The Red and Whites started cautiously playing with only one forward, Maicon Sanchez. Blair Gavin moved from his familiar holding spot higher up the field to cover for the missing Sacha Kljestan who along with Jonathon Bornstein is with the US National Team in camp in Princeton, New Jersey. Carlos Borja, stepping up to replace Bornstein, started his first MLS game.

Marcelo Saragosa and rookie Ben Zemanski anchored the Chivas midfield. There were very little scoring opportunities in the first 45 minutes. Santos came closest for the Red and Whites with a couple of long range efforts and Pablo Campos came close for Real with a headed attempt.

With one piece of magic real Salt Lake took a one-goal lead into the halftime locker room. Ned Grabavoy played Javier Morales in with a clever chip over the Goats backline. Chivas goalkeeper came out to face Morales coming in from the right side. Morales slid the ball past Thornton and across the goal only to see it ricochet out to Wingert who could not believe his luck, tucking the ball into the back of the net for his first MLS goal.

The timing of the goal could not have came at a worse moment for the Red and Whites, just 30 seconds before referee Yader Reyes blew his whistle for halftime.

Chivas Head Coach Martin Vasquez must have had plenty to say at the halftime break because it was a different Chivas team that emerged from the tunnel for the second half. Full of running the Red and Whites took the game to their visitors from Utah. Real could not get a rhythm as the Goats hurried and harried them at every possession.

Finally, after 80 minutes the pressure paid off. What looked like a harmless ball played into Braun’s feet turned out to be a gem. The big forwards first touch left a bit to be desired but his second touch was sublime. Spinning and striking the ball in one motion left Real keeper Nick Rimando clutching at air as the ball sailed over his outstretched hand and into the net.

Chivas then lost their concentration as they pushed forward to try to win the game. Salt Lake, who always looked dangerous on the counter struck with less than a minute remaining in normal time. This time Andy Williams caught out the Chivas backline. With a superb pass, he found Espindola running in behind the Chivas defense the retreating Dario Delgado got his head to the ball but only slowed it down for The Salt Lake forward to run in and slide the ball past the onrushing Thornton to give Real all three points.

Vasquez was not happy with his team’s first half performance. “We came back in the second half and we were able to get a nice goal and play better, but we lost our focus in the 89th minute… and we lost the game.”

Player Evaluations

Scale of 1-10, 10 being best:

Zach Thornton, 6, really did not have a lot to do maybe could have done better on the first goal.
Carlos Borja, 6, a worthwhile experiment sometimes was caught out of position, never really added to the attack.
Mariano Trujillo, 7, again led the team by example always willing to go forward and push the envelope.
Michael Umana, 6, did his job was disciplined and controlled the center of the defense.
Dario Delgado, 6, also did the job in the center of defense got caught a little out of position trying to cover on the outside for his full back who had pushed forward.
Jesus Padilla, 6, looked more comfortable when pushed higher up the field in the second half.
Marcelo Sarsgosa, 6, good solid defensive work in front of the backline. Did not get forward.
Michael Lahoud, 5, disappointing came of early in the second half. Played too deep and never threatened with his speed.
Ben Zemanski, 7, tremendous work rate in the midfield always looking to cover for teammates.
Maicon Santos, 6, had a couple of half chances from distance. Never really threatened.
Blair Gavin, 7, took a little time to settle but as always ran him self into the ground for the team.
Jose Macotelo, 5, had enough time to put his mark on the game but never did.
Justin Braun, 8, not my favorite player but puts himself about and got the goal.
Chukwudi Chijindu, 7, needs to be on the field more, added something that was missing when he was on the bench.

Match Facts

Chivas USA (3-6-1) 1:2 Real Salt Lake (5-3-1)
May 22, 2010 – The Home Depot Center, Carson, CA

Scoring Summary:
RSL – Chris Wingert 1 (unassisted) 46+
CHV – Justin Braun 3 (Marcelo Saragosa 1) 80
RSL – Fabian Espindola 2 (Alvaro Saborio 3, Andy Williams 2) 89

Lineups:
Chivas USA – Zach Thornton, Mariano Trujillo, Darío Delgado, Michael Umaña, Carlos Borja, Jesús Padilla (Chukwudi Chijindu 77), Ben Zemanski, Marcelo Saragosa, Michael Lahoud (José Macotelo 54), Blair Gavin, Maicon Santos (Justin Braun 63)
Substitutes Not Used: Kevin Guppy, Yamith Cuesta, Jorge Flores, Osael Romero

