Chivas USA had their dreams of a first-ever victory against Home Depot Center rivals Los Angeles Galaxy cruelly dashed on Saturday night. Ante Razov scored in the 46th minute but Chivas failed to hold the lead, Cornell Glen scoring two late goals en route to the Galaxy's 2-1 win in the first Súper Clásico of the 2006 season.
The Chivas defense crumbled in the final stages of the game. Ahead 1-0, the Galaxy struck on a set piece and a counterattack, two areas where the club struggled last season.
Razov scored his third goal of the season for the Red-and-White, who dropped to 1-2. The Galaxy (1-1-1) jumped over Chivas in the Western Conference table as the MLS Cup holders won for the first time this season.
Chivas fielded the same starting lineup for the third consecutive match. Defender Claudio Suarez returned from Mexico where he was with El Tricolor and will rejoin the national team Sunday.
Although Chivas dominated possession the first quarter hour, it was the Galaxy who had the first scoring chance. Glen collected a long ball that sailed over Chivas' back line and ran in on goal, but Chivas defender Tim Regan knocked the ball away with a well-timed tackle.
It was Glen again who proved dangerous in the 17th minute but his 17-yard shot whizzed harmlessly past the left post.
Then Glen again was a thorn in Chivas' side. Juan Pablo Garcia inexplicably sent a long ball back towards an unsuspecting defense. The ball sailed right onto Glen's path, and the Trinidad & Tobago international scooped up the ball and raced inside the area but could not beat a charging Brad Guzan.
Despite an edge in possession, Chivas struggled to find and maintain a rhythm. Passes in the midfield often ended up at Galaxy defenders' feet as there was little room to maneuver down the middle of the field.
At the stroke of halftime, Chivas put the most amount of pressure they had throughout the entire first half. Garcia took the ball at the top of the penalty area and fed Razov inside the area. Razov could not turn around and lost the ball amidst a sea of players. The ball trickled back out to the top of the penalty area where Sacha Kljestan pounced on it and fired a 20-yard shot that rolled wide of the goal.
Barely one minute into the second half, Chivas took their first-ever lead over the Galaxy in regular-season play. Chivas found room down the left flank after Francisco Palencia found room down on the left side. Palencia slotted the ball into the area but it bounced around, where Garcia finally pounced on it. Garcia ran toward the six-yard box and fed Razov who calmly first-touched the ball into the back of the net.
The Galaxy got away with an apparent handball in the 64th minute. On a Chivas counterattack, Razov sent a ball in from outside the area toward Palencia. Troy Roberts slid and knocked the ball off a teammate's arm but no call was made. The ball ended up at Palencia's feet and he slipped a ball past Hartman but Galaxy midfielder Peter Vagenas knocked the slow-rolling ball off the line and out of bounds.
In the 67th minute, Razov struck a point-blank header on goal but Hartman stood firm and pushed the ball wide.
A minute later, Garcia came close to drawing a penalty. He raced inside the penalty area and tried to split two defenders. The ball was a step ahead of him, though, when Ugo Ihemelu put his hand on Garcia's shoulder. The Chivas midfielder went down to the ground, but instead of pointing to the penalty spot, referee Kevin Stott booked Garcia for an apparent dive.
Chivas failed to clear a throw-in in the 84th minute and Glen made Chivas pay. The poor clearance went straight up in the penalty area, and Donovan outleaped a Chivas defender, nodding it to Glen. He turned the ball to the back of the net past a startled Chivas defense.
With less than 10 minutes left in the match, U.S. international John O'Brien made his MLS debut. O'Brien, who had played nearly 30 minutes for the U.S. on Tuesday, came on for Francisco Mendoza.
Then well into a scheduled seven minutes of stoppage time, the Galaxy won the match on a counterattack. Donovan carried the ball on a mazy run up the center of the park, biding his time as Glen came running from behind. Donovan slipped a cross to Glen on the far side of the penalty area and the Trinidadian beat Guzan to the far post with a first-time volley.
Luis Bueno is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
