CHIVAS USA vs. MONTREAL IMPACT
STUBHUB CENTER, Carson, Calif.
July 5, 2014 (WEEK 17, MLS Game #156) 7:30 p.m. PT (TWCD-LA; TVA)
Riding their first winning streak in more than a year, Chivas USA return home to take on the MontrÈal Impact in an interconference clash on Saturday evening at StubHub Center. Chivas made it two wins on the trot at midweek, getting the gameís lone goal for a victory at the San Jose Earthquakes. The Impact put an end to a brief winless streak in their last outing, a 3-0 win against the Houston Dynamo last weekend at Stade Saputo.
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REFEREE: Juan Guzman. AR1 (bench): Ian Anderson; AR2 (opposite): Mike Kampmeinert; 4th: Kevin Stott
Guzman's MLS Career: 43 games; FC/gm: 25.4; Y/gm: 3.5; R: 15; pens: 11
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: CHV: Bobby Burling, Donny Toia
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: CHV: Marky Delgado, Tony Lochhead, Mauro Rosales, Erick Torres ... MTL: Matteo Ferrari, Hernan Bernardello, Karl Ouimette
DISABLED LIST: CHV: Thomas McNamara
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (2 meetings): Chivas USA 1 win, 3 goals ... Impact 0 wins, 2 goals ... Ties 1
AT CHIVAS USA (1 meeting): Chivas USA 1 win, 2 goals ... Impact 0 wins, 1 goal ... Ties 0
LAST YEAR (MLS)
7/7: MTL 1, CHV 1 (Bernier 80; Avila 55)
- This is the only league meeting between the teams this season.
- Chivas USA have never lost to the Impact. Chivas USA won the only meeting between the teams in Carson, a 2-1 victory in 2012; the teams reached a 1-1 draw last July 7 at Stade Saputo in the only meeting.
- Coaches record: Wilmer Cabrera vs. MTL: first game ... Frank Klopas vs. CHV: P4 W2 L1 D1
CHIVAS USA
Chivas USA put together back-to-back wins for the first time this season, again getting the gameís only goal for a victory against the San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday evening at Buck Shaw Stadium. Chivas USA sit in ninth place in the Western Conference with 17 points from 16 games.
LAST MATCH
- The game's lone goal came in the 53rd minute. A cross from Mauro Rosales from the right side glanced off the heads of two Quakes defenders and fell to Erick Torres at the far post, and the Mexican forward slotted it home to give Chivas USA a lead they would not relinquish.
- The best chance for the Earthquakes came in the 81st minute when Ty Hardenís header forced Chivas USA goalkeeper Dan Kennedy to make a diving save, one of his three stops recorded on the evening.
- Chivas USA head coach Wilmer Cabrera made three changes to the team that defeated Real Salt Lake 1-0 at StubHub Center. Oswaldo Minda and Marky Delgado came into the midfield for Martin Rivero and Agustin Pelletieri, and Ryan Finley started up top in place of Leandro Barrera.
- CHIVAS USA (4-4-2): Dan Kennedy - Donny Toia, Bobby Burling, Carlos Bocanegra, Tony Lochhead - Mauro Rosales (Andrew Jean-Baptiste 79), Oswaldo Minda, Marky Delgado, Eric Avila (Nathan Sturgis 68) - Ryan Finley (Leandro Barrera 71), Erick Torres.
TEAM NEWS
- Chivas USA have put together consecutive wins for the first time this season and the first time since defeating Chicago and Vancouver in back-to-back weekends March 24-30, 2013.
- Chivas USA have also recorded their first two shutouts of the season, the first time theyíve recorded consecutive clean sheet since collecting three shutouts in a row June 23-July 18, 2012.
- "I believe the guys came in with a good mentality," Chivas head coach Wilmer Cabrera said. "We had the possibilities not only to create chances, but to score. It was a solid performance in the back starting with our goalkeeper, the back four and guys in the middle."
- Erick Torres scored his 11th goal of the season, now tied for second in the MLS Golden Boot standings along with Sporting KC's Dom Dwyer, one goal behind New York's Bradley Wright-Phillips. Torres has scored goals in three consecutive games; he has netted 11 of Chivas USA's 16 goals this season.
- "He is top class, he doesn't get too many options in the game, but with one or two it's good enough," said Cabrera about Torres. "Obviously it's a rewarding situation for him and rewarding for the whole team, because everybody works hard and we all know that he is going to be helping us in that area. It's a team effort and at the end obviously someone has to put the ball in the net, and he has done it very well."
