Chivas USA: August 2008 Archives

Game story.

Notable:
*Chivas USA was without seven players due to injury and suspension: Maykel Galindo (sports hernia surgery), Jesse Marsch (fractured jaw), Claudio Suárez (R hip strain), Carey Talley (L thigh strain), Raphaël Wicky (R ankle surgery), Alex Zotinca (R knee surgery) and defender Shavar Thomas (yellow card accumulation).
*Thomas has been called into the Jamaican National Team for its World Cup qualifiers against Mexico and Honduras. He will miss Tuesday's game against Tauro F.C. in the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions League Preliminary Round and Chivas USA's game at Toronto Saturday.

Quotable:
*Toronto Coach John Carver on his team's defending at the end of the game (he blamed goalkeeper Greg Sutton):

"You can't defend like that. ... It was suicide defending. And that's not good enough. ... For me that's the worst we've played since I've been here. ... I'm absolutely furious.

*On the return game with Chivas USA next Saturday where Carver will have 10 players away on international duty and another two long-term injuries - on an 18-man senior roster:

"We asked the MLS, because we thought it's an extreme circumstance, if we could postpone the game. They turned us down. ... On this occasion I don't think common sense has prevailed.

"I'm going to have to get kids and put kids in. It's that embarrassing. I may even have to go get kids who play in amateur teams.

If I'm a fan of Toronto FC, I don't think I'm getting value for money because I've paid good money for my season ticket - we've got fantastic support up there - yet we're not putting the product on the pitch.

"It's something they have to look at. I don't think there's another league in the world that would ask a team to play in these circumstances."

Preki on the debilitating injuries this season:

"We're having a tough time putting the same 11 out two weeks in a row. That's been the biggest problem for us."

Sacha Kljestan on their position now:

"It's good for the team. We're in the playoff spot. It's ours to lose.

On out-shooting Toronto 20-5, yet having a hard time scoring:

"It's easy to get frustrated. After the first 15 minutes it should have been 3-0 probably. To be fair they had some early chances too, but we really should have put the game out of reach in the first 20-30 minutes and not left it late like we did."

On the difference between Tuesday in Panama and Saturday against Toronto:

"Playing at home makes a difference for us. I think our confidence level is a little higher."

Former Galaxy striker Carlos Ruiz, reportedly a transfer target for Chivas USA before he signed with Toronto, on former Galaxy coach Ruud Gullit with whom he reportedly had a rocky relationship:

"I didn't have any problems with Ruud. Maybe in the beginning it was bad communication. But we spoke about a couple of things and then everything was clear. ... It was not good for me to came to L.A. Galaxy for this season."

Highlights:

Chivas USA are now sitting in the third and final Western Conference playoff spot after a dramatic 2-1 come-from-behind victory with an Atiba Harris winner coming in the last minute of stoppage time.

The Galaxy's winless streak is up to 10, but Chivas USA stopped their own winless streak at six when Harris' shot squirted through the hands of Toronto goalkeeper Greg Sutton to break the 1-1 deadlock. A nice Bobby Burling dummy allowed the ball to come through to Harris.

Things were considerably quieter in the second half, but once again both sides squandered good opportunities.

Chivas USA though, won't rue missing their chances as much as Toronto after the victory.

Zach Thornton did well to come out to the edge of his penalty box to close down the angle on a Chad Barrett breakaway in the 63rd minute and stop a shot with his legs.

The Chivas USA defense stood and watched Marco Velez enjoy a free header within the six yard box from a corner kick immediately afterward.

Justin Braun couldn't finish Chivas USA's best second half chance in the 89th minute before the last-gasp goal sealed the win.

It was the second-ever come-from-behind victory for Chivas USA.

Two teams with shaky defenses=open, entertaining game.

The teams ended the first 45 minutes tied 1-1, but both could and probably should have had more goals than that.

Toronto FC opened the scoring when Rohan Rickets found a streaking Jim Brennan on the right wing with a piercing ball. The former Norwich City player beat Chivas USA goalkeeper Zach Thornton with a low shot.

Exactly 64 seconds later, Chivas pulled level with its first goal in four games, Alecko Eskandarian scoring from an Ante Razov pass.

Toronto's Chad Barrett had a couple of good opportunities, including when Bobby Burling missed a Jonathan Bornstein back pass in front of the goal that almost let in the former Chicago striker.

Chivas USA finished the half with 11 shots.

First off, the Galaxy has just drawn 2-2 with the New England Revolution, Landon Donovan getting both goals.

Sean Franklin and Troy Roberts started in the center of defense with Eddie Lewis on the left wing, by the way.

More on that game later, but for now....

Chivas USA has Zach Thornton in goal as usual, Lawson Vaughn is at right back, Jonathan Bornstein on the left and Bobby Burling and Jim Curtin in the middle. Claudio Suarez is out through injury.

Midfield: Atiba Harris, Sacha Kljestan, Paulo Nagamura and Francisco Mendoza.

Up front Alecko Eskandarian makes his first start ofn the season alongside Ante Razov.

Toronto starts a Southern California strike force (of a sort) with former Bruin Chad Barrett partnering ex-Galaxy striker Carlos Ruiz in his first appearance for the Canadian outfit.

Ex-Chivas USA midfielder Amado Guevara is in midfield, while former Galaxy defender Tyrone Marshall starts in the back.

I wote both the capsule previews for the Galaxy and Chivas USA games today. Read them here.

This is the view from Boston.

This is the view from Toronto.

I'll blog from the HDC tonight.

Well, that was awful.

Chivas USA looked like a team that had studied their CONCACAF Champions League opponents Tauro FC of Panama on the airplane ride down (ahem) going down 2-0 tonight in their preliminary stage two-game series.

Chivas USA did everything wrong.

They gave away a soft early goal, applied pressure, but failed to capitalize, and then swooned on the second (where exactly was Panchito Mendoza?).

