CARSON, Calif. – The SuperClásico is a difficult match for any player. Emotions are high, the game is always physical, and the rivalry is heated. Not to mention the presence of a nearly capacity crowd that always fills The Home Depot Center to watch Chivas USA and the Los Angeles Galaxy duke it out.
Add to that the fact that the opposing squad is full of friends and former teammates, and you’d have some idea how Chivas USA striker Alan Gordon felt heading into Sunday’s SuperClásico match.
The 28-year-old transferred from the Galaxy to the Goats on August 5 and faced his former colleagues for the first time since the move this past weekend.
And while some may have been overwhelmed by the situation, Gordon took it all in stride.
“I thought it was a lot of fun,” Gordon told MLSsoccer.com after the game. “I wish we could have gotten a result out of it. I thought we played well. We’re just falling a little short lately.”
Gordon played 90 minutes in the Red-and-White’s 2-1 loss to LA. He was consistently dangerous up front, scoring the team’s only goal and coming close on a number of other occasions.
WATCH: FULL HIGHLIGHTS: Chivas USA 1, Galaxy 2
[inline_node:320041]One such instance saw him crash into Galaxy goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts in a collision that ripped the front of his jersey wide open.
But although the game was a physical one – three yellow cards and a straight red were given out over the course of the evening – Gordon admits that it wasn’t as nasty as he had anticipated.
“It probably wasn’t as chippy as I thought it would be originally,” he said, “but it was still physical out there and there’s still that intense rivalry.”
The defeat knocked Chivas USA out of contention for a spot in the 2010 playoffs, marking the first time since 2005 that the Goats won’t see postseason action. But with four games still to play, Gordon and the rest of the Red-and-White aren’t quitting just yet.
“We have to continue to play for our jobs, play for our fans, and play for this organization,” said Gordon. “That’s our goal.”
