It All Falls Into Place for Chivas
Everything that possibly could have gone right for Chivas USA on Saturday night did -- and then some.
The team that was the laughingstock of Major League Soccer a year ago when it won only four of 32 games, defeated the Colorado Rapids, 1-0, at the Home Depot Center.
That was reason enough to celebrate, but there was even better news from elsewhere in the league.
The Galaxy lost at Chicago, Real Salt Lake lost at Dallas and the Houston Dynamo managed only a tie at Columbus. Add it all up and the results vaulted Chivas into second place behind FC Dallas in the Western Conference standings.
The team has not occupied such a lofty spot since the second game of the season in April.
Better still, the win left Coach Bob Bradley’s increasingly confident squad only one victory shy of a playoff place, something that was virtually unthinkable 12 months ago.
“The scoreboard-watching worked out all right today,” Bradley said.
The victory, which improved Chivas’ record to 10-7-12, was clearly a team effort, but two players stood out.
One was midfielder Francisco “Panchito” Mendoza. He is only 5 feet 6 and a mere 135 pounds, but he was the biggest presence on the field, working as hard on defense as on offense. Deservedly, it was Mendoza who scored the decisive goal in the 34th minute.
The other standout was goalkeeper Brad Guzan, who was rock-steady at the back when the Rapids applied almost constant pressure in the second half, seeking the tying goal. In earning the shutout, Guzan improved his shutout streak to 305 minutes, a team record.
Beforehand, knowing that Colorado is defensively sound and difficult to break down, Bradley had preached patience and inventiveness.
The Chivas players listened and controlled the tempo well before creating the goal. The move began when Juan Pablo Garcia fed the ball to Jonny Bornstein, who threaded a perfectly timed pass to Mendoza at the top of the Colorado penalty area.
Mendoza, moving laterally left to right, faked two defenders before slipping his shot into the lower right corner of the net.
“The game played out a lot like the way we expected,” Bradley said. “We were fortunate to put a real good play together. Panchito, I think of late, has been in really good form. He’s been very active on the field.”
Guzan, meanwhile, made several key saves in the second half, none more vital than the foot-save he made on Colorado’s Nico Hernandez when a misplay by Chivas USA defender Claudio Suarez had allowed the Rapids winger in alone with only Guzan to beat.
“I think he’s very confident,” Bradley said. “You can see he’s very sure of himself. That’s what we want to see from a goalkeeper.”
Strangely, Guzan and the rest of the Chivas players were not celebrating in the locker room afterward. It was almost quiet.
“We have our eye on the prize right now,” Guzan explained. “We know it’s a ways away, there still are a few more games. They’re going to be tough games. Once you get in the playoffs, then anything can happen.”
Chivas USA in the playoffs. No one is laughing now.
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