Real Salt Lake – Nick Rimando, Nat Borchers, Jamison Olave, Robbie Russell, Chris Wingert, Kyle Beckerman (Jean Alexandre 66), Ned Grabavoy, Javier Morales, Andy Williams, Alvaro Saborio (Nelson Gonzalez 89), Pablo Campos (Fabian Espindola 78)
Substitutes Not Used: Kyle Reynish, Tony Beltran, Rauwshan McKenzie, Collen Warner

Statistical Summary:
Chivas USA // Real Salt Lake
total shots: 13 (3 tied with 3) 9 (Javier Morales 3)
shots on goal: 4 (Maicon Santos 2) 4 (Javier Morales 2)
fouls: 15 (Mariano Trujillo 3, Darío Delgado 3) 9 (Andy Williams 3, Pablo Campos 3)
offsides: 1 (Maicon Santos 1) 2 (Alvaro Saborio 1, Pablo Campos 1)
corner kicks: 3 (Mariano Trujillo 3) 1 (Javier Morales 1)
saves: 2 (Zach Thornton 2) 3 (Nick Rimando 3)

Misconduct Summary:
CHV – Marcelo Saragosa (caution, Reckless Foul) 26
RSL – Andy Williams (caution, Reckless Foul) 39
RSL – Jean Alexandre (caution, Unsporting Behavior) 66
Referee: Yader Reyes
Referee’s Assistants: Corey Rockwell, Ian Anderson
4th official: Jasen Anno

time of game: 1:54
attendance: 14,287
weather: Clear, 62 degrees

Bornstein and Kljestan spoke about their response to being named to the 30- man squad. “Everybody will be exited and ready to go. The coaches have picked who they think can do the job and of coarse bringing the group down to 23 will be difficult but I hope to be there and do my part,” said Bornstein.

Kljestan’s view was a little different. “I was a little relieved and of coarse excited to hear that I was included. I realize I am one of the bubble players. I know I have a couple of tough weeks in front of me .I am one of the few players competing for the last midfield spot so I have to go into camp and try to convince the coaching staff that I can help the team on the field in South Africa.”
“We all were very excited, happy and proud of them. The call from Bob (Bradley) was very exciting for all of us.” commented Chivas USA Head Coach Martin Vasquez.

Bornstein talked a little about the competition in the World Cup. “I would expect Algeria to be similar to Egypt, who we played in the Confederations Cup and Slovenia to be similar to Slovakia who we played in November.”
When asked about playing at altitude Bornstein had this to say. “I don’t think the altitude will be a major factor. We went to one place to train after one of the games and I remember that it was difficult to breath but at most of the stadiums we played I did not have a problem,” said Bornstein. “Usually you prepare for altitude by training in that environment. I don’t know if we will be doing that I don’t know what the altitude is at Princeton University, but seriously we have trained before at places like Park city and I’m sure Bob (Bradley) will have all that planned out.”

“Training camp for the United States will take place at Princeton University in Princeton, N.J., and the team will play a pair of friendly matches prior to the June 1 deadline for the final, 23-player roster. On May 25 in East Hartford, Conn., the United States will face the Czech Republic, and on May 29, the squad will play against Turkey in Philadelphia. The U.S. team will depart for South Africa on May 30, arriving the following day, and will then play Australia on June 5 in Roodepoort, South Africa, one week before playing its first match of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

The U.S. Men’s National Team has been drawn into Group C with England, Slovenia and Algeria for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The U.S. will open its sixth consecutive World Cup finals tournament against England on June 12 in Rustenburg, and will follow that game with matches against Slovenia on June 18 in Johannesburg and Algeria on June 23 in Tshwane/Pretoria.
Bornstein has scored two goals in his 29 appearances with the United States, and has played more for the U.S. National Team in 2010 than any other player, starting all three of the U.S.’ matches. Sacha Kljestan has made 23 appearances and scored four goals for the U.S., most recently the game-winner on February 24 against El Salvador. The pair joined Chivas USA in 2006, and since the start of that season, Kljestan has made 112 regular season appearances for the team (a club record), and Bornstein has played in 110 matches. Vásquez named them co-captains prior to the 2010 MLS season.