Good thing no one cares about the tournament because at this rate Chivas USA won't make the first round proper. Will even free parking attract fans for Tuesday's return leg? Chivas USA need to win by three clear goals (3-0, 4-1, etc.) to reach the next round.

The Chivas USA lineup: Zach Thornton, Jonathan Bornstein, Claudio Suárez (Jim Curtin, 45'), Shavar Thomas, Francisco Mendoza, Kraig Chiles (Lawson Vaugh, 62'), Paulo Nagamura, Daniel Paladini (Alecko Eskandarian, 45'), Jorge Flores, Sacha Kljestan, Atiba Harris.

Game story.

New England also lost, BTW, 2-1 to Trinidad & Tobago team Joe Public.

For those who can't get enough Fox Soccer Channel has Montreal Impact-Real Esteli (Nicaragua) at 5 p.m. Wednesday followed by Costa Rica's Alajuelense against the Puerto Rico Islanders of the USL.

In college soccer action Tuesday, the No. 3-ranked UCLA women beat UC Santa Barbara 2-1 in their season opener.

Olympic stars Lauren Cheney and Kara Lang sat out the match.

Over at USC, Olympian Amy Rodriguez, fellow senior Ashley Nick and junior Kristin Olsen have been added to the Hermann Trophy Watch List for 2008. The trophy is awarded to the nation's top female college player annually.

USC beat San Diego 1-0 over the weekend in their season opener with a goal four minutes into stoppage time.

Finally, Fontana's Maurice Edu could make his Glasgow Rangers debut - Sunday in the Old Firm derby against Celtic. Yikes!

Chivas USA kicks off its CONCACAF Champions League campaign tonight in Panama against Tauro F.C.

Kickoff is at 5 p.m. live on Galavision or delayed at 7 p.m. on Fox Soccer Channel after the Champions League New England Revolution-Joe Public (Trinidad & Tobago) game at 5 p.m.

Here's what the winners of the preliminary stage are striving for.

Notable:
*The match is Chivas USA's first-ever official game outside the U.S.

Quotable:
"Hopefully we'll have a little bit more luck in this tournament because we've had no luck in this league" - Preki on his team's chances after this weekend's MLS game.

Will anyone notice?

Too much soccer? Find it difficult to keep track? Me too.

Here's a cheat sheet:
Tuesday - The preliminary rounds of the CONCACAF Champions League, including Chivas USA playing in Panama, get under way in earnest. I'll have more in the morning both in my column and here. Four hours of live TV beckon for the hard-core.

Thursday - Cal State Dominguez Hills opens its season with a doubleheader, the women playing Grand Canyon at 4:30 p.m. and the men following at 7 p.m. at the Track & Field Stadium at Home Depot Center.

Friday - The women's college season got under way last weekend and now the men crank up again as well highlighted by a nationally televised (Fox Soccer Channel) No. 14 UCLA verses No. 8 Maryland encounter from Home Depot Center. (General admission tickets are $10 adults, $5 youth, while parking is free, BTW).

Palos Verdes Estates resident and Bruin playmaker Kyle Nakazawa has agreed to blog for 100 Percent Soccer again this year so hopefully we can coax a column out of him before the game. I plan to blog from the game.

Saturday - New Galaxy Coach Bruce Arena takes a second stab at moving the Galaxy toward the playoffs in a 4:30 p.m. game (live on Prime) in New England. Meanwhile, Toronto visits Chivas USA at 7:30 p.m. in Carson. I'll blog.

Not the most stirring of games.

But both teams got a valuable point.

And Chivas USA pulled into a tie with the Galaxy in the standings with an identical 6-9-6 record.

Preki wasn't happy:

"I'm disappointed we didn't get three points. I thought we were the better team on the night."

It was good to see Chivas USA striker Alecko Eskandarian back on the field. He played the last 31 minutes - which doubled his playing time over two other games this season:

"It definitely felt good just to be on the field with the guys," he said when asked about his health. "I'm getting there. The other two games I played I played without a groin (muscle). It was completely torn off. We just didn't know it. It just didn't show up on the MRI until I got into the surgery and found out it was completely torn off at the bone. It was a miracle I even played those games, let alone scored a goal. So now, everything got fixed, hopefully. I've just got to start from step one, strengthening and work on my fitness.

On coming on as sub:

"As a striker any time you come into a 0-0 game you know there are chances there that are waiting for you. I just wanted to help make an impact. We definitely had chances to score and put the game away. In the end it was a little disappointing, but at the same time it was good to be a part of it and create some chances."

On his injury ordeal:

"These last five months with this mystery injury, not knowing what it is and then surgery and then no surgery. I could probably write a book about the frustration I've had and gone through, but I don't want any sympathy and I 'm not going to sit here and cry about it. I'm just going to put it behind me. I'm going to focus on right now. The team has nine or 10 games left and we have to get results."

I spoke with the Earthquakes' Darren Huckerby, the star player at former team Norwich City. I wore my yellow and green City jersey for the occasion (full disclosure - I grew up in Norwich and remain a huge fan) eliciting a "what the bloody hell are you wearing?" comment from Hucks (I like to wear it when Frank Yallop comes to town; he was a long-serving Ipswich Town defender, the team considered Norwich's biggest rivals. And Frank did a double take and rolled his eyes.).

Huckerby probably had the quietest of his five MLS games so far, with Chivas USA doing well to cut off service to him:

"As a team we didn't play well, we didn't pass the ball well today. As a winger you kind of rely on everybody else getting you the ball so .... we'll take a point and move on."

(Incidentally, the Earthquakes didn't get their first shot on target until the 63rd minute; Hucks took it).

On any comparison between MLS and the Championship, the division Norwich play in:

"It's a different standard of play to be honest. They've got me good players here. It's probably not as physical here. It's a lot more rough and tumble over there."

On how teams deal with him over here compared to England:

"I got double-teamed a lot in England. Not many teams played me one on one. Its been a little bit different here they kind of play me one on one.

He finished the game with two shots, one on goal, four corner kicks and one offside call.

