western Conference leader FC Dallas their fifth in nine games. Real Salt Lake come into the game winless in their last four games, but they haven't lost at home in their last four matches at Rice-Eccles, with two wins and two draws over that stretch.
REFEREE: Brian Hall. SAR (bench): George Gansner; JAR (opposite): Paul Scott; 4th: Tyler Ploeger
MLS Career: 110 games; FC/gm: 29.3; Y/gm: 3.2; R: 27; pens: 35
MLS 2006: 7 games; FC/gm: 29.0 (avg: 29.2); Y/gm: 2.6 (avg: 3.56); R: 0 (MLS: 11); pens: 2 (MLS: 18)
Games involving Real: P4 W2 L2 T0; FC/gm: 27.0; Y/gm: 2.3; R: 1; pens: 1
Games involving Chivas USA: P5 W1 L4 T0; FC/gm: 30.8; Y/gm: 4.0; R: 2; pens: 0
INJURY REPORT: REAL SALT LAKE - OUT: DF Paul Broome (L ankle internal derangement); MF Seth Trembly (L knee ACL tear); MF Christian Jimenez (L knee ACL tear); PROBABLE: DF Eddie Pope (lower back inflammation); DF Danny Torres (L popliteal strain) ... CHIVAS USA - OUT: MF Ramón Ramírez (L knee MCL sprain); QUESTIONABLE: MF John O'Brien (R patella tendonitis); PROBABLE: DF Carlos Llamosa (R hamstring strain); FW Ante Razov (R quadriceps strain)
SUSPENDED: RSL: Carey Talley (five cautions; through July 5)
WARNINGS: CHV: Tim Regan, Ante Razov (suspended next yellow card) ... RSL: Atiba Harris; Jeff Cunningham (suspended next yellow card)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (5 meetings): Real 2 wins, 5 goals ... Chivas USA 3 wins, 11 goals ... 0 draws
AT CARSON: (2 meetings): Real 2 wins, 4 goals ... Chivas USA 0 wins, 2 goals ... 0 draws
This is the second of four meetings this season for last year's expansion clubs. It's the first of two in a row set for Rice-Eccles Stadium; they next meet on the Wasatch Front in just three weeks time. The season series concludes in the season finale, Oct. 15 at The Home Depot Center.
A year ago, the two new league clubs split their season series, each maintaining form on their home grounds. For Chivas, their two wins were historic. The 1-0 victory at The Home Depot Center on May 7 was the first in club history. Then their 5-1 win on Victoria Street on July 9 was the biggest in the team's short life.
Coaches record: John Ellinger v CHV: P5 W2 L3 D0 ... Bob Bradley vs. RSL: P3 W1 L0 D2
2006 (MLS):
4/2: CHV 3, RSL 0 (Razov 21, 65; Garcia 25)
Last year's expansion teams opened their sophomore seasons against each other, with Chivas USA winning 3-0 on April 1 at The Home Depit Center.
The home side broke through after just 21 minutes. New signing Claudio Suarez sent a ball over the top from midfield and Razov raced onto it behind the Real defense, coolly finding the back of the net.
Four minutes later Juan Pablo Garcia doubled the lead with a magnificent goal. With his back to the goal some 25 yards out, he quickly turned and let loose a well-placed curling shot that sailed over Garlick and found the left side netting.
In the 66th minute, Razov completed his double. He collected the ball some 35 yards out from goal, shook loose from a marker and unloaded a 25-yard laser beam past Garlick.
Here's Bradley's team (4-4-2): Brad Guzan - Lawson Vaughn, Claudio Suarez, Tim Regan, Jonathan Bornstein - Juan Pablo Garcia (Brent Whitfield 61), Sacha Kljestan, Jesse Marsch, Francisco Mendoza (Orlando Perez 78) - Juan Francisco Palencia, Ante Razov (Drew Helm 88) (Substitutes Not Used: Esteban Arias, Preston Burpo, Ezra Hendrickson, Jesus Ochoa)
Here's Ellinger's team (4-1-3-2): Scott Garlick - Chris Brown (Jason Kreis 78), Eddie Pope, Carey Talley, Daniel Torres - Douglas Sequeira - Chris Klein, Andy Williams, Mehdi Ballouchy (Ryan Johnson 73) - Jeff Cunningham, Atiba Harris (Kenny Cutler 66) (Substitutes Not Used: Nelson Akwari, Gustavo Cabrera, Jay Nolly, Kevin Novak)REAL SALT LAKE
Real Salt Lake lost for the third time in four matches - all of those results coming away from home - as they allowed two goals in the last 10 minutes after a lengthy weather delay in a 2-1 loss to the Chicago Fire last Wednesday in Bridgeview, Ill. Real are now tied for fifth place in the Western Conference with 12 points from 14 matches, level with the Los Angeles Galaxy six points behind the Colorado Rapids and 15 points out of first place.
