Chivas USA vs. New England Revolution | MLS Match Preview

MLSsoccer staff

CHIVAS USA vs NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION
STUBHUB CENTER, Carson, Calif.
June 29, 2013 (WEEK 18, MLS Game #158) 7:30 p.m. PT (CSN-NE)

Chivas USA will be looking to snap a long losing skid when they entertain the New England Revolution on Saturday evening at StubHub Center. Chivas saw its run extended to a club-record seven consecutive losses last weekend in a 1-0 loss to the LA Galaxy in Carson. The Revolution return to league play after their five-game undefeated streak was snapped in a 4-3 loss at Vancouver Whitecaps FC, also bounced out of the US Open Cup at midweek.

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REFEREE: Fotis Bazakos. AR1 (bench): Jeff Hosking; AR2 (opposite): Colin Arblaster; 4th: Baldomero Toledo
MLS Career: 16 games; FC/gm: 25.1; Y/gm: 2.8; R: 1; pens: 3

DISABLED LIST: NE: Kevin Alston
SUSPENDED: NE: Andrew Farrell (through June 30)
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: CHV: Tristan Bowen
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: CHV: Mario de Luna, Joaquin Velazquez, Bobby Burling … NE: Juan Toja, Kelyn Rowe
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: CHV: Julio Morales (Mexico U-20), Steve Purdy (El Salvador)

HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (15 meetings): Chivas USA 7 wins, 24 goals … Revolution 5 wins, 19 goals … Ties 3
AT CARSON (12 meetings): Chivas USA 5 wins, 12 goals … Revolution 1 win, 3 goals … Ties 1

LAST YEAR (MLS)
8/29: NE 3, CHV 3 (Sene 4, 21; own goal 11 – Joseph 23, 46+; Bolanos 47)

The teams are meeting for the only time this season in league play.
Chivas USA have a six-game undefeated streak alive vs. the Revolution. The teams played to a 3-3 draw in their only meeting last season, Aug. 29 at Gillette Stadium; that snapped a five-game Chivas winning streak in the series.
The Revolution have not scored on their last three trips to Carson to face Chivas USA. The Revolution’s last win came July 19, 2009 in Foxborough; their only win in Carson came in 2008.
Coaches record: José Luis Real vs. NE: first game … Jay Heaps vs. CHV: P1 W0 L0 D1

CHIVAS USA
Chivas USA saw their league winless streak extended to seven games, falling 1-0 to the LA Galaxy in the second SuperClásico of the season at StubHub Center. Chivas USA sit in ninth place in the Western Conference with 11 points from 15 matches.

LAST MATCH

The game's lone goal arrived in the 44th minute. Landon Donovan delivered a free kick into the box from out on the right and Gyasi Zardes finished off the set piece with a perfectly-placed header that glanced off the post and into the back of the net.
Galaxy goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini was called upon to make just one save on the evening, turning away a Jose Manuel Rivera volley with a diving stop in the 29th minute.
Chivas USA head coach José Luis Real made one change to the team that dropped a 3-1 decision to Vancouver Whitecaps FC at BC Place. Josue Soto came into the team in place of Jorge Villafana.
CHIVAS USA (4-1-3-1-1): Dan Kennedy - Carlos Borja, Walter Vilchez, Mario de Luna, Josue Soto - Oswaldo Minda (Jorge Villafana 41) - Tristan Bowen, Carlos Alvarez, Gabriel Farfan - Jose Rivera (Laurent Courtois 60) - Jose Correa (Marky Delgado 46).

TEAM NEWS

Chivas USA matched their club record when their losing streak was extended to seven games in the defeat by the LA Galaxy. Their overall league winless run stretched to 10 games, second-longest in Chivas club history.
“I have been working with the team for two weeks and I believe that there is a difference between starting a season from the beginning and entering once the season has started and I have no doubt that I am here to contribute,” said Chivas head coach José Luis Real. “This is a team that is better than what the results show.” Said midfielder Josue Soto: “There’s a clearer idea now and we’ve been working a lot on defense in training. This wasn't a result we wanted, but we’re getting better.”
After conceding multiple goals in seven consecutive league games, allowing 20 goals in that span, Chivas allowed just a single goal to the Galaxy. They are the only team not to recorded a defensive shutout this season.
“Of course there’s always room for [moral victories], but continuing to lose, we’re not accepting it and it can’t become a habit,” said Tristan Bowen. “We’ve just got to keep grinding. The guys are full of fight and we’re not giving up. It’s just not there right now.”
Chivas USA were shut out at the attacking end for the eighth time this season. It was their seventh shutout in league play since April 13; Chivas has scored just four goals in those 10 games.
“We need to score goals. Today we played as a team and it is something we were missing in the past games,” said midfielder Jose Manuel Rivera. “Unfortunately, we lost 1-0 but we are improving. It takes time to adjust with all the movements going on within the team, yet we managed to stay unified and work hard.”
The game with the Revolution is the last at StubHub Center before a three-game road trip to FC Dallas, Montreal and Philadelphia. Chivas is 1-5-1 in away matches this season.
Marky Delgado was given his longest shift of the season, coming on at halftime for Jose Correa in attack.
For a second match with José Luis Real in charge, Tristan Bowen started wide on the right of midfield with Correa as the spearhead in attack.
“I’m playing my position, finally,” said. “This season, when I’ve been put in the wing, I’ve done well and scored goals. The new coach [José Luis Real] put a lot of confidence in me and knows what I can do on the side. Chelís saw me as a forward, so he had an idea of how he wanted to play. As a player, I just want to play wherever the team needs me. I was out of position for most of this year and the one time Chelís put me on the wing against San Jose, I scored a goal and did well.”
There was an injury concern after Oswaldo Minda was forced off before halftime with was diagnosed as a left adductor strain, which will put him out of action indefinitely.
“It’s always tough when you lose a guy to injury in the first half because you have to adjust the game plan,” goalkeeper Dan Kennedy said. “Gabriel [Farfan] came on at midfield and did a tremendous job. He’s a very versatile player. I thought we adjusted just fine, but you hate losing guys to injuries.”

