FCD try for first win of 2009 against Chivas
Western Conference rivals to meet at Pizza Hut Park on Sunday
PIZZA HUT PARK, Frisco, Texas
March 29, 2009 (WEEK 2) / MLS Game #14
2 p.m. CT (TeleFutura; KFWD-52; FSN-PT)
A pair of Western Conference rivals who come off mixed results to open the campaign meet in the second week of the season when Chivas USA travels to face FC Dallas. Home-standing FCD took an early lead, but eventually 3-1 to the Chicago Fire at home to open their 2009 season. Chivas USA fell behind at home to the Colorado Rapids in their opener, but rallied for a 2-1 victory to start off their season right.
REFEREE: Paul Ward. SAR (bench): Fabio Tovar; JAR (opposite): Adam Garner; 4th: Alejandro Mariscal MLS Career: 6 games; FC/gm: 22.5; Y/gm: 3.0; R: 0; pens: 1
INJURY REPORT: FC DALLAS -- OUT: DF Marcelo Saragosa (R knee); GK Dario Sala (L knee) ... CHIVAS USA - OUT: DF Bobby Burling (sports hernia surgery); GK Dan Kennedy (R knee sprain); FW Ante Razov (R ankle surgery); DF Lawson Vaughn (L ankle surgery); MF Sasha Victorine (L knee surgery); QUESTIONABLE: FW Michael Lahoud (concussion); PROBABLE: DF Ante Jazic (concussion)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: CHV: Sacha Kljestan (USA; vs El Salvador, March 28)
SUSPENDED: none
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (13 meetings): FC Dallas 6 wins, 20 goals ... Chivas USA 3 wins, 15 goals ... Ties 4
AT DALLAS: (7 meetings): FC Dallas 3 wins, 9 goals ... Chivas USA 1 wins, 6 goals ... Ties 3
RETURN MATCH: 4/25: FC Dallas at Chivas USA, 7:30 p.m. PT
LAST YEAR (MLS):
3/30: DAL 1, CHV 1 (Toja 21 - Galindo 84)
4/20: CHV 0, DAL 2 (Cooper 5; Thompson 80)
• FC Dallas have a four-game unbeaten streak against Chivas USA, winning two and tying two since the last win for the Red-and-White, May 26, 2007.
• FC Dallas won four of the first five meetings all-time between the clubs (with one draw), before Chivas USA won three of the next four (with one draw).
• Coaches record: Schellas Hyndman v CHV: first game ... Preki vs. DAL: P5 W1 L2 D2
FC DALLAS
FC Dallas saw Kenny Cooper hit for a wonder goal early on in their home opener, but the Chicago Fire strolled from their, coming away from Pizza Hut Park with a 3-1 victory last Saturday night. FC Dallas are one of four teams tied at the bottom of the Western Conference, along with Colorado and FC Dallas, who also fell on First Kick, and Real Salt Lake, who open their season this week.
LAST MATCH
• The Brimstone Cup rivals were meeting to open the season in a rivalry dominated by FC Dallas. And it was the home side that took the lead after nine minutes in stunning fashion. Receiving the ball in the center circle on his side of halfway, Cooper launched a long drive that sailed over the head of Fire goalkeeper Jon Busch and into the upper corner.
• But the Fire took the lead with goals on either side of halftime. Justin Mapp took a pass in the left side of the area and powered it home inside the far post to pull Chicago level (38), then Brian McBride converted a penalty kick six minutes after the break after Drew Moor was adjudged to have handled the ball.
• In stoppage time, Cuauhtemoc Blanco, who came on as a 79th-minute substitute, whipped home a free kick around the wall and inside Dario Sala's left-hand post to round out the Fire's first win at Dallas since the 1999 season, and their first victory in the series in four seasons.
• FC Dallas boss Schellas Hyndman started a pair of newcomers in central defense in Steve Purdy and Daniel Torres, with David Ferreira given his FCD debut in an attacking midfield role.
• Here's Hyndman's team (4-3-1-2): Dario Sala - Drew Moor, Steve Purdy, Daniel Torres, Blake Wagner (Andre Rocha 81) - Dax McCarty, Bruno Guarda (Eric Avila 69), Dave van den Bergh - David Ferreira - Kenny Cooper, Jeff Cunningham
• "The obvious comment would be 'disappointing.' We're looking to get a win at home to start the season off, with a good turnout from the fans," said Hyndman. "We had a productive preseason, and today was just a lot of anxiety, a lot of nerves, and a lot of mistakes. It's a game of inches, we had some great opportunities to put the ball in the goal, and we didn't."
TEAM NEWS
• FC Dallas on Tuesday learned they will be without goalkeeper Dario Sala for the next 4-6 weeks after he undergoes surgery to a repair a torn meniscus in his right knee. That will give the starting goalkeeper position to Ray Burse for the foreseeable future. Last season, Burse appeared in two league games.
• "I think Ray is a solid, capable 'keeper for the league," Hyndman said. "The thing with Ray is that he's never really been given enough games and enough playing time because Dario has been my No. 1 'keeper. Last year, we loaned him off to Portland, where he got games. I wanted him back here so I could see him more. I also felt like it was to the team's best interest to have a good second 'keeper to keep Dario on his toes. I think he's a capable 'keeper and he understands that this is a wonderful opportunity to establish himself as the No. 1 'keeper or maybe end up somewhere else down the road as a proven No. 1 'keeper."
