and after a seven-minute delay where Suarez was carried from the field after a collision with Guzan knocked him out -- Ruiz neatly converted his own penalty when he sent the rookie 'keeper the wrong way (85).
Then four minutes deep into stoppage time, O'Brien played provider as FC Dallas broke out on a nearly uncontested counterattack, the Irish winger driving in a cross to the top of the box where Eddie Johnson headed it past an on-rushing Guzan.LAST MEETING
On May 22 at The Home Depot Center, FC Dallas began a month-long road run as they shredded the Chivas USA backline in a 5-2 victory.
The scoreline was level entering the break: Aaron Pitchkolan having given FCD a dream start after just 35 seconds, redirecting a Ramon Nunez shot with the slightest of touches for his first professional goal before Chivas USA's Hector Cuadros equalized from the penalty spot (19).
But it was all FC Dallas after the break. Carlos Ruiz put the Hoops in front when he turned on Chivas defender Douglas Sequeira and lashed home a low shot from the edge of the area (48), then three minutes later Ronnie O'Brien again hit the back of the net with a long-range bomb, this one from all of 25 yards.
Isaac Romo pulled Chivas a goal back just two minutes later when he headed home a neat cross from Cuadros from the heart of the box. Yet FC Dallas killed off the game with two more goals, Eddie Johnson collecting a square pass from Pitchkolan before sending in a low shot off goalkeeper Martin Zuniga, before Ecuadorian international Roberto Mina completed the scoring in stoppage time when he chipped home into an unguarded goal after Zuniga had come off his line to knock the ball away from Ruiz after he had burst through unchecked.
Here's Thomas Rongen's team (4-2-1-3): Martin Zuniga - Ezra Hendrickson, Douglas Sequeira, Ryan Suarez, Armando Begines - Francisco Gomez (Orlando Perez 58), Ramon Ramirez - Thiago Martins - Hector Cuadros, Isaac Romo, Francisco Mendoza
Here's Colin Clarke's team (4-1-3-2): Scott Garlick - Bobby Rhine, Clarence Goodson, Greg Vanney, Chris Gbandi - Simo Valakari - Ronnie O'Brien (Arturo Alvarez 86), Ramon Nunez (Drew Moor 68), Aaron Pitchkolan - Eddie Johnson (Roberto Mina 75), Carlos RuizFC DALLAS
FC Dallas returned home for the first time in a month and took over top spot in the MLS overall table, knocking off the Los Angeles Galaxy 1-0 at the Cotton Bowl on Saturday night. FC Dallas now have 27 points from 13 matches, four ahead of the Galaxy in the Western Conference and two ahead of Eastern Conference leader New England Revolution.
FC Dallas lengthened their lead in the the marquee matchup between the top teams in the Western Conference as Colin Clarke moved into pole position to guide the MLS All-Stars against Fulham FC in the Sierra Mist MLS All-Star Game.
The Hoops rode an early goal from Roberto Mina to victory, as both goalkeepers provided heroics of their own late. Mina was opportunistic in claiming the only goal of the contest, stripping Galaxy defender Tyrone Marshall of the ball before racing in on goal, cutting past a retreating defender before slotting home inside the left-hand post (32).
The head coach of the team with the league's best record after the games of July 4 will guide the MLS All-Star team in their match against the Premier League side, to be played July 30 at Columbus Crew Stadium.
Clarke made one change to the team that lost to the Chicago Fire 2-0 the Sunday before at Soldier Field. With Carlos Ruiz suffering an ankle injury in that game, Drew Moor was brought into the team for his first MLS start, playing in the back four, as Bobby Rhine moved from his fullback spot further afield.
Here's Clarke's team (4-1-4-1): Scott Garlick - Chris Gbandi, Clarence Goodson, Greg Vanney, Drew Moor - Simo Valakari - Bobby Rhine (Carey Talley 88), Aaron Pitchkolan, Ronnie O'Brien, Arturo Alvarez (David Wagenfuhr 68) - Roberto Mina (Oscar Pareja 81)
"I thought we played very, very well. We created a lot of chances and pulled them apart at times," Clarke said. "...It was the first Dallas night that was hot, humid and sticky and I thought we coped with it very well. In the first half, we stepped up and were close to them by putting a lot of pressure on them. It was a good result."TEAM NEWS
Despite the quality result, if there was a downside it was the opportunities the Hoops squandered. Hartman stopped a couple of breakaway - and FCD had a couple more that were lost simply through over-dribbling.
