Final Result: Tauro FC at Chivas USA
The end of Chivas USA's participation in the inaugural CONCACAF Champions League effectively came in the 62nd minute when Luis Moreno equalized to tie this game 1-1.
But that put the score 3-1 on aggregate, meaning Chivas USA needed not two goals (because away goals count double in the event of a tie), but three more goals within a half hour to move on.
And they would have had to do it with 10 men because Jonathan Bornstein foolishly got himself a second yellow card in the 52nd minute for unnecessarily holding an opponent in the middle of the field when the Chivas USA goal was under no danger.
Preki perhaps was suggesting there was plenty of stupidity on display this evening by subbing penalty misser Sacha Kljestan after 65 minutes.
Moreno's goal was excellent, BTW, with the defender beating several Chivas USA defenders (including Jim Curtin twice), before seeing his shot hit the inside of the near post and just bounce across the goal line.
It could have been more - Jim Curtin saved the ball from going over the goal line after an 83rd minute shot beat goalkeeper Dan Kennedy.
Just to rub things in, Panchito Mendoza missed with the goalkeeper down and the net yawning in the 85th minute, his shot just hitting a defender's legs to go wide.
In the end, Chivas USA only had themselves to blame for the early cup exit, despite a Tauro FC goalkeeper who seemed incapable of holding onto the ball, especially in the first half.
Back with the excuses later.
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About 100 Percent Soccer
Sportswriter Nick Green has written the 100 Percent Soccer column since 2005 for the Daily News, Daily Breeze and other Los Angeles area newspapers. The blog of the same name began in 2007. 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 and is married to a long-suffering soccer widow. Join Nick on FaceBook and follow him on Twitter.
This result was entirely predictable, so I'm not surprised that nobody really cared.
It's not like the organization was taking the competition seriously because it detracted from domestic efforts, but that is a big mistake as the wider exposure would have provided a boost for the longer term fortunes of the club - that is unless they calculated early humiliation is better than multiple extended humiliations!
U.S. and CONCACAF soccer needs teams to take competition seriously for self-validation and validation of the game in wider public perception - there is still a long way to go (and the MLS honchos can show a lead by aligning the calendar and breaking up their restrictive trade practices sooner rather than later).