Chivas off the mark in 1-0 loss
The failure to properly mark U.S. national team striker Brian Ching on a crucial free kick spelled defeat Saturday night for Chivas USA at Robertson Stadium in Houston.
The defending Major League Soccer champion Houston Dynamo was played off the field by some slick Chivas passing in the first half, but rebounded in the second half to win, 1-0, on Ching’s 64th-minute header off a free kick by Brad Davis.
“Ching is great in the air, and when you give him a free header from six or seven yards out, most times he’s going to bury it,” said Chivas goalkeeper Brad Guzan, who had little chance of foiling the game-deciding play.
The free kick was awarded by referee Kevin Stott after Chivas USA defender and captain Claudio Suarez fouled Houston’s Paul Dalglish. Davis sent the ball into the penalty area and Ching beat Suarez in the air and powered it into the net.
“On set pieces against Houston, you’ve got to be ready to do battle,” Guzan said. “You’ve got to be mentally focused. If you let one set piece get away from you, they’re going to punish you.
“Brad Davis whipped in a great ball. I got caught off-foot and wasn’t able to help my team in that aspect, and as a result we didn’t get the result we wanted.”
The loss, which leveled Chivas USA’s record at 1-1, was hardly Guzan’s fault. The blame, if there was any, came in the team’s inability to finish its scoring chances. With better precision or better luck, Chivas could have had three goals.
Some lively play and exceptional passing by the Chivas midfielders and forwards, especially Francisco “Panchito” Mendoza, had the defending league champions on their heels in the first half, during which Chivas outshot Houston, 7-2, including 4-0 in shots on target.
But time and again excellent build-up play was negated by the failure to put the ball in the net. Some of the credit went to Dynamo goalkeeper Pat Onstad, who has started the season with consecutive shutouts, having blanked the Galaxy in the season opener. Houston is 1-0-1.
Onstad saved a shot by Ante Razov in the opening minute and later thwarted Cuban striker Maykel Galindo with a foot save and dived low to his left to snare a shot by Jonathan Bornstein.
“We played well,” Guzan said. “We were able to knock the ball around, get forward and create chances. It was just the final third wasn’t there tonight. Against a team like Houston, you’ve got to finish your chances.”
Jones reported from Los Angeles.
