Chivas USA had a new head coach and a new system last season, but after a slow start the team looked to be set in neutral in the competitive Western Conference.  However, the acquisition of Juan Pablo Angel and a too late run at a playoff spot gave this team a bit of life and fans a reason for optimism.  As the club watched cross-town rivals the Galaxy celebrate with the MLS Cup in their stadium, the future looks mixed for the franchise.

Next up in our 3 Questions series is Chivas USA, a team who has not qualified for the playoffs in two years after a nice run of success to begin the franchise’s history.  Is next year the year when they begin a new streak?

1. Is management committed to this team?

The key to this question is who is making the personnel decisions.  Chivas decided to pass last season on every big name that came through the allocation process.  The speculation was that they were saving their powder for a big signing, and although they took on Juan Pablo Angel from the Galaxy, that big signing never came.  It may come this offseason, but the way the club has gone about building has been confusing.

This offseason so far has not settled those “cheap management” rumors.  Losing Zarek Valentin to Montreal in the expansion draft was very confusing considering that he is a young talent, but as noted here he was coming off his Generation Adidas and the team might have had to take on his entire contract.  If money is the deciding factor on player moves, management has to reconsider the business they are in or begin to realize that good players do cost money.

2. Will “breakouts” Kennedy and Angel carry over into 2012?

To call Juan Pablo Angel a “breakout” is a bit misleading, but Chivas fans haven’t seen that much of a revival since season one of The Walking Dead.  After being ineffective for the Galaxy, LA unloaded him on Chivas to make room for Robbie Keane.  Angel proceeded to score seven goals in nine appearances for the Goats.  Can he do the same in 2012?  First the team has to work out compensation: his New York-signed contract paying him $1 million is way too much, so he and the team have to come to an agreement.  This is even more critical considering Justin Braun was traded to the Impact.

The other shock of 2012 was keeper Dan Kennedy, who quietly put together one of the best seasons in MLS.  I remember seeing him play at DC United this summer and was incredibly impressed with his poise.  He has inked a new contract with the team so he will be set as the unquestioned starter in 2012.  But as a bright spot for the team last season, can he carry over his form in 2012?

3. Are the newcomers the key to success?

Like New England, Chivas has been replacing some of their departed players with MLS veterans.  The club grabbed Arturo Alvarez from RSL in the first stage of the re-entry draft and made trades for midfielder Ryan Smith (Sporting KC) and James Riley (Seattle/Montreal).  As I mentioned previously, it looks like there is help coming from overseas but again that is untested talent in MLS (although definitely it is talent).  You can argue that injuries and inconsistent play really hurt this team’s chances last year, but the acquisitions to this point don’t seem to address these issues.  But like the Revs maybe a few veterans will help with a playoff push.

Fans who saw the scoreline of September 10th’s 3-0 win by DC United over Chivas would assume that DCU would win handily against the Goats at home and, with New York’s loss, would move into the driver’s seat with their playoff push.  But as the excellent fan blog Black and Red United noted, Chivas actually dominated possession in the first game and bombarded DC with 29 crosses.  A couple of early goals turned the tide arguably against the run of play, and DC could cruise to a 3-0 victory.

Last night, the same trend continued but the result was not a DC victory.  Despite DC jumping out to a 2-0 lead early in the second half and looking like the better team, the Goats dominated the midfield and used two Juan Pablo Angel goals to take a much needed road point.  Chivas had an edge in almost every statistical category including possession and shots, but from about the fiftieth minute to the seventieth minute of the game it was all Chivas USA, and that made the difference.

Instead of a tale of two halves, the match was actually a game of three periods.  The first 35 minutes of the game saw both teams aggressively going forward, taking chances and trying to draw first blood.  Chivas had the edge in possession and DC needed Bill Hamid to save a early deflected chance from Marcos Mondaini, but neither team established dominance early on, a bad sign for the home team.

But beginning with Dwayne De Rosario’s goal in the 39th minute, the second period (from roughly the 35th through 50th minutes) saw the Black and Red with control of the match.  In a positive for DC, both goals came off of set pieces.  The first was Andy Najar’s free kick from outside the box which found De Ro’s head and the back of the net.  The goal was DC’s first headed goal of the year incredibly and gave the home side the momentum.  Two minutes into the second half, DCU struck again off a set piece.  This time, Santino Quaranta’s corner was put on goal by De Ro and the save deflected into the net by defender Ethan White for his first MLS goal.

