Colorado Rapids vs. Chivas USA | MLS Match Preview

COLORADO RAPIDS vs CHIVAS USA
DICK’S SPORTING GOODS PARK, Commerce City, Colo.
July 25, 2014 (WEEK 20, MLS Game #183) 7:30 p.m. MT (Altitude; TWCD)

The Colorado Rapids and Chivas USA meet for the second time this season when the clubs face off in a crucial Western Conference matchup on Friday evening at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. The teams come into the game separated by just four points in the division, and both off losses last weekend, the Rapids falling 2-1 at Portland, while Chivas fell 3-1 at D.C. United. When the teams met in May in Commerce City, Chivas USA stormed back with three second-half goals for a 3-1 win, their first victory against the Rapids in five years.

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REFEREE: Jair Marrufo. AR1 (bench): Eric Boria; AR2 (opposite): Felisha Mariscal; 4th: Allen Chapman
MLS Career: 167 games; FC/gm: 23.5; Y/gm: 2.9; R: 33; pens: 49

SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: CHV: Bobby Burling, Marky Delgado
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: COL: Carlos Alvarez … CHV: Tony Lochhead, Mauro Rosales, Donny Toia, Erick Torres
DISABLED LIST: CHV: Thomas McNamara
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none

HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (26 meetings): Rapids 13 wins, 44 goals … Chivas USA 6 wins, 29 goals … Ties 7
AT COLORADO (13 meetings): Rapids 5 wins, 26 goals … Chivas USA 2 wins, 15 goals … Ties 6
FUTURE MATCH: 10/11: Chivas USA vs. Colorado Rapids, 7:30 p.m. PT
2014 (MLS):
5/11: COL 1, CHV 3 (Brown 92+ -- Torres 56; Chavez 67, 76)

• The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Marvín Chávez scored twice and Erick Torres also netted as Chivas USA roared back for a 3-1 victory May 11 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.
• The victory ended an 11-game Chivas USA winless streak vs. Colorado, their first win since March 21, 2009, going 0-8-3 in between. It also ended a six-game winless streak in Commerce City.
• The Rapids have taken points from each of their last five visits to take on Chivas in Carson (4-0-1), over the past four seasons.
• Coaches record: Pablo Mastroeni vs. CHV: P1 W0 L1 T0 … Wilmer Cabrera vs. COL: P1 W1 L0 T0

LAST MEETING

• Chivas USA opened the scoring on their first chance of the match in the 56th minute. A cross from midfielder Martin Rivero – making his first start for Chivas after his midweek acquisition from Colorado - found a wide open Erick Torres for an easy header into goal.
• Eleven minutes later, the lead was doubled when Chavez sprinted down the heart of the field, taking advantage of a gaffe in the Colorado back line to race 70 yards and chip over Rapids goalkeeper Clint Irwin from the top of the box.
• Then nine minutes later it was 3-0, after defender Marc Burch misplayed a back pass to Irwin and Chavez was quickest to it to fire home for his second goal of the game.
• The Rapids pulled a goal back in stoppage time when Deshorn Brown curled home a shot from the left side of the box from a loose ball, but it was far too little, too late.
• COLORADO RAPIDS (4-4-2): Clint Irwin - Thomas Piermayr (Christopher Klute 64), Marvell Wynne, Shane O'Neill, Marc Burch - Marlon Hairston (Charles Eloundou 59), Jose Mari, Nick LaBrocca, Dillon Serna - Danny Mwanga (Dillon Powers 74), Deshorn Brown
• CHIVAS USA (4-2-3-1): Dan Kennedy - Eric Avila, Bobby Burling, Carlos Bocanegra, Donny Toia - Oswaldo Minda, Agustin Pelletieri (Marvin Chavez 57) - Marky Delgado, Martin Rivero, Leandro Barrera (Mauro Rosales 77) - Erick Torres (Ryan Finley 81).

