CHIVAS USA vs FC DALLAS
THE HOME DEPOT CENTER, Carson, Calif.
October 7, 2012 (WEEK 31, MLS Game #302)
4 p.m. PT (Galavisión; PT; FS-SW+)
With one spot remaining in the Western Conference for the MLS Cup Playoffs, FC Dallas travel to The Home Depot Center for a Sunday afternoon contest, the first of two meetings between the clubs over the final three weeks of the season. FC Dallas enter the match five points behind Vancouver for the final berth in the division, coming off a dramatic 3-3 draw at San Jose last weekend. Chivas saw their bid for playoff contention come to an end at midweek, suffering a seventh consecutive loss in a 4-0 defeat in Vancouver.
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REFEREE: Silviu Petrescu. AR1 (bench): Mike Rottersman; AR2 (opposite): Marlene Duffy; 4th: Daniel Radford
MLS Career: 56 games; FC/gm: 27.5; Y/gm: 3.6; R: 8; pens: 7
INJURY REPORT
- CHIVAS USA – OUT: MF Ryan Smith (concussion); GK Tim Melia (lower back); QUESTIONABLE: FW Casey Townsend (L soleus strain) …
- FC DALLAS – OUT: DF Ugo Ihemelu (concussion symptoms); GK Chris Seitz (illness); QUESTIONABLE: MF Jackson (R quad strain); MF Brek Shea (abdominal strain)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: CHV: Miller Bolaños, Oswaldo Minda, John Valencia … DAL: Julian de Guzman, George John
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: CHV: Ryan Smith, Nick LaBrocca, Casey Townsend … DAL: Jair Benitez, Fabian Castillo, Daniel Hernandez, David Ferreira, Jackson, Andrew Jacobson, Zach Loyd, Blas Perez
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (20 meetings): Chivas USA 5 wins, 21 goals … FC Dallas 10 wins, 26 goals … Ties 5
- AT CHIVAS USA (9 meetings): Chivas USA 9 wins, 13 goals … FC Dallas 5 wins, 15 goals … Ties 1
- FUTURE MATCH: 10/28: FC Dallas vs. Chivas USA, 6 p.m. CT (Galavision)\
- The teams are meeting for the second time this season, the first of two encounters in the final month of the season. They played to a scoreless draw June 23 in Frisco.
- FC Dallas have not lost to Chivas USA since the 2009 season, now unbeaten in the last five meetings.
- FC Dallas have won three of the last four Home Depot Center encounters with Chivas USA.
- Coaches record: Schellas Hyndman vs. CHV: P7 W4 L2 D1 … Robin Fraser vs. DAL: P3 W0 L2 D1
2012 (MLS):6/23: DAL 0, CHV 0
- Chivas USA nearly took the lead in the 12th minute. FCD 'keeper Kevin Hartman could only parry Juan Agudelo’s shot and the rebound fell to Alejandro Moreno, whose follow-up chance was deflected onto the bar.
- The home side nearly took the lead in the final half-hour when a Daniel Hernandez corner found Brek Shea at the far post, but his header was cleared off the line.
- Chivas USA goalkeeper Dan Kennedy was credited with three saves on the evening, while Hartman had one save between the posts for FCD.
- FC DALLAS (4-4-2): Kevin Hartman - Zach Loyd, Hernan Pertuz, Matt Hedges, Carlos Rodriguez - Jackson, Daniel Hernandez (Andrew Wiedeman 75), Andrew Jacobson, Brek Shea - Fabian Castillo, Scott Sealy (James Marcelin 66).
- CHIVAS USA (4-3-1-2): Dan Kennedy - James Riley, Rauwshan McKenzie, Danny Califf, Ante Jazic - Paolo Cardozo (Casey Townsend 77), Oswaldo Minda, Ben Zemanski - Alejandro Moreno - Juan Agudelo (Nick LaBrocca 63), Cesar Romero (Laurent Courtois 59).
CHIVAS USA
Chivas USA saw their losing streak and goalless streaks extended once again, in a second consecutive 4-0 defeat, this time to Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Wednesday evening at BC Place. Chivas USA are in ninth place in the Western Conference with 28 points from 31 games.