At this point in the match, it looked like DC would cruise to victory just like they had ten days ago.  But some critical mistakes by DC and some smart substitutions by Chivas USA turned the tide of the match.  After the first Chivas goal, Ben Olsen sent on Steven King for Josh Wolff in hopes of grabbing more midfield possession.  Instead, the exact opposite happened.  Chivas subs Justin Braun and Laurent Courtois provided a major boost to the Goats lineup by adding some bite to the attack while the Chivas midfield began to dominate possession.  The visitors from the fiftieth minute on looked like the more dangerous team, with probing runs and smart one-time passes through the DC midfield while all DC could do when they got possession was clear.  In the 57th minute Angel scored his first goal of the night and Chivas kept up the pressure.  His second in the 69th minute was no surprise, as Chivas was dominating the run of play.  For DC, they had trouble mounting a comeback as Olsen’s substitutions had removed Charlie Davies and Wolff from the lineup, leaving just Joseph Ngwenya as the only offensive substitution he could have made.

The controversial moment in the match came in stoppage time, when Angel seemingly pushed De Rosario to the ground in the box.  Replays showed the push was rather weak and the contact was likely not a penalty.  Regardless, referee Chris Penso pointed to the spot, and De Rosario botched the penalty by sending a low shot to the right that was expertly saved by Dan Kennedy, preserving the draw.

The draw basically kept Chivas USA’s playoff hopes on life support, and Robin Fraser’s team had some positives to take from the contest (in addition to the road point).  Juan Pablo Angel continued his good run of form since his “move” from the Galaxy.  Their next two games (Toronto and Philadelphia) are absolute must wins because they close the season against LA and Seattle.

After the game, Ben Olsen went on a rant about the lack of urgency on the team, according to Steven Goff.  ”Up 2-0, now we think the game’s easy. Now we think we don’t have to tackle, we don’t have to win second balls: Let’s just roll the dice and hope we get lucky. It’s absolutely gonna stop — it has to stop or we will not make the playoffs.”  The combination of letting off by DC and poor substitutions by Olsen hurt DC in this game, but regardless this was a must win for DC.  Saturday’s game against Real Salt Lake, who demolished New York, is now another must win for DC to keep up in the playoff race.  Another draw or loss could mean desperation time in the nation’s capital.

The Philadelphia Union had gone nearly a month since their previous victory. The home side overcame a halftime deficit to defeat Chivas USA 3-2.

For the second match in a row, manager Peter Nowak fielded a combination 4-1-4-1/4-1-3-2 shape, with Carlos Ruiz as the lone forward when out of possession. This was the exact lineup fielded by Philadelphia in their scoreless draw with Sporting KC, a match the Union dominated.

Chivas USA came out in a modified 4-4-2 diamond formation, with some similarities to Philadelphia’s formation. Paulo Nagamura returned to his usual defensive midfield position, with Ben Zemanski playing on the right side of the midfield formation. Zarek Valentin started at right back in place of Michael Lahoud.

Starting Formations

Chivas’ main task was dealing with the five advanced players in the Union formation. In that, you had four players who identify more as forwards, with newcomer Veljko Paunovic and Sebastien LeToux in advanced midfield positions. Additionally Justin Mapp is an attack-minded midfield player, so Philadelphia was setup to be aggressive from the opening kick.

The trouble for the Union, in this attack-minded tactic, was that the players were often to quick to jump ahead and into the play, and it caused trouble. After the match, Nowak said, “I think in many situations we tried to push the ball through the defenders too fast. There were always 4-5 guys running, and then the ball was intercepted and (it created) a big hole in the middle.” When the play built successfully into the final third, chances came, such as a through ball from Ruiz to LeToux which was directed away by Dan Kennedy. On the ensuing corner, Paunovic nearly netted his first goal on a header, but Nagamura was guarding the post and cleared the ball off the line.

The danger came from the visitors’ counterattacks, and several opportunities presented themselves, including an early chance by Marcos Mondaini. Faryd Mondragon came out of net, and Mondaini chipped the Colombian keeper, but the ball fluttered away from goal. Another chance was taken by Nick LaBrocca from 22 yards in the 27th minute, and Mondragon had to be alert to stab the ball over the bar.

The opening goal came following the ensuing corner, as a scramble in front of net allowed Zemanski to head the ball across the face of goal to center back Michael Umana. The Costa Rican headed the ball home for the lead.

