CHIVAS USA 3 – 1 FC DALLAS
No, you did not just misread that. On Sunday afternoon, Chivas USA got their 2013 season up-and-running, and finally secured that elusive competitive match win, with a 3-1 victory over FC Dallas. Not since July last year have the Goats tasted a win, but these 3 points will be sweeter for this new group of players considering the heartache of opening day last weekend.
This may come as a surprise to the majority of non-Chivas USA fans out there, but the 3 points were not only deserved, they were fought for and won by three well worked goals that starts to demonstrate why fans hold so much hope in what Chelís can achieve with this group of players.
Since I began writing for Total MLS, I have had very few opportunities to write about Chivas USA winning games and after the first half of Sunday’s game I found it hard to see that changing. If you have read any of my match recaps you will be well aware that the home fans at the HDC have had to suffer through a lot of score-less first 45mins in their time. This was again the case on Sunday and it left us all nervous that headlines were already being written.
In the second half however, we witnessed something that has unfortunately become a rarity in Carson, California: goals in favor of Chivas USA.
In true Chivas fashion though, it was done the hard way. 12mins after the restart, FC Dallas captain David Ferreira silenced the home crowd when he slotted past Dan Kennedy on a tight angle and gave the visitors the lead. With the Goats 1-0 down, and only 30mins remaining, you would not have been at fault for thinking this was going to be another one of those days at the Home Depot Center.
Although the majority of us have been won over by the philosophy of Chelís and what he is trying to achieve, it is not unthinkable to expect it to take some time. When you consider the Goats history at the HDC (or anywhere for that matter), there is one thing we have not seen a lot of… and that is goals. It is what cost us last year when we couldn’t even buy a goal, but Sunday saw us score 3 goals to a mount a comeback that earned us all three points.
Step forward Juan Agudelo. The forward has a lot of hype to live up to this year, hype that interested Celtic, and in the 68th minute he showed why the Scottish giants wanted him in Glasgow. A hopeful ball over the top was brought down perfectly by the striker, and after pulling away from the two covering defenders, he found the back of the net to level the score and give Chivas USA their first goal of 2013.
Then, in the 76th minute, Chivas USA took the lead through the unlikeliest of sources. Oswaldo Minda pounced on the poor touch of the George John and was clinical in front of goal to make it 2-1.
This was unchartered territory for Chivas USA. Trying to shut down a game and edge out a victory at home doesn’t happen very often. But this is a different Chivas USA side. It was nervy as you would expect, but they ensured there was to be no FC Dallas comeback when a breakaway goal in the 93rd minute from Giovanni Casillas wrapped up all three points.
Firstly, all positivity aside (there is a lot of it), this was not an outstanding Chivas USA performance. You just have to watch the first half to realize this. However, it was exactly what the fans, players, staff and organization needed. They didn’t let their second chance at home in 2 weeks go to waste and got their season up-and-running.
Forget about the negativity surrounding the organization and the low attendance, the on-field Chivas USA have a lot to offer to MLS this year. People tend to focus more on what is going on behind the scenes when right in front of us is a team that could be a surprise package. An opening day hiccup aside, Chivas USA now have more points than several other ‘big’ sides in the league.
It’s only week 2 you say? Well that didn’t seem to matter when you were slating Chivas USA for losing after week 1.
I am not getting carried away. There is no bigger test to prove it wasn’t a fluke than against LA Galaxy this weekend. Whether or not LA Galaxy fans agree, this is a huge game for the fans of Chivas USA and it is another home game of sorts.
Regardless of this fixture though, it is worth paying more attention to what Chivas USA can do on the field this season. The FC Dallas game showed how they can fight, score goals and live up to the manager’s promises of the previous week. And of course win. Hopefully this will now win some fans back.
(image courtesy of USA Today Sports Images)