COLORADO RAPIDS
The Colorado Rapids has their modest undefeated streak put to an end after three games, falling 2-1 to the Portland Timbers on Friday evening at Providence Park. The Rapids are in a tie for fourth place in the Western Conference with 27 points from 19 games.

LAST MATCH

• The Rapids took the lead in the 16th minute. From a corner kick, a Drew Moor header was first saved by Portland goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts. A rebound was driven right back into the hands of the ‘keeper, but not secured and eventually bundled over the line by Deshorn Brown despite a last-ditch clearance attempt.
• The Timbers pulled level in the 72nd minute through substitute Maximiliano Urruri. Capping off a beautiful team move, Jack Jewsbury was played in down the right by Will Johnson and sent in a cross for a charging Urruti to chip in at the near post.
• Then, five minutes later, Diego Chara set up Diego Valeri in space from approximately 30 yards out for a fading blast that a diving Clint Irwin in the Colorado goal had no chance at saving.
• Rapids head coach Pablo Mastroeni made four changes to the team that came back for a late 3-3 draw with Philadelphia Union at PPL Park. Thomas Piermayr and Christopher Klute came into the back four for Marc Burch and the suspended Shane O'Neill, and Marlon Hairston and Carlos Alvarez came into the midfield in place of Nick LaBrocca and Kamani Hill.
• COLORADO RAPIDS (4-2-3-1): Clint Irwin - Thomas Piermayr, Marvell Wynne, Drew Moor, Christopher Klute - Jared Watts, Dillon Powers - Dillon Serna (Kamani Hill 83), Marlon Hairston (Gabriel Torres 65), Carlos Alvarez - Deshorn Brown (Danny Mwanga 24).

TEAM NEWS

• The Rapids saw their undefeated streak come to an end after a win and two draws. They did see their winless run away from Dick’s Sporting Goods Park extended to six games, since winning back-to-back matches against Vancouver and Toronto on April 5-12.
• “I think the guys went out and executed the game plan, got up ahead in a difficult place to play, controlled the flow for large portions of that game,” said Rapids head coach Pablo Mastroeni. “We lost to a good side, to a world-class strike. Nothing to be disappointed about. Some things we have to improve, but I say improve. Every game you have to improve whether you win or lose, right?”
• Rapids striker Deshorn Brown scored a goal for a second consecutive game, and now has seven goals for the season. But there was an injury concern when he was forced from the field with a right groin strain just minutes after netting his goal.
• “We came into this game limping. We had some suspensions. We were digging deep. More importantly, the guys that were on the field did a tremendous job of really getting after it and doing everything they could,” said Mastroeni. “When you’re forced to make quick changes, early changes in games, it obviously disrupts the flow. But having said that, we had chances ... [it] just wasn’t the night.”
• Carlos Alvarez made his first Rapids start, playing the full 90 minutes on the left side of midfield. Alvarez had made his Colorado debut the week before, following his trade from Chivas USA.
• Thomas Piermayr made his first league appearance since June 4, playing the full match at right back.
• Marlon Hairston also made his first start since June 4, coming into a central midfield role. His last start had been as a forward; he was making his fourth MLS start in a 10th consecutive league appearance.
• Said defender Drew Moor: “We’ve got some young guys in there. We’ve got some guys banged up in there, but if we put forth that effort and that attitude and just tighten things up a little bit more, we’re going to make the playoffs and we’re going to make a good run at it.”
• With Vicente Sanchez, Nick LaBrocca and Shane O’Neill all suspended, Dillon Powers assumed a deep-lying central midfield role alongside Jared Watts.
• “Growing up, that’s always been my role, so it wasn’t an incredible adjustment. It definitely asked for more defensively, but I think I was able to help out a lot on the defensive side of the ball,” Powers said.

CHIVAS USA
Chivas USA had their club record winning streak put to an end after four games, falling 3-1 to D.C. United on Sunday evening at RFK Stadium. Chivas USA sit in eighth place in the Western Conference with 23 points from 19 games.

