Chivas USA gets it done quickly, beating Pachuca FC, 1-0

Giancarlo Maldonado put Chivas USA on the board early, scoring off a long pass in the seventh minute against Pachuca FC in their SuperLiga match Wednesday night at Home Depot Center.

The quick score in the quick game was all that was needed for Chivas in their 1-0 victory.

Neither team will play beyond Wednesday in SuperLiga, a fact Chivas learned just before facing Pachuca.

“ … It wasn’t enough because of the result earlier,” Chivas Coach Martin Vasquez said, referring to a tie in Houston and loss to Puebla FC. “That’s how we approached the game, knowing we had little chances.”

SuperLiga, which brings together Major League Soccer teams and Mexican First Division clubs, offered a three-game break for Chivas from the MLS. Pachuca won’t begin its season until January.

Regardless of their impending eliminations, each club was aggressive Wednesday.

Chivas took 12 shots and Pachuca 13. While many of Pachuca’s tries were stifled outside the box by physical Chivas players who tallied 18 fouls, Chivas managed to get one-on-one opportunities at Pachuca goalkeeper Rodolfo Cota.

There were miscues and missed opportunities, but it was obvious Chivas had better movement and ball control throughout.

A late-game effort from Pachuca resulted in several close calls. None would stick, though, including the bullet sent across field from midfielder Luis Montes, nor the header try from forward Herculez Gomez.