Here's Yallop on Huckerby:

"He's dynamic. Tonight for some reason we couldn't really get him the ball in the right areas. Chivas did a good job of shutting him down. They did a nice job of sort of denying him the ball. But when he did get it, it was exciting for us and everything good came of that when we did get him the ball in space. But we didn't play well, we didn't really get him the ball. But having said that when he did get it I thought he was dynamic and had a chance to win the game at the end. He's a player who's exciting to watch, but he's good to have on your team because he stretches teams.

He's very direct, that's one of the reasons I've really liked him. I've seen him for years. He gets it and goes straight at the defender and tries to get in a cross or a shot. He's not looking to keep the ball, he's looking to go at people and he wants to make the difference in games and I love that."

Notable:
*Chivas USA goalkeeper Zach Thornton got his first shutout in his fifth appearance for the club.
*Jonathan Bornstein played on the right side of defense for the first time since last season.
*Chivas USA departs LAX at 8 a.m. Sunday for Panama City, where they play the first match of their home and away CONCACAF Champions League qualifying series against Panamanian club Tauro F.C. at 5 p.m. Tuesday live on Galavision.

Game story.

This was a yawner of a scoreless game punctuated by a few - I stress few - scoring opportunities, mainly for Chivas USA who had the better of the play for much of the game.

Still, the Earthquakes probably had the best chance of the game, Chivas USA goalkeeper Zach Thornton saving with one hand a Ronnie O'Brien shot in the 86th minute from the top of the box that appeared destined for the back of the net.

Chivas USA's best move came in the 76th minute, when a build-up that began deep in their own half produced two scoring opportunities one after another.

Goalkeeper Joe Cannon parried an initial Atiba Harris shot, while a Alecko Eskandarian follow-up shot went wide of the far post. Incidentally, it was only the third appearance of the season for Eskandarian, who nonetheless brought an attacking verve to the game when he came on as a substitute.

Chivas USA actually had the ball in the net in the 73rd minute, but the effort by Esky was ruled offside.

San Jose finally began to threaten at game's end, but it was too little, too late.

An unfortunate 12,209 sat through this one.

There's not many talking points in the game, so I don't expect to write much in the way of post-game notes.

Besides, I'll be collecting material for a CONCACAF Champions League preview for Tuesday's column.

No goals in a rather uneventful first half that saw few clear-cut chances for either team.

Wide open Chivas USA midfielder Sacha Kljestan had the best opportunity, receiving a nice lay-off from Ante Razov, but shooting straight at goalkeeper Joe Cannon from about 12 yards with the net yawning before him.

Atiba Harris also shot wide in stoppage time, but for drama that was about it. San Jose finished the half with no shots on target

The Earthquakes' Ramiro Corrales was replaced in midfield by Kelly Gray in the 15th minute after spraining his left knee while tackling Harris.

Five changes for Chivas USA tonight with a CONCACAF preliminary round game looming Tuesday in Panama as Coach Preki tries to rest some starters, while defender Cary Talley is the latest to join a long injury list with a thigh strain. Six players are still out including striker Maykel Galindo

Zach Thornton is in goal, while Jim Curtin replaces Claudio Suarez as the long defensive change. The rest of the back four: Jonathan Bornstein, Shavar Thomas and Francisco Mendoza.

Kraig Chiles gets a start in midfield, while Sacha Klejstan returns from the Olympics to start along with Paulo nagamura and young Jorge "Sueno" Flores.

Up front, Ante Razov returns for his first MLS start since July 10 to partner Atiba Harris.

Defender Bobby Burling is on the bench, alongside Suarez, Lawson Vaughn, Alecko Eskandarian and Roberto Nurse.

The Earthquakes have former Galaxy goalkeeper Joe Cannon between the posts and former Chivas USA defender Jason Hernandez in the back four.

Former Norwich City star Darren Huckerby makes his Home Depot Center debut in midfield, while the attackers are Scott Sealey and Arturo Alvarez.

No local TV for tonight's game.

With our Chivas USA beat writer out with pneumonia (it seems sort of fitting given the team's list of casualties) this was the preview in today's print edition (in its entirety):

San Jose (5-9-6) at Chivas USA (6-9-5)

*WHEN - 7:30 p.m.
*WHERE - Home Depot Center
*RADIO - 690 AM
*OUTLOOK - The teams are separated by just two points at the bottom of the Western Conference. Chivas comes into the game with three losses in its last four games, while the Earthquakes have won two in a row and are unbeaten in their last five games. The teams are coming off opposite 4-0 results: the Earthquakes beat New England, 4-0, at home last weekend, while depleted Chivas USA lost to Houston on the road by the same score Wednesday.

And that's it.

So let's fill in the blanks.

First, here's the injury report:

CHIVAS USA -- OUT: FW Justin Braun (R ankle sprain); MF Jesse Marsch (fractured jaw); DF Lawson Vaughn (R knee sprain); MF Raphaël Wicky (R ankle surgery); DF Alex Zotinca (R knee surgery); QUESTIONABLE: FW Maykel Galindo (sports hernia surgery); PROBABLE: DF Jonathan Bornstein (R hip strain); FW Alecko Eskandarian (sports hernia surgery); MF Jorge Flores (R ankle tendonitis); FW Ante Razov (L knee sprain); DF Claudio Suárez (concussion) ... SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES - OUT: FW Gavin Glinton (R adductor strain).

Here's the view from San Jose.

But for me the main reason to go to today's game is to check out the skills of former Norwich City forward Darren Huckerby (full disclosure: the Canaries are my English team).

Here's a sampling of what Hucks is capable of (as Galaxy fans already know):

Incidentally, Chivas USA is offering a special Internet ticket deal for the game with seats starting at $10.

Women's college scores Friday:
USD 0 USC 1.
Cal State Northridge 2 San Diego State 1.
Long Beach State 4 Gonzaga 0.

