CARSON, Calif. – Dan Kennedy gave Chivas USA their fifth shutout of the season and extended their four-game unbeaten run with a 0-0 draw against the New York Red Bulls.
Kennedy made four saves that allowed the Rojiblancos to end the season series undefeated against Eastern Conference power New York. The match served as the debut for Red Bulls designated player goalkeeper Frank Rost, who had little action in his first game and was forced to make just one save.
New York nearly struck first blood when a looping cross by Teemu Tainio allowed Joel Lindpere to break free and fire a shot that required a big save from Kennedy. The Red Bulls almost broke through again in the 33rd when an errant Rojiblancos’ cross fell to Jan Gunnar Solli, who fired a shot from 30-yards out that sailed past Kennedy and off the crossbar.
As the match wore on, Chivas began to find gaps in the Red Bulls' defense, which led to their best chance of the half. In the 38th minute, Chivas USA hit a crossbar of their own when Jorge Flores flew past the New York defense and fired a shot that beat Rost before bouncing off the bar.
During the second half, the Red Bulls nearly broke through when Lindpere fired in a cross to a lurking Juan Agudelo, who fired a header right into the chest of Kennedy. Kennedy came up large again just minutes later in the 70th minute when he was forced to parry away a shot from distance by Thierry Henry.
Throughout the second half, Chivas USA struggled to generate forays towards net, but nearly cracked the New York defense when a hopeful cross by Simon Elliott allowed Nick LaBrocca to break through, but the midfielder’s shot was wide of Rost’s net.
The Rojiblancos were nearly awarded a penalty in the 90th minute when it appeared that referee Mark Kadlecik called an apparent handball on Carlos Mendes in the box. After conferring with the linesman, Kadlecik waved it off to protests from the Chivas bench.
Moments later, Agudelo nearly broke through after a brilliant cutting run through the Rojiblancos defense, but his shot went wide, thus preserving the draw.
With the draw, the Red Bulls have only one win in their last six matches. They will look to right the ship as they return home to Red Bull Arena to take on Colorado on Wednesday and red-hot FC Dallas on Saturday, while the Rojiblancos continue their two-game home stand against the Houston Dynamo.
Scoring Summary:
NONE
LINEUPS:
New York Red Bulls -- Frank Rost, Jan Gunnar Solli, Carlos Mendes, Tim Ream, Roy Miller, Dane Richards, Dax McCarty, Teemu Tainio (Mehdi Ballouchy 84), Joel Lindpere, Juan Agudelo, Thierry Henry.
Chivas USA -- Dan Kennedy, Michael Lahoud (Mariano Trujillo 38), Michael Umana, Heath Pearce, Zarek Valentin, Ben Zemanski, Simon Elliott, Nick LaBrocca, Jorge Flores (Blair Gavin 78), Justin Braun, Victor Estupinan (Chris Cortez 68).
Misconduct Summary:
CHV -- Mariano Trujillo (caution; Reckless Foul) 39
CHV -- Ben Zemanski (caution; Persistent Infringement) 59
Referee: Mark Kadlecik
Referee's Assistants: Jeff Hosking; Matthew Kreitzer
4th Official: Baldomero Toledo
Attendance: 14,838
Time of Game: 1:52
Weather: Clear-and-70-degrees
