Chivas Can’t Catch a Break
Jamie Moreno scored twice to help D.C. United defeat Chivas USA, 2-0, on Saturday at Washington for its first victory of the season.
Moreno deflected Chivas goalkeeper Brad Guzan’s sliding clearance into an empty net in the 59th minute, and added a goal in injury time, striking Jamil Walker’s curling cross off Guzan’s palm and into the top left corner.
Before Moreno’s second goal, Juan Pablo Garcia appeared to have tied the score for Chivas in the 84th minute when his blistering free kick struck the crossbar. Replays appeared to show that the ball deflected behind the goal line, but referee Marcel Yonan allowed play to continue despite protests from Chivas players and coaches.
“You know you have to respect the [referee’s] decision,” United defender Bobby Boswell said. “You know we didn’t agree that it was a free kick, just like they didn’t agree that it didn’t go in. I didn’t see it though.”
Earlier in the second half, Chivas also thought it had scored when Garcia followed up a shot by Juan Francisco Palencia that had hit the crossbar and bounced to Garcia. But the goal was nullified when the linesman ruled that forward Ante Razov was offside moments before Palencia’s initial shot.
“Games in D.C., it’s very hard given the baseball lines to even see an offside line, so I can’t tell you for sure on the first play when the ball got played to Razov,” Chivas Coach Bob Bradley said. “It was very close, the play continued and the linesman kept his flag up.”
Bradley did seem to think that the other near-miss was a goal.
“Replays of the free kick seemed to indicate that the ball was over the line,” he said.
Chivas midfielder John O’Brien, who signed with the team last Tuesday, did not make his debut because Bradley said the wet playing conditions didn’t seem to support such a decision.
“He’s still working his way back to full fitness,” Bradley said. “
Kansas City 2, Houston 1 -- Jose Burciaga Jr. scored in the 90th minute to give the Wizards (2-0) a victory over the Dynamo (1-1) at Houston.
Brian Ching scored his fifth goal in two games for Houston, heading in a pass from Kevin Goldthwaite in the 64th minute.
FC Dallas 2, Real Salt Lake 1 -- Mark Wilson scored his first career MLS goal in the 57th minute to help Dallas (2-0) defeat Salt Lake (0-2) at Frisco, Texas.
Real Salt Lake saw its winless streak reach 14 games, dating to last season.
Colorado 3, Columbus 1 -- Terry Cooke assisted on all three goals for the Rapids (1-1) in a win over the Crew (0-2) at Denver.
Jovan Kirovski, Kyle Beckerman and Fabrice Noel scored for Colorado.
New York 0, New England 0 -- Goalkeeper Matt Reis made a diving save on Amado Guevara’s shot in the final minute as the visiting Revolution (1-0-1) tied the Red Bulls (0-0-2) at East Rutherford, N.J.
