Chivas USA Still Half Bad
Chivas USA entered the midpoint of its inaugural season much the same as it began -- with a lackluster loss.
Kansas City pounded Chivas Saturday night, getting three second-half goals on the way to a 3-0 victory in front of an announced 13,458 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.
Chivas, which dropped its opener to D.C. United, 2-0, and has not won since getting its lone victory on May 7 against expansion brethren Real Salt Lake, has given up at least three goals in seven games and fell to a Major League Soccer-worst 1-12-3.
Sixteen games into a 32-game season, Chivas has been outscored, 38-15. The Colorado Rapids gave up a single-season record-high 69 goals in a 32-game season in 1998.
The Wizards, who ended a four-match winless streak and are playing their first season in the Eastern Conference after realignment, improved to 5-3-6 and were led by goals from defender Jimmy Conrad, and midfielders Davy Arnaud and Sasha Victorine, who also had an assist.
Kansas City outshot Chivas, 15-10, with Chivas getting only two shots on goal.
Conrad got the Wizards going in the first minute of the second half after Victorine sent a ball into the penalty area from the left side. When midfielder Kerry Zavagnin sent a header to the left, Conrad chested the ball before blasting a left-footed shot past Chivas goalkeeper Brad Guzan from about 15 yards out.
Arnaud came off the bench in the 69th minute, replacing Josh Wolff, and scored his third goal of the season one minute later.
Taking a ball in the right corner of the box, Arnaud faked out Chivas defender Armando Begines and his left-footed shot easily beat Guzan.
Victorine, a former Galaxy player who joined Kansas City in an off-season trade, finished off Chivas in the 85th minute.
With Chivas defenders Ezra Hendrickson and Douglas Sequeira standing idly by in the box, Victorine went up unchallenged for a header off a cross from Kansas City midfielder Chris Klein and sent the ball into the lower left corner of the net.
Gutierrez reported from Los Angeles