Also included on the preliminary roster is former Chivas USA goalkeeper Brad Guzan, who played with the Red-and-White from 2005-2008 before moving to Aston Villa of the English Premier League. The head coach of the United States is Bob Bradley, who served as Chivas USA’s head coach in 2006 before joining the National Team. Another former Chivas USA player, Jesse Marsch, is an assistant coach with the United States. Marsch made 106 appearances for the Red-and-White from 2006-2009.

“We are very proud as an organization to have Bob (Bradley), Jesse, (Marsch) and Brad, (Guzan) as well as Jonny and Sacha involved. It is a testament to the work that this club has done in its short history,’ commented Vasquez.

Training camp for the United States will take place at Princeton University in Princeton, N.J., and the team will play a pair of friendly matches prior to the June 1 deadline for the final, 23-player roster. On May 25 in East Hartford, Conn., the United States will face the Czech Republic, and on May 29, the squad will play against Turkey in Philadelphia. The U.S. team will depart for South Africa on May 30, arriving the following day, and will then play Australia on June 5 in Roodepoort, South Africa, one week before playing its first match of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

The U.S. Men’s National Team has been drawn into Group C with England, Slovenia and Algeria for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The U.S. will open its sixth consecutive World Cup finals tournament against England on June 12 in Rustenburg, and will follow that game with matches against Slovenia on June 18 in Johannesburg and Algeria on June 23 in Tshwane/Pretoria.

U.S. TRAINING CAMP ROSTER BY POSITION

GOALKEEPERS (3): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton), Marcus Hahnemann (Wolverhampton)
DEFENDERS (9): Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover), Jay DeMerit (Watford), Clarence Goodson (IK Start), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew), Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan), Heath Pearce (FC Dallas), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United)
MIDFIELDERS (12): DaMarcus Beasley (Rangers), Alejandro Bedoya (Örebro), Michael Bradley (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Maurice Edu (Rangers), Benny Feilhaber (Aarhus), Stuart Holden (Bolton), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew), José Torres (Pachuca)
FORWARDS (6): Jozy Altidore (Villarreal), Edson Buddle (Los Angeles Galaxy), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake), Herculez Gomez (Puebla), Eddie Johnson (Aris Thessaloniki)

Details are still elusive on if this is just a one-off to keep in shape for the U.S. Men’s National Team camp that he was recently named to or something more permanent. But Herculez Gomez was at the Home Depot Center training with Chivas USA on Wednesday, May 12. More on this to follow.

This forum is not meant to compete with other boards dedicated to the team (not that it would have a chance anyway). Each of these are excellent resources. We just felt there was/is room for something perhaps intended for the more casual fan of the team that could integrate with the various social media platforms of the day. (Or, if you’re stuck in 2005, MySpace yes you can post with your Myspace username).

The forum does not integrate comments posted to the site. Those remain a separate entity. Which is fine because it creates a church/state separation between the site’s proprietary content (and responses thereto) and topics that readers and fans are interested in discussing among themselves.

So go ahead and check it out!

The first Houston goal came very quickly. Less than four minutes were on the clock when Brian Mullen picked up a loose ball on the right flank and sent a diagonal ball between the two Chivas central defenders. Goalkeeper Zach Thornton saw the danger but could not get there on time, ending up in no mans land, as Davis chipped the ball over his head and into the net.

Three minutes later the Goats were two goals down. Davis sent in an inviting corner to the near post area and Serioux, with the help of a pick from Craig Waibel, lost Jonathan Bornstein to power in a header and give the Dynamo an insurmountable lead.

The Red-and-White used the same starting lineup from the midweek match against New England, but inserted Marcelo Saragosa for Gerson Mayén to start the second half. Chukwudi Chijindu and Maicon Santos both entered in the second session to try to spark the offense.

Chivas Head Coach Martin Vasquez, in an attempt to get back in the game moved Sacha Kljestan out wide and pushed holding midfielder Blair Gavin forward. Saragosa dropped into the holding role along side Ben Zemanski to try to gain control of the midfield area and negate Houston’s midfield general, Richard Mulrooney. The tactic worked in that The Red and Whites controlled possession but although they finished with 13 shots to the Dynamo’s five. They could not break down the Texan’s stubborn defense. Houston only managed two shots on goal in the match but moved to 8-1-5 all-time against Chivas USA in the regular season.

