CARSON, Calif. – Chivas USA broke a seven-game losing streak, but conceded late in a 1-1 draw with the New England Revolution on Saturday night in the StubHub Center.
Juan Agudelo missed the match against his former club with a right knee sprain picked up in midweek US Open Cup duty.
The result extends the Goats' winless streak to 11 matches, dating back to March 30. Barely a minute into the match, Chivas USA showed their intent when Gabriel Farfan lashed narrowly wide from outside the box.
The opening goal came in the 18th minute. Bobby Shuttleworth punched the ball to the top of the box, where Jorge Villafaña won a header. Tristan Bowen scooted the ball to the side, allowing Laurent Courtois to smash a volley from outside the box that clipped Chris Tierney as it whistled in.
Minutes later, Lee Nguyen hit a long free kick that clipped the crossbar.
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New England's next best chance in the first half came when Diego Fagundez knocked a Tierney cross into the outside netting from a tight angle.
Bowen and Courtois combined 10 minutes before the break for another decent look. Courtois danced to and fro in front of José Gonçalves before whipping a low, deflected cross into the box. With his back to goal, Bowen controlled and spun, but his shot whistled wide.
Jerry Bengtson was making his first start since May 25. He popped up on the end of a through ball by Nguyen shortly before the hour mark. His attempted nutmeg clipped one of Dan Kennedy's legs and went out for a corner. A few minutes later, those two combined to beat Kennedy, but Bengtson was offside by the time Nguyen released the ball.
OPTA Chalkboard: Chivas attempt to bunker and ride out the win, but can't hold on
Although Chivas managed to get up the field at times in the second half, they never sustained possession and New England pressed for a goal as the game wore on. Revolution coach Jay Heaps opted to bring on Scott Caldwell, Juan Toja, and Chad Barrett late in the game to give his team more bite on the attack, and they dominated in possession.
Those adjustments worked in the 88th minute, as the Revs found an equalizer. Fagundez pumped a cross that Kennedy misjudged, and Barrett tucked home at the far post.
The Revs are winless in three and remain outside the playoff spots in the Eastern Conference, in sixth with 21 points.
Despite snapping the seven-game losing run, Chivas remain bottom of the West, with 12 points.
MLSsoccer.com Men of the Match
Rank |
Player |
What We Saw |
1 |
<a href="//www.mlssoccer.com/players/chris-tierney"><span style="font-size: 12px;">Chris Tierney</span></a> |
Played a terrific two-way game, with good defending on his side and solid set piece service all night |
2 |
<a href="//www.mlssoccer.com/node/158523"><span style="font-size: 12px;">Laurent Courtois</span></a> |
The veteran took advantage of the start, as he was dangerous throughout the first half and notched a nice goal |
3 |
<a href="//www.mlssoccer.com/players/kelyn-rowe"><span style="font-size: 12px;">Kelyn Rowe</span></a> |
He should have been more assertive in scoring positions, as he was a frequent danger for Chivas' defense |
