Latest SuperClasico shows changes
Clubs markedly different as Jones debuts as interim LA coach
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THE HOME DEPOT CENTER, Carson, Calif.
Aug. 14, 2008 | 8 p.m. PT (ESPN2/Deportes)
WEEK # 21 | GAME # 125
The third SuperClásico of the season is ahead on MLS Primetime Thursday, and things have certainly changed since barely a month ago, when the teams met with first place on the line. The Los Angeles Galaxy will be led by Cobi Jones, taking over the head coaching reins on an interim basis after the departure this week of Ruud Gullit. He will be trying to put an end to a seven-game winless streak in his first game in charge - with Chivas USA coming into the contest off of back-to-back losses on the road following their initial SuperLiga campaign.
REFEREE: Alex Prus. SAR (bench): Thomas Supple; JAR (opposite): Chris Strickland; 4th: Baldomero Toledo
MLS Career: 131 games; FC/gm: 29.7; Y/gm: 3.4; R: 31; pens: 41
INJURY REPORT: CHIVAS USA - OUT: FW Alecko Eskandarian (sports hernia surgery); DF Lawson Vaughn (R knee sprain); MF Raphaël Wicky (R ankle surgery); DF Alex Zotinca (R knee surgery); QUESTIONABLE: DF Jonathan Bornstein (R hip strain); MF Jorge Flores (R ankle); FW Ante Razov (L knee sprain); DF Claudio Suárez (concussion); PROBABLE: FW Maykel Galindo (sports hernia surgery) ... LOS ANGELES GALAXY - OUT: GK Charles Alamo (L knee); MF Joe Franchino (R ankle); DF Michael Gavin (R foot); MF Brandon McDonald (L knee); DF Troy Roberts (L heel)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: CHV: Sacha Kljestan (U.S. Olympic team); Gerson Mayen (U.S. U-20 team)
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: CHV: Atiba Harris, Sacha Kljestan
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: CHV: Jonathan Bornstein, Maykel Galindo; Jesse Marsch, Daniel Paladini, Shavar Thomas ... LA: Landon Donovan, Alan Gordon, Brandon McDonald, Alvaro Pires, Greg Vanney
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (14 meetings): Chivas USA 3 wins, 15 goals ... Galaxy 8 wins, 24 goals ... Ties 3
AS CHIVAS HOME GAME: (6 meetings): Chivas USA 1 win, 5 goals ... Galaxy 3 wins, 6 goals ... Ties 2
• This is the third of three regular season meetings between the Home Depot Center co-tenants this season, the only one scheduled as a Chivas USA home game. The Galaxy won the first, with the teams playing to a draw just more than a month ago.
• A year ago, Chivas USA won the season series for the first time in the three-year history of the SuperClasico. The Galaxy won the first, then after a draw, Chivas rolled to back-to-back 3-0 victories.
• After winning just one of the first nine meetings between the teams, Chivas had won two in a row before the first this year. The 3-0 victory on Sept. 13 was the first for Chivas as the home team in the SuperClasico, after losing the first three then drawing the next two.
• The teams have met outside of The Home Depot Center once, on Aug. 10, 2005 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum before 88,816 as part of a Club América-CD Guadalajara doubleheader - the second-largest crowd ever to see an MLS regular season game.
• Coaches record: Preki v LA: P6 W2 L2 D2 ... Cobi Jones vs. CHV: first game
THIS SEASON (MLS):
4/26: LA 5, CHV 2 (Donovan 18, 59, 77; Gordon 76, 84 - Kljestan 38; Razov 62)
7/10: LA 1, CHV 1 (Buddle 72 - Razov 15)
• The Los Angeles Galaxy won the first SuperClasico meeting this year in resounding fashion, a 5-2 win April 26.
• In front of the usual pitched atmosphere in Carson, Donovan set the game alight with his 18th-minute opener, lashing home a volley from outside the area. But Sacha Kljestan pulled Chivas level in the 38th minute, hooking a masterful effort inside the right-hand post.
• After the break, the game exploded. Donovan scored his second and put the Galaxy back into the lead in the 59th minute. But Chivas were again level just three minutes later, through Ante Razov.
• The Galaxy then scored three goals in a nine-minute span to put the game away. Alan Gordon outjumped the punch attempt of Chivas goalkeeper Brad Guzan to loop home a third (76), then a minute later Donovan finished off his hat trick in style. Gordon then scored his second after coming off the bench, tapping home from close range.
• In the last meeting, on July 10, the in-stadium rivals were meeting for the first time ever with first place on the line.
• Chivas took control of an intense match after just 15 minutes. Sacha Kljestan raced forward to the edge of the area before laying off a pass to Ante Razov. Razov then curled a majestic, first-time strike into the upper left corner for his third consecutive game with a goal.
• But the Galaxy fought back and pulled level in the 72nd minute. Peter Vagenas spotted Edson Buddle making a run into the area, and hit a perfectly weighted through ball. Buddle sprinted into the area, and from a sharp angle on the right, shot between Brad Guzan's legs to level the game.