I'm getting up to watch the 6 a.m. U.S.-Brazil Olympic women's football final.

So briefly:
*The U.S. continued its domination of Guatemala Wednesday with a 1-0 win in the first game of the semifinal round of World Cup qualifying.

Notable:
*Seven yellow cards, two red cards and 40 total fouls kept the referee busy.
*Galaxy target Eddie Lewis needed five stitches to close a head wound sustained in a particularly nasty challenge with Guatemala's Gustavo Cabrera who earned a red card for using his body as a missile.
*Steve Cherundolo's red card means he misses the next U.S. World Cup qualifier in Havana vs. Cuba on Sept. 6.

Quotable:

"It was a very hard fought game, and for us a hard earned three points," said U.S. head coach Bob Bradley. "The win is based more on the determination of our team. Sometimes it's necessary to win games in that way. It was a game where we relied on the effort, team spirit, and the mentality of the group.

U.S. lineup: 1-Tim Howard; 15-Heath Pearce, 5-Oguchi Onyewu, 3-Carlos Bocanegra, 6-Steve Cherundolo; 10-Landon Donovan, 12-Michael Bradley, 4-Pablo Mastroeni (13-Maurice Edu, 78), 7-Eddie Lewis (17-DaMarcus Beasley, 65); 11-Brian Ching, 8-Clint Dempsey (2-Frankie Hejduk, 65)

*Sven Wins For Mexico.

*CONCACAF WCQ Scores.

*Chivas USA discovered what happens when a team missing 10 senior players or so meets one of the best teams in the league: they are hammered 4-0.

How bad was it? Lawndale's Kei Kamara, (and these TV announcers have got to decide whether his surname is pronounced "camera" or "Kamara" and not use both) who was punted from San Jose for his dismal goalscoring record, got two goals. Nate Jaqua, similarly dismissed from the Galaxy for not recognizing a net, got another.

The view from Houston.

The Chivas USA lineup: - Zach Thornton, Carey Talley (Keith Savage 13), Claudio Suarez (Eric Ebert 46), Shavar Thomas, Bobby Burling, Paulo Nagamura (Kraig Chiles 46), Daniel Paladini, Jonathan Bornstein, Francisco Mendoza, Roberto Nurse, Atiba Harris.

Highlights if you dare to watch:

Wonder what Preki thought of Sacha Kljestan sitting on the U.S. bench Wednesday unused?

*The U.S. women will face the flamboyant Brazilians at 6 a.m. on USA in the Olympics women's football final.

From U.S. Soccer:

This will be the fourth meeting between the U.S. and Brazil since the USA's crushing loss in the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup semifinal, a match in which the U.S. scored an own goal and saw Shannon Boxx sent off at the end of the first half ... All three previous matches have been played during the past two months ... The U.S. has won all three of those matches by the score of 1-0, with the first meeting at the 2008 Peace Queen Cup in South Korea on June 17, followed by two Send-Off matches in Commerce City, Colo., on July 13 and San Diego, Calif., on July 16 ... All three of those wins were against an under-strength Brazilian team that was missing their top European-based players including 2007 FIFA Women's World Player of the Year Marta, who was in Sweden playing for her club team Umea

The importance of USC's Amy Rodriguez to the team is explained here.

Apologies for the late blogging since I am somewhat under the weather today (and, no, that's not because of all the soccer on TV).

Still, there is a lot.

First up at noon on Fox Soccer Channel is David Beckham and England taking on the Czech Republic in London.

Then at 7 p.m. on ESPN2, the U.S. plays Guatemala in World Cup qualifying.

U.S. Soccer observes there are plenty of MLS-Guatemala connections:

Carlos Ruiz and Landon Donovan share the same locker room at the Los Angeles Galaxy, while midfielder Guillermo 'Pando' Ramirez also used to ply his trade at The Home Depot Center. Marco 'Loco' Rodriguez and Fredy Garcia once wore the same uniform as Frankie Hejduk in Columbus. Gustavo Cabrera left Real Salt Lake for AGF Aarhus in Denmark, the club that just signed U.S. Olympic Team midfielder Benny Feilhaber. Finally, 20-year old uncapped midfielder Marco Pappa recently moved to the Chicago Fire, where he has assumed a starting role as a wide midfielder.

The Galaxy's Landon Donovan will equal Kasey Keller's U.S. caps total in today's game. Here's the top 10 players in appearances for the U.S:

Name Caps Goals (SO) Era
1. Cobi Jones 164 15 1992-2004
2. Jeff Agoos 134 4 1988-2003
3. Marcelo Balboa 128 13 1988-2000
4. Claudio Reyna 112 8 1994-2006
5. Paul Caligiuri 110 5 1984-1998
6. Eric Wynalda 106 34 1990-2000
7. Kasey Keller 102 (47) 1990-
8. Landon Donovan 101 36 2000-
9. Earnie Stewart 101 17 1990-2004
10. Tony Meola 100 (32) 1988-2006

There's plenty of other CONCACAF action today, too.

Finally, a crocked Chivas USA (6-8-5) will try to snap a four-game winless streak against a healthy Western Conference-leading Houston Dynamo (7-4-8). in a game that conveniently (for those watching the U.S. game) starts at 8 p.m. on FSN (tape delayed). It's also live at 6 p.m. on KAZA.

A bright spot for Chivas USA: Due to World Cup qualifiers, Houston is without its two leading scorers, Brian Ching (U.S. National Team) and Dwayne De Rosario (Canadian National Team).

Now excuse me, I'm going back to bed.

*While I've been columnizing much of the day, plenty of other stuff is going on in the soccer world with one highlight being former Galaxy defender Chris Albright slamming departed Galaxy Coach Ruud Gullit at SI.com:

"My thought was that he'd be gone by midway through this year - I thought that two days after meeting him," said the 29-year-old defender, who was part of the Galaxy squad that made preseason trips to Australia and New Zealand.

What was the problem? "Lack of respect for the players. No real concern about wanting to know MLS or caring to know MLS. You wouldn't believe some of the stuff [he did]."

