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.Final Result: Chivas USA-FC Dallas
Dallas assumed sole possession of the Western Conference lead after scoring the game's second goal 10 minutes from time on a breakaway from Abe Thompson who outran two defenders to put this one of the reach of Chivas USA, which fell to 1-2-1.
Dallas kept Chivas USA in check pretty much the entire game, controlling without dominating the flow and tempo of the game and performing well enough to deserve the win.
Chivas USA attempted to rustle up the firepower to break down the Dallas defense, sending on strikers Ante Razov and Atiba Harris around the hour mark, but it wasn't enough.
In a move that summed up the evening for Chivas USA, Razov almost collected a consolation goal in the 90th minute, connecting with a zipping little left-footed half volley from just seven yards out, but the shot rattled off the post.
There were 10,237 on hand to watch this one, incidentally. The two teams' reserve units play at 10 a.m. Monday at the Home Depot Center's Track & Field Stadium. Admission is free.
I'll be back with more from the respective locker rooms.