Nowak made an adjustment at around the 30th minute. The two wing midfielders, LeToux and Mapp, switched sides. This was one of the ways Nowak addressed the issues in the center of the pitch. LeToux explained, “We like to come inside, and not stay too much on the sideline. He’s a lefty and I’m a righty, and we can come inside to our good foot.” The natural inside wing runs helped to keep the team compact, as well as gave Jordan Harvey and Sheanon Williams the opportunity to provide the width in overlap. Even with those adjustments, the match went to the half with Chivas leading 1-0.

The second half saw Nowak make two personnel changes. Danny Mwanga, the team’s rising star forward, replaced Jack McInerney, while left midfielder Keon Daniel replaced Jordan Harvey at left back in an interesting substitution. For Chivas, Andrew Boyens replaced the goal scorer Umana.

Chivas tried to thwart the Union’s forward play by holding a high defensive line. This tactic not only shrank the attacking midfield, forcing strikers deeper in the formation, but also required perfect timing from the main targets. In this case, Carlos Ruiz was that man, and he struggled to contend with the trap. Mapp commented, “They played a high line, and it worked on several occasions being just a step offsides and the ball wasn’t played on time. It was effective sometimes, but in the end, we got our goals.”

And the Union did, striking less than three minutes after the break. Paunovic, in only his third game after returning from a two year retirement, settled Mapp’s cross off his chest near the penalty spot, and volleyed the shot past Kennedy. The Serbian newcomer said, “The coaches, in my week here, have told me to get close to the goal. I did what they asked, and was there when Mapp crossed the ball from the side. I was lucky to have the opportunity to control the ball.”

One of the factors that played into Paunovic’s goal was the leftback Daniel, playing out of position at fullback. He inserted a level of speed and danger to the position. It was Daniel who overlapped with LeToux on the left, which drew Zemanski’s attention enough to allow the Frenchman room to send the diagonal cross to Mapp. Daniel spoke of his versatility, saying, “It’s football, it’s common sense. I’ve played in plenty of places, and I feel I can play anywhere. It was a choice of the coach, and I just did my best.” Daniel’s width and speed nearly netted the Union another tally, in the 68th minute when he got free down the left. He passed through a defender’s legs from the byline, and Ruiz got the ball before it reached Kennedy. He passed to Paunovic whose shot from 7 yards was cleared off the goal line by Boyens. The rebound was then sent over the bar by Mapp.

The high line continued to pester Ruiz and the Union, until a breakthrough in the 69th minute. Ruiz had a head of steam, and this time he was fortunate to have Ante Jazic play him onside. Paunovic launched the ball from the midfield stripe. Ruiz broke onto the ball, staved off Boyens, and shot the ball through Kennedy’s legs for the 2-1 lead.

The Union couldn’t hold off Chivas though, and a giveaway by Brian Carroll allowed Jorge Flores to play Justin Braun into the area. He fought through Danny Califf’s grab, and beat Mondragon in a footrace to the ball. He slid the ball past the keeper to equalize at 2.

Philadelphia did have some heroics left, in the form of Danny Mwanga. The hard-working LeToux gathered the ball on the right side of the field, and he played the ball to Mwanga just outside the area. The 20 year old worked himself into space, turned, and fired a low liner to the left of the keeper to break the deadlock, 3-2. Mwanga said of his recent string of long-range tallies: “Teams are coming here and know how good we are, so they sit back and try to defend. The more they are dropping, that gives us space to take shots. We took many shots last game, and tonight we were lucky to finish our chances.”

The game finished 3-2, but for one player this game was an opportunity to show fans that, at 33 years of age, he still has the ability and desire to play at a high level. The journeyman Serb earned a goal and an assist on this night, and put himself in great scoring positions throughout the match. Paunovic added, “This is what I expect. I hope the people can see now that I can be very valuable for the Union. I’m here to help and enjoy playing soccer.” This is likely what Nowak was thinking when he called on the former Atletico Madrid striker. Paunovic seemed genuinely thrilled to be playing competitive football again, and he appears to have the trust of his manager. For a team that’s struggled for goals this season, the home fans certainly took notice of this productive effort.

Jaime Moreno was not the only big-name retiree this weekend; the Chicago Fire said goodbye to American soccer legend Brian McBride and longtime defender C.J. Brown.  The club’s overall record was disappointing to fans, but by getting ten points in the last six matches the club has some optimism going into the offseason.