LAST MATCH
The Fire were playing the second game of their nine-game homestand, after winning for the first time in their new stadium the weekend before, while Real Salt Lake were looking for a second victory ever on their travels.
And at the three-quarter point of the match, it seemed as if another one was coming, after Jason Kreis put Real into the lead in the 25th minute. Jeff Cunningham was able to wriggle free and slide a square pass across the top of the area to Kreis, who fired home a low shot on the half-turn for the 105th goal of his MLS career.
But then came the lightning, and after the resulting 55-minute delay, Fire coach Dave Sarachan brought on Barrett for captain Chris Armas for the restart. It proved to be a masterstroke.
In the 80th minute, Ivan Guerrero and Justin Mapp combined well on the left flank and Mapp sent in a teasing cross that found Barrett completely unmarked at the top of the six, and he headed down past Scott Garlick for the equalizer.
Then five minutes later, goalkeeper Zach Thornton started a lightning-fast counter, and Mapp received the outlet pass near midfield before slipping Barrett through in behind the Real back four. The second-year striker held a pair of chasing defenders off before poking a shot under Garlick and off the inside of the post for the game-winner.
Real head coach John Ellinger made one change to the team that played to a scoreless draw at home with the New England Revolution the weekend before. Douglas Sequeira made his return from World Cup duty, coming into a central midfield role, with Atiba Harris returning to the substitutes' bench.
Here's Ellinger's team (4-2-3-1): Scott Garlick - Kevin Novak (Jamie Watson 89), Nelson Akwari, Daniel Torres, Willis Forko - Douglas Sequeira, Carey Talley - Chris Klein, Mehdi Ballouchy (Atiba Harris 77), Jason Kreis - Jeff Cunningham. [Substitutes Not Used: Chris Brown, Kenny Cutler, Cameron Knowles, Jay Nolly, Andy Williams]
"You only had a 20-minute half to defend - that was it," Ellinger said. "Twenty-three minutes; it's not an impossible task. You know they're going to push forward, but you got to keep the ball. When you don't keep the ball, and they keep coming at you, keep coming at you, giving up free kick after free kick, giving the ball back every time you get it - we kept it after it was 2-1. That was about it."TEAM NEWS
When Real took the one-goal lead into the locker room at halftime, it was only their second halftime lead of the season, and just the second-ever on the road in club history. When they were ahead 3-0 at The Home Depot Center on May 14 against the Los Angeles Galaxy, it marked the first on both counts.
But after the second break of the night, Real couldn't hold onto to their lead. We felt fine after the break, and it should have been an advantage to us because we were under pressure at the beginning of the second half and basically it made it a 20-minute game with us leading 1-0," said Chris Klein. "With that, you must deal with it much more effectively than we did."
Real face an incredibly stretch, beginning with the July 4 game. They play eight games over the next 26 days, including a third-round U.S. Open Cup tie against the USL First Division (second tier) Virginia Beach Mariners - and not including a possible friendly against Monarcas Morelia of the Mexican Primera Division.
"It's going to be something where we're going to have to use all of our players," Ellinger said to The Salt Lake Tribune. "We're just going to have to manage our depth well. ... Up through the All-Star break is a huge stretch for us, if we can put ourselves in position to attack" for a playoff berth.
Kreis also knows his team needs to face up to the stretch ahead of them if they want to get into the MLS Cup Playoffs. "I'm beginning to think that sometimes we just get a little bit lazy," Kreis said to the Tribune. "And when I say lazy, I'm not saying lack of effort. I just mean going that extra yard, moving that extra yard to create a better angle for a player. I just felt like there were so many times players get the ball and get stranded."
There has been considerable speculation around the Real camp of a conflict between Kreis and Cunningham. But, says the MLS all-time leading goalscorer: "I've assisted on three of Jeff's goals this year, and I think he's assisted on one - now two - of mine. So it's hard for me to say there's some kind of bad relationship, if we're assisting each other and scoring goals. That's the bottom line."
