DC United vs. Chivas USA | MLS Match Preview

D.C. UNITED vs CHIVAS USA
RFK MEMORIAL STADIUM, Washington, D.C.
July 20, 2014 (WEEK 19, MLS Game #180)
8 p.m. ET (UDN; CSN-MA; KDOC)

Two of the hotter teams in Major League Soccer meet on Sunday evening when D.C. United play host to Chivas USA at RFK Memorial Stadium before an Univision Deportes audience. United return home after winning a third consecutive road match last weekend, a 2-1 win at the San Jose Earthquakes, and are just a point out of first place in the Eastern Conference. Chivas USA have put together a four-game winning streak – matching their longest in club history – coming off a 3-1 win at Vancouver Whitecaps FC last Saturday.

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REFEREE: Fotis Bazakos. AR1 (bench): James Conlee; AR2 (opposite): Brian Poeschel; 4th: Daniel Fitzgerald
MLS Career: 28 games; FC/gm: 25.7; Y/gm: 3.5; R: 6; pens: 8

SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: CHV: Bobby Burling, Marky Delgado, Donny Toia
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: DC: Fabian Espindola, Lewis Neal, Perry Kitchen … CHV: Tony Lochhead, Mauro Rosales, Erick Torres
DISABLED LIST: CHV: Thomas McNamara
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: CHV: Marco Delgado (US U-20)

HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (16 meetings): United 8 wins, 25 goals … Chivas USA 5 wins, 20 goals … Ties 3
AT RFK STADIUM (8 meetings): United 5 wins, 13 goals … Chivas USA 2 wins, 10 goals … Ties 1

LAST YEAR (MLS):
9/8: CHV 1, DC 0 (Torres 51)

• This is the only league meeting between the teams this season.
• Chivas USA won the only meeting between the teams a year ago, a 1-0 victory Sept. 8 at StubHub Center. It was Chivas USA’s first victory in the series since Aug. 29, 2010, ending a three-game United undefeated streak.
• Coaches record: Wilmer Cabrera vs. DC: first game … Ben Olsen vs. CHV: P5 W2 L2 T1

D.C. UNITED
D.C. United won their third consecutive game on the road, defeating the San Jose Earthquakes 2-1 on Friday evening at Buck Shaw Stadium. United are now in second place in the Eastern Conference with 31 points from 18 games.

LAST MATCH

• United took the lead in the 12th minute. After a shot was deflected by the right arm of Quakes right back Brandon Barklage, referee Jair Marrufo immediately pointed to the spot. Eddie Johnson took the resulting penalty and sent it past the dive of San Jose goalkeeper Jon Busch, who guessed correctly to no avail.
• United doubled their lead in the 25th minute. Chris Rolfe rolled a cross in from the left wing where Luis Silva was making a sharp near-post run, and his sliding touch at the edge of the six-yard box left Busch no chance at the far post.
• The Quakes pulled a goal back in the 39th minute. Receiving the ball just outside the area, Chris Wondolowski took two touches before hitting a left-footed drive which took a deflection off a United defender that left goalkeeper Bill Hamid as the ball sailed to the back of the net.
• United head coach Ben Olsen made no changes to the team that defeated Toronto FC 2-1 at BMO Field.
• D.C. UNITED (4-4-1-1): Bill Hamid - Sean Franklin, Bobby Boswell, Steve Birnbaum, Chris Korb - Nick DeLeon, Perry Kitchen, Davy Arnaud, Chris Rolfe - Luis Silva (Lewis Neal 75), Eddie Johnson (Conor Doyle 88).

TEAM NEWS

• United have won their last three games away from RFK Stadium, winning at Montreal, Toronto and San Jose. The last time United won four road games in a row was during the 2007 season; the club record is seven consecutive road wins set in 1999.
• “I think to us it’s just a different mentality on the road now,” goalkeeper Bill Hamid said. “We can get points out of these teams, we honestly feel that way. We can get results when we bring that confidence and mentality to the table, we can do anything. It’s just been a totally different approach and mentality this year.”
• Last season, United became the fifth team in MLS history to go through an entire season without an away victory. They snapped a 21-game road winless streak ñ the second-longest in MLS history – with their May 3 victory at Portland.
• “By getting those first two goals, we showed them that we’re ready to play here on the road and we’re here for a reason,” said defender Steve Birnbaum. “After we got our goals, I thought we sat in a little more. They nicked a goal in the first half – which was a little unlucky for us – but I thought in the second half we just battled and did well to get three points.”
• United have also won back-to-back games for the second time this season, the first since winning against New England and New York on April 5-12. United last won three consecutive games Sept. 15-23, 2012.
• “They had their chances, but there was always someone in the way preventing them from getting the second goal. That was the key to our second half performance: we were there for each other to bail each other out,” said Lewis Neal: Added Hamid: “We just had to lock it down at the end. Credit to the guys in front of me. We kept it organized and clean, gave them chances we knew we could keep out of the net and brought home three points.”
• Eddie Johnson scored his second goal since joining United in the offseason – his first goal since May 17 – in converting the penalty kick that sent United on their way in San Jose.
• Luis Silva scored his fourth goal of the season, his first since hitting for a hat trick on June 11 in Montreal. Silva was making a fifth consecutive start, his third in a striker role since the injury to Fabian Espindola.
• “He worked very hard in the first half. We asked him to be more involved,” said United head coach Ben Olsen. “In the last two games, he just wasn’t touching the ball enough, and to get the ball, you need to work hard, pick up second balls, be constantly on the move, and he did a better job of that. Obviously, he capped it off with a very good goal.”
• Bill Hamid made his 100th career appearance in the San Jose victory, the first Homegrown Player in league history to reach the century mark in league games played.
• “He’s been very good all year long. It’s always fun to watch these guys grow over the years. Bill is one of those guys on and off the field who has continually grown in front of our eyes,” Olsen said. “Being a homegrown guy for this club is great. I know he’s happy to be here and happy to help out his teammates.”