I would. Dish, Chris, dish.

*Talking about knifing, (how's that for a segue) David Beckham is spending part of his time in England where he is ostensibly on national duty Wednesday playing in his nation's friendly against the Czech Republic (live noon on Fox Soccer Channel) taking part in an anti-knifing campaign.

Handguns are banned in England so they're stabbing each other instead. Nice.

By the way, Becks will fly to China after the game where he will take part in the Olympics closing ceremonies (London has the games in 2012).

*Fontana's Maurice Edu has apparently completed his $5 million move from Toronto FC to Glasgow Rangers.

*Meanwhile, former UCLA and Chivas USA striker Matt Taylor has surfaced in the Bundesliga second division. From the U.S. Soccer Players newsletter:

Surprise signing Matt Taylor started and went 62 minutes for new club TuS Koblenz. Taylor, who only signed three days before the game, scored the second Koblenz goal in their 3-0 win over RW Oberhausen in 2Bundesliga action.

He didn't score, naturally.

*You really got a sense of the extent of the injuries Chivas USA is grappling with when the club released its injury list on Monday.

The latest to go down is defensive midfielder Jesse Marsch with a broken jaw suffered in Thursday's game against the Galaxy. His jaw was wired shut on Friday (which may be the only way to shut Marsch up) and will remain so for the first four weeks of his recovery. Reminder to self: send Jesse an e-mail and ask if he wants to blog. Give the man a voice!

Here's a telling stat from Chivas USA:

Through the first 19 games of the season, the Red-and-White have missed a total of 91 man-matches - or an average of to 4.79 players missing per game due to injury (not counting international absences).

And here's their (lengthy) injury report:

INJURIES (11):

Justin Braun Right ankle sprain Out

Jesse Marsch Fractured jaw Out

Lawson Vaughn Right knee sprain Out

Raphaël Wicky Right ankle surgery Out

Alex Zotinca Right knee surgery Out

Maykel Galindo Sports hernia surgery Questionable

Jonathan Bornstein Right hip strain Probable

Alecko Eskandarian Sports hernia surgery Probable

Jorge Flores Right ankle tendonitis Probable

Ante Razov Left knee sprain Probable

Claudio Suárez Concussion Probable

Oh, and Sacha Kljestan is on international duty with the U.S. National Team.

*On Saturday, Hayley Bolt scored two second half goals to lead Long Beach State to a 2-1 exhibition win over San Diego State. The 49ers open the regular season Friday against Gonzaga.

*The U.S. Under-15 Girls' National Team will play three matches at the 2008 Women's Nike Friendlies Wednesday through Sunday at Home Depot Center against Under-17 FC DELCO Thursday, Under-17 Irvine Strikers Friday and Under-17 Real Colorado Sunday.

The U.S. squad includes: defender Loeau LaBonta (Rancho Cucamonga), midfielders Haley Rosen (Palos Verdes), Marie MacKenzie (Palmdale) and Christina Murillo (Ojai).

Check back in the morning for more on Bruce Arena's appointment to the Galaxy coaching job.

Jesse Marsch feels the effects Thursday of Sean Franklin's elbow.

Photo by Scott Varley

Veteran Chivas USA midfielder Jesse Marsch, a team leader and defensive stalwart, is out for six to eight weeks with a fractured jaw suffered in Thursday's game against the Galaxy, the team confirmed today.

He joins an ever-growing injury list at the club that has hampered its effort to match last season's performance when Chivas USA was Western Conference champion.

Marsch sustained the injury in the 78th minute of the game - forcing Chivas USA to play the rest of the game with 10 men since they had used all available substitutes - after a collision with Galaxy defender Sean Franklin.

Franklin called his flying elbow that connected with Marsch's head "inadvertent," but Chivas USA Coach Preki was furious about the incident after the game.

"I saw it out of the corner of my eye," said Chivas USA defender Bobby Burling. "I'm not sure how deliberate it was, the extent of it. I remember him walking by him and just dropping. That's all I saw out of the corner of my eye."

From the (edited) Chivas USA press release:

Marsch is the only player to have appeared in every game of the season for Chivas USA, starting all 19 games and is tied for second on the team in goals, with four. With Marsch's injury, Chivas USA now has a total of 11 players listed on its injury report.

The injury comes at a particularly inopportune time for Chivas USA - the club is embarking on a busy stretch of four games in 11 days beginning Wednesday in Houston.

Photo by Scott Varley

Cobi Jones' MLS coaching debut sadly became a footnote on a night when former U.S. National Team coach Bruce Arena emerged as the next likely Galaxy coach.

So largely did the game, which included an 89th minute Mike Randolph shot that crashed off the bar after a long David Beckham pass, a dramatic stoppage time equalizer from Alan Gordon and a fractured jaw from a Sean Franklin elbow to veteran Chivas USA midfielder Jesse Marsch that Preki was understandably not at all happy about:

"Sean Franklin elbows Jess Marsch. The refereee stands three yards away he doesn't do anything. ... That's very disappointing instead of playing 15 minutes with them a man down we play the last 15 minutes with a man down."

"I inadvertantly hit him in the face," Franklin said. "I just came up with my arm. Hopefully there's no hard feelings."

Noted: there was also a brutal Atiba Harris thigh high challenge on David Beckham late in the game (that Preki claimed he didn't know anything about) that was likely an effort to settle a score.

Chivas USA was without 10 players - said Preki:

"At the end of the day, I'm really, really proud of my group. We played like 10 lions, or like 10 hurt lions, and I've got to tip my hat to them. I'm really, really happy for them, just unhappy that at the end we didn't take three points."

A full game report is here.

Cobi had the quote of the night when he walked in the Galaxy locker room and exclaimed to no-one in particular: "Where's that (Superclasico) trophy? I'm taking it home with me."

Highlights:

More photos here.

