By all accounts, Saturday evening’s historic meeting of Martín Vásquez and Carlos de los Cobos—the first two full-time Mexican head coaches in MLS history—was a resounding success.
Chivas USA tied the Chicago Fire 1-1 in a game that featured quality play from both sides and the kind of back-and-forth possession that is the hallmark of an even game.
Each team enjoyed long spells of creative attacking, and each scored an elegant goal in a match that was a pleasure for fans to watch, whether they were inside Toyota Park or watching at home.
“It was just a great game,” Chivas USA rookie midfielder Blair Gavin said. “The crowd was dynamic—they were chanting and chanting the whole game. It was a lot of fun and very competitive.”
Down a goal in the 55th minute of the match against, Chivas rallied to even the score in the 76th minute and earn the team’s first points on the road of the 2010 season.
“We’re happy with the result,” Chivas USA head coach Martín Vásquez said. “I thought it was a well-played game from both teams. There were a lot of good combination plays, a lot of possession, and some key players having good performances.”
Maicon Santos was the hero for the Red-and-White. The Brazilian striker entered the game in the 67th minute and promptly made his presence felt, netting the tying goal on a header.
“We had to believe that we could pull a goal back,” Gavin said of the Goats’ mentality in the second half. “We had been playing well in the second half and it was a matter of time. Maicon [Santos] came in and had an unbelievable header on a set piece. That’s our first goal on a set piece. It was big time.”
The goal is Santos’ third in a Chivas USA uniform and his first of the 2010 season. After starting the year off with a knee injury, the 26-year-old is happy to get back to his scoring ways.
“This goal is very good for me,” Santos said. “I was in the area, and no one was marking me. I got a good pass from Sacha [Kljestan] and headed it in. It was easy since no one marked me.”
Chivas USA has no time to celebrate their strong showing in Chicago. The team must quickly prepare for a mid-week game against the New England Revolution this Wednesday.
“It’s a quick turnaround, but I think we’ll be up for it,” Gavin said. “It’s going to be another tough battle on Wednesday, but [the Chicago game] gives us confidence. We were down on the road and we came back and tied the game up.”