• Here's Gullit's team (4-4-2): Steve Cronin - Chris Klein, Troy Roberts, Greg Vanney, Ante Jazic (Joe Franchino 35/Carlos Ruiz 58) - Ely Allen, David Beckham, Peter Vagenas (Alvaro Pires 84), Mike Randolph - Edson Buddle, Landon Donovan. Substitutes Not Used: Alan Gordon, Vito Higgins, Josh Tudela, Julian Valentin
• Here's Preki's team (4-4-2): Brad Guzan - Carey Talley, Bobby Burling, Shavar Thomas, Jonathan Bornstein - Atiba Harris (Justin Braun 59 / Anthony Hamilton 84), Jesse Marsch, Paulo Nagamura, Francisco Mendoza - Sacha Kljestan, Ante Razov. Substitutes Not Used: Kraig Chiles, Jim Curtin, Dan Kennedy, Daniel Paladini, Claudio Suarez
CHIVAS USA
Chivas USA suffered their second consecutive loss, both on the road, in a 3-2 loss to the Kansas City Wizards last weekend. Chivas now sits in fifth place in the Western Conference with 22 points from 18 matches, a point behind the LA Galaxy and three behind FC Dallas.
LAST MATCH
• The Wizards were coming off a loss at D.C. United that put an end to a seven-game unbeaten run. Chivas USA also saw an unbeaten streak come to an end in their last match, a loss at the Chicago Fire ending a four-game run.
• Shut out in their last two games, the Wizards looked to get off on the right foot, and led 2-0 by halftime. In the 22nd minute, Claudio Lopez received a long pass on the right flank and hooked in a low cross that Sasha Victorine dove headlong to turn a header into the net for his first goal on the campaign.
• Then just before halftime, Davy Arnaud was sprung down the right flank, behind the Chivas defense, and raced to the area before sliding a square pass that Lopez easily tapped home for his fourth goal on the year and first since May 24.
• The Wizards then seemingly put the game on ice 13 minutes into the second half. A long ball was looped over the Chivas defense by Aaron Hohlbein, and Arnaud reached before Zach Thornton could claim after coming off his line. Arnaud popped it over the Chivas 'keeper then nodded it home with the slightest of touches, just ahead of a last-ditch clearing effort from Jim Curtin.
• But Chivas pulled a goal back in the 73rd minute, when Kevin Hartman took down Atiba Harris in the corner of the area, and Carey Talley converted the penalty with a thumping strike into the lower left corner. Then nine minutes later, Chivas made it 3-2. Talley whipped in a corner from the right and Justin Braun beat his marker to head home his third goal of the season.
• Chivas USA nearly got a late equalizer, but Kevin Hartman saves on Keith Savage and Braun in the dying minutes sealed the victory for the Wizards.
• Chivas USA head coach Preki made four changes to the team that lost 1-0 to the Chicago Fire the weekend before. With Claudio Suarez and Jonathan Bornstein out to injury and Paulo Nagamura suspended, Jim Curtin, Bobby Burling and Justin Braun all returned to the lineup. Roberto Nurse made his first MLS start as well, in place of Keith Savage.
• Here's Preki's team (3-4-3): Zach Thornton - Shavar Thomas, Jim Curtin, Bobby Burling - Carey Talley, Jesse Marsch (Kraig Chiles 66), Lawson Vaughn (Daniel Paladini 46), Francisco Mendoza - Atiba Harris, Roberto Nurse (Keith Savage 55), Justin Braun. Substitutes Not Used: Eric Ebert, Anthony Hamilton, Dan Kennedy, Gerson Mayen
• "There were a lot of positives. I thought we played a decent second half given all the circumstances. We had two or three really good chances to tie the game," Preki said. "(Wizards goalkeeper) Kevin Hartman makes a couple of good saves, and we didn't get the tie.
TEAM NEWS
• For Chivas, it was a fourth consecutive road match without a victory. Their last win on the road came three months ago, a 2-1 against the Colorado Rapids in Commerce City.
• "We came here wanting to get three points. If not that, we wanted to at least get a point on the road," said defender Bobby Burling. "We came out a little flat, just like our last game in Chicago. We dug ourselves a hole early, and the second half was much better."
• It was the third time in the last five games where Chivas fell behind to an early goal. They were able to come back and get a draw against New York on June 28, but weren't in either game on the road trip.
• "We had a great last 30 minutes," defender Carey Talley said. "But to be honest, you put that great 30 minutes in the earlier part of the game and you've got a 2-0 lead. And you do not have to come back and score three goals. ... I think we have to figure it out for ourselves why we haven't come out sharp"
• In his first two starts in MLS play since the 2006 season, goalkeeper Zach Thornton has seen his newest club go down to defeat on both occasions. His last league victory as a starter in goal came on Aug. 26, 2006 with the Chicago Fire, a 1-0 win against the Colorado Rapids.
• "We gave up that third goal, and that was a little too much to come back from," Thornton said. "The guys showed a lot of pride and desire in the second half, and they got rewarded with two goals. That should be enough to get a result on the road but we didn't get that today."