Swedish international Freddie Ljungberg was the star of the show, finishing with a goal and an assist.  It was his assist that gained the attention rather than his match-winning goal.  In the fortieth minute he provided a cross in the goal area that for the eightieth time Brian McBride slide into the back of the net, this time with his right foot.   McBride remained on the field long enough to watch Ljungberg slot the game’s second goal inside the right post to take a 2-0 lead, which was expanded to 4 Fire goals later in the match by Carr (67) and Husidic (90+).  Maldonado notched a goal for Chivas, but their season ended as it did so often this season – on the wrong side of the ledger.

McBride, quite possibly the greatest U.S. national player in the past few decades, was substituted off in the 51st minute to applause from the home fans.  Rather than rehash his illustrious career in MLS, the national team, and England, I want to just point out some of the amazing highlights (you can see the summary here).  He was the first player selected in the MLS Inaugural Draft and went on to be named one of the MLS All-Time Best XI.  Since his retirement from international soccer, the US has had problems finding a consistent threat at striker, helping build his international legacy.  He is a legend for his first club the Columbus Crew and his hometown team the Chicago Fire, and MLS will lose another major star next year.

McBride was not the only player playing in his last game, however.  C.J. Brown, one of the “Fire Originals” selected in the 1998 Supplemental Draft, also played his last match.  The defender had a solid international and domestic career, and witnessed all of the Fire’s great moments on the pitch, including one MLS Cup and four U.S. Open Cups.  In a testament to his work in the community, Brown also won three Humanitarian of the Year Awards.

The offseason will be a critical one for both clubs.  Chicago, who is used to contending for the playoffs, could have only one starter back after a number of retirements, contracts expiring, and unprotected players in the expansion draft.  On the other side of the pitch, Chivas fell from four straight playoff appearances to utter miserableness and now face the loss of Jonathan Bornstein to Mexico.

Playoff schedules, analysis, and awards coming later today!  Share your Brian McBride memories below in the comments section.

All you ever wanted was two strong semi-final matches that were going to lead into an interesting and intriguing big championship final that had the pomp and circumstance. Well who would’ve thought that one man would play a role in US Soccer’s version of England’s FA Cup? But here it is folks, Sigi Schmid, who lead the Columbus Crew to the 2008 MLS Cup Championship and won the US Open Cup at our Nation’s Capital last year for the Seattle Sounders, will play each other on Tuesday, October 5th at Qwest Field.

DC United 1:2 Columbus Crew A.E.T.

After the terrible league season that DC United had to endure as well with a mid-season coaching change, the US Open Cup was their last chance to earn a title of any kind. It looked like fate would be on their side in the 13th minute as it looked like Gino Padula took down a DC player and a spot kick was awarded. Pablo Hernandez calmly took the shot and converted for the one goal to nil lead.

Throughout the match DC and the Crew had plenty of chances to score to either get an equalizer or a two goal lead. But in the 59th minute cards were flying out from referee Chris Penso. Danny O’Rourke and Pablo Hernandez had a bit of an argument during a challenge. O’Rourke saw yellow while Hernandez saw red and DC United shockingly were down a man thru the entire match.

As the clock was ticking towards the 90th minute it looked like DC United was on their way to another miracle victory in the US Open Cup and we’re ready for their third consecutive final match, but in the 89th minute Marc Burch tried to stop Andy Iro’s shot. Unfortunately he deflected the ball by accident and into his own net. Heartbreak at RFK as the match was moving on towards Extra Time.

But the Crew would get that game winner from their top play maker Guillermo Barros Schelotto in the 98th minute when Carey Talley fouled a Crew player in the area. Got his booking and Schelotto converts his spot kick for the lead and the victory. This was a very tough defeat for DC United as they had one minute of regulation left and whatever stoppage time was going to be added for the second half to move on into their third final match. But now they will have to sit at home and watch the final.

Seattle Sounders 3:1 CD Chivas-USA

The defending US Open Cup Champions had a tough opponent for themselves as well since Chivas-USA was also having their troubles in the league. A tough season for first year head coach Martin Vazquez saw his side go down a goal early as Steve Zakuani was terrorizing Chivas-USA all match long. He made a solid pass to Nate Jaqua who converted his first of the match in the 10 minute.

But the Sounders sensation that is Fredy Montero once again came up big for a goal in the 58th minute with the help of Zakuani once again as he made a nice cross into the area and a sliding Montero converts past Zach Thornton for the two goals to nil lead. There was a sense of fear from the Sounders supporters when Jesus Padilla pulled on back in the 68th minute.

