Justin Braun scored his second hat trick of the season on Saturday, this time against the Houston Dynamo, in a dominant 3-0 victory for Chivas USA. The Goats are now on a five game unbeaten streak, and in addition to Braun’s performance have allowed only two goals in that five game span. This match is a huge three points in their quest for a playoff spot, and will put them in a better position compared to teams like Houston, San Jose, DC United, and Portland in the playoff chase.
Chivas started the match with a tactical switch. Instead of the standard 4-4-2 formation, Robin Fraser opted instead for a 4-1-4-1, with Braun up top alone, and Michael Lahoud sitting just above the backline to help provide defensive cover. His speed and defensive skills were still on display, but more importantly, Ante Jazic returned from a calf injury that has kept him out for several games, and he had quite a shift. In addition to several timely tackles, Jazic split his lip open and got stitches in the first half on the field, and chipped in two assists. I noted in my preview that Chivas needed to focus on their defense in this match and really work to make sure they weren’t burned again against Houston’s set piece ability, and the extra bodies dedicated to defense really worked in this match.
While the play was pretty open and both sides had half chances in the first half hour, Chivas had a lot of energy and were pushing extra players forward when they had possession. In particular, Blair Gavin looks to have settled into game shape following his return from injury and his work in the offensive third really provided a spark for the Goats that will likely go overlooked in the headlines for Braun. But Braun did work hard for his goals and had a great game, make no mistake. His positioning on all three goals was fantastic, as he got on the end of two great crosses from Ante Jazic in the 31st minute and 86th minute and a through ball from Gavin in the 40th minute. Perhaps more impressively, he scored on his first touch for all three goals, so he has the skills to produce much-needed goals for the Goats. The next step will be for him to score on a more consistent basis, as he has seven goals this season, but has only scored in three games. In quotes after the game, Braun said that he has been working on different parts of his game recently, and this week at least, it paid off tremendously. Hopefully this run of form for Braun will continue in Chivas’ upcoming road stretch.
Houston is a pretty inconsistent team, but they will probably be feeling pretty similarly following this loss to Chivas in the last meeting between the clubs. They didn’t play all that well on the night, and in reality these clubs are on pretty similar footing, but a season split is pretty fair for the two teams. To their credit (or perhaps not), the Dynamo played pretty much the same after Je-Vaughn Watson was ejected for his second yellow card in the 70th minute as before. I think for them, it was one of those nights when things didn’t click, and unfortunately for them Chivas woke up from their poor and sleepy performance last week and cruised in this match.
This match will provide a boost for the Goats when they venture on the road for the next five matches, including next weekend against FC Dallas, which will be a big challenge. Chivas are in good position in their quest for the playoffs after this match, and need to maintain the good form they have had recently to ensure they are in at the end of the season.
(image courtesy of Juan Miranda/Chivas USA)
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