Vasquez was not happy with the fist 20 minutes of the game. : “We came out flat, and they took advantage. That was the difference. Playing against a team like Houston you can’t come out flat…. We created plays, but… we couldn’t tie the game, “commented the Chivas head coach.

“I don’t want to make excuses but with three games in eight days we did not have our legs at the start. I thought we played well in the second half but we could not break them down,” added Vasquez.

Chivas USA captain Sacha Kljestan set a new team record for MLS regular season matches played, with 112, breaking the record set by Francisco ‘Panchito’ Mendoza, who played with the team from 2005-2008. The midfielder, who joined the team out of Seton Hall in 2006.

Chivas USA will host the defending MLS Champion Real Salt Lake on Saturday, May 22 at 7:30 p.m. PT at The Home Depot Center.

Player Evaluations

Scale of 1 to 10, 10 being best.

Zach Thornton, 6. Miscommunication with his backline on the first goal. He could not be held accountable for the second, but two shots on goal two goals.
Jonathon Bornstein, 6. Were exposed on the Serioux goal but made a major contribution to the Chivas cause in the second half.
Gerson Mayen, 6. Played wide did well when in possession of the ball. Worked hard defensively but did not get enough of the ball to be an impact. Played the first 45 minutes.
Mariano Trujillo, 6. Looked a tired player. Did not have the presence going forward that has become his trademark in recent games.
Michael Umana, 6. Were caught flat on the first goal but was never in serious trouble after that.
Dario Delgado, 6. Same as Umana. Got caught ball watching on the first goal and maybe could have been more active on the second.
Jesus Padilla, 5. Disappointing, after a couple of great outings. Never stamped his mark on the game and came of in the 52end minute looking very tired.
Blair Gavin, 7. As usual worked very hard in the midfield area. Pushed higher up the field in the second half. Would like to have seen him get some shots on target.
Ben Zemanski, 7. Quickly becoming the leader in the middle of the park. Barking out instructions to the players around him. Plays with a maturity beyond his years. Attention Bob Bradley!
Justin Braun, 6. Never takes a play off but did not have it today probably ran 50 miles this week in games.
Sacha Kljestan, 5. Did not rise to the occasion when he was most desperately needed. Also looked tired again with his style of play hard to play three games in eight days.
Chukwudi Chijindu, 7. Came in and gave the team a spark. He was the most dangerous player in the latter stages of the game.
Maicon Santos, 6. Came in with 17 minutes left in the game but did not make the impact that was needed.

Match Facts

Chivas USA (3-4-1) 0:2 Houston Dynamo (4-3-1)
May 8, 2010 – The Home Depot Center, Carson, CA

Scoring Summary:
HOU – Brad Davis 1 (Brian Mullan 1) 4
HOU – Adrian Serioux 1 (Brad Davis 1) 8

Lineups:
Chivas USA – Zach Thornton, Mariano Trujillo, Darío Delgado, Michael Umaña, Jonathan Bornstein, Jesús Padilla (Chukwudi Chijindu 52), Ben Zemanski, Blair Gavin, Gerson Mayén (Marcelo Saragosa 46), Sacha Kljestan, Justin Braun (Maicon Santos 73)
Substitutes Not Used: Kevin Guppy, Carlos Borja, Jorge Flores, José Macotelo
Houston Dynamo – Pat Onstad, Adrian Serioux, Bobby Boswell, Craig Waibel, Mike Chabala, Corey Ashe (Samuel Appiah 72), Lovel Palmer, Brad Davis (Ryan Cochrane 88), Richard Mulrooney, Brian Mullan, Dominic Oduro (Luis Landin 64)
Substitutes Not Used: Tally Hall, Andrew Hainault, Danny Cruz, Brian Ching

Statistical summary:
Chivas USA Houston Dynamo
total shots: 13 (Sacha Kljestan 4) 5 (Brad Davis 2)
shots on goal: 2 (Jonathan Bornstein 1, Justin Braun 1) 2 (Brad Davis 1, Adrian Serioux 1)
fouls: 12 (Blair Gavin 4) 8 (Lovel Palmer 2)
offsides: 0 3 (3 tied with 1)
corner kicks: 6 (Jesús Padilla 3) 3 (Brad Davis 3)
saves: 0 2 (Pat Onstad 2)

