November 1, 2009 “A WEIRD GAME” Chivas USA, Galaxy bumble their way to 2-2 draw
By Scott French
Landon Donovan took advantage of a misdirected header from Maicon Santos to give the Galaxy a 2-1 lead against Chivas USA. Linda Cuttone/Sports Vue Images
CARSON, Calif. – It’s supposed to be the most super of all “Super Clasicos,” and, to be sure, Major League Soccer’s most anticipated playoff opener provided its share of entertainment and drama. Or, more accurately, comedy.
Three of the four goals in Sunday’s Chivas USA-Los Angeles Galaxy showdown in front of 25,218 at Home Depot Center were the result of massive mistakes, and if both teams were satisfied with a 2-2 draw in the first leg of the first-round series, neither was particularly pleased with how it came about.
“Definitely a weird game,” Chivas defender Carey Talley said when it was done. “It was a ‘Clasico.’ It was the kind of things that happen whenever these teams meet. Weird things happen, and that’s what happened tonight.”
Chivas, the home team in this battle between cross-stadium rivals, pounced on L.A. at the start, gifted the Galaxy two goals before halftime, then took advantage of an L.A. error at the start of the second half to make things even heading into next Sunday’s second leg at HDC.
“I guess it was a fun game for the spectators. Not so much for the coaches,” Chivas coach Preki said. “We knew the series wasn’t going to be decided tonight. It’s going to be 180 minutes, maybe another 30 minutes after that. Maybe penalty kicks – who knows?”
It was a game of shifting momentums, with the Galaxy assuming command after Chivas’ quick start – in great part after L.A. coach Bruce Arena switched David Beckham and Chris Birchall, moving Beckham to the wing to escape Michael Lahoud’s marking – and the Goats surging again after Maykel Galindo came on to start the second half.
“That’s soccer sometimes,” Beckham said. “There’s certain games where there’s no errors, but today both teams made them. There’s nothing wrong with that because there are mistakes made in games, and it’s about learning from them. And as a team, we will do that.
“It’s entertaining for the public; it’s not so entertaining for the managers and the players when mistakes happen and you don’t play as well as you can. But that’s life.”
Both sides had opportunities to go ahead in the final half-hour or so, but the Galaxy’s chances never matured and Chivas was thwarted by Donovan Ricketts, who dived to his left to turn away a Paulo Nagamura blast in the 57th minute and got enough of Maicon Santos’ shot at the left post three minutes later to keep it out of his net.
Arena called it a fair result, and Chivas’ Sacha Kljestan said he was “glad we didn’t lose that game, because then we’d be pissed.”
Maicon Santos gave Chivas a fourth-minute lead with a fine finish, but the errors that followed were appalling. Cuesta’s gave Magee an open shot from 8 yards to pull the Galaxy even in the 14th minute, and Maicon Santos’ – a highlight-reel mistake if ever there was one – gifted Donovan a tap-in in the 41st for a 2-1 lead, although some of the blame for that belongs to Chivas goalkeeper Zach Thornton.
Franklin was guilty of ball-watching and not knowing what was going on around him, leaving Galindo an open net and Chivas a 2-2 tie five minutes into the second half.
“We came out of the locker room and scored a timely goal, and after that … I don’t know what to tell you,” Preki said. “The ball bounced badly twice for us, and all of a sudden we’re 2-1 down. I think mentally we were in shock until we changed a couple of things in halftime. I think we started the second half pretty good. We got a timely goal and were very, very unlucky not to score one more.
“I just told our guys: When we’re getting chances like that, if we are not scoring the goal, just make sure we don’t get caught on the other side. Because we were a little bit naïve a couple times in the second half, and we open up the space, and that’s what the Galaxy wants. They want the space, and they want to run behind us. We’ve got to be smarter a little bit.”
Chivas’ first goal also followed a mistake, although one not nearly so grave. Magee and Donovan played a give-and-go above Chivas’ box, and Donovan’s short return pass was ill-advised.
Kljestan stepped in, stripped the ball and took off into space toward midfield. His ball to the left wing split what remained of the Galaxy midfield and left Maicon Santos in a duel with Omar Gonzalez. The Brazilian forward took the ball into the box, cut inside and sliced a left-footed shot that beat Ricketts and rolled just inside the far post.
“You have to give Santos some credit there,” Arena said. “It was an excellent finish. Could Omar maybe do a little bit better on the play? Sure. Maybe Donovan as well. But you’ve got to give their striker credit. That was an excellent finish.”
The Galaxy drew level 10 minutes later. Dema Kovalenko sent a ball forward from L.A. territory, and headers by Edson Buddle and Landon Donovan put the ball into Chivas’ box. Cuesta couldn’t deal with it – he chopped it onto Magee’s path – and Magee fired past Thornton.
“If Yamith Cuesta kicks the ball anywhere, even for the corner kick,” Preki moaned. “But he tries to be cute and tries to play the ball sideways. But he’s young, and hopefully he learns.”
“Maybe I was trying to be too cute,” the 20-year-old Colombian admitted. “And I have to accept it was my mistake.”
The second L.A. goal followed a corner kick that Nagamura volleyed out of his box. Maicon Santos, perhaps seven yards from the 18, tried to volley it over his head toward midfield, but the ball instead returned to Chivas’ goalmouth.
It bounced between Donovan and Carey Talley as an indecisive Thornton hesitated to come off his line. As Thornton finally stepped forward, Donovan slipped the ball slowly past him.
Talley asked referee Kevin Stott for a handball call against Donovan – the ball did strike his arm as it bounced up, but the contact was considered incidental.
“Honestly, I don’t know,” Donovan said. “It was so scrappy and pinbally. I actually thought it hit Talley’s hand. But if the ball’s bouncing around like that, you can’t call anything. Nobody can see it anyway. I couldn’t even tell you if it hit my hand or his hand.”
Galindo’s entrance at halftime was a game-changer. He quickly put the Galaxy backline on its heels and gave Kljestan, who had done a decent job exploiting the spaces between L.A.’s midfield and backline, a reliable partner.
“That’s the real Galindo, that we know from a couple years ago,” Preki said. “We’re encouraging him in training every day. We’re encouraging him to show he still has it. I know he still has it, and now is the time for him to bring it on.”
Galindo produced several chances, but the one that worked came out of nothing.
Gonzalez cut off Maicon Santos on the left flank, putting his body between the Chivas forward and the ball, then rolled the ball into the box, ostensibly for Ricketts. It passed just a few feet from Franklin, who should have realized Galindo was nearby and racing toward he box.
Franklin didn’t, and Galindo picked off the pass, stepped past the onrushing Ricketts and fired into the open net.
“I always thought that (Gonzalez) was going to pass it to Sean Franklin, and Sean Franklin just left it for the goalkeeper,” Galindo said. “As a forward you always have to be alert. You always have to take advantage of those opportunities.”
Donovan and second-half substitute Alan Gordon found space deep in Chivas territory, but most of their excursions petered out as they reached the Goats’ box. On their best chance, in the 76th minute, Gordon put a header just wide of the post.
So they go at it again next weekend, both sides hoping for cleaner performances.
“They won’t make those mistakes in the second game,” Chivas defender Ante Jazic said. “And hopefully, we won’t either.”
