CARSON, Calif. -- Chivas USA snapped their seven-game losing streak (including the Sacramento Cup loss in penalty kicks to the San Jose Earthquakes) on Tuesday evening, downing USL-2 side Austin Aztex 1-0 at Titan Stadium in Fullerton, Calif. in the third round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
A 12th minute goal from Jesus Padilla was the difference for the Red-and-White, who earned their first victory since May 5th.
The win is Chivas USA’s first in the Open Cup since the club’s inaugural 2005 season and only their second-ever in the competition. The Goats now move on to face Houston next week in the quarterfinals.
Chivas USA started strong, registering two shots on net in the opening five minutes. The reward would come inside of a quarter-hour, when Osael Romero made a quick run down the right flank and sent a ball into the middle of the Austin box. It was Jesus Padilla who got onto the end of it, taking a quick touch before drilling a low shot into the left corner for a 1-0 lead.
The Goats continued pushing forward as the minutes wore on, relying on quick passing and good runs from Romero and Chukwudi Chijindu. Austin had particular trouble handling Chijindu’s pace, with the Southern California native finding lots of space in the Aztex box but failing to make any of his efforts count.
The second half was far dicier for the Red-and-White, as Austin pushed forward in search of an equalizer. The visitors were lead by strong wing play from UNC alumnus Jamie Watson, who peppered Zach Thornton’s net with all manner of long passes during the game’s closing half hour.
In the end, Thornton proved too great an obstacle for the Austin as the final whistle signaled the end of the Aztex’s Open Cup campaign. Chivas USA will now turn their attention to Saturday evening’s match against the Philadelphia Union at The Home Depot Center, where the Goats will be looking to snap their six-game MLS losing streak.
Scoring Summary:
CHV – Jesus Padilla (Osael Romero) 12’
Lineups:
Chivas USA -- Zach Thornton, Ante Jazic, Michael Umaña, Mariano Trujillo, Blair Gavin (Marcelo Saragosa, 73’), Michael Lahoud, Ben Zemanski, Osael Romero (Gerson Mayén, 70’), Jesus Padilla, Chukwudi Chijindu (DarÃo Delgado, 78’)
Austin -- Miguel Gallardo, Kevin Sakuda, Yohance Marshall, Jay Needham, Leonard Griffin, Michael Callaham (Peri Marosevic, 72’), Lawrence Olum, Yordany Alvarez, Jamie Watson (Kieron Bernard, 88’), Maxwell Griffin, Eddie Johnson
