or whatever that team is called. Hence your favorite Monday column appearing on Tuesday.
Since then, some have said that Thursday's result is indicative of Chivas USA's impending demise. That the Red-and-White will fail to recover from the defeat and will slip down to the lower ranks of the MLS standings.
Au contraire, amigos. If anything, last week's home loss has Chivas USA fired up enough to go undefeated the rest of the season. Sometimes a big setback is just what you need.
Don't believe me? Consider these examples:
• After losing the 1957 NBA finals to the St. Louis Hawks, the Boston Celtics won eight straight championships.
• In 1914, Franklin Delano Roosevelt lost a Democratic senate primary to James W. Gerard. He was later elected to four consecutive presidential terms, serving from 1933 to his death in 1945.
• In 1209, a young Genghis Khan and his Mongol armies suffered an embarrassing defeat to the Xi Xia people at the siege of Yinchuan. Khan regrouped and went on to command the largest empire the world has ever known.
You see? If the past teaches us anything, it's that Chivas USA is about to become the most storied club in MLS history. They'll probably win the next eleven MLS Cups in a row.
On to the awards!
HOLLYWOOD CORNER
Where we remember that Chivas USA plays in Tinseltown's backyard.
Best Actor (the Man of the Match): Paulo Nagamura
This guy does it all. First, he scores his fourth goal of the season in the 16th minute with yet another long-range blast. I'm starting to think that he's severely far-sighted; all four of his goals this season have come from on or beyond the 18-yard-line. During his next CAT scan they'll probably find a rocket fuel tank in Paulo's right leg.
And when midfield partner Jesse Marsch was sent off in the 63rd minute, Nagamura strapped on the captain's armband and led a valiant effort to hold Chivas' ten men together for the final thirty minutes of the match.
Best Supporting Actor (the guy you might not have noticed): Maykel Galindo
Galindo was everywhere on Thursday night: making good runs off the ball, hassling Chicago's defenders. It was his dogged persistence that drew the penalty kick on Bakary Soumare in the 37th minute, which he calmly slotted home to put the Red-and-White ahead just before half time.
It's so comforting when the team sheet has Galindo's name on it. It's like marching off to war with Achilles in your army: You may not always win, but at least you won't go down easily.
The Villain (the person from the match that we love to hate): Cuauhtémoc Blanco
He scores two penalty kicks, including the game-winner. He marshals the Chicago midfield all evening, creating chance after chance for the visitors. He draws the foul that gets Jesse Marsch sent off.
I'm sorry, Cuauhtémoc, but I just can't like you. Anybody who brings fans to The Home Depot Center wearing canary yellow instead of red and white goes on the villain list.
Oscar Moment (what you're remember from this game): McBride's Great Fall
Let's do some math here. Mariano Trujillo is listed on the Chivas USA roster as 5'7", 150 lbs. Brian McBride is listed on the Chicago roster as 6'0", 175 lbs. And yet somehow Trujillo managed to fell McBride with a mere brush of his left forearm in the 96th minute to draw the fatal second penalty kick.
This is the same McBride who's famous for his fearlessness and tenacity in the penalty area. The same McBride who has received numerous concussions and head lacerations from persistence and toughness. In other words -- with all due respect to Mariano -- I doubt Trujillo could push McBride over with a bulldozer.
Congrats, Brian. You can pick up your Oscar in the gift room.
POWER RANKINGS
Where we take a look around the league and see who's in position to take the glory
1) Chivas USA
A loss to the Fire only made Preki's men angry. Sorry, MLS, but now you're dealing with a Chivas USA team that's both talented and pissed off.
13) (TIE) Colorado, Columbus, Dallas, D.C., Houston, Kansas City, New England, New York, Los Angeles, Salt Lake, San Jose, and Toronto.
I hear this year's second-place trophy comes with gift certificates to Chuck E. Cheese's. Keep working hard, rest of MLS, and maybe one you can have a free pizza party!
14) Chicago Fire
A 3-0 loss at home to Dallas on Sunday? Looks like the Karma from Thursday night's match finally caught up to you.
15) Seattle Sounders
Seattle is poised to become the first team in 2009 to lose to Chivas USA twice. Congrats guys! What an honor!
Get your ticket to watch the destruction! 1-877-CHIVAS-1 or CHIVAS USA Ticket Center.
Red-and-White Monday runs each week on cdchivasusa.com. Views and opinions expressed in this column are the author's, and not necessarily those of Chivas USA, Major League Soccer, or their respective websites. Send any questions and comments to the author at ChivasMonday@gmail.com.
