LA GALAXY vs CHIVAS USA
THE HOME DEPOT CENTER, Carson, Calif.
July 21, 2012 (WEEK 20, MLS Game #195)
10 p.m. ET (KDOC, Telefutura, AM 1150, 1330 AM, LIVE CHAT)
It's the second SuperClasico of 2012 when the LA Galaxy meet Chivas USA at The Home Depor Center on Saturday evening. The Galaxy return home off an unbeaten three-game road swing, concluding with a 2-2 draw in Vancouver. Chivas USA returned to action at midweek with a 1-0 home win vs. Portland. Chivas ended a six-game losing streak against their fellow denizens of The Home Depot Center in May with a 1-0 victory.
REFEREE: Jorge Gonzalez. SAR (bench): Fabio Tovar; JAR (opposite): Mike Kampmeinert; 4th: Mark Declouet
MLS Career: 82 games; FC/gm: 24.7; Y/gm: 3.3; R: 24; pens: 23
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INJURY REPORT:
- LA GALAXY -- OUT: DF Andrew Boyens (L sports hernia surgery); FW Edson Buddle (R knee surgery); MF Dan Keat (R knee surgery); DF Leonardo (R knee inflammation); QUESTIONABLE: DF Omar Gonzalez (L knee surgery); MF Mike Magee (R shin hematoma); MF Kyle Nakazawa (back spasms); FW Pat Noonan (R quad strain)
- CHIVAS USA -- OUT: MF Marvin Iraheta (L knee ACL); MF Oswaldo Minda (L shoulder); DOUBTFUL: FW Juan Agudelo (L knee)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: LA: Landon Donovan, David Junior Lopes
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: none
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (23 meetings): Galaxy 14 wins, 34 goals ... Chivas USA 4 wins, 19 goals ... Ties 5
AS GALAXY HOME GAME (12 meetings): Galaxy 8 wins, 22 goals ... Chivas USA 2 wins, 10 goals ... Ties 2
FUTURE MATCH: 8/12: Chivas USA vs. LA Galaxy, 8 p.m. PT (ESPN2/Deportes)
- A Jose Erick Correa penalty kick was the difference as Chivas USA defeated the LA Galaxy 1-0 on May 19, snapping a six-game losing streak against their neighbors at The Home Depot Center .
- The win snapped an 11-game winless run in SuperClasicos, their first victory against the Galaxy since Aug. 23, 2007.
- Over the past three-plus years (eight games in league play), Chivas has scored twos goal vs. LA.
- With the trade of David Junior Lopes from Chivas USA to the Galaxy for Paolo Cardozo, two more players have the opportunity to play on both sides of the SuperClasico. Nine players have played in games for both clubs in The Home Depot Center rivalry: Juan Pablo Angel (LA 2011; CHV 2011); Tristan Bowen (LA 2009-10; CHV 2011); Alecko Eskandarian (CHV 2008-09; LA 2009); Alan Gordon (LA 2004-10; CHV 2010-11); Ante Jazic (LA 2006-08; CHV 2009-11); Mike Munoz (CHV 2005; LA 2008); Paulo Nagamura (LA 2005-06; CHV 2007-11); Marcelo Saragosa (LA 2004-06; CHV 2009-10); Michael Umana (LA 2005; CHV 2010)
- Coaches record: Robin Fraser v LA: P3 W1 L2 D0 ... Bruce Arena vs. CHV: P10 W6 L3 D1
LAST MEETING (MLS)
5/19: CHV 1, LA 0 (Correa 70)
- The game's only goal came after the 70th minute, when a deflected cross fell perfectly for Jose Erick Correa, whose shot hit the outstretched arm of Galaxy defender David Junior Lopes, resulting in a penalty for Chivas and a straight red card for the defender for denying a goalscoring opportunity.
- Correa's first spot kick attempt was called back for encroachment, but the Colombian buried his second try for his second goal in two matches.