• FCD recorded 20 attempts at goal in the season opener, but only one was on frame - the nearly 60-yard bomb from Kenny Cooper that opened the scoring in the ninth minute.
• "It was the goal of the year out of Kenny. The thing we get from him is tremendous work ethic. I think Jeff [Cunningham] did a lot of things, was active, but didn't get enough touches and didn't get enough quality chances," said Hyndman. "In the attacking third, his first touch got him into trouble. He had some opportunities to get the ball under control, combine or something and it just seemed like that touch got away from him a little too much."
• FCD will have captain Pablo Ricchetti back from suspension, returning to his holding midfield role in place of Bruno Guarda.
• "I think we missed him a lot," Hyndman said of Ricchetti. "I thought Bruno (Guarda) did a good job. He was where he needed to be and didn't really cause any blunders to lead to goals. He also distributed the ball pretty well. I think he did a good job, but it's still not the job that Pablo would have done."
• The loss snapped an FCD unbeaten streak against the Fire that had reached six matches. The Fire's first win in the series since 2005 also snapped a 14-match unbeaten streak by FCD in Dallas.
• "I think it was an off game for us," he said. "We're a better team than what we showed today. What we need to do is understand that this is a long season and we've got a lot of games ahead of us. This is not the way we want to start the year but we've also got to look at this as an opportunity to maybe not sit back and think that we're there. We have some work to do."
CHIVAS USA
Chivas USA went down a goal in the first half of their season opener, but Paulo Nagamura hit for two goals in the space of four minutes to give the Red-and-White a 2-1 win Saturday night at The Home Depot Center. Chivas USA are level atop the Western Conference along with the other first-week winner in the division, Seattle Sounders FC.
LAST MATCH
• The visiting Rapids took the lead after a half hour. Ugo Ihemelu took a shot from the right that Zach Thornton, but he spilled the rebound right into the path of Omar Cummings.
• But Paulo Nagamura scored two goals in a four-minute span in the second half to give Chivas the victory. In the 55th minute, Nagamura carried the ball toward goal and let loose with a rolling shot from outside the box that snuck inside the left post.
• Then four minutes later, he latched onto a poor clearance, took a touch forward and beat Rapids 'keeper Matt Pickens for his first two-goal game in MLS, after scoring four goals total in his first 104 league appearances.
• Chivas USA coach Preki started Mariano Trujillo in the back four just a day after he was signed to an MLS contract, while fellow Mexican Eduardo Lillingston was also given the start in attack.
• Zach Thornton - Mariano Trujillo, Carey Talley, Shavar Thomas, Jonathan Bornstein - Atiba Harris (Michael Lahoud 54), Jesse Marsch, Paulo Nagamura, Sacha Kljestan - Justin Braun, Eduardo Lillingston (Maykel Galindo 46+)
• "I thought they were a little bit sharper than us, especially in the first 35 minutes, and they took the lead. I don't think our movement was really good in the first half -- we didn't play as good as we can as a unit, we didn't move the ball on the ground like we usually can, but I would always say the opponent has a lot to do with that because when they pressure hard then sometimes the game is not going to be pretty," Preki said.
TEAM NEWS
• Nagamura said the last time he scored two goals in a game was in a youth team match in his native Brazil. "Coach Preki has given me more freedom to go forward, but I still have to do my job defensively first," he said. "I have been working on my shooting after training sessions, and that was one thing that paid off in the game on Saturday."
• "That's good for him and good for the team," Marsch said. "I don't know if he'll ever score two goals in a game again so he should probably enjoy it and maybe go out and have some champagne."
• But Marsch said there is no question where Nagamura's long-term contribution for the team will lie.
• "It's hard for people to understand what Paulo means to this team when they just watch a game," Marsch said. "He does a lot of the little things that are important. He's a great teammate and I think that's ... his best quality. When you need somebody to make sure that he's got your back and to make up some mistakes you made or whatever, Paulo is one of those guys you can count on."
• Preki gave the start in attack to Mexican veteran Eduardo Lillingston, but at halftime, brought on Maykel Galindo, and the former Cuban international gave the Chivas offense a boost.
• "All of a sudden, the last 10 minutes of the [first half] I think we picked up a little bit, and carried that into the second half. At halftime we brought Galindo on the field, and every time we have Galindo on the field, we're a different team -- that's not a secret," Preki said.
• Saturday's win was the fourth consecutive home opening victory for the Red-and-White, and was actually the closest game in the streak. Chivas USA had beaten Real Salt Lake by 3-0 in 2006, Toronto FC by 2-0 in 2007 and RSL by 3-1 a year ago.
• "Early on in the year, especially with home games, you want to try and take advantage of them and get three points," Marsch said. "Nobody is necessarily sharp yet but these points could come in handy down the road."
• Midfielder Sacha Kljestan has been called into the U.S. national team for its World Cup qualifying matches at El Salvador on Saturday night and home to Trinidad & Tobago in Nashville on Wednesday.
• At halftime of the season opener, Chivas USA announced that defender Claudio Suarez - after earlier retiring from professional soccer - has had a change of heart and re-signed with the club. He will be on injured reserve until he regains his fitness.
