Juan Pablo Garcia scored in the 81st minute as Chivas USA salvaged a 1-1 tie against FC Dallas on Saturday at The Home Depot Center.
Kenny Cooper had opened the scoring 10 minutes into the second half and FC Dallas nearly made the lead stand but Chivas USA's furious second-half rally eventually paid off.
Chivas moved into a tie with Colorado for third place in the Western Conference after the Rapids fell to Kansas City 4-1. Both clubs have 35 points and will be joined by the Los Angeles Galaxy in a logjam for third place if the Galaxy beat Houston Dynamo on Sunday at The Home Depot Center.
Goalkeeper Brad Guzan made his first start since May 20, when Chivas USA lost at New York 5-4. Preston Burpo took over the following week and led Chivas to a 1-0 win. Since then, Guzan has played in a pair of reserve games and Chivas' U.S. Open Cup loss to Roma FC of Dallas on July 12.
Burpo, though, made a glaring mistake against D.C. United last week when he let in a soft goal that turned out to be the game-winner in United's 2-1 win at The Home Depot Center.
Guzan and Sacha Kljestan each celebrated birthdays on Saturday; Guzan turned 22 while Kljestan turned 21.
Chivas was also without Francisco Palencia, who was sent off in second-half stoppage time last week.
Garcia had Chivas USA's first scoring chance of the night but sailed his 15-yard shot well over the crossbar. Two minutes later, Jesse Marsch unleashed a 20-yard laser but FC Dallas goalkeeper Dario Sala scooped up the ball in his arms.
Guzan made his presence felt in the 11th minute when he reached down and deflected a shot by FC Dallas striker Abe Thompson. Guzan pushed the ball just wide of the far post.
Francisco Mendoza nearly put Chivas on the scoreboard at the quarter-hour mark when he walked in alone on Sala but his six-yard blast hit Sala in the chest.
Morales nailed the crossbar from 25 yards out in the 24th minute. Morales turned and fired unexpectedly and caught Sala a little off his line but the ball hit the crossbar and bounced straight up in the air before FC Dallas cleared it out of bounds. Chivas had a few dangerous moments on two ensuing corner kicks but Sala and the FC Dallas defense weathered the storm.
Chivas' last shutout was seven games ago on July 15 when the club played to a scoreless draw against the Galaxy. Midway through the first half Saturday, the defense showed some of the shakiness that has plagued them since mid-July.
In the 35th minute, Tim Regan turned the ball over near the middle of the field. FC Dallas' Ramon Nunez wound up with the ball on the left flank and sent a cross into Cooper but his header attempt went wide of the right post.
Regan atoned for his earlier mistake when he deftly cleared a shot off the line in the 40th minute. Moments earlier, Guzan had made a diving save of Ronnie O'Brien's 22-yard blast.
Chivas finished the first half with four shots on goal and 11 total. FC Dallas had 10 shots and two on goal in the first half as well.
Chivas had a few early second-half flurries but shots by Mendoza and Garcia were cleared by defenders and saved by Sala, respectively.
FC Dallas, though, had no problem finding the back of the net early in the second half. Cooper shook off Regan's mark and fired a laser into the top corner of the net. The goal extended Chivas' run of games without a shutout to eight.
Ante Razov had an open albeit difficult shot on the 77th minute. Mendoza chipped a ball to the right side of the penalty area. Razov outraced an FC Dallas defender and had an open net momentarily but threw his leg out in front of him and sent his attempt over the net.
Garcia finally broke through. In the 81st minute, Garcia pounced on a loose ball and slammed a 16-yard shot into the back of the net. Following his goal, Garcia ran across to the other side of the field and took a bow in front of a frenzied crowd.
Arturo Alvarez had a chance to give FC Dallas the victory in stoppage time as cut through the Chivas backline and found himself one-on-one with Guzan. Alvarez's shot, however, was blocked by Guzan.
Then, Clarence Goodson had a header in the final moments go off the crossbar after an O'Brien corner kick.
Luis Bueno is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