But Jaqua converted his second goal of the match in the second minute of three in second half stoppage time to seal the victory and hosting the US Open Cup Final at Qwest Field. Not only will the winner advance to the Qualifying round of the 2011-2012 CONCACAF Champions League, but the Sounders will get a shot at becoming the first back to back US Open Cup Champion since the NY-Pancyprian Freedoms of the Cosmopolitan League in 1982 and 1983.

But at the same time this will be the battle between the Master and his pupil, as current Columbus head coach Robert Warzycha was Schmid’s assistant with the Crew from 2006 thru 2008 till he took over the reins last year. This year’s US Open Cup Final will be very exciting to see when Tuesday, October 5th comes. I know that I’m excited for it.

After some heart pounding matches in the Third Round of the US Open Cup we have our elite eight getting ready to duke it out in the Quarterfinal Round. Once again we saw a tough favorite from the lower levels pushing their MLS Opponents into the Round of Penalties and somehow stopping all three of them to advance.

It had to take a hundred and seventeen minutes for an upset to happen and then hold on till the end to advance. Several times it would take only a goal to win, or the end of story for a troubled side to make their magical run end.

CHICAGO FIRE 0(0): 0(3) CHARLESTON BATTERY

All throughout the match whatever chances both sides had the keepers came up big or shots were missed from Regulation and into extra time. But once the round of penalties came around something strange happened for Chicago, none of them went in.

Brian McBride’s penalty sails high over the crossbar, while Lamar Neagle converted. Second attempt for the Fire was by Krzysztof Krol and he was stopped, Mike Zaher for Charleston scored. But once Wilman Conde nailed the crossbar, all Ian Fuller did calmly and coolly convert his chance and the Battery advanced.

COLUMBUS CREW 2:1 ROCHESTER RHINOS

The Rhinos would make a return to the stadium that they won their only US Open Cup title back in 1999. Andy Iro got the Crew on the board in the thirtieth minute, but Darren Spicer got his equalizer in the sixty-ninth. But for Alfonso Motagalvan a hard and reckless challenge was shown a straight red in the eighty-fifth.

With the Crew up a man and four minutes of second half stoppage time being added there were already thoughts of extra time looming, but once again Steven Lenhart comes up clutch late in matches and he scored inside the final minute of four in stoppage time and the Crew advances.

PORTLAND TIMBERS 1(3):1(4) SEATTLE SOUNDERS

The Northwest derby returns again inside the US Open Cup when these two bitter rivals meet. An early goal by Nate Jaqua in the thirteenth put the Sounders ahead, but Bright Dike (DEE-KAY) scored his fourth of the tournament to equalize the match in the thirty-eighth minute. Taylor Graham would get booked in the forty-third and when they got into extra time, the Sounders were down to ten men as Graham got a second yellow and automatic red in the one hundred minute.

No other goals going in it would be the round of penalties. First round had Portland going first and Ryan Pore was saved by Kasey Keller, while Nathan Sturgis converts. Second Round Doug Martin converts while Steve Zakuani did the same.  Third Round Mamadou Danso ties it, but Fredy Montero gave Seattle the lead again.

But in the fourth round both sides would miss as Ross Smith was stopped by Keller while Patrick Ianni hit the crossbar. Then Rodrigo Lopez converts his chance to make it level again, but the hopes for Zach Scott to miss were dashed as he got the winning penalty to help the Sounders advance.

Other Round 3 Matches
Harrisburg City Islanders 1:0 New York Red Bulls (A.E.T.)
DC United 2:0 Richmond Kickers
Los Angeles Galaxy 2:0 AC St. Louis
Houston Dynamo 1:0 Miami FC
Chivas-USA 1:0 Austin

2010 US Open Cup Quarterfinals

July 6th: Columbus Crew Vs Charleston Battery 7:30PM EDT
At Columbus Crew Stadium, Columbus, Ohio

July 6th:  Houston Dynamo Vs CD Chivas-USA 7:30PM CDT
At Robertson Stadium, Houston, Texas

July 7th: Seattle Sounders FC Vs Los Angeles Galaxy 7:30PM PDT
At Starfire Sports Complex, Tukwila, Washington

July 21st: DC United Vs Harrisburg City Islanders 7:30PM
At Maryland SoccerPlex, Boyds, Maryland

For the New York Red Bulls, this match is the last before the World Cup break came and after a fantastic finish against the Houston Dynamo on Wednesday night, the club was looking to put in a good performance and earn another three points.