Eddie Pope has not been able to play since returning to the World Cup, and Ellinger is hopeful he will be available for the Chivas match. He is listed as probable. "We're hoping he can play," said Ellinger. "We're not clear how it's going to go. He's trying to do something to take the inflammation down. It's a day-to-day comfort thing with him."CHIVAS USA
Chivas USA extended their unbeaten streak to five games in impressive fashion, getting a pair of goals from Claudio Suarez in his first game back from World Cup duty in a 3-0 victory against Western Conference leaders FC Dallas on Saturday night at The Home Depot Center. Chivas are now in third place in the conference with 22 points from 15 matches, a point behind Houston Dynamo and five behind FCD.
LAST MATCH
Chivas USA hadn't lost in four games, while FC Dallas had started their cross-country two-game road trip with a midweek loss at New England.
In his first game in a Chivas uniform since April 15, when he joined the Mexican national team, Suarez made a night to remember when he headed home a corner kick in the 20th minute.
He then made sure "Claudio Suarez Bobblehead Night" wouldn't be forgotten by anyone in attendance on Victoria Street either, heading home in nearly identical fashion for his and Chivas USA's second of the night. It was his two-goal night since 1996, when he was playing for CD Guadalajara in the Mexican Primera Division.
Juan Pablo Garcia, whose service from the corner set up the first two goals, then played provider on the third with a wonderful touch. Jonathan Bornstein corraled a poor clearance and played a quick pass to Garcia, whose sublime backheel return went right into Bornstein's path. The rookie neatly finished inside Dario Sala's left-hand post for his first professional goal.
Chivas head coach Bob Bradley made two changes to the team that played to a 1-1 draw with Houston Dynamo at midweek. With Carlos Llamosa suspended, there was a place for Suarez in central defense. Ante Razov was out with a thigh injury and Orlando Perez made his first start of the season, requiring a shuffle through the Chivas lines.
Here's Bradley's team (4-4-2): Preston Burpo - Tim Regan (Esteban Arias 87), Jason Hernandez, Claudio Suarez, Orlando Perez - Sacha Kljestan, Jesse Marsch (Rene Corona 76), Francisco Mendoza, Jonathan Bornstein - Juan Pablo Garcia (Matt Taylor 73), Juan Francisco Palencia. [Substitutes Not Used: Brad Guzan, Ante Razov, Lawson Vaughn, Brent Whitfield]TEAM NEWS
Fans attending Saturday's game received Claudio Suarez bobblehead dolls, and they bobbed and swayed with each of his goals. Suarez, who made his professional debut in February 1989, has scored more than 40 goals for Pumas, Chivas and Tigres in his 16-year career in the Mexican Primera Division. His last two-goal game came in a 2-1 win against Toluca as a member of Chivas de Guadalajara on Nov. 16, 1996.
"It's good to have him back. In preseason, he got some goals and I think he is still dangerous on set pieces. It's important to get some goals off set pieces," Bradley said. "That's an area that hasn't been our best."
The goal from Suarez was his first career MLS goal and his first goal of any kind since Sept. 15, 2004 when he played for Tigres UANL of the Mexican Primera Division. That night, he scored Tigres' lone goal in a 3-1 loss to Chivas de Guadalajara.
"I don't keep statistics well so I don't remember how many times I've scored two goals," the 37-year-old defender said. "In fact, I've scored very few goals in my career. Usually I just score one goal every now and then."
Bradley's lineup underwent probably the biggest change over the entire season. Ante Razov, the league's leading scorer, sat the game out with a strained quadriceps. In his place, Juan Pablo Garcia moved alongside Francisco Palencia. Jonathan Bornstein moved from left back to left midfield as Orlando Perez started for the first time this season. Francisco Mendoza, who had played every game as left midfield before Saturday, played in the center of the midfield.
"It's not that big a change in this whole thing. We've done it a little bit late in games. I think Orlando, throughout the season, when called on has done really well and tonight did a solid job. Jonny has shown versatility; he's comfortable playing as left back. We give him a little more freedom and he can be dangerous, because his mobility and speed is quite good," said Bradley. "I think the part that has really developed nicely is the understanding between Pancho, Jesse and Sacha, so their ability now in midfield to move and cover each other and handle different situations has allowed us to have some options in how we line up."
Chivas were looking to gain six points from the two consecutive home games against the two teams ahead of them in the Western Conference. The draw against Dynamo ended that hope, but Bradley was still pleased with what the victory against the division leader did.
"We continue to make progress, but we hadn't beaten a team that was really up there in the standings," he said. "So I think it's important that now we start to make some additional steps. We've got to build on that, but that's important."
