Chivas USA have not won a Major League Soccer game since March 30th and the SuperClasico on Sunday did not spell the end of their horrendous winless run. In the second LA derby of the season Chivas USA, arrived not only as massive underdogs but with a squad under control from a new coach. Jose Luis Real’s first game at the helm ended with defeat to the Vancouver Whitecaps and his second game with the Goats got no easier with a game against the MLS Cup champions.
Forget the fact Chivas USA were playing the reigning Champions of the MLS and their fiercest rivals, this game was important regardless of the opposition. Chivas USA have stumbled into one of their worst ever slumps, and after the departure of Chelís, fans were losing faith that it could possibly get any better. The arrival of a new, experienced coach though was somewhat pleasing in a time where we needed to be a lot more organized and difficult to beat. However, Jose Luis Real is still working with the same roster that is lacking in depth and he only had a short amount of time to prepare his players for their biggest game of the season.
Expectations were as high as ever though, and after a decent performance against the Galaxy earlier in the season, an upset was not out of the question. Unfortunately though, the question I heard all too often before the game was “How many can we stop them from scoring?” Joking or not, it only highlighted how downbeat sections of the support are at the moment.
For the most part, it was the usual tale of a Chivas USA game. Dan Kennedy made some wonderful saves, our offense failed to muster anything significant and the performance was only slightly better than the last. Overall, the Galaxy had 16 attempts on goal (Chivas USA had 6) and controlled possession with 62%. This was not very surprising but they too didn’t play as well as everyone expected. Apart from a well taken goal from Gyasi Zardes this was a Super Clasico that will not be remembered. Well, not for the action on the field.
Once again, the supporters were in fine voice and the atmosphere within the stadium showed all the off-field problems won’t silence the hardcore Chivas USA following. And in a way it was this support that will probably be the only memorable part of this Super Clasico.
In the 33rd minute, white cards were held aloft bearing the number 33, the number worn by defender and captain of Chivas USA’s U17/18 squad Julio Chávez, who passed away over the weekend in a car accident. The match began with a tribute to Julio and the players and staff wore black armbands during the match. Regardless of the result or the performance, this game will be remembered as the day we paid tribute to a talented soccer player who was taken from us far too early. Some things are just more important than soccer or Super Clasicos. RIP Julio.