The only goal of the evening came in the 27th minute as Seth Stammler made his tally count. The Red Bulls with a corner at the near side, Joel Lindpere sent it into the area. Headed away by the defender and Stammler got the ball. He settled it and ripped a low laser that smashed the inside of the near post for his second of the season.

There really wasn’t much for Bouna Coundoul to be tested on as the backline came up big every single time Chivas-USA would put an attacking run together. No matter who slipped or lost their man, backup was there for the defense. Once again rookie centerback sensation Tim Ream was up to the task and made sure super striker Maykel Galindo would never get a solid chance to convert.

There was a solid play in the 49th minute as Galindo attacked down the near side and avoided two defenders, he was able to get Bouna Coundoul off his line as he approached the end line and then avoided all three. He took a shot at the open net, but it was Ream to the rescue as he cleared the chance.

Chivas-USA’s defending was pretty good as well on Juan Pablo Angel. They limited him to at least two or three solid chances, but when they blocked the lanes they forced Angel to become a passer than his usual title as a scorer. Once again though injuries would hit the Red Bulls again as Sinisa Ubiparipovic was making a run in the 10th minute as his left hamstring tightened up on him and he went down in a heap.

Chivas-USA would get a great chance on goal in the 13th minute by Steve Zemanski. After the corner was cleared Zemanski would take a solid rip and the ball looked like it was going in, nails the crossbar and later it went over the end line for a goal kick. After the match Red Bulls head coach Hans Backe admitted that it was a sloppy performance from the players today, but the dedication was there to get the three points.

After a grand total of twelve league matches, three US Open Cup qualifiers & two friendly matches against Santos FC & Juventus the club was deserving of a break and they will get a good eight to ten days off before their next friendly match on Friday, June 18th against Brazilian side Cruzerio and then they continue league action away at the Kansas City Wizards on Saturday, June 26th & waiting for their Round three opponent on Tuesday, June 29th of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

Right now they have more wins and the same amount of points this season, unlike the record they had ending last year. There is marked improvement from this season, the hell they got themselves into last year. But once again, there are still some holes to fill on this club and that will happen once the MLS summer transfer window opens on July 15th.

Have a good two week break Major League Soccer and to everyone else, let’s have a great World Cup.

The Western Conference Finals was a long, hard slog between the Los Angeles Galaxy and the Houston Dynamo.  With an 8:30 starting time to accommodate ESPN2’s college football schedule, two blackouts that interrupted play in each half, and a half hour of overtime, the Galaxy did not trudge off the pitch with their Western Conference trophy until almost midnight.  Some thoughts from the Home Depot Center:

Houston did everything they wanted to do, except score.  The Dynamo came in with a plan – don’t give David Beckham or Landon Donovan any room to maneuver, and use speed create opportunities to score.  They executed their plan well, especially in the defensive half.  Beckham struggled to find time on the ball all evening, and that cutting pass that has been so effective lately was just not there.  Donovan was invisible for large parts of the game, and when he had the ball at his feet, it was never near goal and all his passing lanes were cut off.  Ricardo Clarke was up for the game, and was full of hustle and challenge all night.  It all worked well.

But Berhalter, Gonzalez, and the crossbar kept Houston out.  Greg Berhalter and Omar Gonzalez were just terrific anchoring the Galaxy back line.  Between them, they rarely put a foot wrong, and Houston’s Brian Ching and Dominic Oduro were denied service for large stretches of the game.  Oduro, who has been NASA hot the past month, was a non-entity and subbed out in the 72nd minute.  Ching’s one decent chance came shortly after that when his header from a Brian Mullan cross was pawed by Donovan Ricketts onto the cross bar and out.  Gonzalez in particular was outstanding.  After recovering from his nightmare playoff debut against Chivas USA two weeks ago, he has come out focused and confident, and the Galaxy have now gone 250 playoff minutes without conceding a goal.  Other than the 20 minute flurry of possession that the Dynamo enjoyed in the second half, chances were at a premium for Houston.

Fleet of foot Alan Gordon created the Galaxy chances.  Most of the time, watching Alan Gordon dribble the ball is like watching Andre the Giant do the Charleston.  It ain’t pretty.  But when Alan Gordon came in six minutes into the first overtime, his fresh legs looked like Maradona’s compared to a clearly gassed Rico Clark.  A few minutes after coming on, Gordon received the ball 20 yards from the box and turned on Clark who could only grab Gordon and take him down.  The subsequent Beckham free kick was headed by Gonzalez into the mix and found its way to Berhalter who stabbed it into the net for the critical first goal.  Ten minutes later, Gordon took a breakaway ball into the box and again jigged past Clark who could only muster enough energy to stab out a hopeful leg that sent Gordon straight into the turf.  The stone-cold penalty was converted by Donovan, and that ended the match as a competitive encounter. 

