July 19, 2009 PUNCHLESS Chivas USA falls to Revolution
Bobby Burling’s first start of the season on the Chivas USA backline was not enough to prevent a 2-0 loss to the New England Revolution on Sunday. Linda Cuttone/Sports Vue Images
FOXBOROUGH, Mass.—The last time Chivas USA visited Gillette Stadium, a scoreless first half was followed by a second-half collapse and a 4-0 loss to the New England Revolution. It was déjà vu all over again on Sunday afternoon, as goalkeeper Zach Thornton’s first-half clean sheet went to waste and the Goats walked away on the short end of a 2-0 score against the equally goal-starved Revs.
Both goals developed off defensive errors, starting with Paulo Nagamura’s turnover 25 yards from the goal in the 61st minute. The ball found its way to halftime substitute Shalrie Joseph, who led Kheli Dube with a pass over a pair of defenders, and left the Zimbabwe native with an open shot that he finished with a low ball into the far side of the net. The goal snapped a 303-minute scoreless streak for the injury-depleted Revs.
In the 77th minute, Sasha Victorine whiffed on a clearing attempt at the top of the box, leaving Steve Ralston with only Thornton to beat from 12 yards out and putting Chivas in a two-goal hole.
Chivas USA held their own through the first 45 minutes, as New England’s makeshift lineup had a hard time finding their rhythm. Eduardo Lillingston and Chukwudi Chijinju helped keep the ball in front of the New England goal, and generated a number of early scoring chances, but the finishing left much to be desired. Barely 12 minutes in, Lillingston sprung Victorine with a well-placed ball into the area, but Victorine’s weak shot went straight to netminder Matt Reis. Six minutes later, Chijindu took defender Darrius Barnes out of the play on the right wing before serving the ball into the area, but no teammate was there to receive it.
The first real challenge to the New England defense came in the 26th minute, when Carey Talley got a head on Mariano Trujillo’s outswinging corner kick, sending a wicked ball on goal that beat the lunging Reis, but was cleared off the line by rookie defender Kevin Alston.
New England’s first half chances were few and far between, but the ease with which Dube and Ralston worked their way in front of the Chivas goal gave an early indication of things to come. Dube, whose flashy but ineffective bicycle kick sailed over the bar in the 22nd minute, forced Thornton to make his only save of the half with a hard 17-yard shot in the 37th. Ralston, meanwhile, beat a pair of defenders to a pass from Jeff Larentowicz and was alone in front of the goal in the 31st minute, but Thornton took the ball off his toe.
Joseph’s entry after the intermission provided the spark New England needed to put the game away. He and Dube repeatedly victimized defender Ante Jazic to work the ball into the box, and the more forays New England made into the danger zone, the more Chivas seemed to lose their composure. Lillingston was whistled for two handball violations in less than two minutes early in the half, and Chujindu handled the ball twice more before the final whistle.
Preki brought Sacha Kljestan in for Maykel Galindo in the 65th minute to try and provide some offensive spark, but the tide had already turned. New England played a solid possession game throughout the second half, wearing out the Chivas defense with quick passes to all sides of the field. As the clock wound down, Chivas defender Carey Talley delivered the final blow to his already-beleaguered team, picking up his fifth yellow card of the season for a gratuitous push against New England’s Amaechi Igwe. Talley, along with Nagamura, who was carded in the first half, will be suspended for the Red and White’s next match, August 8 against Colorado.
Chivas remains tied with the LA Galaxy for fourth in the MLS West at 27 points (8-6-3). The Revolution move into a fifth-place tie with Kansas City in the East, at 5-5-5 (20 points).
