Chivas USA scored twice in each half to earn a 4-0 win over UC Irvine in a preseason scrimmage held in bad weather on Tuesday afternoon at The Home Depot Center. Artur Aghasyan scored both first half goals before Gerson Mayén and Chris Ross capped the scoring in the second half. The Red-and-White now hold a 3-0 record in preseason, and depart for Guadalajara on Thursday morning for a week-long stint in Mexico.
The Red-and-White dominated the match from the opening whistle, and scored the game's first goal in just the sixth minute. A ball bounced to Michael Lahoud at the top of the box, and his deflected shot was tipped in by Artur Aghasyan. Just before the end of the first half, Aghasyan scored again, his fourth goal in three preseason games. Chivas USA's first round SuperDraft pick Blair Gavin got behind the defense, and his ball back across the middle was hammered into the empty net by Aghasyan in minute 43.
As with the previous two matches, Chivas USA used an entirely new squad in the second half, but continued to control the game. In the 61st minute, a pass from draftee Chris Ross found forward Maykel Galindo behind the Irvine defense, and he played a ball back across the middle to Gerson Mayén, who slotted an excellent 20-yard shot to make the score 3-0. The scoring was capped when Ross hit a 25-yard volley into the roof of the net after a short defensive clearance from Irvine.
At 3-0 in preseason, the Red-and-White now travel to Guadalajara, Mexico, for a week-long training stint at the home of Chivas de Guadalajara. The team will also play the leading club in the Liga de Ascenso (Mexican second division), Irapuato, on Saturday in Irapuato. The regular season for the Red-and-White kicks off on Friday, March 26 at 7:30 p.m. PT at The Home Depot Center. Season seats are on sale starting at just $10 per game; for more information, or to purchase tickets, visit cdchivasusa.com or call 1-877-CHIVAS-1.
Chivas USA 4:0 UC Irvine
Preseason Scrimmage
February 9, 2010 - The Home Depot Center, Field 5
Goals:
CHV - Artur Aghasyan (Michael Lahoud) 6'
CHV - Artur Aghasyan (Blair Gavin) 43'
CHV - Gerson Mayén (Maykel Galindo, Chris Ross) 61'
CHV - Chris Ross (unassisted) 67'
Chivas USA (first half) - Zach Thornton, Mariano Trujillo, Carey Talley, Michael Umaña, Ante Jazic, Michael Lahoud, Blair Gavin, Ben Zemanski, Jorge Flores, Jesús Padilla, Artur Aghasyan.
Chivas USA (second half) - Dan Kennedy, Miguel Sanchez, Carlos Borja, Emilio Viades, Kevin Tangney, Chris Ross (Cesar Zamora 72), Marcelo Saragosa, Alfonso Motagalvan, Gerson Mayén, Justin Braun, Maykel Galindo.