The game ended in a 2-2 tie, Chivas USA falling behind to a first half Landon Donovan goal, then clawing back with two goals from Atiba Harris and Paulo Nagamura inside 13 minutes early in the second half.

The Galaxy equalized through an Alan Gordon header in stoppage time.

That prolongs the Galaxy winless streak to eight, by the way.

I'll be back with more later from the locker rooms.

The Superclasico has taken on secondary importance tonight with word that Galaxy owner Anschutz Entertainment Group wants Bruce Arena as the team's next coach.

AEG President Leiweke said as much to journalists in the press box after also appearing on ESPN2 during the first half of the game.

Leiweke said is not looking at Arena as president/general manager, but as coach; now all AEG has to do is throw enough money at him and assure him of complete control on the soccer side, presumably.

But Leiweke wouldn't be drawn on what Arena would want to take the job

"I personally think he's the best coach in the history of the league and we'd be damn lucky if we could get him in here," Lieweke said. "You don't interview Bruce Arena."

When yours truly pointed out Arena hadn't done so well in New York (or at the 2006 World Cup for that matter) Leiweke glossed over the point.

"You've got to look at the environment he was put in," Lieweke said, apparently referring to the chaotic Red Bull organization. "The last time I looked he had a couple of (MLS) championships."

Yes, in the early years of the league when it was no where as strong as it is now.

Arena has been fired from his last two coaching jobs.

And you've got to wonder whether the team needs an abrasive, sarcastic, egotistical, stubborn coach in charge after what it is going through.

"It was obvious to us we had a division," Lieweke said of the relationship between Ruud Gullit and Alexi Lalas. "We wanted to get rid of the friction."

No fear of friction from Arena apparently

Coincidentally, Chivas USA midfielder Sacha Kljestan came up to the press box fresh off an airplane from China and was asked what he thought of Olympic Coach Peter Nowak, generally seen as the other top candidate for the Galaxy job.

"I really enjoyed playing for Peter, he's a real player's coach. He always knows how to have a mixture of having a good time with the guys to being serious and making sure we got the work done. He did a tremendous job of bringing the players together, really forming a real team. I think our team unity was great and I think the way we fought together on the field was something that you really can't put together in a couple of days and I thought he really did a good job of doing that so it was an honor playing for him."

Sounds like what the Galaxy needs doesn't it?

Finally, how out of touch is Leiweke?

"I don't think this franchise has ever gotten over losing Doug Hamilton," he said.

No, Leiweke this organization has never gotten over losing Sigi Schmid.

You can tell where I stand on Arena's hiring. What do you think?

Blogging could be problematic tonight because of problems with the tubes and wires of the Internet thingie here at the Home Depot Center so bear with me (hey, it's only a $150 million stadium).

But former U.S. Coach Bruce Arena is in the building this evening so you know what that means. He didn't come all the way out from the East Coast just to watch. And the rumor is former Galaxy midfielder Mauricio Cienfuegos quit his coaching job in El Salvador today. I haven't been able to confirm that yet so if anyone knows, chime in.

Here's the Galaxy lineup: Cronin, Klein, Franklin, Jazic, Vanney, Beckham, Pires, Vagenas, Allen, Buddle, Donovan.

Carlos Ruiz is on the bench.

It appears Vanney has been moved to full back and Jazic is in the middle.

The lineup for Chivas USA: Thornton, Talley, Burling, Thomas, Mendoza, Savage, Marsch, Nagamua, Paladini, Braun, Harris.

Lawson Vaughn is out injured, although Maykel Galindo is on the bench.

Back later, the HDC Internet connection willing.

Two former opposing players are now opposing coaches.

Photo by Juan Miranda

The still stunned LA Galaxy (6-8-5, 23 pts.) faces still injury-ravaged Chivas USA (6-8-4, 22 pts.) live at 8 p.m. (pre-game show starts at 7:30 p.m.) on ESPN2 with, um, fourth place in the Western Conference on the line.

This is the 15th time the two intra-stadium rivals have met. The Galaxy won the first five meetings between the teams; since then (June 2006) the series has been even at 3-3-3.

Landon Donovan believes the Galaxy can win despite the events of the past few days:

"They're not exactly flying right now," he said of Chivas USA. "Maybe playing a game (for us) would be a little therapeutic."

Given the tight race in the West - just six points separates the top six teams - Donovan said he was looking forward to the remainder of the season with optimism, despite the turmoil:

"We could be top of the league in three weeks, so there's no reason to be pessimistic. A little reality check is good though."

Phil Collin provides the game preview.

Incidentally, thanks to all of you who voted in our on-going poll regarding who should replace Ruud Gullit as coach.

You can still vote here, but it's pretty clear the people have spoken.

Cobi Jones received more than twice the votes of the next nearest candidate (wonder if that will change depending on the outcome of tonight's game?), Olympic Coach Peter Nowak.

I'm guessing that represents a desire for stability from fans (you can tell me if I'm right by leaving a comment below) who respect a figure who has been the face of the Galaxy for so long.

He may be inexperienced, but Cobi has always been a class act and that seems to be something missing from the organization in general right now.

Wonder how Donovan would have voted?

Here's Donovan on whether he would like to see Cobi take over for the rest of the season:

"I don't know, I haven't thought about it. But if we do well and he leads us the way we need to be led, then I don't see why not. But I'm not worried about that. I'm worried about trying to win a game."

I'll blog from Home Depot Center as usual.

If you're going to the game get there as soon as you can; the game is expected to be a sellout or close to it so traffic could get nasty as kickoff nears.

Almost forgot to mention: Your pregame entertainment at the HDC is famed Mexican folk band Banda el Recodo.

Have a good day.

No Ante Razov. No Maykel Galindo. No win. But a valiant effort.

Notable: For the first time this season Chivas USA wore its second uniform: white and red stripes with white shorts and white socks.