Misconduct Summary:
CHV – Mariano Trujillo (caution, Reckless Tackle) 37
HOU – Mike Chabala (caution, Delaying a Restart) 17
referee: Abbey Okulaja
Referee’s Assistants: Adam Garner, Jeff Hosking
4th official: Baldomero Toledo
time of game: 1:52
attendance: 12,557
weather: Clear, 64 degrees

The Red and Whites put together its best 90 minutes of soccer as the team this season. Rookie midfielders Blair Gavin and Ben Zemanski, both coming out of the University of Akron, manned central midfield along with Kljestan and the midfield trio put their mark on the game early.

Gavin sent a nice ball to Kljestan about 30 yards from goal. Kljestan took a touch and then hit a rocket past the Earthquakes goalkeeper Joe Cannon, settling in the top right hand corner of the net.

San Jose equalized just before halftime on a hotly contested penalty kick. San Jose forward, Chris Wondolowski and Chivas defender Jonathon Bornstein, collided inside the Goats penalty box. Referee, Edvin Jurisevic pointed to the spot but was unconvincing and after consulting his assistant referee, he awarded the spot kick. Wondolowski stepped up to hit home the penalty.

Nine minutes into the second half, Justin Braun headed home a Mariano Trujillo cross after a great build up by the Red and Whites. The goal was Braun’s fourth all-time against San Jose. In the 87th minute, second-year midfielder Michael Lahoud played a long ball that found Chijindu, who made a great run cutting off the defenders recovery before hitting a shot that skidded under goalkeeper Cannon.

With no time, left on the clock the Earthquakes earned a consolation goal when Steven Beitashour hit a hopeful shot that evaded the Chivas rearguard and ended up in the net.

The match ended at 3-2, giving Chivas USA its second home win in a row.

Carlos Borja made his MLS debut, entering the match in the 79th minute for Michael Umana.

Chivas USA Head Coach Martín Vásquez was pleased with his team’s performance, “I think we earned the win, and we got a good result. I think this is going to help our team… if we continue to believe in what we’re doing, we’re going to have a good chance to be successful.”

“I was particularly happy with the contribution made by Sacha. He is the captain and today he played like a captain setting the tempo and helping the younger players like Ben and Blair,” added Vasquez.

Player Evaluations

From one to 10, 10 being the best.

Zach Thornton, 8
Another great performance although he gave up two goals his presence was immense.

Mariano Trujillo, 9
A break out game, a lot of the offence came down his side of the field and he was a constant menace with his service into the box.

Dario Delgado, 7
Steady, not spectacular, but did his job and seems to becoming more comfortable in this league.

Michael Umana, 7
Also becoming more and more comfortable the more playing time he gets.

Jonathon Bornstein, 7
Did his job like the true professional he is. Sat back and helped defend. Allowed Lahoud to concentrate on attacking.

Michael Lahoud, 6
Fantastic pace but unfortunately no end product to his runs. He needs to start getting more shots on goal and more crosses into dangerous areas of the field.

Ben Zamanski, 8
A pit-bull in the midfield, destroy, destroy, destroy.

Blair Gavin, 8
Pit-bull number two. Identical twin to Zemanski.

Justin Braun, 7
Scored a great goal. That ups his number, but runs up too many blind alleys. Needs to become a true target player who can hold up the ball.

Jesus Padilla, 7
Hard worker who would probably be more dangerous playing through the center, maybe off Braun, rather than on the flank.

Chukwudi Chijindu, 8
Only played for 20 minutes but caused a ton of trouble and scored a goal.

Carlos Borja, 7
Has great potential. Did well in his debut. The best has yet to come.