READ: Chivas USA have the greenest roster in MLS - is this why their struggling so much?

NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION
The New England Revolution return to action after an off weekend, their five-game undefeated run coming to an end last time out in a wild 4-3 loss to Vancouver Whitecaps FC at BC Place. The Revolution are in a tie for sixth place in the Eastern Conference with 20 points from 15 matches.

LAST MATCH

The Revolution were up by two goals by the 20th minute. Juan Agudelo latched onto a long ball from defender Chris Tierney before finishing in the 10th minute, then Kelyn Rowe finished off a nice passing movement in the area 10 minutes later.
But the match turned in the 23rd minute. Running onto a ball over the top, Revolution fullback Andrew Farrell clipped Kenny Miller in the box and was sent off by Juan Guzman, and Camilo promptly converted the ensuing penalty kick.
Whitecaps FC then pulled level in the 39th minute when Miller chipped over Stephen McCarthy’s head and ran through alone to score a left-footed effort into the bottom right corner. Jordan Harvey fired the Whitecaps into the lead four minutes later, getting on the end of a cross from Russell Teibert.
Miller hit for his second of the night in the 68th minute, firing into the top right corner on the half volley after receiving a ball from Camilo to make it 4-2 for Vancouver.
The Revs closed the gap in the 84th minute, after Dimitry Imbongo ran at Whitecaps defender Carlyle Mitchell and skipped past him before blasting into the left side of the goal. Whitecaps FC goalkeeper Brad Knighton made a fingertip save on a free kick from midfielder Lee Nguyen in the 95th minute to preserve the win.
Revolution head coach Jay Heaps made one change to the team that reached a scoreless draw with D.C. United at Gillette Stadium. Kelyn Rowe came into the side in place of Juan Toja.
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION (4-1-4-1): Bobby Shuttleworth - Andrew Farrell (sent off 23), Stephen McCarthy, Jose Goncalves, Chris Tierney - Scott Caldwell - Saer Sene (Darrius Barnes 29), Kelyn Rowe, Lee Nguyen, Diego Fagundez (Dimitry Imbongo 68) - Juan Agudelo (Ryan Guy 74).

READ: Vote: Darlington Nagbe vs. Juan Toja - two golazos in US Open Cup play | THE SIDELINE
TEAM NEWS

The Revolution had their five-game unbeaten streak put to an end in the loss at Vancouver, with three wins and two draws over that time.
“Sometimes game plans get disrupted and really, I’m a little disappointed by – after the red card – our reaction,” Revolution head coach Jay Heaps said. “(In) the next (few) minutes, we gave them another goal. We really wish we had solidified things and played a little better in that time, a little more alert, a little more veteran-like in those few minutes. Unfortunately, we’re a younger team and we got rattled a bit.”
It was the second time this season the Revolution had allowed four goals in a game, the first coming May 19 in a 4-1 loss to the New York Red Bulls. In the eight league games in between, the Revs conceded just three goals total.
The Revolution also saw their shutout streak come to an end after 420 minutes, after four consecutive clean sheets in league play. It was the second-longest such streak in MLS this season, after Sporting KC’s 546 minutes without allowing a goal.
“It was nice for us to get the clean sheets,” goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth said. “Every time we go out we’re looking to get clean sheets and everybody has been really good this year; we’ve minimized giving away chances and hopefully after this game we can go on another streak and get more shutouts.”
After four league games out of the starting lineup, coming off the substitutes’ bench in three in a row, Kelyn Rowe returned to the first XI and scored his second goal of the season. Rowe had scored two goals for a second consecutive U.S. Open Cup game three days earlier against New York.
“I hope, as games go on, I see more time,” Rowe said. “As long as I keep playing – like I said, every practice and every game, every time I step on this field – it's about proving myself.”
Making his 14th start of the season, Andrew Farrell was sent off after just 23 minutes. The Chivas USA match he will miss through suspension will be just his second time out of the first XI in league play.
“You’ve got to learn. It’s something we haven’t had happened to us yet this season, we haven’t gone down a man,” said Farrell. “So, as me as a rookie, it’s my first year so it’s my first card. It was really weird. I haven’t really gotten red cards before. It’s always tough and you feel like you let your team down.”
Darrius Barnes came off the substitutes’ bench for his first league appearance since May 18 and just his third this season. Saer Sene had to make way when the Revolution went down a man.
“Any time someone gets a red card people have to move around,” Shuttleworth said. “Darrius (Barnes) came into the game and pieces (were) moving. It’s up to us to slow the game down there and try to get into halftime without conceding and we weren’t able to do that.”
On Wednesday, the Revolution were dumped out of the U.S. Open Cup following a 3-1 loss to D.C. United in a quarterfinal at the Maryland SoccerPlex. Chris Pontius gave D.C. a first-half lead, then after Juan Toja leveled terms for the Revs, Dwayne De Rosario and Lionard Pajoy netted goals to send United through.
Here’s the Revolution team: Matt Reis, Andrew Farrell, Darrius Barnes, A.J. Soares, Jose Goncalves, Andy Dorman (Kelyn Rowe 61), Chad Barrett (Lee Nguyen 80), Juan Toja, Scott Caldwell, Diego Fagundez (Juan Agudelo 76), Dimitry Imbongo.