CHIVAS USA
Chivas USA extended their winning streak to four matches, coming back for a 3-1 win against Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Saturday evening at BC Place. Chivas USA sit in seventh place in the Western Conference with 23 points from 18 games.

LAST MATCH

• Whitecaps FC made the initial breakthrough in the 27th minute. Pedro Morales sent a pinpoint delivery from a corner into the box and Carlyle Mitchell headed home low through the legs of goalkeeper Dan Kennedy. Chivas got themselves level just two minutes into the second half when Agustin Pelletieri rose unchallenged to head home a Mauro Rosales corner from the left.
• The match then took a turn when Whitecaps FC fullback Jordan Harvey saw a straight red from referee Armando Villarreal for a two-footed tackle on Oswaldo Minda.
• Chivas took advantage by hitting for the eventual winner in the 81st minute when Marco Delgado sent in a ball to the back post, which Erick Torres headed past Ousted for his fifth goal in five games.
• The visitors then sealed the match in stoppage time when Leandro Barrera rolled the ball into an empty goal from almost midfield after Whitecaps FC goalkeeper David Ousted was caught up field for a corner.
• Chivas USA head coach Wilmer Cabrera made three changes to the team that defeated the Montreal Impact 1-0 at StubHub Center. Eriq Zavaleta came into central defense for Bobby Burling, and Oswaldo Minda and Mauro Rosales started in the midfield in place of Marky Delgado and Leandro Barrera.
• CHIVAS USA (4-2-3-1): Dan Kennedy - Donny Toia, Eriq Zavaleta, Carlos Bocanegra, Tony Lochhead - Oswaldo Minda, Agustin Pelletieri (Nathan Sturgis 77) - Marvin Chavez, Mauro Rosales, Eric Avila (Marky Delgado 46) - Erick Torres (Leandro Barrera 83).

TEAM NEWS

• Chivas USA won their fourth consecutive game, tying the club record set Sept. 20-Oct. 11, 2008.
• “They believe in what they've been doing and they're performing better every game. That's important for them. If, any moment we lose, because this league is very, very even and complicated, with that organization, that composure, that concentration, and the way they've been working, we're going to be OK,” said Chivas USA head coach Wilmer Cabrera. “Right now, we're in a good mode, a good situation. We feel good because we feel strong and we're going to continue and see what happens next game against D.C. United.”
• The Chivas shutout streak ended at 352 minutes with the Whitecaps FC goal, the second-longest in the club’s 10-year history and the longest in MLS this season.
• “It's our fourth straight victory. We are a team that is starting to build up as we have been almost half a year together. We feel the results are starting to come our way and now we feel our team has fortunately improved,” said Agustin Pelletieri. Added Leandro Barrera: “To put it this way, our team has awoken, and hopefully we keep this positive winning streak that can lead us to great things in the future. Every game, we are getting stronger.”
• Erick Torres scored a goal for a fifth consecutive game ñ his fourth consecutive game-winner ñ in Chivas USA’s 3-1 win at Vancouver on Saturday. The MLS record is seven consecutive games with a goal, achieved three times previously by Raul Diaz Arce (1997), Wolde Harris (2000) and Carlos Ruiz (2006).
• Torres became the fourth player in league history to score game-winning goals in four consecutive games, joining Carlos Ruiz (2002), Clint Dempsey (2005) and Edson Buddle (2010).
• Barrera came off the substitutes’ bench and scored his first MLS goal. Pelletieri also scored his first MLS goal.
• “It is important for the players. If Torres is the only person that is going to score goals, that's OK, but Torres calls for attention, everyone is thinking about Torres and that opens the possibilities,” said Cabrera. “Today, it was Agustin and Leandro. That was important for them and it was important for the team. It also shows that we're getting stronger and more confident little by little.”
• The Chivas USA opening goal from a corner kick was just their second this season from a set piece opportunity. Only Vancouver Whitecaps FC have scored fewer this season (1).
• “We didn’t lose our composure,” Cabrera said. “For the second half, we tried to adjust a few movements and tried to move the ball a little bit wider, a little bit quicker and found the first goal on a set piece really quick. That helped us a lot.”