"I wasn't laughing," Clarke said. "We've got to learn to kill games like that. We let them hang around, and it almost came back to bite us. ... As the season goes on and we get closer to the playoffs, those are the games you've got to win three or four to nothing."
Even O'Brien faced a lack of finishing - though he was unlucky to see a shot come back off the crossbar with nearly the final kick of the game.
"I thought Ronnie O'Brien played exceptionally well," Galaxy coach Steve Sampson said. "He is so dominant in the midfield and is one of the best players that this league has ever had. Obviously, we can't give up mistakes like we gave up today."
Moor didn't look out of place as Bobby Rhine was moved out of the right back spot. It was a pretty big challenge for a rookie, making his first start in a match against the likes of Landon Donovan and the Galaxy strike force.
"I found out Thursday that I would be starting," said Moor. "And I've been thinking about them ever since then. I tried to stay focused on the way I play, stay organized with Clarence (Goodson) and try to keep everything organized and everything in front of me and try to kill any chances they had."CHIVAS USA
The Chivas USA winless streak hit eight games as their troubles continued thanks to a Jeff Cunningham hat trick, the Colorado Rapids cruising to a 3-1 victory on Saturday night at The Home Depot Center. Chivas still have just one win on the season, now with six points from 14 games, five behind fifth-place Real Salt Lake and 21 points out of first place (eight out of the last playoff spot) in the Western Conference.
Cunningham hit for his first professional hat trick as the Rapids prised open the Chivas defense time and again on their way to a second victory in a week, after just two 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.
Chivas USA boss Hans Westerhof made two changes to the team that played to a 1-1 draw with the San Jose Earthquakes the previous Sunday in Carson. Alfonso Loera was out through injury and Ryan Suarez was dropped as Jesus Ochoa and Hector Cuadros came back into the team, Westerhof again changing the Chivas tactical scheme.
Here's 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.TEAM NEWS
Chivas had put a lot of emphasis on the match, but the effort still came up short. "Today was a final. Hans repeated that several times throughout the week that this game is like a final," defender Ryan Suarez said. "You saw what happened today. You didn't see much heart. You didn't see much fight, at least to me."
Colorado became the sixth team to score at least three goals on Chivas USA. However, Westerhof did not solely blame the backline for the goals.
"It's not a problem with the defense. You have to defend better with the whole team," Westerhof said. "When you play against a team like Colorado and you don't put pressure on the midfield or you lose balls so quickly, then it's not easy to defend. We had to take all the risks ... and they defended with a lot of people in a (small) space. We had to defend almost in our half of the field. That's not so easy."
The way things are going - Chivas has allowed 21 goals in its last eight games - it will take an offensive outburst to win some games, striker Matt Taylor said. "If we're going to keep playing this way then we're going to have to start scoring goals because we're surrendering way too many to win a game 1-0 or 2-1 at this point. We're going to have to win 3-2 or 4-3," he said.
Taylor is expected to start in place of Isaac Romo, who suffered a strained right hamstring just before halftime against Colorado. "We're getting chances. It's just not clicking for some reason," said Taylor, who played for just the fourth time since April 30. "A lot of times (our chances are) not clear-cut like our opponents who get counterattacks and get one-on-one breakaways whereas our chances our crosses and balls in the box. Occasionally we'll slip a through ball. Right now, it's just a major problem."
In addition, the Rapids' strike pair proved too much for Chivas to handle. "Playing man-to-man against Cunningham and (Jean-Philippe) Peguero, two of the fastest guys in the league, you're going to get exposed," said Suarez. "We're not the most athletic. We're not the fastest team in the league. (Cunningham) used his strength well today and he found seams.
