Chivas suffers tie to United
If there is one thing that Saturday night’s Major League Soccer game in Carson proved it is that Maykel Galindo’s feet are faster than Emiliano Monje’s eyes.
Galindo is Chivas USA’s Cuban striker, a forward so speedy that if you blink he is past you.
Monje is a referee’s assistant, a linesman who is paid to run the line and use his eyes.
On Saturday night, Monje blinked and Galindo was gone.
Taking a pass from teammate Atiba Harris, Galindo blazed into the D.C. United penalty area, forced goalkeeper Louis Crayton to commit himself, then moved past him and steered the ball into the unguarded net.
It was the opening goal in what turned out to be a controversial and incident-packed 2-2 tie that extended Chivas USA’s unbeaten streak at home to six games and improved its league-best record to 7-1-2.
Trouble was, when Harris made the pass, Galindo was a yard in front of the last defender, Bryan Namoff, and should have been ruled offside. The goal should not have been allowed.
But Monje, who seemingly was out of position and therefore appeared to have a bad angle on the play, did not raise his flag and the goal stood.
It came in the 25th minute and, just before the half ended, forward Eduardo Lillingston doubled Chivas USA’s lead to cap a frantic bit of soccer in the D.C. United penalty area.
First, Galindo sent a hard cross in from the left that Crayton did exceptionally well to deflect away a split-second before Lillingston could get his head on the ball.
When D.C. United still failed to clear its lines, it was Harris’ turn to send a well-weighted cross in from the left and this time Lillingston beat defender Marc Burch to the ball and powered a header into the back of the net for his third goal of the season.
But it was the return of Galindo that had the crowd buzzing.
Making his first start in more than a year after a succession of sports hernia injuries that required three operations, he looked back to his old self, running freely and causing D.C. United’s defense all sorts of problems.
Unfortunately, once Chivas USA Coach Preki took Harris, Galindo and Lillingston off at around the hour mark, his team lost its way.
The visitors cut the Chivas lead to 2-1 in the 77th minute when Brazilian forward Luciano Emilio deflected a shot in off the foot of the left post. The goal ended Chivas USA goalkeeper Zach Thornton’s club-record streak of not being scored on at 401 minutes.
There was worse to follow for Chivas. With less than five minutes left, Santino Quaranta hammered a shot from 30 yards that flew inside the left post and tied the score.
“We managed to give the game away,” said an unhappy Preki.
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