Match Facts

Chivas USA (2-3-0) 3:2 San Jose Earthquakes (2-2-0)
April 24, 2010 — The Home Depot Center

Lineups:
Chivas USA – Zach Thornton, Mariano Trujillo, Darío Delgado, Michael Umaña (Carlos Borja 79), Jonathan Bornstein, Michael Lahoud, Ben Zemanski, Blair Gavin, Jesús Padilla (Yamith Cuesta 89), Sacha Kljestan, Justin Braun (Chukwudi

Substitutes Not Used: Dan Kennedy, Osael Romero, Gerson Mayén, Maicon Santos

San Jose Earthquakes – Joe Cannon, Ramiro Corrales, Jason Hernandez, Ike Opara, Steven Beitashour, Bobby Convey, Brandon McDonald (Scott Sealy 83), Ramón Sanchez (Brad Ring 71), Joey Gjertsen (Omar Jasseh 62), Ryan Johnson, Chris Wondolowski

Substitutes Not Used: Jon Busch, Bobby Burling, Chris Leitch, Andre Luiz

Scoring Summary:
CHV – Sacha Kljestan 1 (Blair Gavin 1) 25
SJ – Chris Wondolowski 2 (penalty kick) 41
CHV – Justin Braun 1 (Mariano Trujillo 1, Jonathan Bornstein 1) 54
CHV – Chukwudi Chijindu 1 (Michael Lahoud 1) 87
SJ – Steven Beitashour 1 (unassisted) 93+
Chijindu 71)

Statistical Summary:
Chivas USA // San Jose Earthquakes
total shots: 11 (Sacha Kljestan 3, Jesús Padilla 3) 12 (Chris Wondolowski 3)
shots on goal: 5 (Justin Braun 2) /// 6 (Chris Wondolowski 2)
fouls: 10 (Darío Delgado 2) // 9 (Ryan Johnson 3)
offsides: 4 (Jesús Padilla 2) // 4 (Chris Wondolowski 2)
corner kicks: 3 (Jesús Padilla 2)// 4 (Bobby Convey 3)
saves: 4 (Zach Thornton 4) // 2 (Joe Cannon 2)

Misconduct Summary:
CHV – Mariano Trujillo (caution; Reckless Foul) 35
SJ – Omar Jasseh (caution; simulation) 66
SJ – Chris Wondolowski (caution; verbal distraction) 73
CHV – Carlos Borja (caution; reckless foul) 82

Referee: Edvin Jurisevic
Referee’s Assistants: Chris Strickland, Jeff Hosking
4th official: Baldomero Toledo
time of game: 1:50
attendance: 14,389
weather: Clear, 60 degrees

Jazic left the Saturday’s match in the 39th minute after spraining the medial collateral ligament (MCL) in his right knee. The injury will not require surgery, and the Canadian international looks to miss roughly 4-6 weeks. Galindo, who entered the match in the 58th minute, only lasting 19 minutes, sprained his left ankle and could miss up to two weeks with the injury.
The Red-and-White will then return home to face the San Jose Earthquakes on Salvadoran Night at The Home Depot Center on Saturday, April 24.

Chivas USA’s head coach, Martin Vasquez, got his first MLS win as the Red and Whites beat the New York Red Bulls, 2-0 on an own goal by goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul, and a late strike from Jesus Padilla.

Vasquez, in an attempt to jumpstart the Goats fielded five changes from the previous two matches. Costa Rican National Teamer, Dario Delgado, made his MLS debut slotting into the central defensive role beside fellow Costa Rican, Michael Umana.

Jonathan Bornstein moved to left midfield, Chukwudi Chijindu started up front and Zach Thornton came in to the team for the first time this year. Chijindu played all 90 minutes, as did rookie midfielder Blair Gavin.
Both teams started slow playing not to lose rather than to win. Chivas had the most possession but could not turn it into goals. Both teams combined for one shot on goal in the first half.

There were several chances in the first half mostly from set plays. Bornstein headed a Sacha free kick over the bar and at the other end; Dane Richards had a free header, from a Seth Stammler service, that missed the target.

Vasquez’s halftime talk seemed to do the trick. Two minutes into the second half Padilla shot on goal. His attempt at goal took a massive deflection completely fooling Coundoul, who went the wrong way. The ball hit the inside of the post spinning back towards the net. Coundoul reached back to grab the ball but only helped it in giving the Red and Whites a fortuitous lead.

Padilla continued to be a thorn in the Red Bulls’ side as he cut in from the left and went for goal. In stoppage time, Padilla streaked in behind the New York defense running onto a Thornton goal kick and slotted home the second goal of the night securing all three points for the Goats.