LAST MATCH
• Whitecaps FC took the lead only 11 minutes in. At the right side of the area, Kenny Miller held the ball up before passing it back for Gershon Koffie as he made a late run from midfield, and he smashed a left-footed effort past Dan Kennedy from the edge of the box into the bottom left corner.
WATCH: Chivas steamrolled by RSL
• Ten minutes from halftime, substitute Dane Richards doubled Vancouver’s lead. Richards won possession on the right wing before playing a one-two with Camilo, whose through ball found Richards with a burst of acceleration, and the Jamaican hammered across Kennedy’s goal into the bottom left corner.
• In the 62nd minute, Barry Robson filtered a pass into Richards in the box, and he turned well before seeing his low cross from the left deflected into the path of Camilo who banged the ball in from close range.
• On 73 minutes, Camilo beat John Valencia with a nutmeg down the right side before hitting across goal for Robson, who hit home on the half volley after taking a touch for the final goal of the match.
• Chivas USA head coach Robin Fraser made five changes to the team that fell 4-0 to Real Salt Lake at The Home Depot Center. Shalrie Joseph, Ben Zemanski, Laurent Courtois, Juan Agudelo and Alejandro Moreno all came into the side, in place of Danny Califf, Nick LaBrocca, Oswaldo Minda, Ryan Smith and Juan Pablo Angel.
• CHIVAS USA (4-3-1-2): Dan Kennedy - James Riley, John Valencia (Marky Delgado 73), Shalrie Joseph, Ante Jazic - Ben Zemanski, Peter Vagenas, Miller Bolanos - Laurent Courtois (Nick LaBrocca 63) - Juan Agudelo, Alejandro Moreno (Jose Correa 63).
TEAM NEWS
• Chivas USA lost their seventh consecutive game, a club record. Their previous mark had been six in a row, during the 2010 season.
• “It’s very possible that that could have happened, but it feels like seven straight losses,” Chivas USA head coach Robin Fraser said. “While we’ve done some things well, we’ve done enough things wrong at critical times to lose games.”
• The Chivas 11-game winless streak, dating back to Aug. 12, has also tied the club record, set during their inaugural campaign of 2005.
• “In the end it doesn’t mean anything if you make critical mistakes in front of your goal and you don’t finish plays in front of their goal. It’s disappointing,” said Fraser. “We put together a lot of passes in the middle of the field but unfortunately the goals were on both ends and we didn’t do well enough in front of them.”
• Chivas were also shut out for a fifth consecutive game and the sixth time in the seven-game losing slide. Their 532-minute goalless drought is now the fourth-longest in MLS history – and if they do not score in the opening 35 minutes vs. FC Dallas, they will own the second-longest in league annals.
• “If you’re not productive on the attacking end, then the defenders feel the pressure of having to make plays, and [if] the defenders don’t make plays, then the forwards feel the pressure of having to score,” Fraser said. “Either way, it’s a bad cycle to get into.”
• In an effort to stop the run, Shalrie Joseph was moved into central defense alongside John Valencia. Joseph was making his ninth start for the rojiblancos since coming from the New England Revolution in a trade, his first in the back four.
• “We’ve just got to keep our heads high and try to come back for the weekend and try to build on that. It’s a tough end to the season, but we’ve still got to keep fighting and fighting and don’t give up even though we are out of the playoffs,” said Joseph.
• While Chivas USA were officially eliminated from playoff contention with the loss to Vancouver – along with Portland and Colorado, with the same result – they certainly have a chance to play spoiler in the Western Conference playoff race down the stretch with two of the final three games vs. FC Dallas. Vancouver and Dallas are five points apart in the bid for the final available spot in the division.
• “One of our coaches laid it on the line for us and spoke the truth. Guys here are in different points of their careers. This is a difficult profession, it’s supposed to be hard, so it’s up to each individual to get out of it what they want because at the end of the day this is their livelihood,” said midfielder Peter Vagenas. “No one can predict what’s going to happen in the future and obviously this club is a little bit in flux right now, so it’s about individual pride and personal pride because every time you step onto the field you obviously represent yourself.”
• Said Fraser: “There are players being evaluated for decisions going forward. There’s personal pride more than anything else, and anytime you play, you play to win and regardless of what is at the end of it all, every match is a match to be won and as a professional athlete you are always going to be judged on how competitive you are and as professional athletes we have to stand up and be accounted for.”