Was that the real MLS Cup game?  Many observers would say that Houston and Los Angeles were the two best teams left in the playoffs.  Combined, they have four wins, three draws and a loss against Real Salt Lake and Chicago this season.  Both western teams have that critical combination of experienced veterans and rising stars, and the both build their attacks from the back with a solid defense distributing the ball forward.  Both teams have successful coaches who know how to prepare teams for big games.  With LA booking its flight to Seattle for the MLS Cup, they are going to give either Real Salt Lake or Chicago nothing but problems to plan around, and will feel that anything less than a victory will be a failure. 

Final open quiz question – If the Galaxy win the MLS Cup, will Beckham have become the most successful club player in history?  He will have won top honors in this third different league (EPL with Manchester United, La Liga with Real Madrid and MLS with the Galaxy)and will also have won the Champions league (with Manchester United).   Has any other player ever done that?  None springs to my mind.  Maradona won two leagues (with Boca Juniors and Napoli) and Zidane won two leagues and the Champions League (with Juve and Real Madrid).  I can think of a few other Zelig-like players like Geo Van Bronckhorst who won in three leagues (with Rangers, Arsenal and Barca) but I can’t think of anyone who has won in three leagues and the Champions league over their career.

Soccer is a cruel game, and Chivas USA felt that cruelty tonight.  While the Galaxy may have done enough to win the game, Chivas did not deserve to lose it.  On the pitch, the differences between Chivas and the Galaxy were small and on the margins.  Off the pitch, the difference in huge – the Galaxy will spend their week preparing to face Houston on Friday and Chivas will not.  Some thoughts from Section 232:

Landon Donovan was a leader of men.  Throughout his career, Donovan has been a bit of an enigma to many US fans.  While few could ever doubt his skills as a player, there was always this nagging sense about him that he was soft.  He was soft because he could not adjust to Germany (twice).  He was soft because, as a member of the San Jose Earthquakes, he was the most talented player, but was always comfortable to let others take the lead.  He was soft because in 2006 he looked ordinary for the US team when it mattered most.  Over the past year, something has changed about Donovan, and it is all for the better.  His effort, his desire to be in the forefront rather than the background, and his commitment to compete and challenge in every game has been extraordinary.  Every player’s skills will desert them in some games, but commitment and effort are always a matter of choice.   Sunday night, like he has all season, Donovan chose to never stop running, to put himself in positions to receive the ball, and to always try to do something useful with it.  He did not always succeed, but his pass to Magee to create the penalty and his strike from the spot were movements from a man who oozes desire, and the rest of the team took his lead.

Chivas played with real fight, sometimes too much.  Chivas badly wanted this game, and their desire was evident for all to see.  Clearly, they walked into the HDC with a “give no quarter” attitude, and played a physical game.  They wanted to make the Galaxy feel pressured at every moment and were not shy about putting a little extra into each tackle.  Occasionally, Chivas were so intent on playing the man that they neglected to play the ball.  I could not find the stat anywhere, but it seemed like the Galaxy had 60% of the possession, made Chivas chase, and eventually wore down a frustrated Chivas who took their anger out against the referee who seemed to call a decent game to me.    For Chivas to get three yellow cards for dissent said far more about Chivas’ frustration than it did about the refereeing.

Both back lines did really well.  Last week, both back lines spent the games figuring out original ways to look foolish.  Tonight, both lines were tough as nails.  While the Galaxy had some better looks at goal, they were all from the top of the box at best.   Chivas’ Yamith Cuesta battled Edson Buddle all night and never gave him one good look at goal.  At the other end, Omar Gonzalez put his nightmare playoff debut behind him and stood tall all night.  On the couple of occasions that Maicon Santos turned Gonzalez, Omar chugged back and disrupted his shot.  In the end, Chivas had only two shots on goal the entire night.  Chivas has a remarkable 10 corner kicks, but the Galaxy marked well and none of the corners ended up causing GK Donovan Rickets a bit of trouble.