Vasquez talked about what was said at halftime. “We told them we had to increase our speed of play and get to goal. We did not get in behind them in the first half but the second was better in terms of intensity”, said Vasquez. “The most important thing was the win. There [are] a lot of things that we have to fix, and they’re fixable, but I’m very proud of my team and how they responded after those first two games”, added Vasquez.
The Red and Whites will travel to Houston this weekend and face the Dynamo on Saturday, April 17 at 1pm. It will be the team’s first match outside of LA this season.

Player Ratings

On scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest
Thornton- 8. First, start this year, first shutout this year, 71st in career second all time in MLS.
Trujillo- 7. Stayed home and defended well.
Dario Delgado-8. Did well in his debut, especially against Angel and Kandji.
Umana- 8. Also had a solid game not giving the Red Bull forwards anything.
Ante Jazic-7. Nothing spectacular just defended well before going off injured.
Padilla-9. On for Jazic but played on the right wing and was the difference maker.
Kljestan-8. Workman like ran the midfield both physically and vocally.
Saragosa-7. Sat in front of the backline and controlled the midfield.
Gavin-7. Helped Saragosa and Kljestan control the middle of the park.
Bornstein-7 Defended well and put in a good shift attacking as well.
Chijindu-7. Worked tirelessly up front also willing to defend from the front.
Santos-6. Never really, put his mark on the game.
Galindo-6. In for Santos but lasted only 19 minutes. Still not 100 percent fit.
Lahoud-6. Came in for Galindo but did not give the team what it needed.

Match Facts

Chivas USA (1-2-0) 2:0 New York Red Bulls (2-1-0)
April 10, 2010 — The Home Depot Center

Scoring Summary:
CHV – Own goal (Bouna Coundoul) 47
CHV – Jesús Padilla 1 (Zach Thornton) 90+

Lineups:
Chivas USA – Zach Thornton, Mariano Trujillo, Darío Delgado, Michael Umaña, Ante Jazic (Jesús Padilla 39), Sacha Kljestan, Marcelo Saragosa, Blair Gavin, Jonathan Bornstein, Chukwudi Chijindu, Maicon Santos (Maykel Galindo 58 (Michael Lahoud 77))
Substitutes Not Used: Dan Kennedy, Osael Romero, Yamith Cuesta, Justin Braun

New York Red Bulls – Bouna Coundoul, Roy Miller (Conor Chinn 83), Tim Ream, Mike Petke, Jeremy Hall, Sinisa Ubiparipovic (Tony Tchani 77), Joel Lindpere, Seth Stammler (Salou Ibrahim 54), Dane Richards, Macoumba Kandji, Juan Pablo Angel
Substitutes Not Used: Greg Sutton, Andrew Boyens, Danleigh Borman, Carlos Mendes

Statistical Summary:
Chivas USA // New York Red Bulls
total shots: 15 (Jesús Padilla 5) 11 (3 tied with 2)
shots on goal: 4 (Jesús Padilla 2) 1 (Tim Ream 1)
fouls: 11 (Mariano Trujillo 4) 13 (Macoumba Kandji 3)
offsides: 1 (Chukwudi Chijindu 1) 3 (Juan Pablo Angel 3)
corner kicks: 3 (Sacha Kljestan 3) 7 (Joel Lindpere 4)
saves: 1 (Zach Thornton 1) 3 (Bouna Coundoul 3)

Misconduct Summary:
NYRB – Mike Petke (caution; Reckless Foul) 19
CHV – Jesús Padilla (caution; Tactical Foul) 90
referee: Paul Ward
Referee’s Assistants: Joe Fletcher, Philippe Briere
4th official: Ramon Hernandez
time of game: 1:52
attendance: 12,597
weather: Cloudy -and- 65 degrees

“I am pleased to welcome Darío to our club,” said Chivas USA Head Coach Martín Vásquez. “He is a young, talented central defender who gives us both depth and options with our back line. We’ve had our eye on him for a while and we’re glad he is finally here.”

Born on December 14, 1985, Delgado has played his entire professional career for Puntarenas F.C., making 61 appearances and scoring six goals since making his debut with the club in 2007. The defender made his debut with the Costa Rica National Team in a May 13, 2009 friendly draw with Venezuela, and has played five matches with the team, appearing in the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup as well as two matches of World Cup Qualifying.