FC DALLAS
FC Dallas maintained pace in the chase for the final Western Conference playoff spot, though they were pulled back into a 3-3 draw with the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday evening at Buck Shaw Stadium. FCD is in sixth place in the Western Conference with 37 points from 31 matches, two behind fifth-place Vancouver.
LAST MATCH
• The Quakes broke through in the 24th minute. Marvin Chávez latched onto a loose ball near midfield, then delivered a bending cross from the right wing. Chris Wondolowski dummied the ball to Alan Gordon, who easily finished past a helpless Kevin Hartman.
• FC Dallas were level in the 37th minute when Jackson skipped through a tackle and fed a pass to the heart of San Jose’s defense, where Blas Pérez took one touch to free himself and tucked a sharply angled shot just inside the far post.
WATCH: Dallas settle for draw vs. Quakes
• Pérez gave FCD the lead in the 72nd minute, knifing between Quakes center backs Víctor Bernárdez and Jason Hernandez to head home David Ferreira’s deft cross from the edge of the area. But San Jose was even 10 minutes later when substitute Steven Lenhart scored with a stabbing, 18-yard left-footed shot off a well-weighted layoff by Gordon.
• FCD rookie defender Matt Hedges appeared to be the hero in the 88th minute, slotting home a rebound after Pérez’s redirection crashed off the post and was cleared off the line by Bernárdez.
• But there was one more twist in the tale, five minutes into stoppage time, when Lenhart headed home a ball flicked on by Gordon, from a cross by Justin Morrow on the right to leave the teams in a 3-3 draw.
• FC Dallas head coach Schellas Hyndman made one change to the team that took a dramatic last-gasp 1-0 win against Vancouver Whitecaps FC in Frisco. Zach Loyd came into the back four for George John.
• FC DALLAS (4-4-1-1): Kevin Hartman - Zach Loyd, Hernan Pertuz, Matt Hedges, Jair Benitez - Jackson, Julian de Guzman (James Marcelin 90), Andrew Jacobson (Daniel Hernandez 75), Brek Shea (Fabian Castillo 69) - David Ferreira - Blas Perez.
TEAM NEWS
• Despite being pulled back into the late draw, FC Dallas collected points for a third consecutive game and maintained contact in their bid to snatch fifth place in the Western Conference and the final playoff spot.
• “When you look at the final outcome, we got a point on the road at what many consider is the best team in the league,” FCD head coach Schellas Hyndman said. “Soccer-wise, emotional intelligence and managing the game, all of those I thought we did very well.”
• FCD began the week two points behind Vancouver Whitecaps FC – who faced Chivas USA at midweek in British Columbia. Both teams had three games remaining to start the week.
• “You look at what could’ve been,” Hyndman said. “We're seconds away from picking up those three points and being tied with Vancouver. But I’m sure there were times [Vancouver] felt like they could’ve won and gotten three points as well. So it’s going to be a fight to the end.”
• “It’s unfortunate that we drew the way we did, but a point still keeps us in the playoff hunt … That’s the positive of going there and getting a tie,” defender Zach Loyd said. “We know that we’re only one win away from passing Vancouver, so it still gives us hope.”
• Blas Perez hit for his first two-goal game in MLS, netting on either side of halftime. They were the first MLS goal for Perez since May 26.
• “I thought we weren’t getting the ball enough in the first half. Jackson was missing his services. He was sending them too quickly, but Blas [Perez] got a great touch and he finished,” said Hyndman.
• Said Perez: “The road that we are playing is very tight. We have Vancouver and Chivas USA coming up and we are looking forward to getting those points.”
• Rookie defender Matt Hedges scored his third professional goal, his first since netting in back-to-back games May 23 and 26.
• David Ferreira collected his seventh assist of the season. All seven of his assists have come in the last 10 matches, since July 21.
• “I think we put ourselves in a position to get the three points,” goalkeeper Kevin Hartman said. “It’s a difficult place to come and play. We had the lead twice and there’s a reason they’re called 'The Goonies.' They never say die and, unfortunately, tonight was more of the same.”