LAST MATCH

• United were gifted the opener in the 25th minute. United's Chris Rolfe was awkwardly taken down by Oswaldo Minda at the top of the box, and referee Fotis Bazakos pointed to the spot without hesitation. Eddie Johnson smashed the ensuing penalty to goalkeeper Dan Kennedy’s right for the opener.
• In the 59th minute, United doubled their lead on a restart. Rolfe struck a bending ball into the area from 30 yards out which Johnson coolly nodded into the path of an onrushing Perry Kitchen, who laced his effort low and toward the near post, leaving Kennedy no chance.
• Eleven minutes later it was 3-0 to United. Fullback Chris Korb played in Luis Silva on the left side of the box, and he opened himself up before putting a curling effort struck across the face of goal and into the far side netting to finish off a 14-pass movement.
• Chivas USA pulled a goal back six minutes from time after United center back Steve Birnbaum brought down midfielder Mauro Rosales in the box. Erick Torres calmly converted the ensuing penalty, his sixth consecutive game with a goal, but that was the last stand for the visitors.
• Chivas USA head coach Wilmer Cabrera made one change to the team that came back for a 3-1 win against Vancouver Whitecaps FC at BC Place. Marky Delgado came into the team in place of Eric Avila.
• CHIVAS USA (4-4-2): Dan Kennedy - Donny Toia, Eriq Zavaleta, Carlos Bocanegra, Tony Lochhead - Mauro Rosales, Agustin Pelletieri (Leandro Barrera 71), Oswaldo Minda (Nathan Sturgis 46), Marky Delgado - Erick Torres, Marvin Chavez (Akira Kaji 80).

TEAM NEWS

• Chivas USA had their winning streak ended at four games in the defeat, which tied the club record set Sept. 20-Oct. 11, 2008.
• “We weren’t sharp, we didn’t look good with the ball, we didn’t look aggressive enough and they took advantage with the set pieces. When you keep those possibilities, you notice that the team struggled a little bit with the dynamic then,” said Chivas USA head coach Wilmer Cabrera.
• Chivas USA also had their road undefeated streak put to an end after five games, one game shy of the club record set over the end of the 2007 season and the start of 2008.
• “We can’t let this one affect us too much. We won four in a row and unbeaten in five, and it had to end at some point. So, it’s OK, we know we didn’t play well,” said defender Carlos Bocanegra. “If we had played very well and they were better than us and beat us then I think we would have been really disappointed, but unfortunately we had a little bit of an off night and they had a good one.”
• Erick Torres scored a goal for a sixth consecutive match, converting the late penalty. The MLS record for goals in consecutive games is seven, The MLS record is seven consecutive games with a goal, achieved three times previously by Raúl Diaz Arce (1997), Wolde Harris (2000) and Carlos Ruiz (2006).
• “We have to be ready to play 90 against any team in MLS and that’s why we have to think that for [Erick Torres] it’s going to be good,” said Cabrera. “He’s young, he has a habit of scoring goals. It is important, now we have to make sure that the whole team continues with the good mentality.”
• Akira Kaji made his MLS and Chivas USA debut, coming on for the final 10 minutes in a forward role.
• “We tried to put some fresh legs in the second half, but it was a little bit too late because it was 3-0 at the 70th minute,” said Cabrera. “We have to think that we have to rest, we have to come back home and then we have to travel again, so now we have to learn our lesson and we see we can bring some fresh legs, some fresh guys on the field because we’re carrying on heavy duty.”
• Marky Delgado returned to the team after a one-match absence, while Oswaldo Minda started his second successive match following his return from the FIFA World Cup, though was removed at halftime in favor of Nathan Sturgis, making his fourth consecutive substitute appearance following his acquisition from Colorado.
• “We have to live with it, no excuses,” said Cabrera. “Let’s try to rest, let’s try to focus and let’s try to use other guys to see if we can give a little bit of fresh momentum to the team and continue battling because we have a tough schedule this month.”