Columnist Nick Green has written 100 Percent Soccer
since 2005. A
native of England, he began writing about soccer in
the mid-1980s and in 2000 permanently exchanged a seat
in the stands for one in
the press box. He lives six miles from Carson's Home
Depot Center, home of the Los Angeles Galaxy, Chivas
USA and the training headquarters for U.S. Soccer.
Married to a long-suffering soccer widow, he has a cat
named Pele.Sunday Soccer
The U.S. has already qualified for the Olympics, but plays at 2 p.m. live on Fox Soccer Channel against Honduras in Nashville for the Under-23 CONCACAF championship.
Not that there's a great deal of cachet in that: Freddy Adu, Charlie Davies, Jonathan Spector and Sal Zizzo flew out Friday to return to their European teams.
Both teams have only conceded one goal in four qualifying games so far and you've got to wonder how interested either will be in breaking an honorable draw.
Chivas USA beat Honduras' Real Espana 4-1 Saturday in Fullerton. And no, ex-Galaxy striker Carlos Pavon did not score for Real Espana.
Details from the Chivas USA press release:
In a match played in Titan Stadium on the campus of Cal State Fullerton, Francisco Mendoza and Alecko Eskandarian both marked returns to the Chivas USA lineup after injuries by scoring in the win.Atiba Harris gave the Red-and-White the 1-0 lead in the 32nd minute when he headed in a perfectly placed Ante Razov cross, sent from almost 40 yards. The goal was the only tally in the first half, and Chivas USA could not break through the Real España defense again until the 68th minute. It was then that Chivas USA’s only selection in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft, Keith Savage, dribbled through the defense before hammering home a shot to the near post to give the Red-and-White a 2-0 lead.
Francisco Mendoza, in his first action in a preseason match for Chivas USA in 2008, finished a short pass from Harris in the 72nd minute to add to the lead before Alecko Eskandarian, also recently returning from injury, closed the scoring for the Red-and-White in minute 78. Real España striker Douglas Caetano knocked home a penalty in the 89th minute for a consolation goal.
Chivas USA lineup: (4-4-2): Brad Guzan; Lawson Vaughn, Shavar Thomas, Claudio Suárez, Jonathan Bornstein (Eric Ebert 57); Keith Savage, Jesse Marsch, Paulo Nagamura, Francisco Mendoza; Atiba Harris (Justin Braun 73), Ante Razov (Alecko Eskandarian 59)