- Said Torres: "Last week, I broke a record; I made history here ... in MLS. I feel very happy, very content. I had yet another opportunity to score and I hope I can continue like this in order to please the fans and give the team results."
- Following his return to Chivas USA after playing for Ecuador in the FIFA World Cup, Oswaldo Minda returned to a central midfield role, in place of Agustin Pelletieri.
- "Minda showed why he is a World Cup player and came in with a good personality and good work. He had a good game and he finished tired because it's not easy after the World Cup traveling, but he played very well and we donít have any kind of complaints about the players. When everyone plays well it's always rewarding," Cabrera said.
- After he was involved in an early tackle that saw RSL player Luke Mulholland sent off the week before, Martin Rivero was also dropped from the team in favor of Marky Delgado.
MONTREAL IMPACT
The Montreal Impact put an end to their winless run after two matches, strolling to a 3-0 win against the Houston Dynamo on Sunday evening at Stade Saputo. The Impact are in a tie for ninth place in the Eastern Conference with 14 points from 14 games.
LAST MATCH
- The opener came in the 42nd minute. Pushing forward down the left, fullback Eric Miller curled a perfect cross to Jack McInerney, who had ghosted in unmarked in the box, and his header easily found the back of the net.
- McInerney added a splendid second goal in the 75th minute. Justin Mapp crossed the ball from the right flank in the general direction of McInerney, who -- with his back to goal -- swung his foot at the ball and sent a looping ball over Dynamo goalkeeper Tally Hall into the opposite top corner.
- Marco Di Vaio added the Impact's third goal four minutes later, tapping in from inside the six-yard box after Hall could only parry Andres Romero's close-range attempt into the striker's path.
- Impact head coach Frank Klopas made two changes to the team that played to a scoreless draw with Vancouver Whitecaps FC at BC Place. Eric Miller came in at left back for Karl Ouimette, and Felipe Martins returned to the side in place of Issey Nakajima-Farran.
- MONTREAL IMPACT (4-2-3-1): Troy Perkins - Hassoun Camara, Heath Pearce, Matteo Ferrari, Eric Miller - Gorka Larrea (Marco Di Vaio 46), Patrice Bernier - Andres Romero, Felipe Martins, Maxim Tissot (Justin Mapp 60) - Jack McInerney (Calum Mallace 86).
TEAM NEWS
- It was a third win of the season for the Impact -- all at Stade Saputo. They are the only team in MLS without a road victory.
- "A lot of credit to my players," said Impact head coach Frank Klopas. "The attitude was very good and I think we not only scored the three goals, but I thought we created even more chances. It was also important for us not to give anything away, get the clean sheet and build from this after another good performance."
- Jack McInerney scored a pair of goals in a game for the third time in his MLS career. He has scored five goals in the last six games for the Impact and now has seven goals for the season, coming to MontrÈal in an early-season trade from Philadelphia.
- "He made some great runs," Klopas said. "We didn't see him in the first half early because he was looking to get behind, and I think there were moments where we should have looked to play a little more direct, because his movement is very good. He wants to score. That's a striker. He might not do anything, he might not be involved in the build-up or this or that, but then - boom - one opportunity, and ..."
- Added Marco Di Vaio "[McInerney] is hot right now. Everything he touches goes in. I'm happy for him, because heís a good guy who worked well. We need a striker like him, who scored good goals and helped the team."
- Justin Mapp returned to the Impact after a two-match absence in league play, and recorded his fifth assist of the season, his first since May 17.
- Marco Di Vaio also started a game for the first time since May 31, and scored his second goal of the season, his first coming on March 29.
- Making his first start since April 19, Eric Miller contributed his first career assist in MLS, setting up the opening Impact goal.
- "It feels good to score, but all the players had to step up today, we had to get the three points," said McInerney. "I was fortunate to be on the scoring end, but our defense held them to zero and our midfield did a good job getting us the ball."
- The Impact have agreed to terms with Argentinean attacking midfielder Ignacio Piatti, also a Designated Player. Piatti will not join the Impact until after his current club, San Lorenzo, is eliminated from the CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores. Since joining San Lorenzo in August 2012, the 29-year-old Piatti has scored 12 goals in 53 matches.
- "We've said since last year that we wanted an offensive midfielder, and we are adding a very good player, at the prime of his career, who was a catalyst for San Lorenzo in their last championship and their run in Champions League," Impact sporting director Nick De Santis said. "He's very motivated to play in MLS and to be in Montreal."
