Chivas USA finally got their first home goal of the season on Friday night but unfortunately it came in a 2-1 defeat to the Chicago Fire. Taking on the Eastern Conference side in their fifth home game of the season The Goats were hoping to notch not only their first goal at the Home Depot Center this year but their first points as well. However, a stoppage time goal from Marco Pappa condemned them to their fifth home loss in a match that was almost a step in the right direction.
After losing their precious road record in Colorado last weekend Robin Fraser made some changes to his side in the hope their home form could finally be corrected. A refreshing change to the formation signaled that Fraser wanted his side to take the game to Chicago and show the fans his side was capable of scoring goals at home. Reverting back to the more traditional 4-4-2 formation, he also gave season debuts to Colombian John Alexander Valencia and Jorge Villafaña. These were only two of four debuts in the game as Michael Lahoud returned from injury and Jose Correa made his first appearance since arriving from Colombia. Despite not being able to hold on for a tie, the changes in personnel and formation were a refreshing change and Chivas USA were closest to their first point at home than they have been all season. Ultimately, though, they didn’t do enough and could only earn their first home goal through a Juan Pablo Angel spot kick.
In what is becoming a familiar characteristic of a Chivas USA first half, the game started slowly and was fairly uneventful. Both Chivas and Chicago struggled to find their rhythm and the game played out with no real chances for either side. The first real talking point was actually the yellow card picked up by Oswaldo Minda in the 16th minute. Arguably Chivas USA’s best outfield player this season, Minda has now collected enough bookings to earn himself a suspension for the San Jose earthquakes game. With his aggression and work rate in midfield being pivotal in the majority of games this season he will be sorely missed by Chivas against their Western Conference rivals.
With exactly zero goals at home this season, no matter what the result, The Goats were under increased pressure to end their scoring drought. In what will be a major relief to the coach and players, despite the defeat, they eventually did this in the 23rd minute. It only took them over 380 minutes of soccer to achieve this feat but they did so when they were awarded their first penalty in almost two years. Chicago’s Austin Berry brought down Moreno in the box and Juan Pablo Angel wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to finally give the home fans the chance to celebrate a goal at the HDC. The celebrations didn’t last long though, as Berry was out for redemption and stunned the home fans when he scored from close-range just two minutes later.
With their first goal and lead at home only lasting 120 seconds, Chivas USA were unaware that further punishment was in store for them. The first half ended at 1-1 and there was a feeling of optimism around the HDC that has been missing this year. The first goal had been scored and although it was cancelled out by Chicago, Chivas USA still had a real chance of getting something from this game.
Some things are just too good to be true though and Chivas USA were not about to break any other records by grinding this one and securing their first home points. Once again, Chivas USA won in the possession stakes but could not find the answer to their attacking woes. As the half wore on they pushed forward in search of a winner and Miller Bolanos did well to force the Fire keeper into a fingertip save. As a sign of how poor the Chivas USA are going forward, that is the most notable chance of the 2nd half. Their inability to create any genuine chances in the final third is why a victory in this match was out of the question. However, they did deserve a tie and Dan Kennedy’s performance alone certainly warranted at least a point. Big save, after big save, the ‘keeper kept The Goats in the game and prevented Chicago from securing the three points earlier than they did. But ‘heartbreak’ was in store.
In the 2nd minute of stoppage time, Marco Pappa unleashed a shot from outside the box that was just too good for Kennedy. The Home Depot Center was duly silenced in disbelief as the ball hit the back of the net. The Goats had come so close to a point but really should have held on and not committed so much going forward. This left them open at the back and, in a similar fashion to the Philadelphia game, they were punished for doing so.
“It’s heartbreaking. It’s heartbreaking. I guess maybe we were pushing a little too much for a goal…and maybe we should have just sat our numbers and make sure we got the draw. But we want to win at home.”
Dan Kennedy was quite rightly still in shock after the game and was visibly ‘heartbroken’. This was just as hard to take for the fans as it was the players. Despite not playing well and failing to score from open play a 1-1 tie would have still been a step in the right direction for the team. The Chicago Fire were definitely the better side and earned their victory, but Chivas USA are guilty again of losing soft goals through a lack of concentration.
“Bitterly, bitterly disappointing to give up a goal in the dying seconds, to lose at home. It’s a bitter pill to swallow for sure.”
Robin Fraser’s press conference could have finally been one that had more of a positive vibe to it. It took a stoppage time goal though to prevent things from being more upbeat and questions were again raised over another unsuccessful performance and what was needed to remedy the situation. Perseverance was the response from the head coach and he admitted he would have to look at perhaps making more changes to find the winning formula. Whatever the answer is, a result against Western Conference leaders San Jose Earthquakes on Sunday would go a long way to restoring some confidence to the ‘heartbroken’ fans.
(image courtesy of Getty Images)
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