Beckham was in the background, until his moment of brilliance. For the most part, Beckham was mediocre.  His passing was a little forced and lacked some sharpness.  He had the best scoring chance of the game with an open shot 12 yards from goal and sent it straight over the bar.  Then, in the 69^th minute, the Galaxy broke, and Beckham released Donovan with a 40 yard cross-field pass that beautifully evaded the defenders and landed at Donovan’s feet so softly that you could hear the crowd suck in its breath at the sight of it.  Donovan then sent in a neat chip to Magee, and rather than kick the ball at Magee’s feet, Cuesta made strong contact with a different ball a little higher up.  Penalty.  Game.   Whatever Beckham’s faults as a member of the Galaxy (and those faults are well categorized by many commentators, including myself) it is hard to imagine any other player in the MLS making that kind of pass.

The Galaxy/Dynamo game on Friday should be a classic.

When Don Garber finally assented to allowing the Chivas USA franchise to call Los Angeles its home in 2004, it was a sacrifice.  The MLS cares about geographic expansion, and was looking to grow into Canada, the Northwest, and back into Florida.  Adding a team into a well-established market, and have that team plant itself at the Home Depot Center was not part of the long-term plan.  However, there was an upside.  By placing the team in LA, and indeed having the team play and practice at same facility as the L.A Galaxy, the MLS could create an instant rivalry.  Every great league has a great derby, and this pre-packaged rivalry seemed ideal.

That benefit will come to full fruition over the next two weekends as the Galaxy and Chivas play a true home-and-home match in the first round of the MLS playoffs.  It should be scintillating stuff.

Is this Chivas’ moment?  Since their inception, Chivas USA has always been second best to the Galaxy, even when they have been the better team.    Chivas gets less press, draws fewer fans and has struggled to carve out an identity.  Even when the Galaxy were terrible in 2007 and 2008 and Chivas were a perennial playoff team, the addition of David Beckham to the Galaxy seemed to suck all the air out of the Chivas balloon.  However, while smaller in number, the Chivas fans are vocal, passionate, and intimidating.  The team, along with their fans, will have a point to prove and an identity to claim against the Galaxy.

Is this Landon Donovan’s moment?  Donovan has always been outstanding against Chivas, and as a revived Galaxy enter the playoffs with Donovan wearing the armband, Donovan will want to make a statement.  The European press will be here to cover Beckham’s first play-off experience since coming to the MLS, and Donovan will want to demonstrate both to the US media and to the foreign audience that he is the best the US has to offer.  It is no secret that during the January transfer window, Donovan may trade in his Galaxy uniform and cleats and take up some European team’s kit and boots.  This play-off run is best Donovan’s chance to impress the over-seas observers.

Is this Sacha Kljestan’s moment?  Kljestan has been a cipher for many US soccer fans.  The 2006 Rookie of the Year has had moments of great promise and stretches were he has seemed to recede into the background.   He had a great Olympics in 2008 but has struggled to assert himself for the US National Team.  His stats have been respectable (five goals and three assists) but he has been ready to take that “next step” as a player for a couple of years and has not.  Kljestan needs a great playoff run to reinstate his place in the US Soccer world.

Expect a defensive battle.  In the three Galaxy/Chivas games this season, only two goals were scored, which is not surprising considering how stingy each of these teams are in the back.  For the Galaxy, although most of the ink has been spilled about what a revelation rookie Omar Gonzalez has been this season, the real stalwart has been veteran left back Todd Dunivant.  Dunivant has not gone forward as much as he has in the past, but he has stayed home and snuffed out just about every threat that has come down his side of the field.  At the other end, Zach Thornton has been a monster in goal all season for Chivas.  A veteran player who may win the GK of the Year award after last winning it in 1998, Thornton has been a wall in front of goal all season.  When Chivas went through a late season swoon this fall, Thornton kept them in games that the rest of the team did not deserve to be in.

Finally, there is Beckham.  Throughout his career, Beckham has been like a diamond.  Without a little bit of pressure, he is just a lump of coal.  For his first two seasons with the Galaxy, he meandered around the field like a man looking for a reason to be there.  When his performance was dissected at the beginning of the season by Grant Wahl, Beckham seemed to lose his bearings completely.  And then, like he has in the past, he picked himself up and has been brilliant the past two months.  He has worked hard on the pitch, integrated himself with his teammates and become the machine in the midfield he was always supposed to be.  Now that the Galaxy are in the playoffs, he has a chance to demonstrate his worth to the entire world and England Coach Fabio Capello, and not necessarily in that order.