- CHIVAS USA (4-2-3-1): Dan Kennedy - James Riley, Rauwshan McKenzie, Danny Califf, Ante Jazic - Nick LaBrocca (Blair Gavin 90), Oswaldo Minda - Miller Bolanos (Jorge Villafana 60), Alejandro Moreno, Jose Correa - Juan Agudelo (Juan Pablo Angel 76).
- LA GALAXY (4-4-2): Brian Perk - Sean Franklin, David Junior Lopes (sent off 70), A.J. DeLaGarza, Todd Dunivant - Mike Magee (Chad Barrett 78), Marcelo Sarvas, Juninho, Kyle Nakazawa (David Beckham 74) - Pat Noonan (Edson Buddle 60), Landon Donovan.
LA GALAXY
The LA Galaxy made it three games in a row without loss, coming back for a late 2-2 draw with Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Wednesday evening at BC Place. The Galaxy are in fifth place in the Western Conference with 27 points from 21 games.
HIGHLIGHTS: LA snatch a point in Vancouver
LAST MATCH
- Whitecaps FC were in the lead after 18 minutes. Camilo won the ball in midfield, then slipped a pass through a defender's legs as he was knocked down. Gershon Koffie eventually wrong-footed his marker before hitting a low left-footed effort into the bottom right corner.
- Vancouver doubled the lead nine minutes later. Barry Robson got away from his marker before redirecting Lee Young-Pyo's cross into the top right corner past LA goalkeeper Josh Saunders.
- The Galaxy began their fightback in the 81st minute through David Beckham. Taking a pass laid back by Landon Donovan, Beckham's shot from outside the box took a deflection past goalkeeper Joe Cannon. WATCH
- LA hit for the equalizer six minutes later. Jose Villarreal took a pass and cut back in the top of the area before curling a shot inside the far post past Cannon. WATCH
- Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena made no changes to the team that rolled to a 5-3 win against the Portland Timbers at Jeld-Wen Field.
- LA GALAXY (4-4-2): Josh Saunders - Sean Franklin, David Junior Lopes, A.J. DeLaGarza, Todd Dunivant (Bryan Gaul 31) - Hector Jimenez (Jose Villarreal 71), Marcelo Sarvas, David Beckham, Michael Stephens (Juninho 57) - Landon Donovan, Robbie Keane.
TEAM NEWS
Galaxy preview SuperClasico
- The Galaxy remained unbeaten on their road swing, taking seven of a possible nine points, after victories in Chicago and Portland. After the SuperClasico, the Galaxy hit the road for four consecutive matches.
- "Let's face it, I think we can say we stole a point here because we took a lot of risks in the second half to try to get a goal and then certainly trailing in the last 10 minutes we really opened ourselves up," said Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena. "We are fortunate not to concede a goal there."
- READ: Galaxy's Arena: "We stole a point" in Vancouver comeback
- The Galaxy have hit for multiple goals in six of their last seven games, having scored 17 goals in the seven games since June 20.
- "Two very good goals and [goalkeeper] Josh [Saunders] can't be at fault for those. I think at the end of the game he had to make some big saves and he did," Arena said. "He made three very good saves and positioned our team to get a point. It was a big game for Josh to come through at the end and contribute."
- READ: Josh Saunders shines late in draw with Vancouver
- After making his full professional debut at the weekend, Jose Villarreal scored his first professional goal for the late equalizer.
- "We've seen a lot of that in training. He's a young kid and he was put in the game to get a goal. He's a good finisher; he's a kid with a lot of confidence and he struck the ball beautifully," Arena said.
- Villarreal is the second-youngest player to score a goal in Galaxy history, behind fellow Home Grown Player Jack McBean.
- READ: LA's Villarreal sounds his arrival in MLS with late stunner
- "I was happy I finally got to get on the field. I got the chance and I'm happy I got the goal for the team to tie it up and I'm happy with the result," Villarreal said. " ...You see the ball and I immediately cut it to my left foot and bent it in far post. I just had to hit it. I don't have any words to describe it. I was very happy and I just want to keep going."