*Chivas USA Coach Preki, on tonight's match:

"There were a lot of positives. I thought we played a decent second half given all the circumstances. We had two or three really good chances to tie the game. (Wizards goalkeeper) Kevin Hartman made a couple of good saves, and we didn't get the tie. We showed a lot of character in the second half after getting down 3-0. We never quit. But you have to give (Kansas City) credit. They created good chances, they put three of them away and they got a win."

Question: What did Preki et al see in Roberto Nurse? (The new Mexican forward was hauled off again after just 55 ineffective minutes).

Game story.

Are they relieved in KC? Yes.

Highlights:

First off, the U.S. Women defeated Japan 1-0 overnight at the Olympics.

USC's Amy Rodriguez got her surprise first start of the Olympics over Natasha Kai. Here's Coach Pia Sundhage on why she made the move:

"The reason for A-Rod instead of Kai was her speed. That was crucial when we looked at the way Japan plays. We talked about playing them both, but if you look at the game today, Angela Hucles, her possession and her game today was good ... We didn't want to play them both at the same time, but that is an option of course, depending on who we play."

Back in the U.S., Chivas USA (6-7-4) plays at 5 p.m. in Kansas City on Prime.

The team is without Coach Preki (suspended) for the second consecutive game and defender Claudio Suarez (concussion).

Panchito Mendoza, the lone Chivas USA player left from that horrible first season now that Brad Guzan has gone to England's Aston Villa, will play his 100th game for the club today. He becomes the first Chivas USA player to reach that milestone.

The game preview is here.

Not so coincidentally, the Wizards (5-6-7) are using the opportunity to reach out to Latino fans.

The Wizards have had trouble scoring this year. The top scorer: defender Jimmy Conrad with four goals.

In other Chivas USA news:
*Chivas USA midfielder Gerson Mayen has been called into the United States Under-20 Men's National Team for a five-day camp that runs Sunday through Thursday and includes two games against Guatemala. Mayen had previously been with the Under-20 team in April.

*Think you're the next Jorge Flores? Chivas USA is hosting two open tryouts this month, one from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Aug. 22 for adults, the other a mini-camp that runs from Aug. 29-30 and doubles as a tryout for the Under-18, Under-16 or Under-15 youth teams at the Bell Gardens Sports Center.

Register at the club's Web site or by e-mailing tryouts@cdchivasusa.com

This puts things in perspective.

While I was relaxing by a San Diego pool much of this week, a member of the LA Riot Squad was dying so I could do that.

My condolences to Gunner and the Riot Squad.

More on Jairzhino.

The memorial service is Tuesday.

Soccer goes on:

Saturday
2 a.m. U.S. Women's Olympic Team-Japan on USA
5 p.m. Chivas USA-Kansas City Wizards on Prime

Sunday
4:30 a.m. U.S. Men's Olympic Team-Holland on USA
7 a.m. Charity Shield Portsmouth-Manchester United on Fox Soccer Channel (can you believe the English season is cranking up again already)?

A few days after Galaxy GM Alexi Lalas tells me Carlos Ruiz is not going anywhere, Steven Goff supplies the trade rumor of the week.

Have a safe weekend.

RIP Private Jair De Jesus Garcia

It's also Brad Guzan the back-up, according to this article today in the Birmingham Post.

Former Chivas USA goalkeeper Guzan, of course, is in China where the U.S. Men's Olympic Team opens the tournament Thursday (1:45 a.m. live on MSNBC) against Japan.

What's a Brummie? Glad you asked. (Although the accent is probably not the only reason Ozzy Osbourne is pretty much incomprehensible).

Goalkeeper Zach Thornton made his Chivas USA debut a day after being traded by New York, striker Ante Razov was out injured and the Fire's John Thorrington (Chadwick School) was man of the match as Chicago Saturday downed an unconvincing Chivas USA, 1-0.

How much did Chivas USA miss the midfield creativity and spark of Sacha Kljestan? But at least Maykel Galindo returned from injury and came on as a sub and Alecko Eskandarian saw some minutes, too.

Still, the only stat to reach double figures in this unspectacular game (Chivas USA had just two shots in the first half): fouls.

Highlights

Game story from a Chicago perspective.

Standings.

Zach Thornton has landed in Chicago and Jesse Marsch looks pretty happy to see his former Fire teammate (and an experienced goalkeeper). Do we assume Thornton plays today? I think we do.

Two who won't play a part in today's Chivas USA-Chicago Fire game (5:30 p.m. live on Fox Soccer Channel) are Preki (at least on the bench-he's suspended) and Blanco. (ditto). Also absent: Sacha Kljestan (Olympics).

But Maykel Galindo and long-lost Alecko Eskandarian are probable.

Chivas USA, playing their first MLS game in a month, is 6-6-4 and fourth in the Western Conference; Chicago is 7-5-5 and third in the Eastern Conference.

Chicago haven't lost in five games, but that includes four draws; Chivas USA beat the Fire 2-0 at Home Depot Center in June.

Phil Collin has a game preview.

Also:
*Cameroon beat the U.S. Men's Olympic Team 2-0 early this morning our time on a penalty kick. It was the last game for the U.S. before the Olympics.

*Brad Guzan wasn't the only Southern California goalkeeper on the move this week. Loyola Marymount goalkeeper Patrick Lane signed a pro contract with Belgian club Cercle Bruges.

*Southern California could have two women's teams crowned national champions this weekend. Rolling Hills Estates-based Ajax America Women is in Sacramento for the Women's Premier Soccer League's Final Four.

The Sacramento Bee used the occasion to provide an update on the Women's Professional Soccer league, but managed to get the wrong name (and city) for Ajax.

Over in the W-League, the unbeaten Pali Blues play the Indiana Lionesses (how many of those do they have in Indiana?) in Virginia Beach, Va., for the championship. The game is on at 8 tonight on Fox Soccer Channel.

Chivas USA wasted little time once Brad Guzan's transfer to Aston Villa was confirmed today, trading for former Chicago Fire MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Zach Thornton.

They had only the inexperienced Dan Kennedy and Lance Parker on the roster.