• Said defender Shavar Thomas: "We dug a big hole for ourselves and made it really hard. In the second half we dug in and showed some grit. It was a good showing in the last 30 minutes of the game. It was nothing more than character and heart."
LOS ANGELES GALAXY
The Los Angeles Galaxy return to action after a weekend off from league play, suffering a second consecutive loss and seeing their winless streak reach seven games in a 3-2 loss to the San Jose Earthquakes on Aug. 3. The Galaxy have 23 points from 19 matches, two points behind FC Dallas and four points out of first place in the Western Conference.
LAST MATCH
• The Earthquakes came into the game riding an eight-game winless streak, though they had draws in their last three. The Galaxy hadn't won in six games, since a 3-0 defeat of San Jose on June 14.
• The Quakes' latest attacking addition put his stamp on the game after just eight minutes. Acquired from FC Dallas during the week, one-time San Jose draft pick Arturo Alvarez completed a nice combination between Darren Huckerby and Scott Sealy -- two more of the club's recent additions -- with a cool finish as he bent a left-footed shot past Galaxy goalkeeper Steve Cronin inside the right post.
• Huckerby then doubled the Earthquakes' lead in the 40th minute. Racing down the left flank, he rounded a fallen defender and cut into the area, lashing a sharply angled drive that got through Cronin and nestled inside the far post for his second goal in as many games since coming to MLS.
• But it took the Galaxy just two minutes to respond. Donovan put a header of a David Beckham free kick off the bar, but when the Earthquakes couldn't clear, they had another chance. This time Beckham curled in a pinpoint from the right corner and Donovan rose up to head home from the top of the six, his 13th goal on the season.
• With 14 minutes to play, Buddle pulled the visitors level. Latching onto a ball outside the San Jose penalty area, he skipped through a pair of defenders before hammering a low drive that eluded Earthquakes goalkeeper Joe Cannon for his 12th goal on the season.
• Yet the Quakes still had one more answer. In the 90th minute, a Ramiro Corrales cross from the right wing was knocked away by Cronin, and Huckerby pounced on the loose ball. His shot from the left side was saved, but the rebound fell to Cochrane, who put away the rebound to give San Jose the win.
• Ruud Gullit made three changes in what would be his final game in charge of the Galaxy. Sean Franklin came into central defense in place of Eduardo Dominguez, Ely Allen came into the midfield in place of Alvaro Pires, and Alan Gordon started in attack in place of Carlos Ruiz.
• Here's Gullit's team (4-3-1-2): Steve Cronin - Chris Klein (Carlos Ruiz 76), Sean Franklin, Greg Vanney, Ante Jazic - David Beckham, Peter Vagenas, Ely Allen (Mike Randolph 46) - Landon Donovan - Edson Buddle, Alan Gordon. Substitutes Not Used: Alvaro Pires, Eduardo Dominguez, Mike Munoz, Josh Wicks
• "On the first goal, (Steve) Cronin was blocked by the referee so he couldn't do anything and on second goal, he slipped," Gullit said. "Despite that, I thought our team played well and created a lot of chances. I think that we fought for it and did everything to get a good result and that we deserved a lot better than we got."
TEAM NEWS
• Just days before the SuperClásico, the Galaxy made headlines with Ruud Gullit resigned for personal reasons and general manager Alexi Lalas was relieved of his duties. Cobi Jones - who less than a year ago was still in uniform for the club - took over as interim coach and Paul Bravo will assume Lalas's duties on the soccer side.
• "With Ruud moving on, we believe that this is the right time to make more sweeping changes throughout the organization," said Tim Leiweke, president and chief executive officer of AEG. "Our commitment continues to be focused on not only winning the MLS Cup this and every season but to build a club capable of competing at the international level. This decision is the right one for the organization, the right one for the players and the right one for our fans. We thank Alexi for the tremendous hard work and dedication he brought to his job each and every day."
• In his final game as head coach, one of the changes Gullit made was dropping defender Eduardo Dominguez after his MLS debut, the 4-0 loss to FC Dallas at Pizza Hut Park. "(Eduardo) Dominguez comes back from a break from Argentina and it was just too quick for him," Gullit said.
• For the third time in four games, the Galaxy staged a remarkable fightback to pull level. But unlike the draws against Chivas USA on July 10 and New York on July 19, where they held on to a share of the points after hitting for the equalizer in the final 20 minutes, they couldn't do it against San Jose.
• "It was disappointing to lose right at the end, but I think that what we can take from this game is that it was 100 percent better than last game," said David Beckham. We showed some character. We fought back so that's what we need to take from this game. It's always disappointing to lose any game especially when you lose in the last couple of minutes."
• Sitting in fourth place in the Western Conference - but maybe more importantly, ninth in the MLS overall table, which would leave them sitting outside of the MLS Cup Playoffs picture if the season ended this week. "Obviously, (this week's) game now becomes a must-win game for us," said Beckham.