- David Beckham has four goals in his last three games, the first time in his MLS career he's scored in consecutive games. Each one of Beckham's goals have come from outside the penalty area this season.
- READ: Beckham trademark bender wins AT&T Goal of the Week
- "I think two months ago we wouldn't have been able to come back from a two-goal deficit," Beckham said. "But we've got character over the last couple of months and back into our team. They obviously had a lot of play in the first half and they played well, but we were able to capitalize on the hard work that we put in towards the end of the game."
CHIVAS USA
Chivas USA extended their undefeated and scoreless streaks, defeating the Portland Timbers 1-0 on Wednesday afternoon at The Home Depot Center. Chivas USA are in sixth place in the Western Conference with 23 points from 18 games.
HIGHLIGHTS: Chivas deepen Portland's misery
LAST MATCH
- The game's only goal came in the 16th minute. Timbers goalkeeper Troy Perkins got his hands to a shot from Ryan Smith on the right of the area, but Miller Bolanos was quickest on the back side to drive the rebound into the goal.
- Chivas USA head coach Robin Fraser made five changes to the team that played to a scoreless draw with Vancouver Whitecaps FC at The Home Depot Center. John Valencia and Ante Jazic came into the back four for Rauwshan McKenzie and Jorge Villafana, and Miller Bolanos, Ryan Smith and Alejandro Moreno replaced Laurent Courtois, Jose Correa and Juan Pablo Angel.
- CHIVAS USA (4-2-3-1): Dan Kennedy - James Riley, John Valencia, Danny Califf, Ante Jazic - Nick LaBrocca, Ben Zemanski - Miller Bolanos (Jorge Villafana 62), Paolo Cardozo (Peter Vagenas 75), Ryan Smith - Alejandro Moreno (Juan Pablo Angel 56).
TEAM NEWS
Goats preview second SuperClasico
- Chivas extended their current unbeaten streak to four games, matching their longest of the season, and have lost just once in nine games since May 13.
- "We did a good job of managing the tempo of the game. At times we possessed well and when we found moments to be dangerous, if not dangerous, we were pretty close to being dangerous. It was good to see us play with that sort of rhythm," said Chivas head coach Robin Fraser. "In the second half we definitely weren't as good with the ball and weren't as forward thinking as we were in the first half and as a result we ended up defending a lot more."
- Chivas extended their shutout streak to 320 minutes, the ninth-longest in MLS this season. "We needed to win this game -- it was a big game for us. I actually thought it could've been two or three nothing, we're happy. ... Shutouts are a good thing," said goalkeeper Dan Kennedy.
- Ryan Smith made his first start since May 26, having returned following a two-match absence with a halftime appearance in the Vancouver match.
- "Sometimes we play such great stuff at home and we don't get rewarded for it and today, in the first half in particular, we played very well, we attacked very well," said Smith. " ... We've struggled to score goals this year but I managed to pull off a good move and Miller [Bolanos] got to the ball at the end of the save and scored, it was great."
- Bolanos scored his first goal in MLS, returning to the lineup after a five-match absence due to a hamstring injury.
- "Ryan was certainly effective and dangerous a number of times. He hasn't played a lot of minutes recently since the concussion in the reserve game, so getting him back to match fitness is certainly a work in progress," said Fraser. "We knew that going in with himself and with Miller [Bolanos] , guys who haven't played a lot of minutes lately. But we felt like they were guys that were going to be dangerous for us and fortunately it worked out."
- John Valencia made his first appearance since May 26, when he was removed after 66 minutes in the draw with Seattle.
- Chivas USA are looking to put together back-to-back wins for the first time since the final two SuperClasico meetings in the 2007 season.
- "[The Galaxy] has very good attacking players, no two ways about it," said Fraser. "The goal is to deal with them and deal with them collectively as we have attempted to deal with everyone. If we work together and smart, hopefully we will limit their chances and we will do some things on the attacking end of the field in that game."
