Half Time: Houston Dynamo at Chivas USA; Real Salt Lake is Chivas USA's Playoff Opponent
This result just in: Pasadena City College product Yura Movsisyan equalized for Real Salt Lake in the 90th minute against Colorado to put the Utah team through and dumping the Rapids from the playoffs.
RSL needed only a draw to clinch a playoff spot. Conor Casey scored the Rapids' goal in the 11th minute, aptly enough his 11th of the now-ended campaign.
Chivas USA will travel to Rio Tinto Stadium for the opening game set for 3 p.m. Nov. 1 live on Fox Soccer Channel; the return leg is 7:30 p.m. Nov. 8 in Carson.
As for the game at Home Depot Center, perhaps predictably, with nothing at stake there's nothing on the scoreboard either.
But Chivas USA have goalkeeper Dan Kennedy, quickly becoming a cult figure to the lively crowd, to thank for the 0-0 scoreline.
With Brian Ching running in alone on the goal four minutes before half time, Kennedy came out to the penalty spot to narrow the angle and saved Ching's shot from 18 yards with his right foot, to the delight of the crowd.
A minute later he made a reaction save to deny Ricardo Clark a headed goal from a corner kick.
While there weren't many scoring chances, this is an attractive fast-paced game with lots of short passes between two teams unwilling to back down given that they could face each other in the Western Conference championship.
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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.
Nick, do you think Chivas will appeal the red card to Kennedy to the MLS Disciplinary commission? If Chivas does appeal, what do you think our chances are of getting the red card overturned or even brought down to a yellow card?
Nick replies: Preki said after the game the club will appeal the red card, but he wasn't optimistic. Appeals don't work, he observed.
I'll have more in a post-game post in an hour or so.