The 34-year-old former U.S. international (eight caps), has been on the downside of his career ever since moving overseas for an unsuccessful stint in 2004 with Portugal's Benfica.

He has played sparingly for the Colorado Rapids and New York Red Bulls the last couple of seasons. But Chivas USA was desperate; all the Red Bulls got anyway was "future considerations."

"Zach is an experienced goalkeeper who has played in big games and won championships in our league," said Chivas USA Head Coach Preki Radosavljevic. "With the departure of Brad Guzan, we hope Zach will help Chivas USA both on and off the field as we make our push for a playoff spot."

Here's the rest of the (edited) Chivas USA press release:

In his 13-year MLS career, Zach Thornton has earned many accolades, including being named MLS Goalkeeper of the Year in 1998, the year he helped the Chicago Fire to two championships, the MLS Cup and a U.S. Open Cup. He is a five-time MLS All-Star (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003), and won two additional U.S. Open Cups with Chicago in 2000 and 2003, as well as the Supporters Shield with the Fire in 2003. A fixture in Chicago from 1998-2006, Thornton played a total of 215 games with the club (starting 212), and was named the team's MVP in 2002 and the Fire's defender of the year in 2001 and 2002.

In 222 career MLS matches, Thornton has posted 57 shutouts and a goals-against-average of 1.28. Prior to the 2008 season, Thornton had played in MLS in every year of the league's history except 2004, when he was a member of the Fire but did not play a match with the team due to his joining Portuguese club Benfica in February of that year. He first came into Major League Soccer as a member of the MetroStars, as the New York club was known, prior to Major League Soccer's 1996 season, and played six games (starting five) in two seasons with the team before moving to Chicago.

Born October 10, 1973, the Edgewood, Md. native has also made eight appearances for the United States National Team. He attended Loyola College in Maryland, where he was a two-sport standout, earning All-America honors in lacrosse.

Brad Guzan finally secured the work permit he needed today to join Aston Villa of the EPL.

Chivas USA this morning posted a tribute video to Guzan:

"Brad was the first goalkeeper to defend the colors of Chivas USA in Major League Soccer. This organization has seen him grow from a 20-year-old rookie to a U.S. Olympian, the reigning MLS Goalkeeper of the Year and now a member of one of England's great clubs," said Chivas USA President and CEO Shawn Hunter. "We trust that Villa supporters will soon see what Chivas USA fans have known for some time: that this is a very special young man with the potential of becoming one of the great goalkeepers in the international game."

With all the money flowing into the game in England these days, Guzan has hit the proverbial jackpot, although he won't make as much as the 25 richest young footballers in England.

Closer to home, with the Galaxy and Chivas USA on the road there's no live local top-class soccer (I'll have a best of what's on the box below), but this is always a fun event:

And yeah, Rod will really be there this year.

Nansen Field is a gorgeous little private facility where you can sip a beer on the sidelines while watching the games (bring a blanket or lawn chairs and a picnic lunch).

I wrote about this event three years ago and it's pretty much the same. Here's a reprint of the story from the Daily Breeze archives:

Pop star Rod Stewart performs in concert in Manchester, England, tonight, but his heart will be in Rolling Hills Estates.

A group of English expatriates take on their Scottish counterparts today in a fifth annual soccer game at Nansen Field with the Bob Stewart Caledonian Trophy at stake. Bob Stewart, Rod's father, died in 1990.

His singer son customarily plays in the game -- for Scotland against the nation known as the "auld enemy"-- and his picture usually adorns posters advertising the game. As many as 800 people have watched the game in past years.

"The majority of people do come out to see him and take pictures," said Keith Wales, the event's chief organizer for Brits at Nansen, one of several groups of various nationalities who share the venue. "It's a tradition now and he wouldn't want us to not have it."

Stewart has played at Nansen, a secluded, superbly maintained field with a clubhouse on aptly named Hidden Valley Road, for about four years, his touring schedule and 60-year-old legs permitting.

Stewart has contributed several signed items, including a soccer ball, hat and T-shirt, that will be sold at a silent auction.

Proceeds from the auction and event itself go to pay off legal bills incurred when in 1989 the Norwegian government, which contended it owned the 9.5-acre property, moved to sell it.

Locals balked and Norway sued. A judge eventually ruled that the true owner was a nonprofit group founded in 1952 so taxes didn't have to be paid on the property.

But the group was left with a $320,000 legal bill; that's now down to about $121,000.

To compensate for Stewart's absence, organizers have made the event a doubleheader.

A U.S. team will take on a team of German expatriates in the opening match.

Several well-known former soccer players have been invited to take part in both games, including former English international Gary Mabbutt.

Thomas Dooley, a German native who made 81 appearances for the U.S. National Team, will line up for the Germans against Hall of Famer Paul Caligiuri.

"What a little traitor, huh," laughed Dooley's former national team teammate who coaches at Cal Poly Pomona. "It's going to be a nice reunion with some of the guys."

But it's the world's oldest international rivalry between England and Scotland, which dates back to 1872, that is the main draw.

A piper leads the teams onto the field, British food is the order of the day and spectators are encouraged to wear their national colors.

"At the moment (the series) is tied at two apiece," Wales said. "People like to come to this game whether (Rod) is there or not. Families come with kids."

The trickiest thing about the event for newcomers is finding the field. You basically just head out of Torrance and up the hill to the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

Here's a Google map:
View Larger Map

Finally, here's the highlights of the weekend TV schedule:
Today - CD Guadalajara-Tecos (delayed) 9 p.m. KAZA

Saturday- Chivas USA-Chicago Fire 5:30 p.m. FSN
W-League Championship Pali Blues-FC Indiana 8 p.m. Fox Soccer Channel (delayed)

Sunday - Galaxy-San Jose Noon FSN
4 p.m. Chivas Guadalajara- Barcelona 4 p.m. Fox Soccer Channel

Have a great weekend and I'll let Rod serenade us toward quitting time today.